19128: (Chamberlain) Dominican Republic-Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

   By FRANK GRIFFITHS

   SANTO DOMINGO, Feb 24 (AP) -- The government deployed 1,200 additional
troops to the Haitian border as the neighboring country remained in the
grip of a bloody rebellion, officials said Tuesday.
   The contingent was dispatched Sunday and Monday to provide more security
along the 225-mile border, said military spokesman Col. Juan Julio Tejeda.
   The Dominican Republic cannot handle a mass exodus of Haitian refugees,
authorities warned on Monday, citing the nation's economic crisis. Tejeda
said he didn't expect a mass influx of Haitian refugees, but if it
occurred, the troops would be able to handle the situation.
   "We are ready," he said, without providing specifics.
   Much of the border between the two nations, which share the island of
Hispaniola, is porous and runs through hills and along the shallow Rio
Masacre.
   Leaders of the rebellion in Haiti, which began earlier this month,
reportedly entered the country overland across the border.
   The Dominican army said it had no knowledge of rebels crossing with
guns.
   Tensions at the border flared nearly two weeks ago when two Dominican
soldiers were shot dead at the key border crossing of Dajabon. The
soldiers' weapons were stolen, leading military officials to speculate the
killings could have been carried out by Haitian opposition groups trying to
get guns. The military is investigating.
   Tejeda declined to provide the total number of Dominican troops at the
border.