As you saw in our first segment, Frank's Eddy neighbors Bradley Paumen and Michael Modiri have MAJOR issues. But as they battle for land rights and usage in court, other involved parties have taken to protesting. Many of Paumen's employees and fellow Frank's Eddy villagers took the fight to the government in hopes that it will be able to stop Michael Modiri from blocking them off from their main source of income. Alex Courtenay was in Belmopan for their protest...
Alex Courtenay reporting
Today about 80 people from Frank's Eddy, many who work for Paumen's Dark Night Cave Tubing Adventures, were out in front of the Assembly Building in Belmopan to urge the government to intervene.
Rudy Barrera - Dark Night employee/Protester
"Now today we all decided to come out. All of us that you see here behind me because we are working with Dark Night, but since a week ago we have been stop by one man. His name is Michael Modiri."
Since Modiri started blocking access to the cave system Dark Night uses to conduct its tours, business has declined. Now the tour operators are asking the government to make the road that passes through Modiri's private land public, because they say, that's what it has always been.
Rudy Barrera - Dark Night employee/Protester
"No we have a letter in our hands stating from the area standard bearer that this road access have been there from 16 years ago. How comes now somebody was claiming that it was their property. Fine, if it is your property, we want to ask the government of Belize to please look into this matter. Why? Because our kids are suffering."
Said Enriquez - Dark Night Employee/Protester
"The road has been there for over 16 years close to 20 years which Mr. Michael says it was built in 2013 which is a lie, right."
And when the protestors were asked about the court ruling stating that Modiri does in fact own the land, meaning that he has every right to block it off, they said they were told differently.
Said Enriquez - Dark Night Employee/Protester
"Well, according to our management or Mr. Pauman, says that's its already been a government road and by the time the archeology department had gone behind there and set a post stating what is the rules of tourism, what we need to do here that means that it's a public road."
But at the end of the day, the protesters said that this is a fight between two foreigners, and the real reason they are protesting because their livelihoods are on the line.
Said Enriquez - Dark Night Employee/Protester
"We don't care who has more money, we don't about what they are really fighting for. What we are fighting for is our jobs. We have kids to feed. If I don't work who is going to take care of my kids? The government? When has that happened? Since when? Never right?"
Now the people of Frank's Eddy are waiting for the government to respond to their plea, and hoping that they can get back to work soon. This has been Alex Courtenay, reporting for 7 News.
The protestors said they were expecting a response from the government today.
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