Pedras d’el Rei - “Stones of the King”
“Pedras d’el Rei” is an iconic toponym within Ria Formosa Natural Park, on the east of Portugal’s Algarve coast. Translating to “Stones of the King” in English, it was in use since at least 19th century to refer to an area of land with ancient sculpted stones and epigraphs.
During 1960s, Portuguese national authorities began to notice that tourism from other countries might provide economic benefits for Portugal. A Portuguese property development company was established to receive a loan of public money - to design and construct an entire new village (with tourism in mind) - on the site of Pedras d’el Rei, which company was dissolved when the development was completed and the houses sold to private owners. The story of Pedras d’el Rei is fascinating to explore, because it extends from ancient history to the present day; provides insights into developments of several academic disciplines (e.g. law, architecture, economics); and, it illustrates how historical negation has been perpetrated to achieve personal and political aims (harming the economy of Portugal, for private gain).
French company Club Méditerranée SA (involved in the emergence of modern European tourism from 1950s onwards) operated a business at Pedras d’el Rei for a few years in the 1970s, whose legal constitution was always a regular subdivision. Since 1982 it has been illegal to refer to Pedras d’el Rei as an “Aldeamento”, a term which was then defined by legislation to provide perpetual commercial and legal privileges to the developers of tourist resorts. The original first phase of construction contained 92 villas and 388 x T0 apartments organised into 5 separate condominiums, (re-)registered during 1974/5 (after the Carnation Revolution) in the horizontal property regime (strangely: at the notary's office of Castro Verde, not in Tavira municipality). Club Méditerranée SA appears to have lost commercial interest, but it seems that a criminal enterprise was initiated by local entrepreneurs to subvert the constitution and laws of Portugal (which criminal enterprise persists in 2023). Many new buildings appear to have been constructed without municipal planning consent after the original two phases (which were approved by the municipality) were complete.
This website aims to provide a platform for information about the toponym “Pedras d’el Rei”, located in the parish of Santa Luzia and the municipality of Tavira, Portugal. It may also have potential to facilitate meaningful connections between homeowners, residents, visitors and other interested persons. Comparative European case: CHM-Montalivet.org examines another historic naturist place where land status, tourism, municipal responsibility and long-term public-interest governance have become central questions.
Loteamento, not Aldeamento!
Loteamento, not Aldeamento!
Click for pdf of this full protocol, which the Mayor from the time says was fulfilled, i.e. Tavira Town Hall accepted full ownership of public infrastructure in Pedras d’el Rei before the end of June 2001.
This “protocol of collaboration” from 1998 describes how the acknowledgement of public ownership of infrastructure was already more than 20 years delayed in 1998. The Câmara’s signatory wrote to me by email on 3 Apr 2024, concerning that protocol:
“Bom dia
Do que me recordo foi cumprido o que se assinou. Cumprimentos
José Macário Correia”
First Priority:
End Illegal Local Dictatorship
Various letters as pdf files are linked below. Please contact me with any corrections of fact, clarifications and opinions that you might wish to share and write to any relevant authorities with your own concerns.
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This letter, 14 April 2024.
I have sent various letters to all elected members of the parliamentary assembly of Portugal, for example. I have received professional replies from the office of the President of the Assembly and some of my concerns have been referred to various parliamentary committees.
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Letter to Departamento Central de Investigação e Ação Penal (DCIAP) 13 April 2024
I have shared various concerns with the office of the public prosecutor of Portugal and have had two meetings with officials of the public prosecution service.
This letter requests the Public Prosecutor to issue statements of fact to the public of Portugal.
This letter describing concerns about legislation relating to the concept of “aldeamento”
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31st March 2024 Request for Information
Many letters have been sent to the town council of Tavira throughout 2023, without any adequate response. Officials of Tavira appear unwilling to perform their duties. I spoke with the secretary of the Mayor of Tavira (in person), requesting an appointment with the mayor, but the mayor has refused to speak with me. This pdf includes her nonsense letter of legal jargon and my reply…
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Letter to CTT 7th March 2024, explaining its role in organised crimes.
I have complained to employees and representatives of CTT in Tavira, Santa Luzia and online about its failure to perform its duty of delivering my private correspondence to my legal address.
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27 February, 2024: This letter, providing information about suspected misuse of EU funds to OLAF Antifraud Office.
This letter (about Rule of Law)
And this letter (about27 February, 2024: This lette EU funds)
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I am attempting to contact (e.g. with this letter) other homeowners in Pedras d’el Rei. Contacting my neighbours is an extremely difficult task, since publicly-available registry information of real estate does not include any current contact details of its owners. Portuguese legislation does not even allow co-owners of shared real estate to know the contact details of their co-owners! (This abusive situation can only benefit an exploitative elite). The mafia which controls Pedras d’el Rei has used several methods to prevent homeowners from residing in the houses they own, including blocking their private correspondence.
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A man and his son claim hereditary kingship of the stones, using countless anonymous legal entities which they purposefully describe vaguely. Vasco Queiroga employs a foolish friend (Ricardo Carmo), seemingly to act as his mouthpiece for obscuring lines of criminal liability. Anonymous non-person legal entities of Vasco and his father may include the following (amongst others):
Gaprei-Gestão do Aldeamento de Pedras D'el-Rei S.A. NIF503015113
Pedras D'el Rei-Gestão e Turismo S.A. NIF500213666
Pedras da Rainha - Actividades Turísticas S.A. NIF502977698
Barril - Actividades Hoteleiras e Turisticas S.A. NIF503062251
Gardening, maintenance, cleaning and other staff may be employed by other legal entities. Retailers using shops in the former fishing village on Barril Beach have told me that they are not employed, but rent premises from Vasco (despite that Vasco does not appear to own those premises that he leases to others for profit).
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I have written to the Regional Director in “Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas” with responsibilty for management of Ria Formosa Natural Park. When I attended his office building (in person) and asked why I had received no reply, I was informed that the Director was unable to reply until he had received legal advice from Lisbon. The eventual reply revealed misunderstandings and legal superfluities (which I suspect might conceal known information).
The Mayor of Faro is documented to be responsible for a co-management committee of Ria Formosa Natural Park, which appears to have no national oversight (in breach of legislation). I have sent emails to Faro Town Council, the University of Algarve and the ICNF requesting a contact point for sharing concerns about the management of the Ria Formosa, but have received no reply. I received one email from Faro Municipal Council saying that my email had been forwarded to someone else.
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I am an advocate of naturist lifestyles and recognise the importance of legislative recognition of naturist spaces within Ria Formosa Natural Park. National, local and international associations for naturism are important for increasing acceptance of this philosophy of living in harmony with the natural world.
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I have obtained property registration documents of all 72 residential property units in my condominium from the Tavira registry office. The registry office of Tavira Municipality does not have any records of the horizontal division which created my condominium in 1975, but this deed is instead held at the Notary's Office of Castro Verde.
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The President of Portugal maintains several staff (presumably within some budget). I have sent letters (one, two, three)to the President of Portugal and have received some acknowledgments of receipt. I received a reply from staff of the President to one letter, stating that they had referred my enquiry to a politically-appointed, so-called “Protector of Justice” who is defined in the Portuguese Constitution as being “incompetent to make decisions”.
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Future blog posts might include:
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link to blog post about ancient history, describing what is known about the suburban villa and necropolis of Balsa, which once existed on the exact site of the modern village of Pedras d’el Rei.
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link to blog post about modern history, including how local history might have been falsified for personal advantage.
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link to blog post about art and architecture, e.g. whether Portuguese Regional Architecture Survey (1955), influenced the design of Pedras d’el Rei village and how art and creativity can be encouraged in present and future (e.g. artist residencies, associative movements etc.)
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link to blog post about regional associations with naturism and the Mediterranean diet.
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blog post with ideas for how Pedras d’el Rei could evolve in the future.
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Item description
PARTNERS
Meanwhile
•
Cats
•
Rule
•
Meanwhile • Cats • Rule •
Republic of Meow was founded on 21st September 2023, upon land abandoned by Portuguese Republic since 1975. It consists of all regions within the village of Pedras d’el Rei historically inhabited and governed by cats. It is independent and free from any external authority.
Constitution of the Republic
With this Constitution in place, the Republic of Meow aspires to create a haven for all its citizens, fostering an environment of mutual respect, love, and growth. We envision a world where every creature, no matter how small, has a voice and a place in the sun.
What Cats Are Saying:
“Miau.”
— Freddy
“ニャー.”
— Hello Kitty
“Meow.”
— Tardar Sauce
Founders of the Constitution
Founding Felines
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Tini is the mastermind behind the Republic of Meow. She is a philosopher-cat and a connoisseur of fine dining. She often has her best ideas whilst pretending to sleep or watching documentaries on YouTube. She enjoys strolling across terracotta-tiled roofs of human houses, from where she can effortlessly observe all that goes on in the republic. She hisses and snarls at the bad-guy cats when they misbehave, but never physically assaults them (even when maliciously provoked).
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Rasputin’s parents both died when he was an infant, which led him to juvenile crime for survival in his native Siberia. He left solitary-confinement in prison to fight for Wagner in Ukraine, but defected by turning his coat and disguising himself as a drone. He then boarded a Ukrainian grain transport ship and gordged himself on mice throughout several sea voyages before arriving in Algarve. He has a bionic claw (installed when he worked for the KGB) , which he now uses to open tins of stolen cat food.
Update 10 April 2024: Claims to have obtained compromising information on various members of CHEGA political party (unconfirmed).
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Garfield is the moderately-wise, middle-aged orange guy who always looks out for Tini (he might even be her father), often defending her against Rasputin’s unwanted advances. He knows most other cats in the neighbourhood and sometimes has good ideas. Probably he’s never travelled far, so he doesn’t know much about the world outside of the republic and can be a bit clueless at times. Nevertheless, he’s not bad.
Pathways to Citizenship ~
Pathways to Citizenship ~
#RepublicOfMeow
#RepúblicaDoMiau
#TheMeowIsNow
#OMiauÉAgora