Coast Guard Commander Explains Absence from B.T.V. Expedition

John Borland

On Sunday, the Coast Guard made its presence felt in Barranco, as they checked to ensure the safety of passengers and vessels headed to the Sarstoon. But they couldn’t do more than that, and were nowhere around when Belizeans were stopped by the Guatemalan navy at the mouth of the Sarstoon. Neither was the B.D.F., and the lack of any military presence has drawn criticism. Prime Minister Dean Barrow has stated that G.O.B. did the right thing, and that the military will not be present on any future expedition either. Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Borland explained why the active presence of the military in these types of engagements may not be the best thing.

Rear Admiral John Borland, Commandant, Coast Guard

“The Coast Guard was out there in a non-military capacity. We were executing our maritime safety mandate to ensure the safety of our people as it applies to transiting the body of water from Barranco to Sarstoon Island and back to Barranco. We made sure that the necessary safety measures were in place and key among that was communications with the boats that went to the island in the event that we were required to execute a response for maritime services—i.e., search and rescue. The general, a moment ago, reiterated the potential prospect of a military to military engagement if we happen to be in the area. A military to military engagement when both militaries are on operations and on patrol can be contained, can be averted, between the protocols that exists between both militaries. When we have civilians in the middle, then that is an area where we might not be able to control the actions of our opposite forces and therefore one of the reasons why the military was not in that expedition on a escort or security role.”