Police said that Haitian workers in the Dominican Republic’s top tourist resort killed a man in a clash with local residents after a fellow worker was shot dead by a building foreman in a pay dispute. The unidentified foreman fled the scene.

Police stepped up patrols in the east coast resort of Bavaro, Punta Cana, after the incident on Saturday in which the Haitians armed with sticks and stones clashed with locals, killing one and injuring another.

Insulza said that while the investigation of this matter continues, he is urging the governments of the Dominican Republic and Haiti “to exercise restraint and to engage in meaningful dialogue to address this and other matters pertaining to their mutually shared interests along the border.

“We welcome initiatives from both governments to strengthen friendly relations, and the OAS remains available to provide support as necessary and as requested,” he added.

Punta Cana, located 170 miles east of the Dominican Republic capital Santo Domingo, is a popular Caribbean beach resort drawing large numbers of foreign tourists each year.

Haiti, hit by a devastating January 12, 2010 earthquake, is the poorest state in the Americas and more than a million Haitians live and work in the wealthier Dominican Republic, most in the construction and agricultural sectors.

This number is believed to have increased sharply following the quake, which killed an estimated 300,000 people and left more than a million others homeless.