And, finally tonight...
Yemeri Grove and Laguna have been at odds for months, and even a temporary agreement cannot quell the dispute. While they wait for a resolution, precious land sits between them.
And today, our news team visited the area for the third time. This time, it was the Yemeri Grove leaders who invited us to hear their side.
Courtney Menzies headed south today and has this story.
Tensions in Yemeri Grove and Laguna have not settled down despite a temporary agreement in place. And today, it was Yemeri's turn to take the media on a tour of what they claim is the area in dispute.
This map represents what both villages are claiming as their boundary line - yellow being Laguna and purple, Yemeri Grove. The red square is where both parties have agreed that no further developments should happen until the matter is resolved.
However, Yemeri's former village councillor is alleging that one family in Laguna is claiming and clearing in that area.
Arden Edwards, Former Village Councillor, Yemeri Grove
"We have just walked from the highway in Yemeri Grove, not more than five minutes, in a straight line. And this is showing you that this is the piece of place that Monica Coc's husband is claiming in our village. The whole idea is to show you how close to the highway we are, we are literally in the middle of our village and not more than a five minutes walk, Monica Coc's husband is claiming land in our community."
"All of these survey [posts] are here from the 1930's so what he comes, he finds all the government survey [posts] that are there and he just marks from end to end and say this is his."
Harold Usher, Chairman, Yemeri Grove
"What happened, a lot of our older folks used to do farming in this area, and our people used to use this area."
"We are not like all the surrounding villages around us, we realize that we have kids, our kids will need and our village is a village that believes in a lot of farming, we believe in doing different crops and also cattle, so we have several young kids right now that are attending agriculture school and we actually have plans for these areas, however, we are working together as a community so whenever we so anything, the community can benefit from it."
And they say that since the 2015 Consent Order, they have been unable to use or get titles for the land.
But according to the 2nd Alcalde, Monica Coc Magnussen, it's not her husband's land, it's hers, and she's actually the one who's been there for decades.
Monica Coc Magnussen, 2nd Alcalde, Laguna Village
"As far as I'm concerned, there's no new clearing, one, going on back there. That's my house, that's where I live, that's my lands and I have been there, I grew up in Laguna to begin with, I was born in Laguna. These lands that we use and occupy have been in my family for generations."
"I do have an old lease for this land, which is an acknowledgment from the government that these are also my lands and it's decades now, it's not a recent lease. that area has been formally surveyed and that's why when you walked back there, I noticed you all walked back there, you saw pegs, right? Those are formal survey pegs, since the 90's."
And according to the map, her land shares a boundary line with Laguna village, and it was along that line that the Yemeri Grove leaders took us - essentially trespassing, as she put it.
But there is a dispute with the disputed area, since Yemeri's leaders say her land is inside it, while she claims it sits just outside the red box.
Harold Usher, Chairman, Yemeri Grove
"This is exactly what I was complaining about because while the honorable told us we shouldn't be doing anything in this area, you guys could see that we have a clear survey line to the ground and while we just placed a stick on the roadside, we were bashed for it, we were called names, and as you can see this entire bush is well cleaned, you can see some of the trees, the signs were taken down, but you can still see the nails on the trees and I will give you a walkthrough so you can see how much land these people are claiming."
Monica Coc Magnussen, 2nd Alcalde, Laguna Village
"The red line is the interim demarcation that was done by the government, it's a temporary demarcation that was done by the government, it's a temporary demarcation, it's not permanent, and that's not the village boundary, the yellow line is the village boundary, so that's very different. And where my house is and where my milpa is, is not in that red line."
So, it's a classic he-said-she-said, and the only people who can resolve the matter is the government. While there is a temporary agreement in place, the permanent one can only happen once both sides present their evidence. For Laguna, they say they have handed over a map, but Yemeri says their claims are based on their history.
Arden Edwards, Former Village Councillor, Yemeri Grove
"They have never been able to settle in this area. So when we say, how in the world that hill name "Condemn Branch Hill"? Is that a Mayan word? Condemn Branch Hill? Cut and throw away? Those are old Kriol slangs. When the river flood, it will cut and throw you away. Condemn Branch, means when you go in there and it floods, it will condemn you, it won't waste time with you. So these are significant words, how these places were named."
"We still have older people, we still have the old factory, we still have some of the train tracks, we still have some of the concrete areas, we still have the hill there, the hill hasn't gone anywhere, it's still called Condemn Branch Hill, everybody know it as Condemn Branch Hill."
Monica Coc Magnussen, 2nd Alcalde, Laguna Village
"Like the map that you saw, there is an overlap and so that is why it was important for the parties to come together to sit down and to resolve this issue, not only amicably but the government provided us an opportunity to provide our evidence, to back up our use, occupation and possession of those lands. We've done that on the part of Laguna and we've had yet to see what evidence, if any, that Yemeri Grove has because as you guys very well know, you cannot make a blanket claim without backing it up."
"The reason we went to court is because we wanted land for our children because our populations are growing, our children are growing, they also need land. We went to court and the court affirmed that we owns these lands and these are our lands. what is there to stop any other community from doing that?"
"These claims have been ventilated in court so this is not an open issue. And I think what needs to happen now is for the government to implement that decision and to do it in good faith which I think the government in this case is attempting to do that and I do have faith that as we move forward as it relates to Laguna and Yemeri Grove that the process will be fair and it will be just and it will be equitable."
But waiting to see what the government will say is not easy when there's land on the line. And Yemeri's leaders are that the process has been one sided and not in their favor. They are once again calling for an objective third person to replace Greg Choc in this case.
Tomorrow, the non-Maya village leaders are set to meet with representatives from the Ministries of Natural Resources and Indigenous Peoples Affairs.
