Hundreds of fishermen in Paraguay, up in arms about the development of a $150 million casino resort on the banks of the Paraguay River, are demanding up to $1.5 million each in compensation for the disruption of their industry.
In June, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Paraguay (MADES) OK’d the project on San Francisco Island, being undertaken by American company Vimerica Development, its subsidiary Vimerica SA and local and foreign investors including Paul Steelman, majority shareholder and CEO of Las Vegas-based architectural firm Steelman Partners.
The complex will include a five-star hotel, a convention center that can accommodate 2,000 people, restaurants, a casino, luxury shops and an amusement park.
The fishermen announced they would take “drastic measures” in opposition to the project. A week later, electrical installations on the island were destroyed in what some believe may have been an act of vandalism. The fishermen deny any wrongdoing. Afterward, the builders announced that work on the project was suspended until they felt it was sufficiently safe to work.
MADES is working to mediate the dispute.
