Access to Border Market Restricted for Haitians

Access to Border Market Restricted for HaitiansSanto Domingo, Nov 17. -Haitian police on Monday blocked hundreds of Haitians from entering Dajabon province in the Dominican Republic, saying access to the market there was restricted to Fridays.

Dajabon Governor Esther Ramírez told reporters that she was contacted by the Haitian Foreign Ministry on Saturday saying the binational market could only be entered on Fridays. Traditionally, the market was open on Mondays and Fridays.

Haitian police sources said it was necessary to use force to disperse some of their compatriots.

Three Haitians were hurt when Dominican soldiers opened the border and the crowd waiting on the Haitian side swooped on the gate to the market.

The market's activities were halted for four weeks due to the cholera epidemic in Haiti, which has killed almost 1,000 people to date.

Dominican authorities have stepped up prevention measures to prevent the epidemic from spreading into the country. (Prensa Latina)