CONFIDENTIAL
BRITISH EMBASSY
CARACAS
Mrs J D Wyeth
Disaster & Refugee Unit ODA
22 August 1986
523.
Abar Mrs Wil
Драй
UNCHR PROGRAMMES IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
(481)
481 1.
Stephen Brown, MCAD, has forwarded to me a copy of your questionnaire about the activities of the UNCHR. He asked me to reply direct to you about the Dominican Republic.
2.
Our Embassy in Santo Domingo closed in early 1985 and the Embassy here in Caracas now deals with all Dominican Republic affairs. As you will appreciate, it is impossible at this distance to cover more than the major political and economic events. I regret therefore that we have no information to hand on the work of the UNCHR and its partner in the Dominican Republic,
CARITAS.
3. Most refugees in the DR are Haitians who fled the Duvalier regime (although with the fall of Duvalier the situation may well change). The refugees are unlikely to be treated well in the DR, as most Dominicans regard Haitians as highly inferior beings. This is well illustrated by the plight of Haitian cane cutters who, every year, used to be rounded-up in Haiti and taken to the DR to harvest the sugar cane cropi work which the Dominicans would not do, as they considered it to be beneath them. The Haitians had to live in de-humanising conditions with little food. Furthermore their wages were paid to the Haitian Government to be passed onto the cane cutters once they had returned to Haiti. (This was to ensure that the cane cutters did not remain in the DR). Of course the money disappeared and the cane cutters were never paid.
4. I am sorry that I have not been able to be more helpful; if I hear anything further about the UNCHR or the human rights situation in the DR, I shall let you know.
Yours ever
"Celice le Cany
Celia M. Carrington
CONFIDENTIAL