B.T.V., Guats, B.D.F. Come Together in Sarstoon for Treaty Anniversary
Today, April thirtieth, is the anniversary of the signing of the 1859 Anglo-Guatemalan Treaty which was intended to establish borders between the Belize Settlement, run by Britain, and Guatemala. Among other things the countries agreed to build a road from Guatemala through Belizean territory to the coast, but it never happened and Guatemala later repudiated the treaty, setting the stage for the current dispute. This morning, members of the Belize Territorial Volunteers ventured out to Sarstoon Island for a prayer service marking the anniversary, and were once again menaced by the Guatemalan Armed Forces. The group was going around the island and the Belize Defence Force boat from the nearby forward operating base came out to the Belizeans’ aid, ensuring the group successfully made it around the island without Guatemalan interference. We have two clips from PGTV with a blessing by former politician turned preacher Derek Aikman and song from the artist Cocono Bwai.
Derek Aikman
Derek Aikman, Pastor
“May God in the affairs of the nation, and the affairs of our neighbor, and return the Sarstoon Island and the Sarstoon half of the river that was once our territory and under our control, but has clearly been surrendered to the Guatemalan military, that has now come and positioned their boats right in front of us in our own territory of Belize.”
Voice of: Wil Maheia, Belize Territorial Volunteers
“Now we have our B.D.F. here.”
Derek Aikman
“And we have been joined, in unprecedented fashion, by the Belize Defence Force this morning. This is in itself a miracle, where our own military has this morning, on this thirtieth day of April, has decided to come and defend the Belizean men on this boat, that are here only to pray on this thirtieth day of April, that signifies the signing of the treaty between Guatemala and Great Britain, that gave this territory to this nation and to our people today. We continue to invoke the spirit of Almighty God to intervene in the affairs of man, and that instead of going to the I.C.J., which stands for the International Court of Justice, today we come to the ‘International Court of Jesus’ – that is our I.C.J. – asking for his intervention into the affairs of this nation, to grant back to this nation what has been taken from us. In the names of Jesus we pray, Amen.”
There was another noteworthy anniversary this weekend in the Guatemala affair. On Sunday April twenty-ninth, it was the fiftieth anniversary of the ‘Webster Proposals’ also known as the Seventeen Proposals, first introduced by American attorney and arbitrator Bethuel Webster in 1968. The proposals sought to subject Belize to being an associated state of Guatemala, but were roundly rejected.
