Long simmering tensions between the Fort Street Tourism Village and the Department of Environment boiled over and erupted into chaos this weekend. It happened on Saturday morning inside the village and in front of cruise visitors.
But to understand what happened, you'd have to know what has happened. It all started when the Tourism Village was first opened, and its boundary fence erected, a dividing line between the village and its multitude of cruise visitors on one side and the Harbor View Restaurant and duty free shop on the other. In 2004, the owners of Harbor View asked the Ministry of Natural Resources, which owns the river bed, to intercede on their behalf. The Ministry has demanded that the Tourism Village tear down the 10 foot high fence. But through all these demands, it has never gotten a court order to declare it lawful.
For its own reasons, the Tourism Village has ignored those demands and so on Saturday, the Ministry of Natural Resource, very eager to get this done, took matters into its own hands. Or perhaps we should say, tried to take matters into its own hands. Here's the story.
Keith Swift Reporting,
What you are looking at is a wooden fence but this is more than just a wooden fence. This fence is the battle line between two competing interests: the Harbor Vew Restaurant and Michael Colin Duty Free Gallery on this side and the Fort Street Tourism Village on that side. And what a battle it was on Saturday morning when shots were fired to protect this fence.
Stacey Martinez, Witness
"Shots fired, nobody knew what was happening. Someone could have gotten hurt. It is really ridiculous."
Actually it was more like dangerous. Stacy Martinez who works with the local agent for Carnival Corporation was processing cruise passengers on Saturday morning when she and just about everyone were startled by the sound of gunshots.
Stacey Martinez,
"We were doing our tour operations as normal and I saw a security officer, after hearing some noise with the fence behind me, they reacted to it by firing shots."
Keith Swift,
In what direction were the shots fired?
Stacey Martinez,
"Well the gentlemen, like I said, they walked through the building at the back going towards the persons that were dealing with the fence and the shots were fired towards that area."
Keith Swift,
It was fired into the sea?
Stacey Martinez,
"Not that I recall."
The shots that Stacy heard came from a gun belonging to a security guard employed by the Fort Street Tourism Village. James Nisbet is the CEO.
James Nisbet, Fort Street Tourism Village
"There is absolutely nobody that can come on private property and dismantle anything. We are governed by laws and these laws need to be followed. Some people believe that there are other ways of doing things, force first and deal with repercussions later."
While Nisbet disputes the direction in which the shots were claimed to have been fired, he says the shots came from his guards and he makes no apologies for that. He says his security officers resorted to the use of gunshots after the Department of Environment's attempt to remove his fence. He said the doe's move was illegal and when his staff asked the workers to leave - they didn't. That's when the warning shots were fired.
James Nisbet,
"Our security on the dock, they were three gentlemen on top of the wall with a circular saw starting to cut away at the perimeter walls. Our security informed them that they are breaching a security perimeter fence, they needed to stop, get down immediately. The police had already been notified. They indicated to us that they were acting on instructions from the Ministry and they needed to do what they needed to do; it was their jobs. Of course it was their jobs, we have no quarrel with the people."
Keith Swift,
Did your security guards shoot at any of these workers?
James Nisbet,
"Absolutely not. Two warning shots were fired completely in opposite directions, in a clear and safe manner and the gentlemen that were on the fence can probably attest to this. It was simply to afford the authorities time to get there to take over the situation, which they did."
And while it ended there on Saturday - it isn't over. Today Nisbet went to court with his attorney Dean Barrow to ask the Supreme Court to restrain the Ministry of Natural Resources from removing the fence. Nisbet says the fence is on private property - his private property.
James Nisbet,
"It is first and foremost about security which the authorities that came to carry out the orders had flagrant disregard for. We had passengers on the dock while they were trying to do this, aggravating the situation. But it goes against our fundamental rights as Belizeans and as owners of private property. Absolutely no one can come on your property, or should come on your property, and bamboozle you into taking it down because somebody gave them an order to. That is not how it is done. This is not the days of the ok-coral; absolutely not. We need to go through proper channels."
This afternoon attorney for the Tourism Village Dean Barrow applied for an injunction against the Department of Environment. The application wasn't heard because attorney for the Department Nicola Cho wasn't present. The case has been adjourned until Friday and the DOE has agreed that until then, it won't make any attempt to remove the fence. We should note that this battle is just a preliminary bout for the real war which is on the horizon. That's between the Fort Street Tourism Village and Brown Sugar Marketplace. There's another fence on that side of the village, which if forced down would open the village to tough competition from Brown Sugar's multiple duty free shops. That matter is pending, depending on how this trial case goes.
