The Judge is correct.
Tourism is determined to clean up the international image of the Dominican Republic vis a vis 3rd world customs that 1st world visitors find offensive - including, the reputation for rampant prostitution in Sosua - in order to make the place more inviting for a return to family tourism.
They are taking a regulatory approach, because they can.
Arriba Bar, Rancho Tipico (Toro) and the Haitian bar in the D'Pepe Plaza have all been closed in Cabarete, ostensibly for regulatory violations of some kind, but in reality they were closed because they provided sanctuary to women of the night (and day) in the very middle of town which is no longer acceptable to the powers that be (the new powers that be, the locals are pretty horrified at the loss of revenue).
The Haitians were kicked off the street in Cabarete after 8:30p (so I was told last night) and eight women spent the night in jail last night (reported to me by one of them, a known thief, who was begging me for food after getting out of jail this morning).
I'm told that a Zona Rosada is against the law for some reason even though that would seem to present a solution that might satisfy all sides.
It is interesting to speculate as to what Tourism's next steps may be to clean up the DR's bad reputation where men go to buy sexual services (with all due respect to the more enthusiastic members of
ISOC) because there is an organized and energized group of ex-patriots on the North Coast working towards this end who may end up being pretty effective for a change.
I wouldn't put it past them to arrest a couple of foreign tourists for supporting prostitution, if only to make a splash of ink and bandwidth.
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