What Does Chamber President Think of BTV Expedition to Sarstoon?

Arturo ‘Tux’ Vasquez

The Belize Territorial Volunteers has received its share of flak from government for purportedly aggravating the Guatemalan Armed Forces at the Sarstoon.  While they have been criticized as troublemakers, the BTV is also being credited for bringing the Sarstoon debacle to light.  According to Tux Vasquez, if it were not for the many unwelcome trips to the southernmost corner of Belize, the populace would be oblivious to the goings-on at the Sarstoon.

Arturo ‘Tux’ Vasquez, President, BCCI

“Everybody has a different approach to this, the Territorial Volunteers from my observation is basically a group of volunteers saying I am Belizean and this is what I can do, I have my rights and I will continue to exercise my rights as long as I can.  That’s what they are doing.  It’s not a simple job for the prime minister or even the head of the Belize Defense Force to guide such an action.  I know the prime minister tried yesterday and also the Brigadier General tried it to sort of say to them, yes that is your right but you’re in a bit of tension and we perhaps should not be doing something like this.  But I think the answer shouldn’t be you can’t do it, but it should be you can do it but let’s do it together.  On the other side of this you have the Guatemalans who are simply on our side and nobody seems to be doing anything about it.  I think this problem that we are facing now is a problem that has always been there.  I also think that it is the volunteers that actually exposed all of this.  Guatemala has been on our side of the border for many, many years both land and sea, cultivating, farming and doing whatever they need to do and I think what Belize, if I can use the word, has slipped down on all these years is to make sure that that position does not magnify itself.  That’s where the problem lies, the problem lies where I think they have come across so much on our side that it’s hard now for us to push them back.”