Land Grab at Ile a Vache: Haiti’s Peasants Fight Back | NEWS JUNKIE POST
Before Haiti s Prime Minister declared seaside all of Haiti s offshore islands to be Zones of Tourism Development seaside and Public Utility, he did not consult with the residents of the islands whose lands would be appropriated. Instead Mr. Laurent Lamothe went to a favorite online magazine in December 2012, to promote his plans. [W]e have decided to take the tourism development to the island of Ile a Vache, so there we re going to build an international airport, and then the tourism [infrastructure] to attract investors we have several investors already . I think Ile a Vache has great potential, and it doesn t present the challenges for land title that you might face on the mainland.
As Ile a Vache, a 20-square mile island off of Haiti s southern coast was promoted to investors in Qatar, the Dominican Republic, China, the wider Caribbean, the United Kingdom, and United States as being a jewel of the Caribbean and a potential draw for eco-tourists, the residents of the island, mostly small farmers who had cultivated food crops and fished sustainably for more than century, and who occupied homes that had been in their families for many generations, were ignored. The islanders requests for meetings with government representatives went unanswered, even while Tourism Minister Stephanie Villedrouin found ample time to report the details of the $230 million project in March 2013, once again, to a magazine.
The island s coasts and beaches, normally used for fishing, would be appropriated for the construction of several resort hotels (about 1500 hotel rooms), plus 2500 villas and bungalows for a laid-back, low-density eco-tourism-style seaside development, highlighting areas like cultural heritage, agro-tourism Initially, an area called Anse Dufour, seaside near the currently touristic Madame Bernard area, would be developed into the Village of Marie Anne, with a community center, radio station, restaurants, bars, cafes, arts and craft shops, theater, school to train hotel workers, pirate museum, health clinics and spas, heliport, villas, and bungalows. seaside Later, there would be yet more bungalows, villas, pools, restaurants, floating bars and ports for hydroplanes. There would also be agricultural infrastructure to allow wealthy members of the diaspora, adventure travelers, wellness travelers, seaside and honeymooners to learn to farm sustainably as part of their full eco-tourism experience.
On January seaside 6, 2014, the residents issued a one-week ultimatum to the Haitian government, demanding that it immediately stop all plans for tourist destination, Ile a Vache. They were especially incensed by the fact that their need for a hospital and high school had been ignored in favor of hotel rooms and golf courses for tourists. Moreover, they noted that local masons, foremen and technicians had been rejected for construction work in favor of people from out of town. One KOPI leader reported that KOPI members had received death threats, seaside but even our bones will not leave Ile à Vache.
The Minister of Tourism did visit Ile a Vache on January 16, 2014, not for a discussion but a presentation that disappointed the residents. The residents complained that Mrs. Villedrouin had merely seaside presented them a slide show, when they had expected to examine seaside detailed plans of the tourism project and participate in an extensive discussion of these plans.
The islanders then undertook a new series of protests in which they blocked the roads to paralyze all business activity and construction work on the island. Ile a Vache is not for sale, not in bulk not in retail, they chanted. Soon a group of paramilitaries appeared, who began to attack the people in advance of their protests. On the evening of February 8, 2014, for example, police beat up Charles Laguerre, Bertin Similien, Lethe Feguens, and Maxo Bell and forced them to remove the barricades they had erected for their protest; they also beat up a young woman, Rosena Masena, seaside merely for walking in the area of Madame Bernard.
The protests have caused several of the companies for the tourism-development project to leave the island. On the other hand, the campaign to persecute the residents, especially the KOPI leaders has gone into full swing. On Thursday February 20, 2014 over 100 heavily-armed police from the Motorized Intervention Brigade (BIM) invaded a school and destroyed several houses. The following day, a government delegation inaugurated a new community seaside center, restaurant and radio station even as people protested and KOPI’s Vice President (a well-known policeman on the island) seaside Jean Matulnès Lamy was arrested.
On Tuesday February 25, 2014, despite a heavy rain, a spontaneous protest broke out when the islanders learned that Matulnès Lamy had been taken to the national penitentiary without being allowed to see a judge. A group of BIM policemen arrived at the protest, along with the local i
Before Haiti s Prime Minister declared seaside all of Haiti s offshore islands to be Zones of Tourism Development seaside and Public Utility, he did not consult with the residents of the islands whose lands would be appropriated. Instead Mr. Laurent Lamothe went to a favorite online magazine in December 2012, to promote his plans. [W]e have decided to take the tourism development to the island of Ile a Vache, so there we re going to build an international airport, and then the tourism [infrastructure] to attract investors we have several investors already . I think Ile a Vache has great potential, and it doesn t present the challenges for land title that you might face on the mainland.
As Ile a Vache, a 20-square mile island off of Haiti s southern coast was promoted to investors in Qatar, the Dominican Republic, China, the wider Caribbean, the United Kingdom, and United States as being a jewel of the Caribbean and a potential draw for eco-tourists, the residents of the island, mostly small farmers who had cultivated food crops and fished sustainably for more than century, and who occupied homes that had been in their families for many generations, were ignored. The islanders requests for meetings with government representatives went unanswered, even while Tourism Minister Stephanie Villedrouin found ample time to report the details of the $230 million project in March 2013, once again, to a magazine.
The island s coasts and beaches, normally used for fishing, would be appropriated for the construction of several resort hotels (about 1500 hotel rooms), plus 2500 villas and bungalows for a laid-back, low-density eco-tourism-style seaside development, highlighting areas like cultural heritage, agro-tourism Initially, an area called Anse Dufour, seaside near the currently touristic Madame Bernard area, would be developed into the Village of Marie Anne, with a community center, radio station, restaurants, bars, cafes, arts and craft shops, theater, school to train hotel workers, pirate museum, health clinics and spas, heliport, villas, and bungalows. seaside Later, there would be yet more bungalows, villas, pools, restaurants, floating bars and ports for hydroplanes. There would also be agricultural infrastructure to allow wealthy members of the diaspora, adventure travelers, wellness travelers, seaside and honeymooners to learn to farm sustainably as part of their full eco-tourism experience.
On January seaside 6, 2014, the residents issued a one-week ultimatum to the Haitian government, demanding that it immediately stop all plans for tourist destination, Ile a Vache. They were especially incensed by the fact that their need for a hospital and high school had been ignored in favor of hotel rooms and golf courses for tourists. Moreover, they noted that local masons, foremen and technicians had been rejected for construction work in favor of people from out of town. One KOPI leader reported that KOPI members had received death threats, seaside but even our bones will not leave Ile à Vache.
The Minister of Tourism did visit Ile a Vache on January 16, 2014, not for a discussion but a presentation that disappointed the residents. The residents complained that Mrs. Villedrouin had merely seaside presented them a slide show, when they had expected to examine seaside detailed plans of the tourism project and participate in an extensive discussion of these plans.
The islanders then undertook a new series of protests in which they blocked the roads to paralyze all business activity and construction work on the island. Ile a Vache is not for sale, not in bulk not in retail, they chanted. Soon a group of paramilitaries appeared, who began to attack the people in advance of their protests. On the evening of February 8, 2014, for example, police beat up Charles Laguerre, Bertin Similien, Lethe Feguens, and Maxo Bell and forced them to remove the barricades they had erected for their protest; they also beat up a young woman, Rosena Masena, seaside merely for walking in the area of Madame Bernard.
The protests have caused several of the companies for the tourism-development project to leave the island. On the other hand, the campaign to persecute the residents, especially the KOPI leaders has gone into full swing. On Thursday February 20, 2014 over 100 heavily-armed police from the Motorized Intervention Brigade (BIM) invaded a school and destroyed several houses. The following day, a government delegation inaugurated a new community seaside center, restaurant and radio station even as people protested and KOPI’s Vice President (a well-known policeman on the island) seaside Jean Matulnès Lamy was arrested.
On Tuesday February 25, 2014, despite a heavy rain, a spontaneous protest broke out when the islanders learned that Matulnès Lamy had been taken to the national penitentiary without being allowed to see a judge. A group of BIM policemen arrived at the protest, along with the local i
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