Who Torched U.D.P. Cayo South Candidate Ralph Huang’s Political Office?

Just before midnight on Thursday, the Camalote campaign office of U.D.P. Standard Bearer Ralph Huang was destroyed by fire and police are investigating the blaze as a case of arson. The Cayo South aspirant doesn’t know whose dunnit, but he says someone saw some flammable liquid in a basket or bucket. The current area representative, Julius Espat is condemning the incident. News Five’s Isani Cayetano report.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

The torching of the United Democratic Party’s Cayo South office in Camalote Village is being investigated by fire and law enforcement officials as a case of arson.  Sometime before midnight on Thursday, Roaring Creek police were summoned to an area along the George Price Highway where they discovered this elevated wooden structure engulfed in flames.  The building is the campaign office of UDP Standard Bearer Ralph Huang.  He was on his way home after a night of campaign in Valley of Peace when he was alerted of the fire.

Ralph Huang

Ralph Huang, U.D.P. Standard Bearer, Cayo South

“When we were heading back home and on the way, we were about to reach a wake in Ontario then I received a phone call that the office in Camalote got burned.  Then I turned around with my colleague and we saw the flames and the smoke and not long after the fire engine reached and police arrived and people around the neighborhood they came out to check what’s going on.”

By the time they did, the building was consumed in totality, leaving very little, if anything, that could have been saved.  Huang believes the fire was deliberately set.

Ralph Huang

“I think the person who called the fire engine and police, he was the first, he and his friends were just passing through and he saw the flames coming out and he jumped in to grab a tree branch and try to out the fire but it was too late already.  He saw something like a basket or a bucket and some flammable liquid and the fire just started to catch.  It’s not an electrical problem, according to the eyewitness.”

Isani Cayetano

“Do you believe that this sets you back in any way, in terms of your campaign in Cayo South and your efforts to reach out to the residents of that large community?”

Ralph Huang

“There’s a suspicious allegation in terms of that direction there but at this point in time I’m not allowed or I would not like to [make] any comments at this point in time.  If there is any legal issue I think my attorney will give me the best advice with it.”

But while Huang awaits legal advice, allegations are that the fire was intentionally set by a supporter or supporters of his political opponent.  His rival in Cayo South is incumbent P.U.P. area representative Julius Espat.  He vehemently denies any knowledge or involvement in the crime and condemned the act as unwarranted.

Julius Espat

Julius Espat, Area Representative, Cayo South

“We found out last night that there was a fire.  We don’t condone those actions.  If it is a U.D.P. that did it, if it’s a P.U.P. that did it or anybody that did it, it’s something that’s wrong we condemn.  We don’t only condemn it in Cayo South but we condemn it in the entire country of Belize.  We can’t start those kinds of scenarios.  But I haven’t heard any allegations and if there’s any, well it’s baseless really.  In Cayo South we don’t need to be doing those hanky-panky moves to be able to win an election.  I have been working with our team since 2012 and the reality since we’ve been on the ground with this campaign the reception has been awesome.  The reality is we don’t have any opposition because all the hardcore, formidable forces that they had the last time in 2012 don’t vote here anymore and so we don’t face any real opposition in Cayo South and so there is no need to be able to do anything like that.”

The building, measuring twenty by thirty feet is valued at twenty-four thousand, five hundred dollars while its contents were valued at seven thousand, five hundred.  Police continue their investigation. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.