Easter Island Residents Fear New Ruling

It now seems that a new court ruling has caused major concern for the residents of Easter Island. This new ruling is suppose to be the first step in controlling the groups of tourists and migrants that threaten the fragile ecology and cultural heritage of Easter Island.

Ever since last month, every single tourist that comes to Easter Island has been obligated to fill out a card detailing their movements. This is suppose to give the Chilean authorities, the people who administer the island, a way to monitor and curb the influx of people before it becomes too damaging.

However, it now seems that Chile’s supreme court has ruled that this “Special Visitor’s Card” violates the constitutional right to freedom of movement. They went on to say that obligating people to fill in this document is arbitrary, illegal and just flat out unconstitutional.

This ruling has shocked the 2,500 people that live on the island. They feel over run by the 70,000 plus visitors that come to the island every single year. This is a fivefold increase to what was seen a decade ago.

The isolated island, which is located about 2,3000 miles ofs the west cost of Chile, survives on nothing more than tourist revenue. However, local authorities now say that there are just too many arrivals. The big boom is straining a basic infrastructure short of water and electricity. Mounting waste is putting underground water sources at very high risks.

The government has now said that these cards would now be voluntary and not mandatory. A consultation with the islanders is due later on this month.