DR News
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
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
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
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
The Canadian company, Parkland Corporation announced the merge of its subsidiary Sol Investments with Isla Dominicana de Petroleo Corporation that operates Shell-branded fuel stations in the Dominican Republic. Sol will become a 50 percent indirect partner in Isla Dominicana de Petroleo Corp. in the Dominican Republic, which currently operates a retail network with approximately 160 locations.
As reported, the combined portfolio will comprise 240 retail locations making the alliance the Dominican Republic’s largest retail network. As part of the agreement, Isla will operate the joint onshore marketing operations while Parkland will become the principal fuel supplier to the combined network.
Source: DR1, DiarioLibre
May 22, 2021
PUERTO PLATA. – The Swiss airline Edelweiss will operate a weekly direct flight from Zurich (Switzerland) to this province of Puerto Plata from Wednesday, July 2. With this flight that will be every Friday, Edelweiss restarts this route and expands the existing tourist offer in the Caribbean with the destinations Cancun (Mexico), Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Havana (Cuba), and Montego Bay (Jamaica) and in Central America San Jose Costa Rica). Reportedly The executives of the Swiss airline said that the Caribbean and Central American region has proven to be of great interest to European tourists, which is why at this time more and more people want to enjoy a vacation by the sea. “We are pleased to be able to offer our passengers another safe vacation destination, just as the summer vacation begins,” said Patrick Heymann, Edelweiss commercial director, in a press release sent by the EFE agency.
Source: Puerto Plata Digital
May 15, 2021
Over the weekend, Dominican ambassador in Russia, Hans Danenberg shared a tweet by Russian astronaut, Oleg Novitsky in which he posts a photograph of the Dominican Republic taken from the International Space Station (ISS). The astronaut called the country a “paradise on Earth” in his tweet. It is not known if the astronaut has visited or was speaking from observations made by Russian tourists who have visited and marveled at the good weather, beaches, and wonderful people.
“I looked out the window and saw the most visited country in the Caribbean – the Dominican Republic. This paradise on Earth impresses the guests for its fantastically beautiful views and nature, which amazes so much that one wants to become a part of it,” wrote Novitsky on Twitter.
President Luis Abinader was quick to comment, saying that he appreciated the kind words from the astronaut. The President invited the Russian to visit the country once he returns to Earth.
Source: DR1, El Caribe
May 12, 2021
Air Canada has just announced the renewal of flights to the Dominican Republic starting on 26 June 2021. This is just in time for the peak of summertime travel.
Spokespeople for the airline congratulated the Dominican government authorities for the tourism industry’s performance and the reactivating of the major tourist areas. The airline is especially interested in resuming its flights to Puerto Plata, Samana, and Punta Cana.
The Canadian announcement comes when the US State Department is advising US citizens not to travel to most countries around the world, including the Dominican Republic. Germany, on the contrary, is encouraging its citizens to vacation in the Dominican Republic.
May 12, 2021
Source: DR1, Air Canada
Benjamin is an established cell phone repair & sales shop in Sosua, Los Charamicos. It’s conveniently located just below the highway across from Caribe Express.
Service offered:
- Sale of cell phones (new and used)
- All models
- All types of phone accessories
- Cell phone repairs
- Unblocking cell phones
Opening hours:
Mon-Sat 8 am – 6 pm
Sun 8 am – 12 pm
Address:
Sosua, Los Charamicos
Calle Gregorio Luperon #14
Across from Caribe Express
Tel/WhatsApp: +1 829-924-3518
Map (click to enlarge):
President Luis Abinader announced last week the first phase of his “Comprehensive Strategy for Citizen Safety” plan that calls for the disarming of people. It establishes that by June, all motorcycle drivers need to wear a vest with an ID number.
Most attempts by different administrations to stem the flow of criminal activity have pretty much withered on the vine, and, as a sample, just last August, as the new Abinader administration was coming into power, there were 103 homicides by guns or knives, mostly in Greater Santo Domingo Santiago and the National District.
Plans ranging from Hipolito Mejia’s “Citizen Safety”, to Leonel Fernandez’ Safe Barrio”, are but distant memories. During the Danilo Medina administrations, then Interior & Police Minister Jose Ramon Fadul pushed forward a program known as “Live in Tranquility.”
These flopped after spending over a billion pesos on CCTV cameras and other equipment and even with the introduction of the 911 emergency hotline in many parts of the country.
Source: DR1, ListinDiario
Mar 31, 2021
