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New outlet for US customers! Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple is now available from The Dominican Bookshop: http://www.dominicanbookshop.com/Quisqueya_Mad_Dogs_and_English_Couple_p/978-1904502524.htm http://www.bestbooksonline.co.uk/shop/specials.php?id=68 Reviews of the book are available at the above Amazon links as well as British Expat and Dominican Today. http://dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=25127 http://www.britishexpat.com/Book-Reviews-Quisqueya.1347.0.html Lessons From A Murder? Weekend News October 21st. 2007
So are there lessons which can be learned from the tragedy of Mr. Gannon's murder? Without doubt, if the DR justice system was built on a more secure foundation then more of the population would believe its findings. But in the meanwhile expats involved in traffic accidents which produce a fatality would be well advised to either leave the country for a while or to come to a financial agreement with the family concerned. Again, this has nothing to do with whether they were at fault in said accident. Residents in La Mulatta, Sosua will recall that two years ago a German resident was an innocent party in an accident which caused the death of a motoconchista. The family of the conchista requested help from the La Mulatta resident. This was not forthcoming (probably because the expat concerned knew he was not to blame) and the outcome was that he was visited by relatives of the conchista and killed. Such actions cannot be condoned in any way since they are murderous acts. But they do happen here in the DR and expats need to understand the darker side of paradise. The other lesson is that if you are an expat who has lead a high profile existence before your life in the DR you may as well make it public knowledge while you are alive because it most certainly will become so on your death as journalists from your country of origin attempt to dig out both the savoury and the unsavoury with little thought for your grieving relatives. The alleged murderers of Mr. Gannon have appeared in Court and been remanded in custody for three months while the investigation continues. http://elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/486/ItemID/390/Default.aspx http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2007/10/degollan-inversionista-canadiense-en.html http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/noticias/nacionales/octubre2007/asesinangord.htm http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2007/10/16/4580774-cp.html http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2007/10/16/4579507-sun.html http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/story/4058555p-4663033c.html http://www.hoy.com.do/article.aspx?id=128854 http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=75861 http://www.periodicoelfaro.info/news/127/ARTICLE/1178/2007-10-17.html http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2007/10/17/4582599-sun.html http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/noticias/nacionales/octubre2007/sometenjusticia.htm http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/071016/national/crime_hotel_owner_killed_1 Lloyd Robbins - Expat Murder One Year On
http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/noticias/nacionales/octubre2007/descarganhaitiano.htm Cinco Y Diez Burned Out
 In the early hours of Tuesday morning the Cinco Y Diez store on Separación, Puerto Plata was gutted by fire. According to Fire Chief Colonel Reynaldo Ortiz the cause was not a short circuit although work is still progressing to discover the reasons for the blaze. According to Puerto Plata Digital the Fire Chief is working on the theory of arson. 
http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/noticias/nacionales/octubre2007/creenmanos.htm http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/noticias/nacionales/octubre2007/incendio5y10.htm http://elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/486/ItemID/401/Default.aspx http://www.periodicoelfaro.info/news/127/ARTICLE/1236/2007-10-19.html http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2007/10/incendio-destruye-tienda-5-y-10.html Remembered Your Marbete?
The DGII and AMET reminded vehicle owners last Friday that the date for renewing marbetes expires on October 31st. After that date cars on the road without a marbete will be retained by AMET. Thus far some 150,000 drivers (24%) have renewed marbetes and 500,000 have not, according to El Caribe. Some drivers may be debating whether they can afford to continue driving after Saturday's record fuel price increases: premium gasoline is now RD$162.80 (US$4.86), regular RD$150.70 (US$4.50) and diesel RD$127.80 (US$3.81). Listin Diario interviewed drivers about the latest price increases and discovered that they were extremely unhappy. http://www.clavedigital.com/Portada/Articulo.asp?Id_Articulo=11512 DR Investment Scandal
'After a nearly eight-month investigation by the Idaho Department of Finance, nearly 30 Idahoans will be able to recoup money they invested in a Dominican Republic real-estate deal. Wendy Matson, a 57-year-old musician, makes about $12,000 a year, so she was thrilled to hear about a low risk investment that offered high returns. "I need to do something to prepare for retirement; get some more income going," said Matson. She, and many other Idahoans, were quickly convinced to put they're entire lifesavings into investments in the Dominican Republic. "They advised me to refinance my house and to take on a $4,000 early-payment penalty on an annuity," said Matson. What many thought they were getting for their cash was a 5-year fixed investment in real-estate and part ownership on a new hotel/condo project. "What they didn't tell me is that it was a time share and there was no 5-year fixed," said Matson. And Matson says she wasn't told that the hotel condo project hadn't even been built yet.' Read more: Baninter Result
The reading of the sentences will take place on Sunday 21st. October and will continue without recess until completed. Watch Dominican media on Sunday! Breaking News! Baninter result available in Washington Post in English. Read first link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/21/AR2007102101131.html http://www.clavedigital.com/Portada/Articulo.asp?Id_Articulo=11525 RD$1000 For Pimping The Pres! Suspended!
http://www.diariolibre.com/app/article.aspx?id=124377 http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2007/10/1000-por-dejar-pejar-un-afiche-leonel.html http://www.clavedigital.com/Portada/Articulo.asp?Id_Articulo=11515 Playa Dorada Toll Suspended Pending Meeting Monday
Also suspended until a meeting on Monday is the Playa Dorada Hotels Association attempt to charge bus and van drivers 50 or 30 pesos to enter, depending on size (of vehicle!) - see last weeks news. At least it is suspended for tour busses. Drivers of food deliveries have not been so exempted in fact there was even mention made of Politur 'assisting' with collections. http://elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/486/ItemID/396/Default.aspx http://elnacional.com.do/article.aspx?id=29335 http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2007/10/aplazan-medida-cobro-peaje-en-playa.html http://www.puertoplatadigital.com/noticias/nacionales/octubre2007/aplazancobropeaje.htm http://sacandomelao.blogspot.com/2007/10/en-playa-dorada-cobran-peaje-unos-otros.html German Selling Contraband Bikes?
Motorbikes which have not had import dues paid have been sequestered from the streets of Puerto Plata. According to their owners they were sold by a German national operating in Puerto Plata and Sosua. http://elnuevonorte.com/Inicio/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/486/ItemID/405/Default.aspx 30 Days For Drug Factory In Police Station
The commission which investigated the members of the police station situated in the same building as an illegal drug factory (see last weeks news) have recommended punishments of firing and 30 days imprisonment. |
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Quisqueya: Mad Dogs and English Couple is now available in Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata. Currently it is in the deli next to Jimenez Sport and is also likely to be placed in the Playa Dorada bookstore as well as some outlets in Puerto Plata itself. Stay tuned for further updates! Meanwhile it is available online from the publishers, Best Books Online, from Amazon Canada and from Amazon UK. 
Details of the brutal slaying of long term Canadian expat Hugh Gannon in Gaspar Hernandez last weekend need no repetition here since they can be read in both languages at the links below. Readers of these links will rapidly become aware of the gulf in reporting between some Canadian sources and the Dominican papers. Some of the Canadian papers seemed to concentrate on the deceased's life in Canada of more than a decade ago whilst failing to research his life in the DR. They might want to avail themselves of Google in any future journalistic endeavours since even a superficial search would have revealed Mr. Gannon's work for charitable organisations in the DR which help Dominican children. Dominican papers did not mention Mr. Gannon's life before his move to the DR probably because it had no bearing on the crime committed against him. Once it was revealed that one of Mr. Gannon's alleged murderers was the relative of a person who died as a result of a traffic accident in which the murdered man had been involved, most of the Dominican papers found this theory acceptable. Vengeance killing is perhaps something about which first world residents (and journalists) need to deepen their understanding. In the DR vengeance murders are not unheard of and they are not linked to the concept of guilt but the perception of guilt. If a Court of law in the DR exonerates a defendant of all guilt in a traffic accident which has produced a fatality this may mean little to the relatives of that fatality. If their perception is that justice in the DR favours rich against poor then a finding of innocence may be perceived as something which can be bought. 
One year after the murder of US citizen Lloyd Robbins on 13th.October 2006, his employee accused of this act, Fito Dam Brebir or Frito Dambreville, has had the case against him dismissed for lack of evidence. This finding by the Puerto Plata Court of First Instance on Tuesday October 16th. 2007 supports the view widely held in Puerto Plata by those who knew the accused at the time of the murder. But the fact remains that Mr. Robbins was murdered. So will the investigation into this homicide continue?
On Wednesday huge lines formed outside the location of what had previously been the First Lady's Office and on Wednesday appeared to be a makeshift campaign centre for the PLD. Drivers were being given RD$1000 to stick an election poster in the rear windows of their vehicles plus the promise of a further RD$1000 each month if the poster remained in place. But.....................this turns out to be another broken promise. On Friday the PLD Campaign Committee suspended this activity and said it had not been their decision but that of some business supporters of the President. Presumably those who dispense with the use of rear view mirrors! Apparently article 120 of Law 241 prohibits the use of posters in vehicles in such a way as to impede vision according to an article in El Nacional.| |