Santo Domingo.- The head of the United States Southern Commandgeneral commander Laura Richardsonis in the Dominican Republic, where he will visit a humanitarian mission and treat bilateral issuesat a time marked by the US ban on a local sugar company for alleged forced labor.
As reported by southern command On her Twitter account, “the commanding general Laura Richardson is in the Dominican Republic to visit the #ContinuingPromise #USNSComfort humanitarian mission and meet with security officials to discuss the US-Dominican Republic partnership.”
His visit comes just days after the US Customs and Border Protection announced that it had identified five of the eleven criteria for the International Labor Organization that indicate abuse of employees and that it would withhold the company’s unrefined sugar products and sugar-containing products Roman Central.
The general commander of the United States Southern Command, Laura Richardson, said that the hospital ship USNS Comfort of the United States Navy will treat seven thousand Dominican patients and more than 100 surgeries will be performed #shiphospital #general #LauraRichardson pic.twitter.com/UdQC8NE8ov
– Newspaper The Day (@ElDia_do) November 29, 2022
The company immediately rejected these claims and stated that “it has been a benchmark in implementing social responsibility programs focused on health, education, housing and food” within the reach of all its workers.
Given this and given the great importance that the sugar sector has in the Dominican economy, the Government announced last Friday that it was getting involved in the matter and that it would accompany Central Romana in its efforts to get the United States to revoke the veto.
With this objective, he entrusted the ministries of Labor, Foreign Affairs and Industry and Commerce with the issue.
During her visit, the head of the US Southern Command will also visit the USNS Comfort ship, of the United States Navy, which is in the Dominican Republic as part of a humanitarian mission carried out by several countries in the region.
Between today and next Monday, American and Dominican doctors offer free general evaluations, dental examinations and dental treatments, optometry, pediatrics, gynecology, dermatology and physical therapy to low-income people, in addition to having tomography services.
They also carry out cardiovascular care, glucose tests, cardiographs, blood donation and minor surgeries.
More than 7 thousand patients
Commanding General of the United States Southern Command, Laura Richardsonsaid that the USNS Comfort hospital ship of the United States Navy will care for seven thousand Dominican patients, more than 100 surgeries will be carried out and it is expected to positively impact more than 35 thousand people.
The ship has called in Honduras, Guatemala and Colombia. In the Dominican Republic it will have a longer duration of approximately 10 days.
He indicated that after his stay in the country, he will be leaving for Haiti to offer medical services.
