Taken from Diario Libre
SANTO DOMINGO.-The passage of Dominicans along the International Highway from Restauración, in the North region, towards Pedro Santana, in the south of the country, is prohibited, due to the closure of the borders with Haiti, in rejection of the construction of a canal that seeks to divert the course of the Massacre River to Haitian territory.
The closure of the land communication route is to prevent traffic through the section that crosses the village of the neighboring Tyrolean nation.
A checkpoint of the Dominican Republic Army (ERD) maintains a road blockade in the community of Villa Anacaona, which borders the aforementioned Haitian localities.
The measure prevents locals from participating in the commercial exchange that takes place in Tirolí, every Tuesday and Saturday, from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon.
Residents say the fair has continued as planned, without the presence of food products produced in the country, nor of Dominican citizens.
Many of the residents in Villa Anacaona get their supplies at the binational market in Tirolí, less than a kilometer away.
With the border closures, they now have to travel approximately 13 kilometers to reach Restauración, where they get supplies.
Despite the fact that their transportation costs have doubled, due to having to travel so far, they consider the government's decision to be positive.
"We all support this because national security and our rivers come first," said Ángel Mercedes, a resident of Villa Anacaona, regarding the construction work on the canal that seeks to change the course of the Massacre River.
Other locals say that in the days since the border crossing was closed, they have not heard of any robberies or other crimes.
According to José Espinal, Haitian citizens commit crimes on Dominican soil and flee back to their country.
Coexistence
In addition to trade, foreign residents in Tirolí have seen their agricultural activities interrupted in Villa Anacaona and other Dominican towns located near the International Highway.
Cover photo: Diario Libre.
