NewsWhore
10-15-2009, 05:40 PM
The Dominican ambassador in Costa Rica is challenging claims made by journalist Mario Ugalde that Dominicans living in Costa Rica are "lazy and shameless". In an article in the Costa Rican newspaper Diario Extra, Ugalde wrote about a specific area in the capital San Jose known as "Tierra Dominicana," and linked the Dominican presence to the vice that is prevalent in the area. Ambassador Adonaida Medina refuted the claims, saying that the area is not just inhabited by Dominican immigrants, and that it was actually named after a bar of the same name. The bar closed down in 2003, but the name has stuck. Medina says there are only three Dominican businesses in the area, including a cell phone store and a beauty salon.
However, Medina did not deny there were safety issues in the Tierra Dominicana neighborhood. She said the Dominican community in Costa Rica is small, made up of college students, laborers, diplomatic mission members and business people. Medina says that 500 Dominicans are registered as living in the country, but only 100 currently live there. She specified that in 2008 only six Dominicans were deported, none in 2009, and that only five Dominicans are currently in Costa Rican jails. As for Ugalde's claims, Medina is quoted in Listin Diario as saying, "That is a very personal opinion, which we respect, but it is not widespread, especially when we take into account the fact that Diario Extra is a sensationalist newspaper. Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso has ordered Medina to send a formal letter of protest to the newspaper.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)
However, Medina did not deny there were safety issues in the Tierra Dominicana neighborhood. She said the Dominican community in Costa Rica is small, made up of college students, laborers, diplomatic mission members and business people. Medina says that 500 Dominicans are registered as living in the country, but only 100 currently live there. She specified that in 2008 only six Dominicans were deported, none in 2009, and that only five Dominicans are currently in Costa Rican jails. As for Ugalde's claims, Medina is quoted in Listin Diario as saying, "That is a very personal opinion, which we respect, but it is not widespread, especially when we take into account the fact that Diario Extra is a sensationalist newspaper. Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso has ordered Medina to send a formal letter of protest to the newspaper.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)