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**Sarbrienna** · 12-18-2005, 07:00 AM

Cabarete, Friday, July 30, 2004 - Television and eye-witness reports from Cabarete today tell of an unnanounced raid by the Dominican military against long time residents of the Cabarete area in a strip between the Cabarete-Sosua Highway and the North Atlantic from Costa Azul to the new Kite Beach hotel. Witnesses say that the military arrived with caterpillars and bulldozers around noon today to evict what was termed "illegal residents" and proceeded to destroy all properties in the zone without warning. Many residents confronted the soldiers with their legal land and property titles but were rebuffed and their homes destoyed anyway. Some people returned from work only to find that their homes or business had been destroyed with all of their possesions still inside. Around 2:00pm witnesses say the crowd of displaced homeowners confronted the army and the army responded by firing on the growing crowd of homeless people. It is presumed that the shots were fired into the air and that no one was injured but that can not be confirmed at this time. The mayor of Cabarete is quote as saying that he was not informed of any pending action and described this action as a "big crime" that will "severely harm tourism" in the area as no one will be willing to buy property in the area if their legally granted titles do not protect their investment from wanton destruction and appropriation by military authorities. Neither the mayor nor anyone else has any information on who was behind the order to remove the structures, which included at least three business, two owned by foreigners, and most of which were substantially constructed 2-3 story concrete buildings, not simple wood and tin shacks. The property destruction and the ensuing protests closed the main north coast highway, route 5, at Costa Azul for several hours this afternoon. The road is open at the moment but down to one lane in the area due to crowds of displaced people scavenging for their belongings among the ruins of their former homes. Many of the residents were quite poor, and those displaced and now without a place to sleep tonight include women, very young children, elderly, and the infirm.

12-18-2005, 07:00 AM	#11
Sarbrienna Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 377 Senior Member	Cabarete, Friday, July 30, 2004 - Television and eye-witness reports from Cabarete today tell of an unnanounced raid by the Dominican military against long time residents of the Cabarete area in a strip between the Cabarete-Sosua Highway and the North Atlantic from Costa Azul to the new Kite Beach hotel. Witnesses say that the military arrived with caterpillars and bulldozers around noon today to evict what was termed "illegal residents" and proceeded to destroy all properties in the zone without warning. Many residents confronted the soldiers with their legal land and property titles but were rebuffed and their homes destoyed anyway. Some people returned from work only to find that their homes or business had been destroyed with all of their possesions still inside. Around 2:00pm witnesses say the crowd of displaced homeowners confronted the army and the army responded by firing on the growing crowd of homeless people. It is presumed that the shots were fired into the air and that no one was injured but that can not be confirmed at this time. The mayor of Cabarete is quote as saying that he was not informed of any pending action and described this action as a "big crime" that will "severely harm tourism" in the area as no one will be willing to buy property in the area if their legally granted titles do not protect their investment from wanton destruction and appropriation by military authorities. Neither the mayor nor anyone else has any information on who was behind the order to remove the structures, which included at least three business, two owned by foreigners, and most of which were substantially constructed 2-3 story concrete buildings, not simple wood and tin shacks. The property destruction and the ensuing protests closed the main north coast highway, route 5, at Costa Azul for several hours this afternoon. The road is open at the moment but down to one lane in the area due to crowds of displaced people scavenging for their belongings among the ruins of their former homes. Many of the residents were quite poor, and those displaced and now without a place to sleep tonight include women, very young children, elderly, and the infirm.
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