NewsWhore
02-28-2012, 04:10 PM
Dominicans are divided between the recognition that the war against drugs is costly and necessary, and issues of local sovereignty, as highlighted in a recent Americas Society report on the Fernandez government authorization to build a base in Saona, the 112km2 island in the National Park of the East. Saona is the Dominican Republic's most visited tourist attraction. The government has not allowed hotel construction and thousands of tourists are bussed to Bayahibe on the mainland every day, mainly from Punta Cana, for a boat trip to visit the island's paradise beaches.
On Monday, 27 February, on the occasion of Independence Day, young protesters held a demonstration against the installation of the base during the military parade commemorating the event.
As reported, the US Southern Command will be funding the construction of a naval base and dock, investing US$1.5 million to curb drug trafficking and migrant smuggling. The project is scheduled to begin in March with construction lasting nine months.
The United States Embassy in the Dominican Republic has said that "no military personnel would be involved in the construction or operation of the base or based on Saona Island and that the US contribution falls within the priorities of the Security Initiative for the Caribbean Basin, which seeks to substantially reduce illegal drug trafficking as well as other international crimes that threaten regional security and the public security."
The decision to install the port coincides with news reports that the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel is focusing on the Caribbean as a transshipment port to US markets.
www.as-coa.org/articles/3997/U.S.-Funded_Naval_Base_Sparks_Controversy_in_the_Dominican_Republic/ (http://www.as-coa.org/articles/3997/U.S.-Funded_Naval_Base_Sparks_Controversy_in_the_Dominican_Republic/)
www.thenewamerican.com/world-mainmenu-26/north-america-mainmenu-36/11010-sinaloa-drug-cartelsnew-caribbean-routes-centered-in-dominican-republic (http://www.thenewamerican.com/world-mainmenu-26/north-america-mainmenu-36/11010-sinaloa-drug-cartelsnew-caribbean-routes-centered-in-dominican-republic)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#13)
On Monday, 27 February, on the occasion of Independence Day, young protesters held a demonstration against the installation of the base during the military parade commemorating the event.
As reported, the US Southern Command will be funding the construction of a naval base and dock, investing US$1.5 million to curb drug trafficking and migrant smuggling. The project is scheduled to begin in March with construction lasting nine months.
The United States Embassy in the Dominican Republic has said that "no military personnel would be involved in the construction or operation of the base or based on Saona Island and that the US contribution falls within the priorities of the Security Initiative for the Caribbean Basin, which seeks to substantially reduce illegal drug trafficking as well as other international crimes that threaten regional security and the public security."
The decision to install the port coincides with news reports that the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel is focusing on the Caribbean as a transshipment port to US markets.
www.as-coa.org/articles/3997/U.S.-Funded_Naval_Base_Sparks_Controversy_in_the_Dominican_Republic/ (http://www.as-coa.org/articles/3997/U.S.-Funded_Naval_Base_Sparks_Controversy_in_the_Dominican_Republic/)
www.thenewamerican.com/world-mainmenu-26/north-america-mainmenu-36/11010-sinaloa-drug-cartelsnew-caribbean-routes-centered-in-dominican-republic (http://www.thenewamerican.com/world-mainmenu-26/north-america-mainmenu-36/11010-sinaloa-drug-cartelsnew-caribbean-routes-centered-in-dominican-republic)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#13)