The tension in this village began escalating over the Easter holiday when Canti began distributing land near the Bodden Creek area that he had apparently subdivided. We also told you that he had received a Cease and Desist letter on behalf of Ya'axche Conservation Trust, which manages the land, as well as the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples' Affairs.
However, this issue did not spring up out of nowhere. For the past few years, Indian Creek has been in the news since this land - which was privately owned pre-independence - had been transferred to Ya'axche in 2018. Coc explained that by her interpretation this transfer went against the CCJ order. And she added that since then, division began to grow in what was once a peaceful village.
Cristina Coc, Spokesperson, TAA
"It was not until a few years ago, maybe four years ago, when this area was taken over, management was taken over by a conservation organization, Ya'axche Conservation Trust. They hired rangers. They hired rangers that are from this village and this caused a lot of tension because the rangers were patrolling the area and were confiscating building materials and other things from the villagers as they continued to use the land."
"This tension has escalated. We have documented, this is not an isolated incident, we have documented over the last few years many incidents of conflict in this village. We have reported this to the Caribbean Court of Justice through the authority that was positioned there."
"We have reported it to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. We have reported it to the police and to the various ministries that are responsible to oversee the affairs of indigenous peoples."
"This delay of justice, this delay of implementation, this delay of delineation of lands, customary lands for the community, not just of Indian Creek, but of all the Maya villages, is what has caused the environment for such tension to increase."
"Failure to implement, failure to support the Alcaldes in the delimitation of their lands, failure to put forward a robust law that would protect their rights, that would affirm their rights. The Maya people are not interested in trampling anybody else's rights. Private landowners have rights. We acknowledge that. Maya villages have rights. The rest of Belize needs to acknowledge that. The state needs to double its effort to resolve competing interests."
"And nobody's constitutional rights should be violated, not the private landowner and not the Maya village. But effectively, when you don't do anything, then you allow for the enabling conditions for tensions like this to arise."
Reporter
"Regarding that the land, Bodden Creek, all historical contexts considered, the land certificates, what would you say to the land certificates that were issued according to the laws of Belize, those aren't legitimate?"
Cristina Coc, Spokesperson, TAA
"The land certificate, I understand from previous interviews from the Ya'axche Conservation Trust Director, was that the transfer happened in 2018 to the Ya'axche. That is a land transfer that, as far as I'm concerned, violates the 2015 paragraph 4 consent order, which says that the government should not facilitate, should cease and desist from facilitating any other land transfers, land sales to any interested party, either on behalf of the government or on behalf of a third party. That is of concern to me. The community continues to use their land customarily. They hunt, they gather, they fish all in that area. They use the river."
"We have said this time and time again. The community, obviously, they are growing, they are young people, they need residential areas. They have customarily distributed residential areas. Both the village council and the alcaldes have done that in the past."
"But over the last four years, as you know, this is not new. There has been the implant of division in this community. And by implanting division, you have then two parties pulling each other apart. And that is effectively the divide and conquer that we see all over the world."
"So this issuing of land for residential area is not new. That is a customary practice. That is the use, the customary use that is protected by the Caribbean Court of Justice consent order, the affirmation of their rights, that their long-standing use and occupation affords them that right to continue to live on this land."
As we understand it, Ya'axche's position is that their goal is not to take over the land, but to ensure that it is sustainably managed, and they're inviting collaboration from the community to do so.
We'll keep following this story.
