Will BTV Proceed with Planned Trip to Sarstoon?
Wil Maheia
The Belize Territorial Volunteers will be heading to Sarstoon on Saturday, April thirtieth. Or will they? Maheia has been accused of provoking the Guatemalans, so he is certainly on the blacklist of both militaries. Brigadier-General David Jones, even before the current high alert, reiterated that civilians will be stopped and even if he hadn’t said that today the intention of the Guatemalan military to block passage to the Sarstoon is crystal clear. So will the BTV attempt to run the gauntlet in what now seems to be the Guatemalan Sarstoon?
Wil Maheia, Head, Belize Territorial Volunteers
“There is always the scare tactic where some people will back out because they are scared. But we went there today; clearly as you can see where know where the border line is at. We’re not going to go into Guatemala. It is a very important day for Belize next Saturday, the thirtieth of April, because that was the day back in 1859 when our borders were defined, when Guatemala agreed that the Sarstoon, the mid-point the deepest point of the Sarstoon River belongs to Belize to the north and to the south to the Guatemala. So I think that is a very historic day and we cannot back down. We are going to the Sarstoon next week Saturday and I encourage people to join along. As you know these things cost money, so I encourage people that if you can’t make it, you could probably fund somebody who is willing to go.”
Mike Rudon
“What is your intention of that day because from what we saw today, it is a certainty that if you intent to go down the Sarstoon, you will not be allowed to?”
Wil Maheia
“Well Minister Saldivar said on Wednesday that the Sarstoon River belongs to us. It is in our constitution that the middle of the Sarstoon River, the deepest point north—including the Sarstoon Island—belongs to the country of Belize. That is what I learned in school; that is how I see it. Unless the Government of Belize say something different, I believe that the Sarstoon Island belongs to Belize and we will continue to attempt to go to the Sarstoon Island. That is our destination. We are going to the Sarstoon Island.”
In my opinion Will Maheia and his group are a big reason why we are in the mess we are in today. They have simply been provoking incidents way too many times and sadly we seem to be heading from a peaceful country to yet another country fighting with its neighbor. Add to that a crazy Guatemalan President who want to use this territorial dispute to make himself popular and boom…perfect ingredients for the situation we are in right now. I want to state that I hold Will Maheia and his Belize Territorial Volunteers responsible for the deaths of innocent Belizeans who will get caught in the cross fire. May that never happen…but Will …you and your group are part of the problem. I dare you to show me that you are part of the solution!!!
Instead of accusing Will of crap more Belizeans need to grow a new pair and speak out the way he is doing!