More than 200,000 Haitians have immigrated to the Dominican Republic since the catastrophic earthquake on January 12, an advisor to the Dominican Ministry of Economy said yesterday. The Jamaica Observer, quoting Ramón Flores, a ministerial aide, said the statistics were collected by the United Nations to draw up its policy towards Haiti. Dominican authorities had previously expressed concern about a mass influx of Haitian refugees. There are already more than a million Haitian living illegally in the Dominican Republic.
Flores said that a delay in finding a solution to Haiti’s problems and the consequences of the earthquake could significantly damage Dominican society. He pointed to the problem in arranging the world financial aid to Haiti and the slow pace of the rebuilding programs, issues to be discussed at a conference set for next June in Santo Domingo.
Illegal Haitians make up the majority of the non-skilled labor force in both urban and rural areas of the Dominican Republic.
For the original report go to http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Increasing-number-of-Haitians-migrating-to-the-Dominican-Republic
Photo of Haitians fleeing Port-au-Prince from the Observer.
