VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDG #1683/01 3052018
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 312018Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1677
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHPU/AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE 4880

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTO DOMINGO 001683 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2018 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KCRM PREL DR HA
SUBJECT: HAITIANS SUBJECTED TO VIOLENCE AND DEPORTATION 
 
Classified By: P. Robert Fannin, AMB, Reasons 1.4(b), (d) 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary: Longstanding tensions between Haitians, 
persons of Haitian descent, and Dominicans resulted in 
violence this week that left at least 6 dead, dozens of homes 
burned, and hundreds deported.  Dominican authorities have 
issued statements condemning the violence and, while it is 
unclear if the measures they are taking will be fully 
effective, Friday did see an apparent reduction in tensions. 
End Summary 
 
Latest Flare-up 
--------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On October 28 in the town of Neiba, a Haitian 
allegedly killed a Dominican in the course of an attempt to 
steal a motorcycle.  This incident sparked counter-violence 
on the part of local Dominicans as a mob of Dominicans 
attacked a group of Haitians, killing 2 and injuring 10.  The 
surviving Haitian victims sought refuge in the police station 
in Neiba and opted to return to Haiti.  While the GODR claims 
that these repatriations were completely voluntary, Sonia 
Pierre, a Haitian rights activist, reports that the Haitians 
were given the option to repatriate if they wanted to live. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The Director of Migration for the Dominican 
Republic, Jose Sanz Jiminian, traveled to Neiba the same day 
to oversee the GODR response.  He reported that he had 
planned to only assist the victims of the attack to return to 
Haiti, but then found that they wanted to return with their 
families and friends leading to a number close to 200.  When 
the busses arrived for the repatriation, Sanz Jiminian claims 
that he discovered about 470 undocumented Haitians seeking to 
return to Haiti.  In a meeting with POLOFFs, the Haitian 
Ambassador to the DR alleged that these repatriations are not 
voluntary and that the deportees were not even allowed to 
collect their belongings before being returned to Haiti. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Although Sanz Jiminian reported that with this mass 
&voluntary8 deportation, peace returned to the area, the 
violence did not stop in other areas of the western Dominican 
Republic.  On October 29th, a Haitian reportedly killed an 80 
year old Dominican farmer in the northwestern town of 
Guayubin.  In response to this alleged attack, dozens of 
Dominicans apparently looted and burned the homes of about 30 
undocumented workers in a Haitian barrio of the town.  The 
violence also spread to Guayabal and Moca where Dominican 
mobs reportedly looted and burned homes of undocumented 
Haitians.  Harassment of Haitians has also been reported in 
Bani and Santiago. 
 
Historical Perspective 
---------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) According to the Haitian DCM, Madsen Cherubin, and 
Sonia Pierre, similar events took place in 2005 when 
Dominican mobs attacked Haitians in areas throughout the 
northern agricultural sectors of the country.  Following the 
violence, the DR was left without sufficient agricultural 
workers to work their crops and the 2006 crops were 
significantly effected.  Cherubin claims this is the reason 
that the deportations are taking place primarily in the 
southern provinces. 
 
Accusations Fly 
--------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) While all sides agree that the attacks and burnings 
are real, the source and fault for these attacks is in 
contention.  While the NGOs claim that the violence is 
continuing as a result of government inaction and possibly 
government involvement, the GODR claims that the NGOs and 
press are fanning the flames and making more of the situation 
than is actually occurring.  NGOs are also reporting that 
local radio and television commentators in the northern part 
of the country are calling for the ouster of all Haitians 
from the Dominican Republic; however, Post was unable to 
verify these broadcasts. 
 
¶7.  (C) Cherubin, mentioned, unofficially, that some reports 
claim that there was no actual initial killing, but that it 
was a traffic accident between a Haitian on a motorbike and a 
Dominican pedestrian that escalated into the death of the 
Haitian and escalating violence by a Dominican mob.  He also 
noted, more credibly, that in the reported death of a 
Dominican farmer in Guayubin, there were no witnesses that a 
Haitian was involved.  Rather, he reports that the farmer had 
a Dominican helper and was found dead in his field, leading 
to the speculation that his assistant was guilty of the 
murder. 
 
The Government Begins to React 
------------------------------ 
 
¶8.  (SBU) With President Fernandez out of the country, Vice 
President Alburquerque issued a strong statement:  "We 
condemn any act of barbarism that could harm a human being, 
regardless of nationality.  No one should take justice into 
their own hands....  We always offer protection to avoid 
further acts of this kind." The President of the Dominican 
Senate and a group of legislators gave a joint statement that 
condemned the attacks, stating that the attackers are taking 
advantage of ethnic tensions to rob Haitians.  The Armed 
Forces told a Embassy Defense Attache that they have placed 
added security in Neiba and Guayabin to control the situation 
and media reports indicate that six Dominicans were arrested 
today in relation to additional lootings and burning of 
Haitian homes in Guayubin. 
 
What is next? 
------------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) What happens next will depend largely on two 
factors: First, the degree to which the Dominican government 
cracks down on perpetrators of the violence.  Secondly, the 
state of the economy could ) over coming months ) also have 
an effect.  If the economy suffers considerably because of 
the economic downturn in the U.S. and Europe, then Haitians 
will likely be seen as a threat to employment and / or social 
cohesion, regardless of what the government does.  As in the 
United States, when times are good economically ) and they 
have been in the DR in recent years ) the arrival of cheap 
labor (legally or otherwise) to do hard work in the fields or 
construction sites is not questioned very much.  However, 
when the economy goes "south," laborers may become the object 
of resentment and nationalist posturing.  Post will monitor 
the situation carefully. 
FANNIN