13787: vanderkp: Haiti/DR border (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: vanderkp@uoguelph.ca


Posted on Sun, Nov. 24, 2002

U.S. to aid Dominican army in sealing border with Haiti
By NANCY SAN MARTIN
Miami Herald

DAJABON, Dominican Republic - On one side of the winding Massacre River that
divides the island of Hispaniola into two nations, Haitian women wash clothes
and children play.

On the other, nearly 600 Dominican soldiers patrol this section of the border,
an illegal crossing point for desperate migrants, drug traffickers, arms
dealers, fugitives - and perhaps even terrorists. There is no fence or high-
tech equipment, not even lights to help detect illegal activities at night.

Now the United States has stepped in with a pledge to assist the Dominican army
seal the border with Haiti, beginning with the donation of 20,000 M-16 assault
rifles. Eventually, the aid will include technical assistance and joint
training maneuvers.

"We are beginning to think of the Caribbean as the third border, as an area for
moving drugs, moving money and as a high possibility for moving terrorism,"
said a U.S. government official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The promise of help came from U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Alfred Valenzuela, commander
of Army South in Puerto Rico, who has visited the Haitian-Dominican border
twice in the past week. His visits come in the wake of a tougher policy against
illegal migration in the United States, prompted by the arrival of a boatload
of Haitians in Miami earlier this month. The Immigration and Naturalization
Service has characterized such arrivals by undocumented migrants as a threat to
national security.

The closer relationship between the Dominican and U.S. military is part of a
worldwide strategy since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to give new attention
to borders where security is lax or nonexistent, officials said.

Maj. Gen. Carlos Diaz Morfa, the head of the Dominican army who invited
Valenzuela to visit soon after he assumed the post three months ago, said: ""We
know we have a problem. I wanted him to come and see for himself the
difficulties we have with control."

Continuing turmoil in Haiti under President Jean-Bertrand Aristide has raised
the Bush administration's level of concern about a mass exodus of Haitians. It
has propelled authorities to contemplate more disastrous scenarios - such as an
attack similar to the one on the nightclub in the tourist destination of Bali,
Indonesia - even though Haiti is not on the U.S. Department of State's list of
nations that support terror.

In addition to the estimated 150 Haitians deported by the Dominican army each
day, authorities also have intercepted over two years more than 200 migrants
from six countries who were caught after sneaking across the border from Haiti.

The migrants included 90 Chinese, 15 Pakistanis, 15 Colombians, 78 Cubans and
eight Russians, according to Dominican government figures.

"This is not the total number, just the ones that are intercepted," the U.S.
official said. "This is an open door through which many pass and no one knows
what's in their hearts."

But the prospect of a massive outflow of Haitians continues to be the most
pressing issue - one that the Bush administration does not want to confront.

"You can tell that the crisis in Haiti has gotten worse," said 2nd Lt. Danilo
Dominguez, who has been guarding the border for two years and sometimes gives
money to Haitian children along the Massacre River so they can eat.

"Things are bad," Elina Jean, an unemployed mother of eight, said as she washed
clothes on the Massacre River. "There is no one in charge. Many people want to
get rid of Aristide because he hasn't done anything. There is no work. There is
nothing. People are very angry here."

Jean Louise Pierre, 25, who frequently sneaks into the border town of Dajabon
with sacks of rice to sell, said: "The situation gets worse every day. A lot of
people are suffering from hunger. Aristide is letting everyone die of hunger.
There is no food. No running water. No electricity. No jobs. People want to
leave Haiti."

To keep that from happening, the Dominican army has about 4,500 soldiers
assigned to protect the 300-mile border. Soldiers along the river in Dajabon
patrol by foot during the day and use motorcycles at night.

Twice a week, surveillance is heightened because of the estimated 12,000 people
who cross the bridge into Dajabon to sell products at the market.

Diaz, the army commander, said the military desperately needs vehicles and
equipment.

The M-16s are scheduled to arrive as early as January. Soon after, as many as
900 U.S. soldiers will begin rotating every 15 days to participate in training
exercises, as well as help build schools and clinics, Diaz said.

By the end of next year, about 8,000 U.S. soldiers will have come through,
taking part in what is perhaps the largest cooperative exchange between the two
nations' armed forces.

In addition to the rifles, Diaz and Valenzuela have discussed obtaining sensors
and drug-sniffing dogs for the border to help in detecting illegal crossings
and contraband. Some of the gear that may come to the Dominican Republic would
be surplus from the Army South, which is scheduled to move from Puerto Rico to
Texas next year.

"Part of my interest was for Valenzuela to understand our situation on the
border. It's difficult with the resources we have. He gave me very good advice
and said he was going to try to help us," Diaz said. "You've got to put a lock
on the door."