By JASMIN BONIMY, Guardian Staff Reporter

jasmin@nasguard.com

Baker's Bay developers have demanded a court awarded payment of $10,000 from The Save Guana Cay Reef Association (SGCRA) it was revealed yesterday.

In a letter addressed to SGCRA on July 3, 2006, the Passerine Partners said: "Passerine at Abaco Limited and Passerine at Abaco (Holdings) Limited ("the Creditors") claim that you [SGCRA] owe them the sum of $10,000 in respect of costs awarded to them by Order of The Bahamas Court of Appeal made on the 28 June, 2006," the letter read.

"The Creditors jointly demand the Save Guana Cay Reef Association Limited [to] pay the above debt or secure or compound for it to the Creditors' satisfaction," it continued.

SGCRA was ordered by the Court of Appeal to pay $10,000 to the Baker's Bay Developers as well as $8,000 to Bahamians after months of ongoing court battles. Now, members of SGCRA are speaking out against this latest development.

President of SGCRA, Troy Albury, said in a press release sent to The Guardian: "The people of Guana Cay are fighting to protect their culture, tradition and environment. Instead of recognising the legitimacy of our position, and recognising that we do speak for the people of Guana Cay, Bakers Bay is trying to use this demand for the payment of costs to muzzle and suffocate us to death.

"Our Association speaks for the hundreds of Bahamians in Guana Cay who are desperately fighting to preserve our way of life," he added. "It is a disgrace for the Bakers Bay Development Company, even though it is entitled to costs, to use this as a means of trying to kill our Association."

Counsel to the Association, Fred Smith, also weighed in on the recent demand.

"This is highly unusual," he said. "The Association, the Government and the Bakers Bay Developers are in the thick of legal battles. Usually parties wait until all the legal battles are over and the dust has settled to claim costs that have been awarded and to set off awards of costs that have been made throughout the different stages and levels of the fight.

"The attempt by Bakers Bay to collect this $10,000 is simply an attempt to bring pressure to bear on the people of Guana Cay to stop their fight for justice," he added. "The people of Guana Cay will not be intimidated." According to Mr Smith, SGCRA is made up of 83 Bahamian members from Guana Cay, out of a population of 150 Bahamian citizens and residents and 85 non-Bahamian members who own homes on Guyana Cay, out of about 150 non-Bahamian homeowners. For the past two years, controversy has been sparked in Abaco over the Baker's Bay Resort development at Guana Cay. Just last week, a Privy Council Ruling brought work to a screeching halt on the $500 million development.

Residents of South Abaco, the residents of Guana Cay and members of SGCRA, believe the development will destroy their way of life, by killing the lush coral reef offshore and therefore, the breeding grounds for future generations of fish and other marine animals.

SGCRA is also upset with the central government for leasing more than 100 acres of crown land and treasury land, without the approval of the local government, to help the Discovery Land Company build Baker's Bay Golf and Ocean Club.