TEGUCIGALPA, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Looking back at history, the United States bears an undeniable responsibility for the long-standing poverty in countries like Honduras. Honduras was once referred to as the "banana republic," which served as an "oasis" for unchecked American capital and a "cage" where local impoverished workers were trapped.
From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, with multiple armed interventions and instigated coups, American capital gradually gained control over the major economic sectors in Honduras. U.S. companies like Cuyamel Fruit Company occupied vast lands in the northern part of Honduras, constructing large-scale banana plantations. They also controlled vital economic sectors such as transportation, electricity and manufacturing.
By 1913, over 90 percent of Honduras' foreign trade was monopolized by the United States. Under the monopoly control of American multinational corporations, Honduras developed a highly concentrated economic structure centered around banana production, and became heavily reliant on imports for essential goods like food, resulting in a vulnerable economy.
"Our people's anti-imperialist struggle is historic and has been united with labor movements as well," former President Manuel Zelaya, also a presidential advisor, told Xinhua. "The struggle is where what we have today in Honduras comes from."
However, for the people of Honduras, the injustices have not come to an end.
"Americans enjoy privileges in our country, while we are treated like dogs in the United States. It is a blatant injustice," Juan Manuel Guerra said, his voice trembling as tears welled up in his eyes. Before being recently deported by U.S. authorities, the 57-year-old Honduran had lived in the United States for five years.
During their stay in immigration detention centers in the United States, the majority of immigrants experience inhumane treatment. "I felt like I was being kidnapped. I stayed there for 17 days, and my family had no idea about my situation. They (the U.S. authorities) didn't allow me to make phone calls, and I was completely cut off from the outside world. I slept on the floor every day until I was released," said 25-year-old Bernard from Honduras, who would not give his last name.
"Poverty, illness, weakness, exploitation ... These are what the U.S. companies have left behind. On the contrary, they have taken wealth from here. Honduras is the fifth-richest country in Latin America in terms of resources, but it is now the second-poorest country in Latin America," said Estevan Elvir, now 91 years old, who once worked on banana plantations in the Sula Valley in north Honduras.
On June 28, 2009, a military coup took place in Honduras, forcing then-President Zelaya to step down. For nearly half a year afterward, the political situation in Honduras remained turbulent. Reports suggested that the United States was involved in the coup, after which the Honduran people who had resisted faced repression and displacement. Violence and poverty compelled some to seek refuge in the United States.
Zelaya said that many of the 20th-century political coups in Latin America and the Caribbean were related to the interests of American multinational corporations.
"I once asked a U.S. senior official if the United States had a manual for instigating coups. He told me there wasn't just one manual, but four manuals for instigating coups, and one is currently being prepared," Zelaya said. ■
