Amandala Online
Guat milperos, xateros, loggers punk Belize
Posted: 24/03/2009 - 01:28 PM
Author: Adele Ramos
Guats not afraid, say Belizean law enforcement authorities “go soft” on them
Belize’s largest and most precious forest - the Chiquibul Forest – continues to be a stamping ground for Guatemalans who persist in their illegal encroachments on Belizean territory, to log precious woods such as cedar, mahogany, Santa Maria and Nargusta; cut xate palm, and even build homes, in defiance of Belize’s sovereignty and right to its territorial integrity.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"The 2005 OAS agreement that Belize and Guatemala signed sets out specific procedures for the removal of people settling inside the zone. The agreements speak of relocating Guatemalans moving into Belize illegally after October 2000, and not before, with the exception of Santa Rosa, which was known to have existed before 2000."
"Even though the illegal settlement of Guatemalans in Belize is an undying issue, a much larger problem looms – the mass hacking of Belize’s pristine forests inside the Chiquibul National Park.
Rafael Manzanero, Program Director of the Chiquibul Maya Mountain Program and Executive Director of Friends for Conservation and Development, informed us today that Guatemalan milpa farmers have continued to make massive clearings on the Belize side of the border in the national park, where no one – not even Belizeans – should hunt, log, or exploit any of the natural resources, except for research purposes where permission is granted."
"More than trashing what is prized as Belize’s most beautiful forest, illegal encroachers – some of them reputed to be highly trained ex-military from the Kaibil special forces - are blamed for looting archaeological sites, and leaving their signatures on trees – such as the Kaibil sticker.
Xateros are mostly men (about 60%), but boys as young as 11 years of age have been intercepted as a part of their group.
Even though it is not exploited for commercial purposes in Belize, the xate industry in Guatemala is lucrative, netting an estimated US$140 million annually in export earnings, as the decorative palm is in high demand in the USA and Europe, especially for decorations around Christmas, Valentine’s, Easter and Mother’s Day."
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"Whereas the over 400,000 acres that make up the Chiquibul Forest is underdeveloped, with very little access roads, the picture is very different on the Guatemalan side of the border, where there is a massive network of roads leading to villages only a stone’s throw from the border with Belize – the most notable cases being Santa Cruz near Jalacte, and La Rajoya, further north, visible with the naked eye from the Belize side of the border. "
