SANTO DOMINGO.- A group of soldiers accompanied by an alleged bailiff occupied the Cacao Beach Hotel and Casino yesterday afternoon, forcibly evicting dozens of European, Canadian and American tourists, as well as to more than 100 employees, breaking locks, safety-deposit boxes, and hurled to the street whatever furnishing they could carry and seized the facilities, according to a denunciation published by the newspaper El Nacional.

Pasqual Remigio Valenzuela, who said he owns the hotel, cautioned the authorities that actions of that nature cause irreparable damage to tourism. He said the military contingent has yesterday occupied the hotel since yesterday, and asked the Tourism Ministry to intervene.

Valenzuela said he bought the stake owned by the Italian Luigi Luesoli three years ago and despite paying the monthly installments on time, he was surprised to see Luesoli, accompanied by an alleged bailiff and the soldiers, who seized the hotel.