The construction project for the Royal Decameron Hotel is progressing nicely
An official visit of the building site of the Royal Decameron - Indigo Beach Resort and Spa, the first all-inclusive hotel in Haiti, took place on Monday, August 31st in Montrouis on the Arcadins Coast.
According to information available on the site of the Ministry of Communication, Minister of Tourism and Creative Industries, Madam Stéphanie Balmir Villedrouin, led this important delegation consisting, among others, of the President of Decameron, Leonardo Gonzalez, Secretary of State of fiscal reform, Ronald Décembre and the Managing director of Haitian Customs, Victor H. Saint-Louis to the sites of the first all-inclusive Haitian hotel- a product of an agreement between the hotel group Decameron and the owners of the Indigo Club.
Royal Decameron Indigo Beach Resort and Spa will add 400 rooms of European standard to the Haitian hotel market. This large-scale tourist complex on the beach will also include 3 restaurants and 2 outside swimming pools, in which more than 800 customers can be accommodated. It will also include 2 gyms, a spa, a marina and aquatic attractions.
"All the suppliers who are going to furnish the Royal Decameron Hotel - Indigo Beach Resort and Spa will come from outof Haitian companies. The hotel is also going to generate 420 new local jobs," announced the executive team of the chain.
Decameron, subsidiary of the Colombian group Terranum and the main hotel administrator of Latin America, finalized in March, 2015 the terms of an agreement of operation of the Indigo Club of Haiti (formerly Club Med).
Completion of construction of this hotel is planned for next November.
KENNETH MERTEN TOOK OFFICE ON AUGUST 17TH AS SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR HAITI AT THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Kenneth Merten's missions abroad include the embassy of the United States in Paris, the Mission of the United States to the European Union in Brussels, the embassy of the United States in Bonn during the period of the Germanunification, and three appointments to the embassy of the United States in Port-au-Prince, in Haiti. His work experience in Washington includes two missions at the center of Operations of the State Department which addresses international crises, ensure that top state employees of the State Department are kept informed about the latest events, and supports the daily duties and the travels of the Secretary of State. He also worked at the Office of Economic and Commercial Business, and at the office in charge of questions related to Cuba, as well as for the special councilors (advisers) on Haiti from 1993 till 1994.
Kenneth Merten holds a Bachelor's degree from Miami University in Ohio, and a Master's degree in public administration from American University in Washington, DC. Studies at the University of Aix-Marseille in France and at Karl Franzens Universität in Austria complete his academic curriculum. He presented a conference before an audience of more than 10,000 at the University of Miami in May, 2010 and also received an honorary doctorate of them. In July, 2012, Ambassador Merten was decorated by Haitian president Michel Martelly with the Big Cross of Honor and Merit, the fourth foreign diplomat to received this award in the 200 years of Haitian independence.
Ambassador Merten was born in Saint Louis, Missouri and considers Hudson, Ohio, as being his home town. He is married to Susan Greenman Merten and has two children.
NEW AMBASSADOR OF BRAZIL IN HAITI
On Friday, the President of the Republic of Haiti, Michel Martelly, received the letter of credentials of the new Ambassador of Brazil to Haiti, Fernando de Mello Vidal.
The new Ambassador renewed the commitment of his country to stand by President Martelly in his efforts to improve the living conditions of the Haitian people.
For his part, the Head of State reassured him of his commitment to work to strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation between Haiti and Brazil.
Afterward the new Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil in Haiti offered a floral arrangement to the Museum of the Haitian National Pantheon (MUPANAH) in honor of the Fathers of the Nation. Then, Mrs. Michèle Frisch, the Director of the Museum, invited the new Brazilian diplomat to visit the rooms of permanent and temporary exhibits at the museum.
At the end of his visit, Ambassador Fernando Vidal expressed his satisfaction to have been able to learn about Haiti’s rich history, a country so similar to his.
OPERATION FREE SMILE
What you need to do:
Friends, listen. Operation Smile is an organization that does free operations for people with split lips or cleft pallets. They were here in 2008.
This year once again, with the support of the Public Health Ministry, Operation Smile is coming to operate on patients on the ship USNS Comfort.
. Call toll free (4891-2597) or send a text to (509-3915-3477).
. You will need to go to the Grace Hospital in Lamentin 54 Carrefour, Port-au-Prince.
. After you first make an appointment, you will come for a consultation on eitherthe first day, Friday, September 11 or on the second day, Tuesday, September 22nd.
. Share this message.
4891-2597 / Call the office of Operation Free Smile.
Dominican Republic: UN experts warn against deportations, racial profiling of people of Haitian descent
July 28, 2015 – United Nations human rights experts today called on the Government of the Dominican Republic to take steps to prevent arbitrary deportations and to adopt measures to address allegations of racial profiling during deportations of people of Haitian descent.
“No one should be deported when there are legal and valid reasons to stay,” human rights expert Mireille Fanon Mendes-France, who currently heads the UN Working Group of Experts of People of African Descent, said in a news release.
“Migrants are entitled to protection and Dominicans of Haitian descent have the right to reside safely in the territory, as well as children born in the Dominican Republic who are legally registered,” she stated.
Some 19,000 people have reportedly left Dominican Republic for Haiti since June 21 due to fear and amidst concerns that there will be violations when deportations officially start in August.
“The Dominican Republic cannot violate international norms or those of the inter-American system of human rights protection, and especially not violate its own Constitution,” the expert emphasized.
According to the expert panel, the difficulties in obtaining necessary documents to register for the naturalization and regularization process, the lack of information on the deportation plan, and the deportations “have instilled fear, resulting in a situation whereby people of Haitian descent without documents are also leaving to avoid abrupt deportations.”
The Working Group today reiterated its call on the Dominican authorities to put in place effective and transparent legislation and other measures to successfully fight the discrimination and social exclusion faced mostly by Haitian migrants and people of Haitian descent in the country.
“The Dominican Republic does not recognize the existence of a structural problem of racism and xenophobia, but it must address these issues as a matter of priority so the country can live free from tension and fear,” Ms. Mendes-France added.
The Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council's independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world.
Special Procedures' experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
Kerry’s aid sought in Dominican Republic citizenship crisis
Seven US senators, including the pair from Massachusetts, urged Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday to intercede in the citizenship crisis in the Dominican Republic, expressing concern that thousands of Dominican-born people of Haitian descent still are not recognized as citizens.
In a letter to Kerry, Senators Edward J. Markey, Elizabeth Warren and five other Democrats said the Dominican government proposed a “fair solution” by creating a path to citizenship after a 2013 court ruling stripped birthright citizenship from the children of unauthorized immigrants, mainly from neighboring Haiti. But, the letter said, less than a third of the 210,000 Dominicans eligible for that citizenship applied for it.
Critics of the citizenship program have said the requirements are so cumbersome that many cannot gather the hospital records and other documents needed to apply.
“In this context, we respectfully ask that you work with the Dominican government to ensure that the process is timely, efficient, and inclusive of everyone who was born in the country,” the senators wrote in the letter, adding that it was crucial that undocumented citizens “are provided a solution that guarantees their right to live in the only country they have known since their birth.”
Last month Kerry said through a spokeswoman that he was monitoring the situation and had stressed the importance of upholding human rights for all involved.
The senators also expressed concern for some 36,000 people of Haitian descent who have voluntarily left the Dominican Republic in recent months, an exodus they said has “overwhelmed” authorities in Haiti, one of the hemisphere’s poorest nations.
Dominican officials have said that they will not deport anyone who is entitled to Dominican citizenship, but they say the government also must properly screen applicants before granting them citizenship.
Ambassador Jose Tomas Perez said in a statement that his government was determined to act transparently and was looking “forward to a substantive dialogue with members of Congress and the State Department on this important matter.’’
He said the Dominican Republic is committed to working with the international community “to implement a regularization program and immigration policies that aim to give a regular status to everyone in the Dominican Republic.’’
The ambassador added “our government is implementing the same immigration rules that exist in any society governed by the rule of law, while recognizing each individual’s human rights.’’
The issue has drawn international attention, including in Massachusetts where immigrants from Haiti and the Dominican Republic are some of the largest groups of foreign-born residents in the state.
Also signing the letter were senators Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Bill Nelson of Florida, Benjamin Cardin of Maryland, Christopher Coons of Delaware, and Sherrod Brown of Ohio.
Maria Sacchetti can be reached at