Haitians protest as Dominican groups keep them out

Dajabon, Dominican Republic.-Dozens of Haitian immigrants on Wednesday staged a protest after groups ofDominican civilians kept them fromentering the country, as the incidents along the border continue in the heelsof Haiti´s ban on the entry overland on 23 products from the DominicanRepublic.

With their immigrant documentsin hand, the Haitians decried theattitude of the groups in Dajabón (northwest), noting that many of them studyand work in Dominican Republic, while others triy to enter for medicaltreatment and to buy goods.

"We havedocuments, so we don’t see why they block the way into the Dominican Republic;we have nothing to do with the measure of my Government that bans the entry of23 products from Dominican Republic, on the contrary most Haitians reject it,"said the student René Paul Joseph, one of those kept from entering.

Merchants to continueshutdown

Dajabon Market MerchantsFederation resident Freddy Morillo told local media that their walkout incommerce remains firm.

He said they expectedthe ban to be lifted as the result of the meeting between Haiti president MichellMartelly and Dominican Republic´s Danilo Medina in Barahona on Tuesday.