2008 – Page 87

US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez has urged the DR to redouble efforts to increase transparency and consistent application of the law as a way of enhancing the nation’s attractiveness for foreign capital. The Secretary explained that as the economic crisis develops, competition for foreign capital would become fiercer. Gutierrez did highlight the silver lining in …

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Economist Bernardo Vega is in favor of the Dominican government signing an agreement with the International Monetary Fund as a way of demonstrating willingness to tighten its belt in order to tackle the difficulties that the economic crisis in the US will bring. “There is no real perception that the government is tightening its belt …

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Codetel, in cooperation with the Dominican Telecommunications Institute’s (INDOTEL) Rural Broadband Connectivity Program, will expand broadband internet service to 509 rural communities throughout the DR. Indotel director Jose Rafael Vargas says that within 343 days communities in Arenoso, Castillo, Villa Riva, Duarte, Comendador, Moca, Punta Cana, La Vega, Bonao, Monte Plata, Yamasa and Puerto Plata …

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During celebrations in honor of the Archangel St Michael, President Leonel Fernandez asked the Army to continue fighting against drug trafficking. St Michael is the patron saint of the Army. Fernandez’s words were read during a mass celebrated at Santo Domingo Cathedral. Also attending the mass were Vice President Rafael Alburquerque, Armed Forces Chief Pedro …

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The increase in drug activity in the DR can be attributed to an increased presence of Colombian drug cartels using the country as a springboard for drug operations. During the first ten months of the year, 83 flights were detected entering the DR illegally with the aim of dropping drugs on national territory. According to …

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Over the weekend drug control agents seized over 154 kilos of drugs in separate drug raids. Thirty-three packets of drugs were found in Higuey after a gun battle between the authorities and suspected dealers. One man was shot dead in the violent exchange. A further 75 packets of drugs were found during an operation at …

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Senator Wilton Guerrero says he is surprised that General Prosecutor Radhames Jimenez Pena is accusing him of the same things as the former Police commander in Bani, General Hilario Gonzalez y Gonzalez. Senator Guerrero has accused General Gonzalez of complicity with drug traffickers in the region. At a press conference yesterday, Senator Guerrero said his …

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Lawyers Carlos Salcedo and Artagnan Perez Mendez are also warning that the complicity between the authorities and drug traffickers and the failure to apply the law are contributing to the increase in crime in the Dominican Republic, as reported in Hoy. Salcedo said that the increase in crime and drug trafficking is a reflection of …

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Pedernales Senator Dionis Sanchez is calling on the government to set up a National Drug Control Department office in Pedernales, on the far southwestern coast of the DR. He said that after last week’s incident in which an airplane loaded with drugs crashed in a remote area of the province, he has observed more activity …

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The Stevens Institute of Technology’s Center for Maritime Systems has launched a project aimed at strengthening the Early Warning System (EWS) for Floods in the Dominican Republic. The project is focused on developing the DR’s EWS technology and providing the most up-to-date equipment to improve accuracy in detection of hurricanes and preventing flooding. The program …

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