Post #573770 by arriano on Sat, Jan 29, 2011 3:44 PM

I just got back from a month-long vacation that included several days in Rapa Nui. First, let me say that it really is a great place. Very relaxed and without the overdevelopment you find on so many popular South Pacific islands. The people were warm and friendly and we really had a terrific time.

Regarding the ongoing problems, I discovered that it's a lot more complicated than I orginally thought. As told to me by a couple of residents, many years ago (before the current law that only Rapa Nui people could own land on the island) a Rapa Nui man sold a large piece of land in order to pay to build a home for his family. The new owner later sold this land to a developer. The developer began building several one-story buildings as part of a hotel development. Before it was completed, Rapa Nui people protested the developer's rights to land and are currently camped out in the unfinished hotel and refusing to move. There are a number of Chilean police (but I don't think more than a couple dozen at most) on the island guarding the area and keeping the peace. I'm no expert in practicing law in the U.S. much less Rapa Nui, but from the people I talked to there is a big disagreement (even among the islanders) regarding who is right and wrong on the issue. Now it's proceeding through the courts but who knows how long that will take. I only saw one protest march while I was there (last Saturday afternoon) and about 15 Rapa Nui were parading through the streets with banners and flags.