Benqueños search for normalcy after riot
Tonight, most Belizeans are still coming to terms with the graphic images captured on video depicting over a hundred Benqueños clashing violently with police on Wednesday. Two people remain hospitalised after they were shot during the riot. While Amalio Gamez is being treated in a Guatemalan medical centre, according to doctors at the Belmopan Hospital, sixteen-year-old Marco Sanchez is still in critical condition, but his internal bleeding has been controlled. Sanchez is conscious and able to communicate with the family members keeping vigil at his bedside. Today, News 5 was back in Benque where we found residents trying to regain a sense of normalcy.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
In direct contrast to the events of Wednesday, today the streets of Benque Viejo del Carmen were quiet as residents went about their daily routine. According to the Police Department, everyone complied with the curfew imposed overnight and there was no sign that there would be a repeat of the violence that had dominated the town just hours before. But broken windows and blood on the pavement are tangible forms of evidence of the mayhem that erupted after a group of students and other members of the public faced-off with the Police Department.
While most people declined to be interviewed on camera, several of the protestors showed News 5 their battle scars and medical documents proving the extent of their injuries. These young men claim they were beaten for no reason.
Civilian #1
“I wasn’t even part of anything that was going on, they come over to my house and they arrest me, throw me inside the car. I left all my machines at my business, they left it all open. When I reached my house last night, I got a couple machines that are missing.”
“The guys were on the other side of the street throwing rocks. And they were coming around to go get the guys from the back, but they see me over there standing alone by my house. I’m just watching, and they come over and they get me and they put me in the car and they took me to the Arenal Road. And over there, they beat me and after that they took me over here to the station, put me in a little room and that’s when they started beating me. They put a book on my head, a big book like this and they (simulates punch) and they hit my head right here. Right here my head is all swollen up, I can’t even sleep on this side because it hurts.”
The youths say they will be filing charges against the Police Department as a result of the events on Wednesday.
Assistant Superintendent Edward Broaster was on the ground as the drama unfolded and says everyone arrested was acting out of order.
Edward Broaster, Assistant Superintendent, Benque
“Anyone who was stoning the police officers or were chased during the rioting, were dealt with by the police officer. And if the police officer had used any force on them to deter them, then that is lawfully.”
Janelle Chanona
“The general perception this morning, especially on the radio talk shows was that the police were wrong in firing live shots.”
Edward Broaster
“I can tell you this Janelle, because after what occurred with the warning shots as I saw the mob advancing at those police officers who were cornered… I heard the warning shots and I saw the mob throwing some big stones and advancing after those police officer. If those police officers didn’t fire those shots, we would have been having a funeral for them sometime this week or next week.”
News 5 understands approximately sixteen students, and twenty-one civilians were arrested during the confrontation. Broaster says he hopes the incident has not destroyed the community relations the department has been building with the people of Benque. But today the office of the Mayor was bombarded with Benqueños complaining about mistreatment.
Marconi Sosa, Mayor, Benque Viejo
“Tension is still high. People have a sense of controlled intentions, but they’re still feeling the effects of yesterday’s beating, technically that’s the way I would describe it, the policemen actually beating the people. And we would hope that the tension does not develop into anything more but rather eases down as the days go by.”
Because of the possibility of more disturbances in the street, police patrolled the town and maintains a presence at the Novelo’s terminal. Several businesses and the town’s two high schools and three primary schools were closed today.
Deacon Cal, Manager
“The decision not to have school today was made before the curfew were put in place. And there were lots of threatening statements yesterday: we’re going continue this protest, we’re going to cause more problems and all kinds of things were said. So we thought it would just be wise not to, and besides that we didn’t think parents would send their kids to school anyway.”
Cal says the proximity of the school to the disturbances on Wednesday was also a factor in the decision.
Deacon Cal
“After teargas was thrown, police were chasing older people that were not part of the primary school class. We stopped them at the entrance to the school. The school is not fenced, so anybody could have come in.”
Janelle Chanona
“So you were stopping protestors from coming onto the school?”
Deacon Cal
“Right. Not myself personally, but the teachers. And they were respectful, they decided not to use the school as a shelter from police more or less.”
According to the school manager, classes will resume on Friday. Today, the Mayor of Melchor de Mencos met with Belizean authorities after students from across the border were detained by police.
Jorge Cowo Valdes, Mayor, Melchor de Mencos
“We are here primarily because of yesterday’s incident that included four students from Melchor that have been detained by the police for no reason whatsoever. And since we have about four hundred students from Melchor studying here in Benque, we are in dialogue with the authorities so that these students can attend school safely.”
And as the officials try to sort out that matter, Mayor Sosa says the organisers of Wednesday’s demonstration have taken offence to the fact that they have been accused of inciting the crowd to gain political mileage.
Marconi Sosa
“The demonstration itself, whosoever was around, noticed that it was a cross-section of the members of society that were actually speaking on the rally; PUP’s and UDP’s. At the end when the whole situation got out of hand, we as political leaders were called back again. Myself obviously, I am a UDP, but I am the mayor as well, and as the mayor, I cannot act just for UDP’s. But looking at a situation where the whole society now is on strict unrest, I had to take the responsibility seriously to initiate a negotiation process to seek the end of whatever could have been worse. And we did not do it with any political intent.”
Whatever the original intent was, clearly it was lost in the chaos. But by all accounts, the issue of the increased bus fares will continue to be a sore point for Benqueños. The people we spoke to today say a lack of employment opportunities in the town have forced many to look for work in San Ignacio and other points east, and they simply cannot afford any changes in the rates.
Deacon Cal
“I’ll state this, I’ll probably get in trouble but I’ll state it anyway. Poor people are the ones who ride the busses and it’s our poor who pay the price for all of the mistakes made by anybody; whether it be a government, whether it be an individual company. The poor people end up paying the price.”
Reporting for News 5, I’m Janelle Chanona.
