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They were outraged because - despite the very serious charges, and the fact that Dark Knight didn't have a valid license for the first 18 days of the year - Paumen's tour business continued to operate unhindered. The matter brought into sharper focus an issue of perceived prejudice in favor of Dark Night. Today FECTAB, the Federation of Cruise Tourism Associations, held a press conference at the Radisson, to make official their outright discontent.

Yohnny Rosado - Cavetubing.com
"So we are here at the point whereby other cave tubing companies they are doing tours as they please. They open a zip line inside the caves and we are regulated as local Belizeans. The company was named Jaguar Paw. The entrance fee was $2. They change from Jaguar Paw to Cave Branch. The entrance fee change to $5. Now they name it Nohoch Cheen. The entrance fee is $10. How does they pay? They don't have a booth, so they don't pay anything. If they are paying something, it secretly because we don't know."

David Almendarez - Fantasea Belize
"We are asking the government in respect to NICH to do a comprehensive review of everybody who was involved in this Dark Knight deal. We've seen the judgement. Go read the judgement for yourself Belize. Even the judge is appalled that NICH was involved in acquiring land that was supposed to be use for public use when only one tour operator is using it. How can they be involved? How come the Minister of Lands in an interview in the television has no idea that has never taken place? How did that get taken place? How did you get the land without the Minister of Lands knowing that you have the land? Its corruption and its stinks."

Tom Greenwood - President, FECTAB
"We are asking NICH to either get boots and police offices and wardens at Dark Knight, Jaguar Paw and at Anderson's Cave Tubing on the Hummingbird Highway or don't put in those regulations until you have the staff, because that is outright prejudice."

David Almendarez - Fantasea Belize
"It might seem simple, but it's a systematic way to streamline the Belizean. Every day in Belize it's becoming harder and harder to native Belizeans to make a little bit of money."

Tom Greenwood - President, FECTAB
"We believe that unless all these things happen, there is going to be trouble. That's for sure. We are going to do civil disobedience, we are going to jam up those roads to Altun Ha and Caves Branch with 100-150 vehicles. We are not going to burn anything, we are not going to destroy anything, we are not going to hurt anybody. We will broadcast to the nation and to the world by our actions that we have to be done with this nonsense of hammering away at Belizeans. This is what you do to Belizeans - you lift Belizeans. You may lift our foreign element as well. We welcome everybody. But what is good for the goose, must be good for the gander."

The other issue addressed at the conference had to do with the rumors that the Government is, at the very least, considering an Ashcroft Alliance investment into the Belize Port Project. This is after the negotiations went stale between the Government and the Fienstein Stake Bank project, which FECTAB was backing.

Tom Greenwood - President, FECTAB
"We called the government of Belize to think very carefully. Please of where this cruise is going to go. 1) We got to have docking within a year or two when Oasis class ships start coming in. So we need it. But you need to put it up in such a way that native Belizeans will enjoy a part of it. We no longer want to hear about crumbs. We want native Belizeans to be put in such a position that they can enjoy what is rightfully ours."

Yohnny Rosado - Cavetubing.com
"We are advocating for Stake Bank, because of a local Belizean investing in it. We were given a letter about 2 years ago about Stake Bank would have work - all the FECTAB members, all the tour guides out there will no longer be outside. They are going to be inside. And that was true. When they just brought FSTV, every Belizean was in there and now we are pushed outside. The port will be a port, but not with the wrong investors. Not with the investors that have ripped off this country."

Tom Greenwood - President, FECTAB
"Stake Bank 100% native own. Okay Stake Bank asking for a 25 years exclusivity. There is argument about whether that is true or not. Then there is the Port of Belize with the big name Ashcroft. Do you think Belizeans are going to profit? Come on. Let's wake up."

Present at the press conference were at least four other tour operators along with members of the media.