He has stuck to his version of events, but that has given the Mayans a bad public image, one which they say that they don't deserve. Present at today's press confirmed in Golden Stream Village, was a number of Alcaldes from other villages, and one of them felt compelled to set the record straight as to how all non-Mayans - or any person who is not a member of a village - is granted access to reside there. Here's his explanation of the procedure:

Ligorio Coy - Alcalde, Santa Ana Village
"First, if any one of us the Maya people want, for example, if I want to go to live in Santa Elena, I must consult with the Alcalde and he will set me date when he will called his public meeting and then it is the community to decide whether they accept me or not. If they accept me, there is an entrance fee that you need to pay. Not only that, there are rules and laws in the community - free practices that we do in the community. We have fahina, we don't get paid for that. We have burial of our dead loved ones. We have to clean farmers' road and like for emergencies everyone gets together - can you go and cut your 25 leafs, put in on your back, contribute your help and all of these things that we need to explain. We are not saying that different races of people can't come in and live. For example Santa Ana, 3 days ago, a Garifuna young boy is beginning a new life with a young girl in Santa Ana and we are not saying no. But these are the rules and if you can't handle a machete my brother, then pay your little contribution and everything will work out good. We have a Spanish living in Santa Ana. We have a coolie man living in Santa Ana and now a Garifuna man is coming in. I don't see any problems, but they have to follow the channel."

"My feelings, I get hurt when it's over the world that we are racial. No my brother. I say it to the Belizean people, but follow the correct channel."

So, by Ligorio Coy's explanation, Rupert Myles sought permission from the wrong permission. He went to Chairman, instead of the first Alcalde of Santa Cruz, the only person who could allow or deny his legitimate attempt, under Maya customary law.

So, to reiterate one important point of today's press conference, the Mayans say that by way of the consent order from the Caribbean Court of Justice, they say that the court has recognized that they have rights to land. According to them, all that is missing are laws which the state formally concede those rights, which the Government has committed to working toward completing. They assert that these rights to ownership is supposed to be treated the same the law treats land titled to private owner. That, they say, is fundamentally what private property is, which means that no outsider can just come into their property and do as they please, which is exactly what Rupert Myles did, in their opinion.

Whether the Government agrees with them is another issue, and it has social implications for the other ethnic groups living in the south. At which point do Belizeans of other races infringe on the rights of the Mayas while exercising their right to free movement through any part of the country? Also, what happens to the access to land for other non-Mayans living in the south? Of course, Prime Minister's position is that even if Rupert Myles was wrong, the proper way to have removed him, would have been by means of an order of the court. Also, the police would have been the ones to execute, not members of the community.