With all the news coming out of Honduras, we thought is would be good to see what’s happening in the country, specifically the island of Roatan – a popular place for dive travelers. DiverWire spoke with Ted O’Brien of Bay Islands Beach Resort and here is his personal ON-SITE REPORT:
It is very perplexing for us to be here at the Bay Islands Beach Resort, enjoying the fabulous diving and tranquility, and see the shameful, inaccurate reporting by the news media of the political situation in Honduras, especially by CNN.
They won’t let go of the erroneous idea that we had a military take over of government. CNN continues to use the description “military backed government.” This is simply not the case, any more than the US Government is a “military backed government.” We are led to believe that we are under marshal law, and there is rioting and “chaos” in the streets. It’s just not so.
Cam and I have very close friends in Tegucigalpa and La Ceiba who are “on scene” where whatever is reported to be happening, isn’t happening, and they are appalled by the way the media is distorting this story. Peaceful marches are reported as angry demonstrations.
Equally distressing is that nobody is telling “the real story”, that of the resolve and pride of the Honduran people, who have legally, properly, and without bloodshed, removed a treasonous, lying, law-breaking, would be socialist/communist dictator from power, not through a military coup, as reported, but through the peaceful, constitutional process as prescribed by Honduran law.
Instead of the world applauding and embracing the wonderful, friendly people of Honduras, who have demonstrated real democracy in action, they are being vilified in the world press, by the UN, by the OAS and worst of all, by the country that claims to be the poster child for democracy – the USA. Had the people thrown out Ahmadinejad or Kim Jong-il, I think there would be a different reaction. I don’t understand it.
On Roatan, it’s life as usual. At Bay Islands Beach Resort, our guests are enjoying their vacations, diving and snorkeling as usual. Airlines have been flying their regular schedules in and out of Roatan. It’s been kind of perversely funny to be living here, knowing that little is going on, yet watching the distorted news reports.
My 15 year old grand daughter will be coming next week for a month. The guests, who arrived Saturday, without incident, do not feel threaten, scared, or endangered in any way, and are diving every day, and enjoying the tranquility of the Bay Islands.
In fact, if they were not watching the news, they would have no inkling that there was anything going on. — Ted O’Brien, Bay Islands Beach Resort
