PA093968

Santo Domingo.– A crowd carrying surfboards, coolers, umbrellas and signs soaked in the sun outside the Dominican Congress yesterday to protest a proposal they say will limit public access to beaches and rivers.

The protestors, yelling “this is not the constitution of my country,” and “the beaches belong to the people, not to businessmen,” referred to a recently approved constitutional amendment that allows for private property along coasts and rivers.

One of the country’s biggest attractions is its white-sand beaches and turquoise waters along its eastern coast, where there are dozens of celebrity homes and exclusive resorts.