Taking a chance at sea

[NewsWhore]

Hoy newspaper publishes an article which estimates that in 2006 alone more than 25,000 Dominicans risked their lives by taking trips in small boats, known as yolas, mainly to Puerto Rico, in search of a better life. The cost of one of these trips is between RD$35,000 and RD$50,000 and Hoy reports that passengers paid a total of between RD$750 and RD$800 million this year for these trips. However, these costs aren't as high as those paid by Cubans or Chinese nationals who try to make it to the DR, reportedly as much as RD$150,000 for a trip. Romana Hernandez of the Institute for Dominican Studies at City College of New York City says that these figures represent negligent policies and unequal distribution of wealth, causing people to take these risks.

More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#15)