12930: Let's keep some perspective on what is happening in Haiti #1 (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Tttnhm@aol.com

Charles Arthur writes:

Let's keep some perspective on what is happening in Haiti #1

A Haitian immigrant was injured during clashes between police and
anti-government demonstrators in that 'model of democracy' - the Dominican
Republic. Riots and police violence are familiar phenomena in this troubled
neighbor of the Republic of Haiti.
See the AP report below;

3 Injured During Dominican Protest
08/22/02

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) - Police fired tear gas at hundreds of
protesters who threw rocks, burned tires and set up road blocks Thursday in a
protest to demand an end to rolling electricity cuts in the Dominican
capital, police said.

Two police officers and a Haitian immigrant were injured in clashes in
northern Santo Domingo, said police spokesman Ramon Francisco Rodriguez
Sanchez. He did not identify the victims or give details of injuries.

Nearby businesses were forced to close and residents had to evacuate their
homes in one of the most populated areas of the capital.

Civil groups had called the protest in several nearby areas to demand an end
to power cuts.

Fourteen power plants have been shut down. Officials said electricity
companies don't have enough funds to purchase fuel for generators. President
Hipolito Mejia said Thursday that the government was working to correct the
situation, but did not elaborate.

Protests against the blackouts have become frequent in this Caribbean
country. Last month, about 200 demonstrators burned two utility offices in a
western Dominican city of Monte Cristi.



08/22/02 23:11 EDT