Containerharbour In Timbaki, Part 2 Options

[yannis_s]

The discussion about the pros and cons of a container harbour in Timbaki, in southern Crete will continue here.

You may read the first part of the discussion at http://members.explorecrete.com/index.php?showtopic=1415

[Wim]

This is some encouragement from the south coast.
Agia Galini and Tymbaki has got irritated.

quote
Last Monday there was a meeting in Tymbaki with people from the University of Athens and some people from Heraklion.
http://www.agia-galini.com/gfx/containerh/IMAG0011.jpg
The day before we had a meeting in Agia Galini and decided to go to the meeting on Monday. We ended up with 40 or more people (including a big banner with "NO to the harbour") and it looks like we made a point.
http://www.agia-galini.com/gfx/containerh/IMAG0002.jpg
The Athens "study group" also visited Galini and from what I understood they don't think a harbour is what we should have here. They will make a report and that will be presented in another 30 or 40 days. So this was the "good" news. Not so good news is that the previous week there seemed to be a visit from Koreans in Tymbaki, although the new mayor (installed since the 4th of January and against the harbour) knew nothing about it. I made some pictures of the meeting and the banner, but because I don't know how to put them on this site, I will send them to Robert so he can make them available for all of you to see that the people of Galini (and Tymbaki) are taking this very serious and try to stop it.
http://www.agia-galini.com/gfx/containerh/IMAG0001.jpg
_________________
Pouk
unquote


o.k. you people in the south, and the rest of Crete, get ready and get angry!!!

[Ton]

Good work Wim. Let us keep up the pressure.

[Ton]

The results of the study by the Athens technical school will be out by mid March according to Kafalogiannis. About the same time it is expected that the Koreans would have finished their own technical study about the port.

[Ton]

Patris reported today that the Korean Shipping Minister Sung-Jin Kim-Lin-Ran -Tan-Plan is anxious to proceed with the port in Timbaki and he wrote to kefalogiannis urging him to get his act together so the Korean Logistics Co. can participate in the port project.

[Wim]

Thanks Ton,

For keeping us informed about this disaster. Would do great as well in the new topic about "quality holidays"

[Ton]

For all of those who are for, or against the port and are presently in Crete there is a mini workshop/discussion organised by the the 'Citizens' initiative for the preservation of the environment in Messara and by the Heraklion Ecological Society in Voroi Pirgiotissis on Sunday the 18th of March at the local Museum of Cretan Ethnology. The main theme of the discussion will be 'Vision or Utopia'.

For more info please visit www.ecocrete.gr

[Ton]

Hahahaha!! The Minister is looking for investors for the port in Timbaki. This time he is proposing to the investors from Qatar promissing big gains if they invest for his port and air cargo plans in Timbaki. However the Qatar investors are more interested in boat marinas for the Ionian islands.
The minister is becoming desperate to find investors since the damage caused by the port unions last year scared off everyone in the cargo shipping industry from investing in Greek ports. The minister will try to smooth things down with the port workers unions in order to allow him to invite bids for the port management of Pireaus and Thessaloniki. It is very interesting that the minister still promotes Timbaki to investors although the University study outcome to allow such an investment is still pending. Perhaps he already knows the outcome or he does not care anyway.

[Ton]

GOOD NEWS!!! GOOD NEWS!!!FOR ALL OF THOSE WHO ARE AGAINST THE PORT

12th April 2007: According [Patris, 12th April 2007], the study from the NTUA
has been delivered to the YEN. This information is confirmed by the NTUA.
According Patris, which declares having very serious sources, the study strongly
points out the negative impact that the transshipment center would have on all
the south coast of Crete, especially at environmental level. "Without ignoring
the positive progress that a transshipment center would bring for the
develomment of the Messara and Crete, the specialists forecast severe
consequences for the area - especially Agia Galini", due to its touristic
character.
The consequences of the project on the ecosystems, as well as the visual
pollution, is also pointed out.
The mayor of Timbaki declares that he did not get any information, and that the
study has not been yet transmitted to the municipality. The answer of the
prefecture of Heraklion is the same.
The rector of the NTUA, who was also head of the team in charge of the study,
declares that the study will be transmitted to the OLH and local authorities
within the next days.
]

[Pam]

Ton, thanks for the update and it does sound like good news. Any idea when a decision will be made? I can't remember whether the government committed to following this report'a advice or whether they would only do so if it said what they wanted to hear! Sorry to be cynical, but I've seen too many instances of this in the UK.

Pam & Bob

[Ray]

The beach from Tymbaki to Koomos is superb. I was there for a week or two during winter watching the waves crash in and appreciating the fine view and the vista of hardly anything in the area. The washed up driftwood and the kilometres of sand and pebbles inspired me more than a little.

Sometimes it is almost as if a fine beach like this does not deserve to be preserved. The truth is that I wish we could keep it as it is - wild, rural and real.

If the port does not come, then what will? The hordes of tourists gathering at the brink of Crete demand tavernas, hotels, holiday homes and everything else. Perhaps it would be too much to declare this area a national park or something similar where on Clean Monday people could fly their kites and love their island as it really exists.

Really Ton, I do not know the answer, but I understand your objection. The future of everything is a risk, an attempt to produce money locally or globally. Crete is finding fewer places to do this.

A port, a huge port, on this wonderful coast would be forever bad, but what can we do? Yes we can send letters and make objections, but who cares?

The best we can hope is that Korea/China make a different decision. Put the port someplace else, where I do not know. But anywhere will be a disaster.

Sometimes I wonder why we even need this port, this trade.

Ray

[Ton]

Pam, The decision if any decision is likely to take sometime. A serious study has been made which literally is becoming a boomerang to the ministry's plans. More people will find out officially how this port will adversally affect their lives.

Ray for your information China does not like Timbaki. They have many times in the past told the government that they should be given access to Pireaus and Thessaloniki. What gets me with the government's attitude in Greece is that they do not have a vision and proper planning for the country. They should decide and classify some parts of the country as industrial and other parts as residential or touristic and others archeological and others forest or whatever. Then will be no problem. If you buy a house in an area which is classified industrial then you should not complain if tomorrow they place a chemical factory next to your house. The issue in Timbaki is totaly crazy. Thousands of people have invested money in tourism by building small Hotels and rooms to let. Hundreds more have built holiday homes, large areas round Komos and Phestos are classified Archeological,and yet the Minister would like to build an industrial port in the middle of all of that. Tell me now, is this serious planning on behalf of a goverment minister to want to do something like this?
I am not sure what will come out of this story at the end but all I know is that the impetus against this port is growing.

[Ton]

Patris reported yesterday that the Ministry (YEN) claims that the technical University of Athens study is not done. Hahahahahaa!!

Patris in the same article comes to the conclusion that the Ministry YEN knows that the container job in Timbaki is lost for them but will not admit it before the elections.

[Dinny]

Maybe admitting it before the elections would give them a fine opportunity to gain credibility. Nothing wrong in making mistakes, it's only when you won't admit it that you appear to be an idiot, right?

Anyway, thanks for the great news, Ton!

[Ton]

Yes Dinny you are right. But the govermnent is allready in defence with the story of the 'Omologa' and admitting in pubic another goof-up means that they will run into a big risk of loosing more votes. There was a story recently published in 'Imerisia' that Karamanlis will reshuffle his cabinet of ministers after Easter to gain cretibility. If that happens we might all have a good chance to see this Chinese-Koreans container port story becoming history. The people from Agia Galini all the way to Matala may be able to sleep again without having nightmares about container ships polluting one of the most unspoiled and beatifull areas of Greece.

[cjmeyer]

Hi, it is not over now!!

Who knows some detailed news ??

I found this posted from Gregor in the German Kretaforum.eu:

The PATRIS from yesterday wrote that now people from Dubai will come to examine the possibility of the container port:

http://www.patris.gr/articles/108709/

χθες... σήμερα... αύριο... 24/04/2007

(...)

ΣΤΟ ΠΕΡΙΜΕΝΕ

Τέλος του μήνα θα έρθουν για το Τυμπάκι και το λιμάνι που θέλει να κατασκευάσει εκεί το ΥΕΝ οι άνθρωποι από το Ντουμπάι. Οι Άραβες μαζί με τους Κορεάτες και τους Κινέζους έχουν εκφράσει το ενδιαφέρον τους για τον διαμετακομιστικό σταθμό των κοντέϊνερς... Φυσικά όπως έχουν εξελιχθεί τα πράγματα πρέπει να περιμένουν το πόρισμα της ομάδας Μουντζούρη...

Thanks CJMeyer

and do not forget :

http://www.petitiononline.com/forcrete/petition.html

-> 5047 <-

It would be nice to see some more English names :-)

[Ton]

The roumors are that the Arabs are more interested in Marinas and small port investments which serve the Tourist Industry. However I agree with you it is not over. In the worst case it will be a local referendum. The University study clearly points out to the fact that Agia-Galini tourist business will be history if such a port is built next to her.

[Ton]

Hi all,

As it was expected, the final study of the Technical University which recently came out was not as critical (against the port ) as the first verbal comments given to the news media by the head of the technical school Mr. Moutzouris. However the story of the Minister&acute;s fiasco deal in Timbaki is now reaching national attention.

According to a recent article in the Greek National Paper `To Vima&acute; Timbaki might finally be saved from the wrath of politicians who want to convert touristic and natural beauty areas into industrial graves.

Iam sorry the article is in Greek.

http://www.tovima.gr/print_article.php?e=B...;m=A46&aa=1

[Wim]

Gee Ton, at least some people seem to have come to their senses. And you are right, it has come to the attention of a greater public. But still, we all know about he mechanics of politics.

Thanks for keeping us informed.
Pity I can't meet you in Pitsidia

[Dinny]

Thanks Ton, it's so good to know you keep an eye on everything about the Timbaki harbour for us. As for the 'changed' outcome of the study this seems to be 'business as usual'. I once did a translation for an Italian public institution regarding the vegetables market in Denmark, specifically regarding Italian exports to Denmark. The report was a bit negative as far as this institution's involvement was concerned. When the translation was delivered this institution came back with several requests for changes in the translation because they objected to the contents! The other party involved, the one that had done the study, probably amended the contents to satisfy the Italian institution which was paying for the study - I don't know since I rejected to work further on the project. And so, the responsible for the study of the harbour has probably been called in for a serious talk with his superior, hence the amended and much softer conclusion!