Under the heading for “Argentine bullies threaten cruises: Country
accused of trying to 'strangle' the Falklands by intimidating liners
that stop there”, the article mentions twelve incidents in which cruise
vessels were targeted and reported to the UK Foreign Office.
Since last November this comes “to typically one a fortnight” in
which protestors or industrial action by militant unions in Argentine
ports have disrupted vessels that make a stopover in the Falklands on
their itinerary.
“Protests have included officials refusing entry to Argentine ports
or delaying ships, masked militants attacking and ransacking shipping
company offices in Buenos Aires and cruise schedules either altered or
abandoned to appease locals”, says the Daily Mail adding that
some cruise ships have cancelled visits to the Falklands because of the
fallout from continuing tensions over the sovereignty dispute.
According to Foreign Office minister Hugo Swire who has condemned the
intimidation and has summoned Argentine Ambassador Alicia Castro to
complain about these sometimes violent actions, the incidents have
involved 10,000 passengers.
“The effect on so many visitors is a huge blow to the Islands’
tourist industry, based in the capital, Stanley, which is worth as much
as £10million and employs a quarter of the population”.
Dick Sawle, an elected member of the Falklands Legislative Assembly
has described the situation “as yet another example of a country of over
40million people attempting to bully and threaten our 3,000 people and
strangle the economy of our home.
‘We regret this, and strongly encourage the tourism industry to stand
firm, and not to allow themselves to be scared into assisting attempts
to damage our economy in what is tantamount to an economic blockade.
‘There are countless families in the islands whose livelihoods depend
on the cruise vessel industry. For over a decade we have enjoyed
welcoming visitors from all over the world to see our wonderful wildlife
and heritage.’
In December two cruise ships, the Seven Seas Mariner, which carries
700 passengers and the Regatta, which carries 600, cancelled visits to
the Falklands because of intimidation.
The following month British cruise firm P&O announced two of its
liners, Arcadia and Adonia, responded by scrapping stopovers in
Argentina during their round-the-world cruises to avoid disruptions.
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