Haitians want their envoy in Dominican Republic out

Santo Domingo.- Dozens of Haitians who live in the country on Tuesday protested in front of Haiti’s embassy to demand the removal of Port-au-Prince envoy Fritz Cineas.

The protesters asked Haiti president Michel Martelly to fire Cineas, noting that the diplomat is a hindrance to their efforts to qualify for Dominican Republic’s Plan to Regularize Foreigners.

They Haitian authorities agreed to charge RD$1,000 (US$25) to issue a passport and the birth certificate said several months ago but now ask as much as US$150 for those documents, required to apply for the Plan.

The Haitians said their country’s authorities have to make it easier for the thousands of citizens living in Dominican Republic to regularize their status before the deadline expires.

They vowed to continue the protest until Martelly’s Administration removes Cineas.

"We want Fritz Cineas to leave the country and for them to send another ambassador because we, Haitians in this country don’t have anyone who can advocate for us," said Joel Aristide, quoted by elcaribe.com.do.

For Ruddy Souce, "there are people who have submitted their forms and when they go and insist to obtain the documents, they say come here, to the Haitian Consulate, to pay 100 or 120 dollars to give them their passport."

"There are papers for which they ask 1,000 pesos to sign them, and all the papers, that’s why all the papers that they ask of us are a little difficult to get because they ask for too much money," said Preciana Charle.