Venezuela 'seizes' British ranch

BBC ^ | Wednesday, 23 March, 2005, 14:51 GMT | staff

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Venezuela 'seizes' British ranch

Chavez has promised a 'war' over large estates

Venezuela has declared a huge British-owned cattle ranch to be state property and handed out permits for local farmers to take over the land.

The agriculture minister held a ceremony at El Charcote ranch, saying it was officially under state control.

The state governor said 140 permits had been handed out so poor families could start work on the 32,000-acre estate.

Agroflora, the local subsidiary of British owner Vestey Group, said it would appeal against the seizure.

The firm's employees are still working on the land.

The group has operated the ranch, in central Cojedes state, for decades.

But officials said as property documents did not prove the land belonged to the group, it therefore belonged to the state.

No compensation

The government is taking action against what it calls latifundios, or large rural estates, which it says are lying idle.

Vestey denies the land is idle, and says it has complied fully with Venezuelan law.

The firm has been given two months to appeal.

It says it has documents proving the ownership of the land back to 1830.

The company also says the farm, which employs 300 workers, provides meat solely for the Venezuelan market.

'War to the death'

There is no compensation on offer for lands which are deemed to belong to the state.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says many large farms were illegally acquired.

If ownership cannot be proved by documents dating back to 1830, the land is liable to be seized.

Mr Chavez has vowed to push ahead with a "war to the death against large landed estates, regardless of who the alleged landholders are".

The National Lands Institute has taken steps towards seizing 1.48m acres already this year, it says.

[Vaquero]

sounds like a Fauklands/Malvinas situation...I think we ought to help em......

[Travis McGee]

What options?

[Travis McGee]

Me? I'd have supported the coup 2 years ago, and made sure Hugo died while they had him. But that's why I'm not in charge! I don't see a lot of options. This is going to be a trend across the new socialist states of South America for a few years at least. A nation with the oil Venezuela holds has most of the cards. We need the oil, they've got it. I don't see any invasion, that's for sure! Hugo is a nutburger who is aligning himself with Cuba, China, Iran, and North Korea. He might welcome a confrontation. The suffering of his own people means nothing.

[TheBattman]

I hope Chavez continues his lunatic behavior - sooner or later he will either be overthrown, or will piss enough others off to get his butt kicked out by foreign entities -

But yes, I wish Thatcher was still PM - she wouldn't allow such junk to happen without a serious answer (remember the Faulklands).

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks for the link!

[dfwgator]

2005 - I hope Chavez continues his lunatic behavior - sooner or later he will either be overthrown, or will piss enough others off to get his butt kicked out by foreign entities.

1960 - I hope Castro continues his lunatic behavior - sooner or later he will either be overthrown, or will piss enough others off to get his butt kicked out by foreign entities.

[saveliberty]

You're welcome!

[Travis McGee]

Exactly! "Reality Check!"

My prediction: the 100,000 AKs Chavez just bought are going to be given to "popular forces" or "milicias," who are going to try to turn Venezuela into the next Cuba--with oil.

Hugo has brought in Cuban advisors to help with this process of turning Venezuela into a socialist/communist tyranny. Once this process is far along, it's damn hard to reverse.

The coup plotters had their chance to do an "Allende" on Chavez, and they blew it. They won't get another chance.

[sheik yerbouty]

Too bad Blair doesn't quite have the bollocks that she metaphorically had..

[sheik yerbouty]

It isn't over until rosie O'Shamu sings...

[dfwgator]

You think Chavez is only happy with ruling Venezuela? Was Hitler only happy with ruling Germany?

[international american]

: )

[Sax]

Apparently, after looking at some British publications, they aren't interested in doing anything. The land owner himself has begun a one-man campaign but it appears to be a losing battle.

This land redistribution is obviously meant to placate the citizenry and prevent any further coup attempts by representing himself as a 'man of the people.' It looks like we may have another Cuba in the making, but this one actually has some natural resources to sell on the open market. I am getting the feeling this Chavez character could be around for a long time - He appears to have Fidel as a mentor.

[Travis McGee]

First Chavez has to consolidate total power in Venezuela, to make his socialist tyranny irreversible. That is the necessary step one, and he is far from there.

Sure, he'll meddle elsewhere (such as by providing arms to the FARC in Colombia) but I sure don't see any invasion of neighboring countries by the Venezuelan military, not for years if ever.

[Travis McGee]

I agree. Castro with oil! He could be around for a LONG time. The coup plotters blundered when they didn't kill him when they had him.

[dfwgator]

He proclaims his revolution is a "Bolivarian" one. Simon Bolivar's goal was to unite all of South America.

[agere_contra]

It is "British owned land", meaning owned by some British legal entity in the same way you might own your house or car. It is NOT British Land, as in land under the sovereignty of HMG. This is why no taskforce is being sent.

It is Venezualan territory - and Chavez is assaying a not-entirely-novel tactic of confiscation to shore up his own political position. But the laws of the market have never been repealed: once you ignore property rights your country is doomed. Foreign investors will disengage with Venezuala and it will turn into a spanish speaking Zimbabwe.

[headsonpikes]

Our unipolar world order is displaying more of the characteristics of Roman supremacy - the substitution of 'adventurers' for traditional state rivals being one of them.

I urge everyone to look at the parallels between the U.S. position today and that of the Late Roman Republic after 90 B.C. The wars of Sulla and Pompey against the terrorizing Mithridates was a direct influence on the decay of the Republic and the shift to Imperium.

Here's a start. ;^)

http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/rome/a/Mithridates.htm

[Travis McGee]

If he makes it that far, I'll be amazed. Even Bolivar himself couldn't pull it off, and Chavez is no Bolivar. I think he'll be busy enough digging in as the Castro of Venezuela.

[dfwgator]

We shall see.