Dominicans protest U.S. army reinforcements in their country

international | anti-war / imperialism | other press Wednesday March 15, 2006 09:41 by Xinhua

Government says the U.S. soldiers only there to do humanitarian work

The Alternative Social Forum said that the real reason the U.S. army is present in the region is to control, dominate and interfere in the Dominican Republic's politics.

Dominicans protest U.S. army reinforcements in their country - March 15, 2006

Dominicans in the regions of Baoruco and Barahona staged protests as a new contingent of U.S. soldiers arrived in the Dominican Republic, according to news reports from the Dominican Republic Tuesday.

Although the Caribbean nation's government said the U.S. soldiers were only there to do humanitarian work, the Barahona Anti-Imperial Struggle Committee (CLAB) announced a round of anti-U.S. protests.

"We will return to the streets to call for the removal of U.S. soldiers from our soil," CLAB spokesman Jovanny Reyes told Dominican media.

CLAB demonstrated against the U.S. troop presence on Feb. 27, saying that those soldiers were not constructing rural clinics, as the government has said.

Another group of protestors, the Alternative Social Forum, said that the real reason the U.S. army is present in the region is to control, dominate and interfere in the Dominican Republic's politics.

The protestors said the U.S. troops also posed a threat to neighboring nations like Haiti, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Venezuela.

CLAB complained of constant overflights by three U.S. military helicopters in the region.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Angelica Reyes, head of the troops, the reinforcements, who arrived by military aircraft on Tuesday, went to the country only to build clinics in the settlements of La Lista, Batey Los Robles, Mena Arriba and Barahoma's Barrio Milton.

Source: Xinhua