Laguna Residents Wants to Settle Land Dispute With Yemeri Grove Peacefully
Land disputes go back thousands of years to settle differences over territories and land masses. Not much has changed, in that we still see countries invading their neighbour’s occupancy on claims that they settled there first. The conflict between Laguna Village, a Maya community and its next door neighbor, Yemeri Grove, a non-Maya community, goes back the last few years. On Tuesday, the proponents of Yemeri Grove will hold a media briefing, during which it will share its position on the conflict. But News Five went ahead over the weekend to Laguna to get a detailed look at what their position is on where the boundaries ought to be. Marion Ali reports.
Pablo Mis, Lead Spokesperson, Laguna Village
“Laguna is also available and ready to provide evidence for its current use, its occupation, its enjoyment of its land, particularly in the area of contention right now. We believe that that is very important if we’re going to find an amicable and a just solution. And Laguna also calls then on Yemeri Grove to be able to provide its tangible evidence so that we are not just postulating or making broad claims over lands.”
Marion Ali, Reporting
The roughly four hundred residents of Laguna Village, off the Southern Highway, want to settle their boundary dispute with the people of Yemeri Grove, but they say that while they have been willing to sit down and talk it over, dialogue has not taken place because the people of Yemeri Grove have been unwilling to meet. On Saturday, News Five traveled to Laguna Village to get a clear explanation from the leaders of that community of where they believe the boundary lies. Pablo Mis is the lead spokesperson for Laguna Village on the conflict with Yemeri Grove.
“Let me share with you this map that shows the current boundary of Laguna. You will see the blue line. The blue line shows you where Laguna’s current boundary is. And this is a boundary that has been cleared over decades. Every year, Laguna participates in the clearing of this boundary. You will see that in yellow are all surveyed lines. And what this means is that these are lands that are surveyed under some authority of the Government of Belize. This base map was received by Laguna Village in 2014 from the Land Information Center. And the reason why this map is important is because Laguna has been very conscious that it does not want to infringe on other people’s rights over their land and property.”
Mis explained to News Five that the original Maya settlers of Laguna had to relocate from their first location because of the scarcity of water sources, and that is where the area of dispute began.
“The founders of Laguna first established in the Alagard, in the Kutsu, and the Black Creek area. It is the same area where this dispute exists right now. That was the first place where our founding members came and we have never stopped using. Those lands, while we moved out of there for purposes related to access to water because in that area, everybody knows there’s not water available year round while here where the village is now that that amenity is available, but our use of that land exists. Their argument is that their land comes all the way somewhere from here, all the way here. So it’s like right there. So the access (road) would be a part of it.”
Mis says that there is a legal instrument whereby the Government of Belize, in 1965, had established the general jurisdiction of Laguna Village. Now, the people of Laguna say that over the years, the boundary has changed. In one instance, Monica Coc-Magnusson, who is Laguna’s Deputy Alcalde, says that lands that her family had occupied for generations were encroached upon when she went away to study. Upon her return, she discovered that someone from the neighbouring village had cleared away the land and set up a pasture.
Monica Coc-Magnusson, Deputy Alcalde, Laguna Village
“As much as someone can come and say, well, where you’re living is not yours, it’s mine, then my question to them is: show me, show me the evidence that it is yours. Because as far as, as where I – where we stand – we know where we stand. We can back up our ownership, use, and possession of that area with evidence. Well, for instance, my family has lived in that area since the 90s, since the early 90s. My father, that area he used as his farming area, residential area. I mean, you can go there and walk the property and you can see how old the houses are. So, it is very interesting to me that someone can just make a blanket claim without much more.”
When Coc lost occupancy of the land, cooler heads prevailed because the village decided that they should leave the matter alone and instead simply adjust the map to reflect the change. That is the area on the map that has the ninety degree angles along the boundary. The village leader explained that the government had handed out fifty-eight, two-acre parcels of land in Laguna Village over two decades ago and some of those who had received land papers have been developing their land. Those lands are located adjacent to the Laguna access road. More recently, Laguna Village has distributed sixty additional parcels of land to first-time land owners on the other side of the access road. This residential area is one of the same areas that have come under contention. According to Mis, Yemeri Grove’s claim of where the boundary line should be would cut all the way into Laguna Village, including its access road and all of that new residential area. The people of Laguna have come up with a proposal to resolve the land dispute.
“Our proposal basically was that there needs to be a mechanism that will be put in place to resolve this boundary dispute. But that this mechanism cannot be driven by emotions and who speak loudest or who cause the hardest. It has to be based on principles that consider the rights of Laguna and also consider the rights of, uh, of Yemeri Grove. And that it is upon those merits then that a just solution needs to be put in place.”
But while there are old maps showing boundary lines based on old trails and occupancies of the past, Laguna Village has no formal boundaries, and that is why the villagers believe that a meeting with the people of Yemeri Grove would resolve their conflict, but it would have to be based on evidence that both sides can provide of their occupancy and based also on the rule of law. The government has intervened and put down certain stipulations to quell the contention between the two villages over where their land boundaries actually lie. The two sides are scheduled to meet to discuss their differences within a few weeks. Marion Ali for News Five.