VZCZCXYZ0006
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDG #1873/01 2212005
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 092005Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8927
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHWN/AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN 2085
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0799
RUEHGE/AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN 0992
RUEHKG/AMEMBASSY KINGSTON 2774
RUEHPO/AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO 1126

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 001873 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CAR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON DR
SUBJECT: MICHES: LA ESPERANZA EN UNA CIUDAD PERDIDA (A RAY 
OF HOPE IN A LOST CITY) 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  The trip to Miches emphasized the challenges 
facing a small town as well as the possible opportunities 
specifically concerning cultural and possible ecotourism. 
While in the town we visited an artisan workshop known as 
Arte Miches, on the outskirts of the city and conducted 
interviews with businessmen and community leaders.  Artes 
Miches is an inspirational project that aims to instill the 
value of preserving the environment and of creating art works 
of value.  The Artes Miches project can best be described as 
a ray of hope in a town with tremendous tourism potential. 
End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) We recently visited Miches, El Seybo province from 
July 13 to 17.  A town of approximately 10,000 people, the 
city has decaying roads, a minimal police presence, and 
little access to internet or fax machines.  Nearly 50 percent 
of the population is under 19 years of age.  Along our 
journey from El Seybo to Miches through the mountains we 
observed that a good portion of the road has collapsed.  The 
damage occurred about three months ago and it appeared that 
the work to rebuild it had not yet started.  Further down the 
road, little children methodically gathered dirt and rocks 
from the side of the road to fill in potholes covered in dirt 
and dust.  Some of the kids were missing teeth and no older 
than six years old.  This is because the road has not been 
repaired in years.  As drivers of vehicles pass they often 
give the children monedas (coins) as if paying a toll.  This 
town has a myriad of problems that are present in many small 
Dominican towns.  Problems include a decaying infrastructure, 
lack of economic opportunity, and general idleness. 
Moreover, Miches is the major departure point for yola trips 
to Puerto Rico and drugs coming from South America are often 
dropped off the coast near Miches on the way to the United 
States.  Many Miches' youth dream of leaving for the USA. 
 
Background 
---------- 
 
¶3. (U) Miches is located in the northern part of the country 
across the bay from the town of Samana.  Scenic mountains, 
slopes, hills, and the beach surround the town.  The town 
seems to be very isolated and gives the sense of a sleepy 
village because of the condition of the roads.  The major 
roads from Miches are to Punta Cana to the East and to Sabana 
del Mar to the West.  The city is connected to other parts of 
the country through a road from El Seybo.  It takes 
approximately four to five hours from Santo Domingo to drive 
to in Miches.  Las Franceses is the poorest neighborhood in 
the city.  To the east of the town is the town of El Minas 
and to the West is the city of Sabana del Mar. 
 
¶4. (U) The summers tend to be dryer, and rather hot, while 
months such as December are very rainy.  The terrain consists 
of coastland as well as mountain slopes.  The slopes of the 
mountain are generally red; however, they are covered with 
trees.  After heavy rainfalls the slopes often get flooded 
and there are mudslides.  As stated earlier the paved road to 
El Seybo that winds through the mountains was damaged heavily 
by rain.  Furthermore, the mud roads are typically flooded 
during rainstorms. 
 
Economics 
--------- 
 
¶5. (U) There are many small local stores such as hardware 
stores, restaurants, discos, and hotels.  However, many 
people appear to work in a black market economy.  Fixed 
employment is not abundant.  It is estimated that only 25 
percent of the local population has a fixed job and income. 
The town seems to have an abundance of SUVs such as Toyotas, 
BMWs, and Porsches; many of them have no license plates.  The 
lack of gainful employment has encouraged many residents to 
leave Miches for major Dominican cities, Puerto Rico, or 
pursue illegal activities. 
 
¶6. (SBU) When speaking to EMBOFF, youths perceived that the 
only Dominicans that buy houses in Miches are the narcotics 
and human traffickers.  Not surprisingly, many youths from 
Miches dream of becoming a Yola boat captain or selling 
drugs.  Many youths believe that a criminal career path can 
guarantee wealth and success.  Families in this town like 
many other Dominican towns are reliant on remittances from 
abroad in order to survive.  Jobs such as a police official 
 
earn slightly more than US$160 in a month.  US$300 per month 
is considered a good job.  Two major banks operate here -- 
Banca Agricola and Banc Reservas.  However, there are several 
small banks that line the city streets.  The closest ATMs are 
located in the town of El Seybo which is the capital of the 
province and approximately one hour from Miches by bus. 
There are very few businesses in this city that accept credit 
cards.  Therefore, cash is needed for all business 
transactions. 
 
Politics 
-------- 
 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The city,s political culture can best be described 
as interest based and clientelistic.  The PRSC appears to be 
the most popular party in this region.  Many of the jobs are 
government appointed and are determined by which party won 
the previous election.  This is similar to many communities 
in this nation.  However, most locals appear to be rather 
apathetic about politics.  Many locals complain that there is 
a system to maintain the status quo that is reinforced 
through government jobs and nepotism. 
 
Sociological-Cultural Characteristics 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (U) The Artes Miches program is trying to increase the 
self-confidence of youth and help them to love their own 
culture and abilities.  Instead of basing their self worth on 
how many gold chains or vehicles they have, the program aims 
to instill the value of preserving the environment and their 
artwork.  The goal is to help them to value their own 
environment and their own abilities.  It was inspiring to see 
Dominican men with initiative, drive, and vision willing to 
invest in the youth of this village.  Two community leaders 
built this artisan workshop on the outskirts of the city 
where youths can create artisan pieces such as paintings, 
model boats, furniture, and sculpture.  One of the men is a 
well known and respected artist who travels internationally 
for art competitions.  He is also a trained carpenter who 
built a good part of the workshop with his own hands. 
 
¶9. (U) The workshop consists of two buildings that both have 
several rooms and are very colorful.  The artisan pieces can 
be colorful, lively, and reflect the history and reality of 
the Dominican Republic.  Art pieces represent the history of 
the three nations that populated this nation.  Furthermore, 
this organization is working to certify its organic farming 
products and thus diversify itself.   Arte Miches has been 
able to acquire some land where youths can travel to the 
mountains and harvest crops.  The organization also recently 
opened a gallery in the center of the town where students can 
display their art, showcase it, and sell it.  This program is 
able to get the youth off of the street in a city where 50 
percent of the population is under 19 years old.  The ages of 
the youth in this project are from the ages of 10-19. 
 
Public Safety 
------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) A visible number of locals walk around the town 
with weapons that are not concealed.  We spent four days in 
the town walking on foot every day.  During our time there we 
did not see one member of the Policia Nacional on patrol. 
There are also no tourist police.  However, we did see a 
Policia Nacional truck that was completely full of baseball 
players -- locals say that the Miches police chief is a big 
baseball fan.  On our final day in Miches, we encountered the 
only professional armed presence that we met in the city.   A 
member of the Dominican Coast Guard, he patrols around a very 
limited area.  Police are not visible.  Nevertheless, there 
is a police station in the city, but locals state that their 
response time is rather slow and we did not see one uniformed 
police officer.  Locals drive around without license plates 
and can be seen doing other suspicious things.  For example, 
EMBOFF saw one alleged fisherman studying a hydrographic map 
and holding a rather advanced handheld GPS satellite 
communications device, while sitting in a public area of a 
hotel.  It seems unlikely that a fisherman would need such an 
advanced device. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
 
¶11. (SBU) There is a clear lack of public investment in 
infrastructure and public safety in Miches.  The poor roads, 
lack of water, blackouts, and low visibility of uniformed 
police borders are striking characteristics.  The lack of 
work in an area with such a decaying infrastructure is also 
noticeable.  Many working age locals sit idly around the city 
during the weekdays.  The micro-entrepreneurial value of 
working has not been adopted.  The most consistent workers 
are most likely those who work in the black market.  That is 
why programs such as Artes Miches are so important.  This 
program is instilling the value of culture and investing in a 
person's individual talents thus increasing their confidence 
of what they can create.  In short, helping them to avoid 
drugs, trafficking, or dangerous yola journeys to Puerto Rico 
 
¶12. (SBU) Comment continued:  This visit reinforced the 
importance of investing in the youth and creating economic 
values that will encourage hard work, reinforce the local 
culture, and foster an entrepreneurial spirit.  This 
information is pertinent in a city where 25 percent of locals 
are gainfully employed and many prefer to pursue illegal 
activities or wait for remittances.  The trip shows there are 
Dominican leaders who sincerely want a better future for the 
next generation.  There is hope even in forgotten cities such 
as Miches and this program illustrates there are Dominicans 
willing to invest in youth and change the culture. 
 
-- Drafted by John Clarke 
 
(U) This report and extensive other material can be consulted 
on our SIPRNET site, 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/santodomingo/  
BULLEN