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

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The cost of American money and "AID"

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Wed Mar 15, 2006 12:08

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Supposed health clinics supposed civilian airports in return for what

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has been the principal U.S. agency for providing economic and humanitarian assistance to developing and "transitional" countries since 1961, though it spends less than 0.5% of the federal budget. It is "an independent federal government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State". US foreign assistance has always had the furthering of America 's foreign policy interests, which includes supporting the US economy, US agriculture and US trade, as a key part of its remit.

The USAID website candidly states, "The principal beneficiary of America 's foreign assistance programs has always been the United States. Close to 80% of the USAID contracts and grants go directly to American firms. Foreign assistance programs have helped create major markets for agricultural goods, created new markets for American industrial exports and meant hundreds of thousands of jobs for Americans."

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Dominicans protest U.S. army reinforcements in their country

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