France: assistance to combat human trafficking Dominica

Dominica signed a cooperation agreement with France on yesterday to help combat human trafficking in this Caribbean island nation.

Dominica's Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said the agreement involves, "joint patrols by the French and Dominican coast guards and the sharing of intelligence between the police departments of Guadeloupe and Martinique and Dominica."

Dominica began requiring visas for visitors from Haiti and the Dominican Republic in July. Before that, visitors from Haiti and the Dominican Republic had to pay a US$400 (Ђ330) deposit upon their arrival in Dominica.

But critics said the government was profiting from the trade, having made some US$4 million (Ђ3.3 million) in unclaimed deposits. Visitors were supposed to have collected the money before departuring, but some 11,000 Haitians never did and most likely left the island illegally, reporetd AP.

P.T.