Archive for May, 2021
Coming soon: Pay your fine for crossing a red light, or you won’t be able to travel
The National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (Intrant) will install intelligent traffic lights this year to ensure that those who run a red light pay a fine. Diario Libre reports the Intrant is preparing the system that will send the violators notifications to their domiciles.
Intrant director Rafael Arias says the new lights will detect when a vehicle, including a motorcycle, passes in red. It will register the vehicle with a photo, highlighting the license plate area, which will allow identifying who it belongs to and the address, regardless of the time when the infraction is committed.
“If this offender does not pay the fine, he/she will not be able to renew their driver’s license, the vehicle permit to drive (marbete), or the insurance of the vehicle. The person will not obtain a certificate of No Delinquency or leave the country, warned the official when interviewed on “Fuera de Récord,“ produced by journalist Elvis Lima.
The Intrant has not given details of the tender being carried out for the new service. Years ago, the government of South Korea offered to resolve the traffic violations problems with the implementation of new software that had worked successfully in that country.
Source: DR1, DiarioLibre
May 22, 2021
Government extends free insurance to tourists for another month
The Dominican government extended its free Covid-19 travel insurance program to tourists for another month. The program will now end on 12 June 2021. This program covers tourists that book into participating hotels and resorts in the country. The insurance cover hospitalization, medicines, transportation (ambulances), and hotel expenses incurred during a hospital stay. It even goes so far as to cover any expenses due to a change of flights.
Tourism has been steadily recovering. Tourism Minister David Collado reports that bookings are now at around 65% of those for the same time during the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
Source: DR1, Listin Diario
May 22, 2021
Once again Operation Smile in DR
Operation Smile will carry out its 28th medical mission to the Dominican Republic. Local and foreign doctors will operate on 25 children with cleft palates and harelips. These children, pre-selected by Dominican specialists, will receive free surgery and after-care at the Dr. Salvador B. Gutierrez Public Hospital in Santo Domingo, a teaching hospital. Possible candidates are welcomed at the hospital for evaluation. There are an estimated 300 cases born in the DR with cleft palates and harelips.
Source: DR1, DiarioLibre
May 22, 2021
Cestur renamed Politur
The new director of the Specialized Tourism Security Corps (Cestur), General Minoru Matsunaga renamed the organization the Tourism Central Police Agency (Politur). This is the entity’s original name.
Matsunaga was recently appointed after the Public Prosecutor’s Office revealed details of an alleged mafia that operated in Cestur and involved its former director, Brigadier General Juan Carlos Torres Robiou.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the institution and its ties to the military, police, and religious corruption ring named Operation Coral. The prosecutors accuse former Army Major General Adán Cáceres Silvestre, former chief of the Corps of Military Assistants of the Presidency (Cusep) of leading the corruption ring.
Source: DR1, N Digital
May 22, 2021
DNCD cancels agents for excessive force against family traveling at night in La Romana
The National Drug Control Agency (DNCD) announced the firing of five of its agents for acting in an unjustified and excessive manner against a family traveling in a vehicle on the evening of 18 May 2021 in the province of La Romana. The family is named as Aneudy Pilier, his wife Rosangela and four children. Also his wife’s mother Celeste Paulino and her sister, Alondra Paulino.
“The anti-narcotics agency warns that anyone who acts against the law and violates internal regulations will be dismissed from the institution,” a note from the DNCD indicates.
The five members of the patrol — two DNCD agents and three members of the Armed Forces — will be sent to ordinary justice.
The agents of the DNCD had mounted an operation in response to an alert between Bayahibe and San Pedro de Macoris. The patrol called for the Hyundai SUV to stop. The family later explained that the road was dark and the DNCD vehicle was not identified, so they did not pull over.
The agents then fired several shots at the tires of the vehicles. One of the bullets wounded the driver of the vehicle, the father, Pilier who was hospitalized in the Centro Medico Coral of La Romana.
The DNCD said it regrets the occurrence and has already met with the families of those affected to express support and solidarity.
Source: DR1, Hoy
May 22, 2021
Ban on fishing of parrotfish in the Dominican Republic
President Luis Abinader issued Decree 326-21 to back a resolution issued earlier by the Ministry of Environment regarding the ban on fishing of parrotfish in the Dominican Republic. Parrotfish are essential for the creating of sand. Recently, several fishing organizations had protested the ban.
National Geographic explains:
“Parrotfish are colorful and voracious herbivores that spend up to 90% of their day eating algae off of coral reefs with their beak-like teeth.
“Caribbean-wide analysis shows that the #1 thing we can do to ensure the health of coral reefs is to protect parrotfish. Parrotfish are colorful and voracious herbivores that spend up to 90% of their day eating algae off of coral reefs with their beak-like teeth. And they poop sand (up to 200 pounds of it per year!) keeping beaches beachy.
“However, parrotfish have been overfished and Caribbean reefs have gotten increasingly furry with algae over the past decade, resulting in a far less pretty picture, and a far less productive and resilient ecosystem.”
The presidential decree establishes a nationwide ban on the capture of 13 species of fish to contribute to the development and protection of the species. The Presidency highlights the species have been subject to indiscriminate exploitation without taking into account the damages caused to the environment.
Decree 326-21, issued on Tuesday, specifies the ban is from 1 September to 31 December every year, in accordance with similar regional measures adopted within the Sica-Codopesca framework.
The ban covers all classes/family of parrotfish, soapfish, botu, and parrotfish. Also all species of sea cucumbers, holothurians, and eel.
Source: DR1, Hoy
May 22, 2021
Last updated January 23, 2026 at 4:16 pm