Page 11 - atoday

WORLD NEWS A11
Thursday 15 October 2015

Dominican, Haiti leaders vow to work toward easing disputes

SANTO DOMINGO, Do- After a roughly five-hour who do not have legal res- their migrant parents were the Dominican Republic,
minican Republic (AP) — meeting at the airport in idency. “in transit.” The vast major- was creating a humanitar-
The leaders of Haiti and the south coast city of Relations between the ity of those affected have ian crisis.
the Dominican Republic Barahona this week, Do- neighbors have grown in- been Haitians. In a joint statement, the
pledged Tuesday to work minican President Danilo creasingly strained since Haiti has said the actions governments of Medina
toward “better harmoni- Medina’s administration a Dominican court ruled in by Dominican officials, in- and Haitian President Mi-
zation” regarding a thorny agreed to talk to Haiti’s 2013 that children born in cluding patrols to detain chel Martelly also vowed
citizenship dispute and government about po- the country to non-citizens and deport migrants with- Tuesday to create a com-
ease a trade squabble be- tentially coordinating the did not qualify for auto- out documents to prove mittee to seek solutions to
tween the two neighbors. return of Haitian migrants matic citizenship because they are legally living in a trade dispute.q

Mystery shrouds missionary slaying, child abduction in Haiti

DAVID McFADDEN told them to run for their A photo of 4-year-old Jonathan Paul, nicknamed JoJo, is can’t leave the kids,’” Pir-
Associated Press lives. tle said.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti Edwards was shot multiple tacked to a wall at the Sonlight Children’s Home in the Port-au- Waymire said the abduct-
(AP) — No ransom de- times at the wheel of her ed boy came to the chil-
mand has been received car, and the gunmen then Prince district Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, Wednesday, Oct. 14, dren’s home when he was
since gunmen snatched grabbed terrified young- 9 months old. He was just
a 4-year-old boy over the ster Jonathan “JoJo” Paul 2015. Paul was kidnapped from American missionary Roberta “skin and bones” at the
weekend and killed the and sped off in a vehicle time, and being raised in
American missionary who with tinted windows, fellow Edwards’ car after she was fatally shot by gunmen Saturday northeastern Haiti by his
had raised him since he missionaries said. blind grandmother, who
was a severely malnour- “Hearts are breaking for night as she sat behind the wheel of her car on a residential apparently asked a local
ished infant, church offi- him. And we certainly preacher to find decent
cials said Wednesday. hope that whoever took street. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) care for him. His mother
Longtime Haiti-based mis- him, wherever he is, who- was dead.
sionary Roberta Edwards ever has him, will return him in Haiti. She had lived in ing “tired” and “scared,” Recently taken photo-
was fatally shot by two at- as soon as possible,” said the impoverished country Pirtle said. But she never graphs show a healthy-
tackers who cut off her car Larry Waymire, a longtime looking child with bright
on a rutted, dirt road late colleague and friend of for two decades, initially mentioned receiving any eyes and a ready smile.
Saturday near the foster the 55-year-old Edwards. Waymire said Jonathan,
care home and food-dis- Police have given only moving here with her Hai- threats or provided any the second youngest resi-
tribution site she has run the broadest outline of tian husband. The mar- specific reasons she felt dent at the foster home,
on the outskirts of Port- the case and no details of riage didn’t last. frightened, he said. rarely left Edwards’ side.
au-Prince since 2002. She the investigation. The mo- During a trip back to Ten- “You can imagine being One of the photos shows
was returning from a gas tive behind the killing and him resting in her lap.
station with three of her apparent kidnapping re- nessee a couple of months here and doing this work The killing stunned resi-
young charges. mains unclear. ago, Edwards told church — she’d been doing it for dents along the area’s
The Estes Church of Christ Harold Pirtle, a church el- elders that she had con- 20 years. And so she had narrow dirt roads. Hun-
in Henderson, Tennessee, der who traveled from sidered leaving Haiti, say- considered leaving the dreds of people, some
which sponsored Edwards’ Tennessee to comfort the weeping, gathered out-
work at the Sonlight Chil- children at the home run ing she had been feel- work, but then she said: ‘I side the gates of the chil-
dren’s Home, said her two by Edwards in Croix-des- dren’s home and abutting
teenage passengers man- Bouquets, said she was nutrition center the morn-
aged to escape after she well aware of the dangers ing after Edwards’ killing.q

Prosecutors allege bad driver bribes at Puerto Rico DMV

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico accused of accepting money from government ployees with the Depart- more than a year ago at
(AP) — Puerto Rico’s money to eliminate traf- funds, but it also puts ment of Motor Vehicles. seven DMV centers across
Justice Department an- fic tickets, alter categories people’s safety at risk,” he Miranda said some DMV the island. Authorities
nounced Wednesday that on driver’s licenses and said. employees are accused said some of the suspects
it charged 38 people in a award licenses to people Among those charged of improperly awarding would approach people
scheme that let people who skipped required are a state police officer, licenses that allow driving in line at DMV centers with
pay bribes to get licenses tests, according to Justice three employees with the all types of commercial promises of erasing their
or evade fines. Secretary Cesar Miranda. island’s Treasury Depart- trucks. fines or awarding them li-
Most of the suspects are “This type of reproachable ment and nine civilians. Officials said the charges censes in exchange for a
government employees behavior not only diverted The other suspects are em- cover acts that began fee.q