SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic Some 200,000 Haitians have immigrated to the Dominican Republic since the catastrophic earthquake on January 12, an advisor to the Dominican Ministry of Economy said yesterday.

Ramon Flores, a ministerial aide, said the statistics were collected by the United Nations to draw up its policy towards Haiti.

Dominican authorities had previously expressed concern about a mass influx of Haitian refugees. There are already more than a million Haitian living illegally in the Dominican Republic.

Flores said that a delay in finding a solution to Haitis problems and the consequences of the earthquake could significantly damage the Dominican society. Both countries share the island of Hispaniola.

The official pointed to the problem in arranging the world financial aid to Haiti and the slow pace of the rebuilding programmes, issues to be discussed at a conference set for next June in Santo Domingo.

Illegal Haitians make up the majority of the non-skilled labour force in both urban and rural areas of the country.