4.3 degree Earthquake registered in East and North county zones

The quake could have been felt in Puerto Plata, a part of Moca and Hato Mayor, as well as Samaná and Nagua

An earthquake with a 4.3 degree magnitude in Richter scale has been registered this Sunday in a large part of Dominican Republic, principally in North and East regions.

The University Seismologic Institute director, Juan Payero de Jesús, informed that the earthquake was registered around 4.00 am in San Pedro de Macorís and had a depth of 77 square kilometres, with an epicentre localized at the north of Los Llanos in East zone.

He upheld that the quake could have been felt in Puerto Plata, a part of Moca and Hato Mayor, as well as Samaná and Nagua, without reports of these localities yet.

The past December 14 another earthquake of same depth and intensity had been registered. It was felt in several country provinces, especially in Tamboril and Santiago.

Al Momento, 16.12.07

American Airlines adds new Dominican-Puerto Rico flight

Samaná is a destination with extraordinary potential

American Eagle, American Airlines’ regional air service, has added a new daily flight between Samaná and San Juan, Puerto Rico to its schedule.

Flight 5047 will leave Samaná’s El Catey airport at 3:40 p.m. daily, while flight 5046 will leave San Juan at 1:45 p.m. daily.
Rafael Sanchez, General Director of American Airlines in the Dominican Republic, said the new flights are a response to increasing demand from clients. Samaná is a destination with extraordinary potential and this new service will contribute to the development of the region.

Samaná is one of six Dominican destinations offered by American Eagle.

Dominican Today, by Alexandra Pope, 18.12.07

The SIV approves a public offer of 4 billion RD $

The resources will be used for the repair of the roads of Nagua, Sánchez, Santa Bárbara de Samaná, El Limón, Las Terrenas and Majagual

Superintendence of Values (SIV) approved yesterday a public offer of more than 4 billion pesos equivalent to 130 million USS, from the Boulevard Turístico del Atlántico company.

The superintendent of the SIV, Haivanjoe NG Cortiñas, informed that Boulevard Turístico del Atlántico (BTA) is devoted to the construction of public works under the system of concession; as well as to the total or partial development of private works under other methods.

The resources coming from this emission will be used for the repair and the construction of the roads which connect the communes of Nagua, Sánchez, Santa Bárbara de Samaná, El Limón, Las Terrenas and Majagual, for an order of 80% of the total cost of the work.

The company will rehabilitate 99 kilometers of roads and will build 24 of them, by assuming the duties and the rights in connection with the operation, the maintenance and the cashing of the toll tariffs of the communication road of the mentioned communes.

Listín Diario, by Cándia Acosta, 14.12.07

Japan delays plan to resume humpback whale hunting

Humpbacks are safe, at least until December 2008

Japan has now officially announced that they will not kill humpback whales this season.

In a deal brokered by the United States, Japan has agreed to remove the humpbacks from the death list for this season. There have been no reports from the Japanese fleet on how many humpbacks if any have been killed so far this season.

Japan still intends to continue to kill 50 endangered Fin whales and 935 piked (minke) whales. Japan put the humpbacks on the list at the 2007 International Whaling Commission meeting primarily as a bargaining chip to broker for support of their commercial whaling activities on other species. That tactic failed and Japan set forth to punish the pro-whale nations of the IWC by announcing the quota for endangered humpbacks.

Unfortunately this is only a temporary respite for the species. Japan is determined to continue to escalate their kill quotas and to expand to other species. The Japanese are planning the construction of a much larger whale processing vessel to replace the aging Nisshin Maru.

The Japanese whaling fleet has a long history of under reporting catches to the IWC.

Dominican Today, 24.12.07

The Government will extend the aerian network in 2008

For better answering the catastrophes and motivating the tourism in the country

Next year, the Government will take again the construction of the airport of San Juan de la Maguana and projects to build aerodromes in Jimaní, Pedernales and San Francisco de Macorís.

The agenda of the Airport Department includes also the inauguration of the airport of Montecristi, which is in its final stage, and the construction of the heliport of Santo Domingo, which is temporarily stopped by order of the syndic Robert Salcedo.

As explained by Andres Vanderhorst, director of the Department, the idea is to connect the country by air in order to have a fast response to face the atmospheric phenomena and also in order to the tourism can easily join all the areas of the country.

With on last Friday the incorporation of the airport June 14 of Constanza in the international category, they are now 10 terminals of the country which have this status.

The others are those of Las Americas in Saint-Domingue; Gregorio Luperón in Puerto Plata; Punta Cana in La Romana; María Montez in Barahona; Cibao in Santiago; El Catey in Samaná; Higüero in Northern Santo Domingo, and Punta Aguila in La Romana.

In November, these nine airports had mobilized 8.502.119 passengers.

The statistics of the Airport Department stress that 4.177.158 people entered and that 4,324, 961 left the country during this period.

Only for the airport of Las Americas, we are waiting for 250 thousand passengers only during the Festive Season.

Diario Libre, by Yvonny Alcántara, 24.12.07

He asks to restore the restriction of alcoholic drinks sales for the End of the Year

To liberalize the restrictions of sale of alcoholic drinks is a nonsense

Under-secretary of Collective Health, Doctor Nelson Rodriguez Monegro, asked the Secretariat of Interior and Police to maintain the restrictions of sale of alcoholic drinks, independently of the Festive Season.

Rodriguez Monegro considered that to liberalize the restrictions of sale of alcoholic drinks, for these days off and during the Holy Week is a nonsense because it is on these dates that people tend to drink a greater quantity of alcohol, and if we leave them without control, we will have an increase in accidents and mortality, compared to last year.

He supported that many victims do not appear in the statistics and remain at home with permanent lesions, resulting of traffic accidents, especially motor bikes.

He said that the request of the director of the hospital Darío Contreras, Héctor Quezada, who would like to prohibit the circulation of the motor cycles as from 01:00 AM, obeys to the fact that the majority of the victims, who arrive in emergency in this establishment, are victims of motor bike’s accidents.

However, the under-secretary of Health considered this proposal as nonviable because the motor bike constitutes the means of transport par excellence as well as in the large cities as in the Communities far-off in the country.

The motor bike is the transport used by people in the rural zone, it is the means of transport which replaced the horse, the mule, the ass, and it is that which is most frequently used by people to move from one village to another, he added.

He also said that in addition, the motor bike is a work instrument because it is used to transport products and goods from a place to another.

He said that what must be done is to implement the circulation rules which exist in the country, for the vehicles as for the motor cycles, to implement the mandatory wearing of helmet and the obligation of having a driving license, and that everybody is provided with their respective plates.

He moreover supported that the « motoconchistas » and those which use the motor bikes like means of transport, must be also subjected to the restrictions to not drink alcohol while they drive, measures which he ensured, would contribute to reduce the number of accidents and in consequence of victims.

He considered that like all the drivers of vehicles, the « motoconchistas » must be subjected to the breathalyzer test. He indicated that the majority of the injured motorcyclists die by cranial traumatism resulting to the obligation to use the helmet because the majority has it but hung to the handlebar or in the hands.

He moreover recalled that thousands of people are bread-winner like « motoconchista », additional reason to say that the request of Quezada is contra-indicated.

Clave Digital, 28.12.07

The COE, Amet and the Police force announce a new operation

The Operation « Renacer Navideño » will be reinforced with five thousand new volunteers

The Center of Operations of Emergencies (COE) announced that it will carry out a new operation at the end of the year, in coordination with the Metropolitan Authority of Transport (Amet) and the National police force (PN), by means of which they will stop all the motorcyclists who circulate without helmet, drunk or with more than two passengers.

The Operation « Renacer Navideño » will be reinforced with five thousand new volunteers, so now in the streets, 40 thousand people take care on the lives of the travelers, informed the director of the COE, colonel Juan Manuel Méndez.

The civil servant announced that they will subject to justice the drivers which will be arrested under the effects of alcohol or violating the laws of circulation.

We coordinated each other with Amet and the National police force to carry out this operation, and we will stress the most vulnerable zones, and where the most accidents during the Festivals of Christmas occurred, he added.

He explained that the second phase of this operation will begin on Sunday 30 and will finish the New Year’s Day 2008.

He explained that the operation was also coordinated by Civil Defense and the other organizations of civil protection in order to increase the personnel who will take part of it.

He added that thanks to the reinforcement and indication on the motorways of the country, the traffic accidents in these points were almost null during the Christmas festivities, and that on the contrary, they all were almost recorded in the urban zones, which will be reinforced. As the motorcyclists are one of the most involved in accidents, we will take measures with all those who will be under the effects of alcohol and their motor bike will be confiscated to them in order to prevent that they continue to sow bereavement in the Dominican families, he said.

He asked the citizenship to celebrate with wisdom and not to take the wheel if they drunk alcohol.

Listin Diario, 28.12.07

Public works will continue constructions with a good rhythm

They began the second stage of the Santo Domingo - Samaná road

In spite of the challenge which the natural disasters of the tropical storms Noel and Olga meant, the Secretary of State of Public works and Communication, Víctor Díaz Rúa, affirms that this wallet does not lower the rhythm in the execution of the 14 works which he assumed since August, 21 when he designed for this charge.

Moreover, Díaz Rúa indicated that it is foreseen to carry out during the year 2008 some 34 works in the whole national territory.

He indicated as a important part of his management in 2007, the beginning of a plan of national asphalting in the streets and the avenues of Distrito Nacional, as well as in the communes of San Francisco de Macorís, La Vega, Bonao, Puerto Plata, Mao, San Juan de la Maguana, Higüey, la Romana, San Pedro de Macorís and the district Cien Fuegos of Santiago.

He also explained that they began the second stage of the Santo Domingo - Samaná road, which starts from Rincón de Molenillo to Catey, Sánchez and Las Terrenas, while the first stage (Santo Domingo - Rincón de Molenillo) will be finished in March 2008, in addition to the repair of the Nagua-Sánchez road.

Among work foreseen, it is also the Tourist Boulevard of the Atlantic, Nagua-Samaná (Samaná).

Listin Diario, 31.12.07