Territorial Volunteers Respond To Guatemala’s MFA

Carlos Raul Morales

The last time the Belize Territorial Volunteers went near the Sarstoon River, thirty-seven of them in a skiff were detained by Guatemalan military and taken to Livingston. The incident happened way back in March, but it is still very much a source of frustration for those Belizeans who maintain that they were taken against their will, within our territorial waters. Earlier this week Guatemala’s Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales was in the country to attend a forum hosted by the Organization of American States, and he was asked about the incident. He says there was no incident, and that comment has incensed the Territorial Volunteers.

Carlos Raul Morales, Foreign Minister, Guatemala [File: July 28^th, 2015]

“Livingston…let me tell you that this is not an incident. What happen is some Belizean people from PG, from Punta Gorda, dehn visit this beautiful caye at the Sarstoon end and get into the sea. It happened in March. The boat was overloaded, there were a lot of persons inside the boat and the sea was very rough. My authorities helped these people and took them to Livingston for the security of these people. Next day, they cannot come back to PG because the sea was very rough. They did an overnight in Livingston and next day Alexis Rosado visit the place and talk to the people and the people came back to Punta Gorda. This is not an incident.”

Phillip de la Fuente

Phillip de la Fuente, Northern Territorial Volunteers

“We were in no way in any danger because our boat was not to capacity. We had enough fuel to get back home to Belize safely. I think the Guatemalan government was only showing us what they could do and they knew that our government would not do anything in response. We were, I think the word is debriefed where Mr. Lovell, Ambassador Alexis Rosado and a couple high ranking officials were there. They asked us exactly what happened. They asked us to show them on the map where exactly we were detained, and all of us showed them where we were detained and all of us said the same story because we lived through it. But now, from the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister…they rather believe the part that the Guatemalan government is putting out – that we were in danger and that’s why they took us to Livingston.”