Could dissenting foreigners be kicked out?

[Lambada]

From a Guardian report about Venezuela 'President Hugo Chávez has announced that foreigners who visit Venezuela and criticise his government will be escorted to the airport and expelled.'
Chávez to expel foreign dissenters | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited

My question: could you ever see this happening here in DR? Would a Dominican President ever be likely to threaten this?(please ignore the fact that this was said on Chavez's 5 hour show, & may not be put into practice). Under what sort of circumstances would you feel that it would be warranted to throw foreigners out of the DR for criticising the Government? And under what sort of circumstances would you feel it might be likely? And if you were a foreigner 'escorted to the airport and expelled' what would your parting words be?

[mariaobetsanov]

This seems to be a good question, but due to international back-last this might cause a lost of tourism bad political move. DR needs every Penny it get, even from retire folks. No politician dare do such a thing, it would cost him dearly in the future if he plans to run for any public office. Political death, for himself and any member of his party.

[Rocky]

Originally Posted by mariaobetsanov

This seems to be a good question, but due to international back-last this might cause a lost of tourism bad political move. DR needs every Penny it get, even from retire folks. No politician dare do such a thing, it would cost him dearly in the future if he plans to run for any public office. Political death, for himself and any member of his party.

Assuming that is a typo and should read, "backlash", I agree 100%.

[Tordok]

Foreigners have been shown the airport's door in many countries for political reasons. It would appear not to be too frequent anymore in open societies, but it does happen, even in the DR, which typically welcomes all foreigners. It happens all over the world. Remember how Nixon's FBI tried many times to deport John Lennon? The DR is surprisingly open to give refuge to political exiles from Latin American and people from other cultures as long as they keep a low public profile on internal matters. In the more extreme era of Trujillo, the Spaniard Jesús Galíndez didn't fare too well even after leaving the country.
But in general, criticism by foreigners, even if not welcomed, is mostly tolerated by recent governments.
- Tordok

[A.Hidalgo]

I think the Spanish priest Christopher Hartley and the other priest whose name escapes me, would qualify as foreigners who stepped on some toes and got expelled. They dissented strongly against the treatment of Haitians in the Dominica Republic, and although the Catholic Church had plenty of influence in expelling them, ultimately it was the government's machinations that did them in. So yes if you dissent too much about certain subjects in the DR its "hasta la vista baby"

[Rocky]

Originally Posted by A.Hidalgo

I think the Spanish priest Christopher Hartley and the other priest whose name escapes me, would qualify as foreigners who stepped on some toes and got expelled. They dissented strongly against the treatment of Haitians in the Dominica Republic, and although the Catholic Church had plenty of influence in expelling them, ultimately it was the government's machinations that did them in. So yes if you dissent too much about certain subjects in the DR its "hasta la vista baby"

In what year did that occur, under who's regime?

[A.Hidalgo]

Originally Posted by Rocky

In what year did that occur, under who's regime?

In 2006 under the regime of Leonel. The other priest's name is Pierre Ruquoy a Belgian national. Some in the media pointed out that it was the the church that removed them, but in reality the governments finger prints were all over this affair. It should come as no surprise to many that in the Dominican Republic the government and the Catholic church work hand in hand with each other.

[Rocky]

Originally Posted by A.Hidalgo

In 2006 under the regime of Leonel. The other priest's name is Pierre Ruquoy a Belgian national. Some in the media pointed out that it was the the church that removed them, but in reality the governments finger prints were all over this affair. It should come as no surprise to many that in the Dominican Republic the government and the Catholic church work hand in hand with each other.

Thanks for the reply.
Were they actually deported out of here, or just "invited" to leave?

[A.Hidalgo]

Originally Posted by Rocky

Thanks for the reply.
Were they actually deported out of here, or just "invited" to leave?

Could not find specific answer to your question because there was so much back door dealing, but expelled would be appropriate. Dominican Today followed the affair with a few stories.

http://www.dominicantoday.com/app/se...pher%20hartley

[A.Hidalgo]

The following is from IPS news. Some of this has been covered here under threads dealing with the Haitian issue.

Hartley was forced to leave the Dominican Republic under what he says was pressure from the Dominican government and the politically powerful Vicinis in late 2006. Another priest who had advocated on behalf of Haitian workers in the country, the Belgian Father Pedro Ruquoy, fled after death threats were leveled against him in November 2005.

HAITI/DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Exhibit Reveals a Bitter Harvest