More loud, lewd bars will be closed, top official warns

Santo Domingo.- Interior and Police minister Jose Ramon Fadul Wednesday said he’s willing to close the entire country if it’s a measure which averts the din and lewd behavior from bars in residential areas, such as the case of the Colonial Zone.

The official warned that the bars shuttered in that area of the capital, aren’t authorized to reopen, "on contrary, they’ll continue closed even longer."

He said a total of 21 businesses were shuttered and vowed to continue with its plan to closing those which jeopardize their neighbors.

Fadul spoke to reporters at Police headquarters, where he handed a RD$2.1 million check to distribute among families of the slain agents Estarlin Gregorio Segura, Francisco Mesa, and Martirez Perez Mendez.

He also handed Police chief Jose Polanco the keys to two trucks, eight cars and a motorcycle to heighten patrols on roads frequented by tourists, mostly near the airports.