The estimated 800 demolitions planned on the Ria Formosa islands continue to provoke strong protests from those being made homeless.

After hundreds attended a protest meeting last month in the municipal auditorium in Olhão, with the support of members of the Socialist and Communist parties, this Wednesday the deputy Minister for Regional Development, Miguel Poiares Maduro, was greeted on arrival at Faro’s 'Teatro das Figuras' by noisy and upset protestors.

The government has rejected a call by opposition parties for parliament to discuss the situation affecting the Ria Formosa  islanders and the actions of the management company, Polis.

Local Algarve mayors and other associations had called for an urgent review of the actions of Polis which has contracted for the demolition of hundreds of properties without making arrangements for the resettlement of the many islanders who have no other place to live.

A series of seminars on the subject, ‘Ria Formosa - the integrity of the lagoon system and its economic activities,' continues on the 25th of February, in Faro.

The initiative aims to 'encourage dialogue and cooperation between all levels of government, civil society and business, and to help build a sustainable vision for this very particular and sensitive area,' and will not cover state sponsored homelessness of those evicted from the islands to create this sustainable vision.

The president of Olhão council said today that he will propose an urgent review of the Coastal Zone Management Plan, covering the area between Vilamoura and Vila Real de Santo António, which is being used to justify the eviction of Portuguese citizens from the Ria Formosa islands in order to 'renaturise' the area.

The current plan is the reason behind the planned destruction of 800 Ria Formosa island properties by the management company Polis Litoral Ria Formosa, with no provision having been made for the resettlement of islanders despite this being a pre-condition for the clearances.

A group of Algarve MPs has agreed that the authorities must 'begin to pay more attention to pollution outbreaks in the Ria Formosa.'

Cristóvão Norte, Bruno Inácio, Elsa Cordeiro and Pedro Roquein visted Faro and Olhão and saw at first hand the steady stream of turds flowing serenely into the harbour near the entrance to the Olhão ferry terminal.

More than 300 people from the Ria Formosa islands of Culatra, Hangares and Farol descended on Olhão on Saturday afternoon for a meeting of protest in the municipal auditorium.

The topic of course was the continuing demolition of houses on the Ria Formosa islands as part of the Coastal Zone Management Plan of the Algarve being carried out ruthlessly and with no regard for human cost by the Polis company.

At the 11th hour, the government has agreed to spare Algarve families from the pain and horror of seeing their only homes demolished.

As the Resident revealed last week, low-income families living in makeshift “illegal” homes on the islands along Ria Formosa have been threatened with eviction on the grounds of “environmental concerns” for years.

The Algarve’s Paulo Sá, Communist Party MP, finally has stated that which others skillfully have avoided mentioning for fear of reprisals.

At a Ria Formosa islands residents’ association meeting in Faro the outspoken MP said that the demolition of 800 homes and the displacement of residents being carried out on government orders is in fact all a ruse to pave the way for future "top tourism investments" on the islands.