You may remember the 13 Mayans from Santa Cruz, Toledo, now referred to as "the Santa Cruz 13" who were charged and arraigned for unlawfully imprisoning Creole Belizean Rupert Myles. They had handcuffed Myles with the intention of ejecting him from their village after he illegally built his house on the Uxbenka Mayan Natural Monument.
Today, those 13 Mayans went back to the Punta Gorda Magistrate's Court for their second adjournment since being arrested and charged. Since the prosecution needs time to build their case, they asked the sitting Magistrate to grant them more time. The Magistrate considered their request, and granted a further adjournment until October 27.
But, while this case makes its slow process to completion, the villagers of Santa Cruz are getting frustrated. The Director of Archaeology, Dr. John Morris told the press 3 months ago that criminal action was going to be taken against Myles for destroying a natural monument because a major portion was bulldozed to build him a road to his house. According to the Maya, nothing has been done by the state, and instead of taking steps to move Myles, he appears to be content with squatting, and he's even expanded the property on the monument that he is claiming for his personal use.
One of the spokespersons spoke with us via phone, and explained that if nothing is done, the Mayan villagers may risk arrest and criminal charges a second time to forcefully remove him. Here's how Pablo Mis from the Maya Leader Alliance explained it:
Pablo Mis, Project Coordinator, Maya Leaders Alliance
"There continues to be work on the site by Miles. He hasn't stop. NICH hasn't done as they have said. There aren't any action, they haven't contacted the village. The village is also deciding what to do next. They met this afternoon to look at that and they have since sent a letter to NICH as well."
Daniel Ortiz
"What's the next step for you all?"
Pablo Mis, Project Coordinator, Maya Leaders Alliance
"I don't think the village is just going to sit and just wait for NICH to act when they think they should act, because they haven't informed the village at all. The is considering to take whatever necessary measures they need to take in order for them to have Mr. Miles understand that like everybody else, he must abide by the village rules and even if NICH hasn't acted as yet, I think the village leaders is moving towards that collective decision."
Daniel Ortiz
"When you say collective decision, what do you mean sir to remove him by force?"
Pablo Mis, Project Coordinator, Maya Leaders Alliance
"I think that the village is exhausting all options and I don't think there is a lot of patience on the part of the villagers at this point. They are very frustrated and so they sent a letter to NICH and they hope they would hear back from NICH some definitive measures with a very quick turnaround in terms of time. Otherwise the village is really running out of patience."
Daniel Ortiz
"Will they risk being arrested by the police again, should they decide to take action against Miles by themselves?"
Pablo Mis, Project Coordinator, Maya Leaders Alliance
"Obviously is that is what this government should which to do then that is the decision of the government to take. But obviously the villagers have been pointing all of the situation on the ground and they have simply been lack of attention, lack of interest to really address the concerns of the villagers."
This evening, we spoke with Myles via phone, and he told us that after receiving a letter and a visit from Dr. Morris, he isn't going anywhere. He says that he has communicated that plainly to Morris, and he has told him that he is not moving his house, but neither will he resist if they choose to do so. Myles also criticized us for - according to him - giving only one side to the story. He claims that his exact location is not on the site, which is what everyone else is saying. He also claims that there is another villager, who is Maya, who is also living on the site. He thinks that this is unfair to have a Mayan break this rule, while everyone is coming down on him.
We'll keep following this story as it develops.
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