Boat sinks in Tulum due to National Guard obstructions

Problems continue in the new Jaguar National Park, due to restrictions imposed on boatmen, fishermen and tour operators who work in this area, which today resulted in the sinking of a boat, when the National Guard did not allow access to people in order to bring them to safety.

The boat operators complain that the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) has not yet given them the badges for the agents to allow entry. Although this was brought to the attention of the uniformed officers, they responded that they only follow orders and without this document, they do not have access.

“I do not consider, I obey orders”, declared a National Guard officer, recorded by a boatman, who asked him to consider that they still do not have those badges, but that they needed to make their boats safe from the current “surada”.

“Even if the boat sinks, there is no passage for us,” this person later lamented.

Since last month, with the creation of this natural protected area, the National Guard arrived at the site to restrict access of people and vehicles to the site, which immediately generated conflict with the boatmen who have been working in the area for years.

On February 23rd, there was a meeting with the director of Tulum National Park and the Mexican Caribbean Biosphere Reserve, where they agreed on access and exit times for vehicles to take tourists, fishing, or to tow their boats, as well as the issuance of badges for these workers.

These rules have been inflexibly imposed by the National Guard, they denounce, as to what type of vehicles can pass. The biggest problem, however, has been the refusal to let them enter, because they do not have badges, even though these have not yet been delivered by Conanp.

This was experienced yesterday and today, despite the arrival of the Surada and the authorization they supposedly had from Conanp to verify their boats. The National Guard agents did not want to listen to the audios in which federal officials promised to let them pass.

This would not happen, they alleged, if Conanp personnel were stationed in the National Park to mediate these situations. In fact, the regulations state that residents near a national park can enter if they show identification, which is ignored here.

The boatmen warn that they could take pressure measures if these problems continue. (Agencia SIM)