…And about Mayan land rights case against G.O.B.

Another hot button issue for the Mayas is the controversial land rights case against G.O.B., which has remained in the news for some time. And although the long running claim has been on the back burner since the last court session in February, the indigenous people in the south are not at ease. According to Cristina Coc, even as the case progresses, logging concessions in the southernmost villages are still being granted. Coc also explained this morning that a major problem is that their claim is misunderstood.

Cristina Coc, Director, Julian Cho Society
“It’s not about giving Maya people land or giving them land rights, they already have that; those are innate. It’s about not taking away the land from them because we have held and maintained these lands for centuries. We live there, we’re not asking to go live there. At the same time we feel a lot of threats. For instance, we’ve seen, even while we are in court, even while we are debating over these issues we’ve seen a number of logging concessions being granted right in and around our villages. We have, of course, the pressure of oil exportation without the indigenous peoples’ involvement or even their opinion. We’re tired of being informed, we’re tired of being treated like we’re squatters on the land because we’re not. We have so much respect for Mother Nature and what she offers’s us and how she provides us with life. So for us, it’s simply saying listen, we see what’s happening, we understand the forms and the squeeze of development and the development that does not necessarily fit in with our view, with our way of live and so we’re saying we want to be a part of defining that for ourselves.”

The case of the Maya Leaders Alliance versus the Government of Belize goes back to court on June tenth.