29725: Minsky: (news) Dominican official blasts U.S. Group (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Tequila Minsky <tminsky@ix.netcom.com>

Updated:2006-12-21 21:17:04
Dominican official blasts U.S. group for awarding rights activist
AP
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) - The Dominican foreign minister
sharply criticized the human rights group founded by Ethel Kennedy,
saying in a letter released Thursday that the group was misinformed
about his country's treatment of Haitian workers.

In a letter to the widow of Robert F. Kennedy, Foreign Minister Carlos
Morales Troncoso blasted the RFK Memorial Center for Human Rights for
awarding Dominican-Haitian activist Sonia Pierre in recognition of her
work with Haitian migrants.

"I am afraid that the RFK Memorial is regrettably divorced from the
realities on the island of Hispaniola and lamentably ill-informed about
the consequences of Ms. Pierre's work here," said Morales wrote in the
letter obtained by The Associated Press.

Criticizing Kennedy's group as "self-appointed arbiters of human
rights," Morales said his country of nearly 9 million could not handle
the scores of illegal Haitian immigrants and blamed the United States
and other countries for failing to improve conditions in the troubled
nation that shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican
Republic.

Kennedy responded defending Pierre's award, and argued that the
organization has proved its commitment to improving Haiti by
recognizing Haitian-based activist Loune Viaud in 2002.

She quoted her late husband as saying, "We must recognize the full
human equality of all our people - before God, before the law, and in
the councils of government."

Portions of the private correspondence, dated Dec. 8, were first
published Thursday by the Dominican newspaper Listin Diario.

Pierre was raised in a migrant worker camp and has fought
discrimination against poor Dominicans of Haitian decent.

Her activism began three decades ago at the age of 13 when she was
arrested for leading a march to demand rights for sugar cane cutters.
More recently her group has battled to secure education and citizenship
for ethnic Haitians living in the Dominican Republic.

Up to 1 million Haitians live in the Dominican Republic, many of whom
cross the island's lone border illegally to work on sugar plantations
and often suffer violence and discrimination.

On the same day Morales wrote his letter, the Inter-American Court of
Human Rights upheld its decision that the children of Haitian migrants
born on Dominican soil must receive Dominican citizenship. The
government had protested that ruling.

Morales also recently condemned a U.S. congressional delegation for
visiting Haitian workers' villages and rebuked the U.S. ambassador here
for comments he perceived as overly critical of the Dominican
government on that issue.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. The information contained in the
AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise
distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated
Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
12/21/06 21:14 EST