From the Trinidad & Tobago Express.
T&T newsman stranded in DR
Passport lost on bus trip
Kristy Ramnarine kramnarie@trinidadexpress.com
Saturday, January 23rd 2010
hellish experience: Dale Enoch
TRINIDADIAN journalist Dale Enoch is now stranded in the Dominican Republic after his passport went missing.
The I95.5 FM Head of News and Current Affairs and his colleague, Head of Production Jerome Lewis, have been covering the aftermath of the catastrophic 7.0 earthquake which hit Haiti on January 12.
Enoch and Lewis left Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday to head to Haiti. The men boarded a Caribbean Airlines flight to St Maarten where they managed to get on a flight to the Dominican Republic, which borders Haiti.
In the Dominican Republic’s capital, Santo Domingo, the men boarded a bus operated by Caribbean Tours in order to enter Haiti.
’Once you take the bus you have to hand in your passport at the border,’ said Enoch in a telephone interview yesterday.
’We entered Haiti on Tuesday and we got back in the Dominican Republic yesterday (Thursday). I did not get back my passport when we returned. The bus company has refused to take responsibility for the situation. They are saying that they didn’t see the passport. That is ridiculous because I handed in the passport when I bought the ticket to Haiti.’
He added, ’It appears that there is a passport racket going on. Once your passport has a US visa in it, it is attractive.’
Enoch is now advising people going to Haiti to be careful before being trapped in a position like him.
’I was supposed to leave Santo Domingo on Thursday but I was unable to because I don’t have my travel documents. I lost all my bookings. Being trapped in a country is like being trapped in hell,’ he said.
Enoch has been in contact with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Paula Gopee-Scoon, who is assisting in getting him temporary travel documents.
He has also been in contact with the Consulate in Santo Domingo, who is waiting on the Jamaican High Commission, which is the closest to the Dominican Republic, to issue the temporary travel documents.
Enoch is hoping that before the end of the week he will receive the travel documents and be able to return home. Lewis has decided to remain with Enoch until the matter is sorted out.