Corporación Dinant statement on Paso Aguán
Noticias
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miércoles 2 julio 2014
Corporación Dinant statement on Paso Aguán
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, July 2, 2014: Earlier today, Corporación Dinant’s African Palm “Paso Aguán” plantation in the Bajo Aguán region of Honduras was once again invaded by armed trespassers. This follows an invasion at the same plantation that occurred from May 5 through June 27.
Roger Pineda, spokesman for Dinant said, “Today’s invasion by armed trespassers hits hardest those local people who are simply trying to earn a living working at our African Palm plantations. Yesterday, I met with the Paso Aguán Directive, along with representatives of the Government and the military, to try to establish a dialogue on the ongoing land conflicts. Unfortunately, that discussion broke down when the representatives of the Paso Aguán Directive threatened to invade Dinant’s property again to try to force the company to sell land that the Honduran courts have proved beyond doubt belongs to Dinant. They were true to their word, and Dinant’s Paso Aguán plantation was violently invaded once more this afternoon.”
Mr. Pineda continued, “I condemn those that consider violent invasions an acceptable way to negotiate, and I call on the international community to recognize that armed and dangerous extremists – with no interest in farming – are exploiting the land conflicts for their wider political objectives by terrorizing local communities and encouraging the illegal seizure of private property, with a hugely detrimental impact on local economies.”
Dinant now awaits the intervention of the Government security forces – acting under the law and with no involvement by Dinant – to peacefully remove the armed invaders and allow local people to return to work.
About Corporación Dinant
Corporación Dinant is a family-owned consumer products manufacturer founded in Honduras by Miguel Facusse in 1960. Our products are sold throughout Central America and the Dominican Republic, and exported to global markets. Dinant directly employs almost 8,000 people, supporting over 22,000 livelihoods, generating many millions of US$ in exports for the Honduran economy, and contributing significantly to the economies of all countries in which we operate. Dinant is in the process of implementing the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, an internationally accepted benchmark that strictly governs how we vet, recruit and train our security staff, and how they engage with members of the community. We are proud that Dinant will be the first company in Honduras – and the first throughout the global agribusiness sector – to adopt the Voluntary Principles.
July 2, 2014
CORPORATE RELATIONS DEPARTMENTMedia contact: Roger Pineda, roger.pineda@dinant.com