As we noted Ch'oc spoke at a press conference held in Punta Gorda Town. Last night we told you that press conference would be in Belize City – but plans had to change this morning due to heavy rains in the Toledo Districts that made a few of the roads from the villages impassable. So rather than bringing the villagers to the press conference, Ch'oc had to activate his plan b and bring the press to the people. In a quite munificent stroke, SATIIM chartered a Tropic Air Plane and flew down 10 press people for the event. Here's how it went.
Jules Vasquez reporting
About 115 Mayan villagers crowded into the Social Security Building Hall in Punta Gorda Town this afternoon for a press conference explaining why they are taking on the Government of Belize and US Capital Energy.
Village Leaders from Crique Carco, Cornejo, Graham Creek and Midway gave presentations in Kekchi explaining their issues with US Capital Energy.
Andres Bol, (through Greg Ch'oc, Translator) - Crique Carco
"I want to be clear here that we have never said that we do not want development - we want development but we recognize that it will not occur if we do not alter and change how the equation and how the benefit and the resources of our land is going to be distributed. We don't want the company or the company to say 'yes you're going to get a bridge and benefit' - we want agreements and contract between ourselves and the community so that we can hold them accountable. Words are too cheap and easy to say and we have learned from experiences in the past that it doesn't mean anything in the end."
Enrique Makin, (through Greg Ch'oc, Translator) - Cornejo
"It has to be more and beyond more than paper work and yes communities have worked in the past but it is not sufficient - it has to be a long term approach if we are going to benefit our resources of our land. We want them to sit with us and address those long term concerns that we have. On the sound token they have already begin to violate their words to us because they came telling us that there was going to be a lot of money and a lot of employment and what we now recognize is happening in the community is that there are only a handful of people."
Juan Ico, (through Greg Ch'oc, Translator) - Midway Village
"They're saying that the villages in the Sarstoon area are developing but how do we develop if we are not even involved? Can we really develop with part time -two weeks employment in the company? We are not asleep anymore - we want to benefit and that is the bottom line. US Capital is among us but do not see any benefit - we want to ensure that when we give our consent that there is concrete action and benefit derived from the exploitation of our resources."
And while that is the problem with US Capital Energy - the problem with Government is what it has authorized US Capital to do in a national park.
Edilberto Romero - Chairman, APAMO
"National Parks does not allow certain extractive activities but yet the turn around and they gave permits to developers like US Capital to go in and do the same things that they don't want the communities to do. It's not only US Capital - it's the Government of Belize, if the government does not give permission to US Capital to do drilling, exploration in the National Park and in the communities - US Capital wouldn't be here; but they're here because the Government has given them permission."
Gregorio Ch'oc - Executive Director - SATIIM
"Over the last ten months, SATIM and the communities have witnessed blatant disregard for the rule of law. Our environmental laws have been violated, our rights have been violated, and we have been ignored on our Maya customary titled lands. We have witnessed hundreds of acres of unique eco-system, the sphagnum moss in the National Park burnt and the US Capital energy is not held responsible. As a people we have sacrificed, we have been denied access to the very land that we own."
And so now SATIM is going to the Supreme Court to seek redress.
Gregorio Ch'oc
"So after ten months to attempt to reason with the government - we are saying ENOUGH. We have concluded that the government as duty bearers has abandoned its obligation to protect and safe guard our constitutional rights and instead has chosen to protect the interest of US Capital Energy therefore, we have come to appeal to the good hearts and minds to the justices of the Supreme Court. We believe that we are on the right side of the law and on the right side of history as part of this. We're asking for an injunction for US Capital Energy to suspend its operation until this larger issue is ventilated in the court. My friends we have reached the lowest point of integrity in this country when the poor people, the marginalized people have to bring a case before the supreme court to force the duty bearers of this country to uphold the law and to protect and safeguard the rights of its people."
Due to the change in the location for the press conference, SATIIM's Attorneys Lisa Shoman and Eamon Courtenay could not make it. We hope to have comment from them tomorrow. The case was filed on Monday, but at this point, there's no word on when the injunction hearing will be held.
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