12699: Haiti and DR free trade zones; a belated reply to Hyppolite Pierre (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: karioka9@cs.com

Hyppolite Pierre writes (in 12638: Re: 12593: Lavalas and US occupations; Simidor responds to Senou):
> I thought thus far, that free trade zones meant essentially that > whoever owns businesses in that region is free from paying taxes on > revenue to the State, in the country where they are operating.
You essentially answered your own questions.  Fi de la transparence! Aristide's free trade zone agreement with the Dominican ruling class is being handled as a "secret d'etat."   The croupion Lavalas parliament was not even given a chance to review it before hand.  And the Lavalas partisans (fewer and fewer) and paid mouthpieces on this list won't even tell us what it is they know.  The 10% land agreement was, however, reported by several reliable sources, including PAPDA, Haiti-Progres, and Alterpresse.  But regardless of what the document actually says, you and I know perfectly well "which country will provide security (police, intelligence, etc) to the free-trade zones." The Dominican government wanted, and has been granted control of that territory, as a buffer against the so-called peaceful Haitian invasion (people looking for work in the Dominican economy). To the extent that the Haitian bureaucracy or police will be tolerated in that colonized space, it will be to repress the Haitian labor force, and to collect whatever blood money is apportioned under the table to Haiti's ruling family. The Dominican ruling class has been treating Haiti with this kind of contempt since the 1930s.  Or haven't you noticed?
Daniel Simidor