Most Guatemalans move but 12 families vow to stay

Reports from the border indicate that all the residents of the illegal settlements at Rio Blanco and Valentin Camp have accepted compensation from the Guatemalan Government and are in the process of moving west. The situation is not so clear cut at Machaquila, however, as word from Belmopan this afternoon indicates that only fifteen of twenty-seven families have agreed to move. The other twelve, encouraged by the Guatemalan indigenous movement, are refusing to budge. It is understood that last minute attempts to induce them to depart were being made this evening by Guatemalan authorities, but if they were not successful, Belizean officials were present to issue them expulsion orders. This means that by Saturday afternoon, if they are still on Belizean soil, the Guatemalan squatters will be accompanied to the border by the BDF.