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The protest by the dangerous group, FALPO. Photo elnuevodiario.com.do
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NEW YORK.-  Like a tale right from the pages of the preposterous, or an advertising gimmick, a New York based reporter for newspaper Nuevo Diario and other local media had to sweat resolve not to miss his Tuesday flight in Santiago’s airport.

Miguel Cruz Tejada was leaving the Dominican Republic aboard Delta flight 550 from Cibao International Airport at 1:19 p.m., but wasn’t aware that the leftist nationwide group FALPO had staged a protest to demand justice for the killing of one of its members by Police.

The protest by FALPO, which has also been accused of killing police agents, included the usual torched tires, tree trunks, and trash to blocks roads and occasionally nails to puncture tires. One of these was precisely the one Cruz Tejeda had to take to get to the airport.

“Just as we were about to take the road to airport the front left tire went flat when it made contact with a nail,” the journalist wrote on elnuevodiario.com.do. With no time to fix tires, he got out of the car with little hope of finding another vehicle on the dangerous road, but asked a motorcyclist if there were any taxis nearby.

“Taxi? Around here? No one wants those thugs to burn their vehicle, I think you’re going to lose your flight”.

Faced with losing his uncle’s flight, Cruz Tejeda’s nephew Ramón Paulino grabbed the luggage, got on the motorcycle, went to get a second one, and both went off zigzagging the gauntlet of stones, fire and felled trees to make it to the airport on time.

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COMMENTS
13 comment(s)
Written by: xwill7, 14 Jan 2011 3:11 PM
From: United States, El cuarto bate
wtf?
Written by: WalterPolo, 14 Jan 2011 3:12 PM
From: Dominican Republic, Puerto Plata
Lucky he could get by.

Those campesinos can throw a mean stone.

Too bad he didn´t record it on a cell phone camera.

Would have been great news material both here and in the US.
Written by: xwill7, 14 Jan 2011 4:00 PM
From: United States, El cuarto bate
Why would he do this? There are many daily flights from El Cibao to NYC... He could have been on the next flight out.
Written by: BernardJeanPierre, 14 Jan 2011 4:09 PM
From: United States
People gotta grow up at some point. Having a protest is one thing, needlessly blocking roads is just self-destructive.
Written by: montesino, 14 Jan 2011 4:36 PM
From: United States
Miami/Santiago
This guy is better than Heraldo Rivera.
Written by: Yucahu, 14 Jan 2011 4:37 PM
From: United States, Miami
The roads get unblocked and a the cervezas and yaniqueques come out later and everything is EIRIE mon.
Written by: xwill7, 14 Jan 2011 5:28 PM
From: United States, El cuarto bate
Motorcycle drivers in DR can drive with a presidente in one hand
Written by: okian, 14 Jan 2011 5:38 PM
From: United States
The usual positive Dominican advertising methodology for tourist considering their vacation destinations!
Written by: Dwayne, 15 Jan 2011 11:38 AM
From: Dominican Republic, www.dr-dominicanrepublic.com
I'm sure he will be writing an article about it, and I bet a camera phone or better was used. I can't imagine a Journalist passing up an opportunity like that.

Stuff like this is just another nail in the coffin of Dominican Tourism, Cholera put a few nails in. The Santo Domingo "owners" group regularly put one in (who wants to go to a country where you can get shot at for riding a public bus). Frequent cases of people leaving the All inclusive Hotels sick is a regular contributer. The list goes on.........

When you ask most people in the US about coming here, they are afraid for their lives, and in many cases with good reason. The DR needs money coming in so it can grow and eventually take care of it's population (water, power, clean hospitals). That is never going to happen when this type of thing goes on freely.
Written by: curios1, 15 Jan 2011 12:40 PM
From: United States, right where im standin
i wiil still visit
Written by: amordominicano, 16 Jan 2011 3:39 AM
From: United States, us... Dominican Rep..
That dude is dumb forreal.. its not that serious..
Written by: El_Platano, 16 Jan 2011 12:55 PM
From: United States, Yonkers, NY
FALPO is a dangerous bunch. These huelgas are nothing but an excuse for people to act like complete savages.
Written by: daswolfgang, 16 Jan 2011 11:10 PM
From: United States, jackson heights ny
To MIGUEL CRUZ TEJADA.
Why to take a path road in the country side.
THe AUTOPISTA DUARTE is free of problem,and it will take you in 7 minutes.
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