Traffic between the coastal destinations of Puerto Escondido and Huatulco and the Isthmus region has been interrupted on coastal highway 200 since early Monday morning by a blockade set up by the people of El Coyul.
The blockade, located in the municipality of San Pedro Huamelula about 38 kilometers east of Huatulco, is part of a series of protests against a construction project on land residents claim no environmental impact permits were issued.
The protesters demanded that authorities review environmental damage caused by machinery already in operation on the site.
Several placards inform motorists of the reasons for the blockade with messages reading “No to dispossession,” and “No to the privatization of natural resources.”
According to the residents, a company wants to build on a disputed piece of land, where environmental impact permits are not available but municipal zoning changes were allowed.
Protesters claim that the machinery working on the site is doing so without the necessary permits, and they want the federal Environment Ministry to intervene.
With reports by Estado Actual
