Dominican Republic - Haiti Observer Blog

On Wednesday, February 11, 2015, the body of a Haitian man was found hanged from a tree in the Dominican Republic in the latest of a series of crimes that may be race related. Other possible motives for the murder -- a likely conclusion drawn by the police as the man, 23 years old, had his hands and feet tied -- is that the man, known as 'Tulile' had been killed for a winning lottery ticket valued at 6,000 pesos.

The dead man, Henry Claude Jean, was employed as a shoeshine man outside the compounds of the Cabral y Báez hospital, where he also solicited commissions to get money to lenders. The identification was done by some of his countrymen after his body was discovered hanged from a tree in the Ercilia Pepin park in Santiago. The killing, and the recent burning of the Haitian flag in another Santiago community, sector Los Ciruelitos, sparked rumors of the continued hatred of Haitians within the Dominican Republic's communities. It is said that groups opposing a union of the two countries in places such as Santo Domingo and Santiago could be behind the rebellions.

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A Haitian national was found on Wednesday dead with his body handing from a tree in Santiago, in the Dominican Republic. Dominican National Police said Wednesday that the body of the man, identified only as "Tulile," was found in Ercilia Pepin Park.

The Haitian man who was lynched was a shoe shiner. Six people have been questioned on the murder and released for lack of evidence

Lynching by hanging is an extrajudicial punishment, an informal public executions by a mob, , in order to punish or to intimidate a minority group.

Kreyol Pale, Kreyol Kompran

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On Thursday, March 5th, Blas Peralta, the President of the National Federation of Dominican Transportation (Fenatrado), has confirmed that 27 trailers and Dominican trucks, loaded with cement, rebars and food, were seized at Ouanaminthe after registering with the Haitian customs authority. In spite of requests from the Dominican authority, and by Jhovanny Escoto, the representative of the Fenatrado (Dominican Republic's biggest truckers union with a force of around 7,000 trucks) the Haitian customs has decided to retain the trucks as they had already been registered with their customs, but asked the Dominican drivers to return to their territory until the situation returns to normalcy. A total of 24 trucks was blocked in the customs area of Ouanaminthe and 3, at the exit of Cap-Haitien because of planned protests and threats of retaliation against the Dominican drivers.

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Several dozens of Haitians have been demonstrating in front of the Haitian Embassy in Santo Domingo to demand the delivery of their passports. Many stated that it has been over 5 Months since they applied for their passport, when the paid US $ 110 and they are still waiting to receive them

These people have been waiting for these passports which will enable them to take advantage of the new normalization program in Dominican Republic. The program is expected to end in may, 2015

Kreyol Pale kreol kompran

Ayisyen nan sSt Domingue revolte avek Ambasad Ayisyen-an. Pliziè moun payee 110 Dolar Amerikin pou Passpor yo, jisja prezan, Consil Ayisyen-a pa bay yo.

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Haitian Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Fritz Cineas' residence was burglarized on February 5, 2014. An EDESUR utility van pulled up to the embassy with five uniformed men inside, evidently EDESUR employees, or so the embassy security guard thought. The men told the guard they were there to make a repair to the electrical system. Taking the men at their word, the guard let the van through a heavy metal gate and was attacked with a blunt force object. Once inside the building the men found a Haitian domestic, whom they tied up and gagged, then going to the second floor where they stole two safes.

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Who is likely to forget this hard-learned lesson centered around the word 'parsley' and what it meant to be Haitian across the border in the Dominican Republic then, and what it still means now? Years ago, the parsley massacre occurred, epitomizing genocide for the island that houses both Haiti and the Dominican republic.

The year was 1938 and the then President of the larger country, President Trujillo, ordered the killing of over 20, 000 people during five days in October that year. Their crime was for being Haitian, and their fates hinged on whether or not they could pronounce the Spanish word for parsley, with the rolling "R" that is synonymous with the Spanish language. Of course, the French influence gave them away for Haitian, as they condemned themselves with the more guttural pronunciation of the word, and they were subsequently killed.

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At a conference in the Municipal Center of Yaguate, San Cristóbal, Mr. Vinicio Castillo, the Deputy of the National Progressive Force (Fuerza Nacional Progresista or FNP) has announced his plan to hold conferences to inform the Dominican population the harms of massive Haitian illegal immigration to his country. Mr. Castillo is a prominent Dominican lawyer and controversial figure in Dominican politics; he is well known for his anti-Haitian stand. At the conference, he has said that the Dominican Republic is under constant threat of invasion by illegal Haitian immigrants through the almost non-existent border control. He has added that the news of non-deportation and the plan of his country to regularize earlier immigrants have encouraged many Haitians to cross the border.

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According to the Dominican Deputy for the National District, Mr Vinicio Castillo, who is very influential, the Dominican Republic is currently considering constructing a wall along her boundary with Haiti. He was being interviewed by Julian Valdes, who is the Director of the Political Observatory Dominican. He said that in his party, the most important issue is the sovereignty of the Dominican Republic, and he added that between these two nations there exists a physical boundary which should be respected. He explained that the situation needs urgent action to ensure strict immigration measures have been put in place.

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In just 30 days, over 3,100 Haitians were deported from the Dominican Republic, a record taken from the Dajabon province only. This number shows that an estimated 100 to 150 people, most of whom are pregnant women, are deported from the territory every day after trying to gain illegal access into the country.

Women enter the Dominican Republic hoping to give birth there and have their children registered as a citizen of the more prosperous country, but this shows the high level of misinformation surrounding the National Plan for Regularization of Foreigners (PNRE).

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Haiti must be doing something right. The island comprising of Haiti and the Dominican Republic is expected to lead the entire Caribbean region economically in the next two years. Based on the latest update of the International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook report, these two countries are expected to grow on an average between 3.75 percent for Haiti and 4.75 percent for the Dominican Republic.

Are we witnessing the shifting of power in the region?

Experts already predicted if this trend continues, in just a few years, the Island of Hispaniola will be the center of economic activities for the region.

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