Parallel Investigations Will Determine Way Forward

George Lovell

So with all the confusion and miscommunication arising out of what seems a very clear cut border incident, what happens next? Well…the Police investigation continues, of course, and then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will do what it has to do, whatever that is.

Ret’d. Col. George Lovell, C.E.O., Ministry of National Security

“I certainly want our Police to try and investigate to see precisely where our people were, what exactly was the detail of their operations out there, where exactly physically were they on the ground. Was it all on the Belizean side? Did they have to construct a fire path that would have caused them to go over on the Guatemalan side? I need to find out exactly what were the numbers that were out there? What was the description of the people that were involved? Their nationality and for them to get interviews and reports from all of those good Belizeans and Guatemalans because I understand that there were some Guatemalans who work with the owners of the farm that were on Belizean side. I need to get a full report from there.”

Lawrence Sylvester

Lawrence Sylvester, C.E.O., Minister of Foreign Affairs

“We in a responsible manner, as Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have asked the O.A.S. to verify the incident based on the reports that they have given and so on. That verification exercise, there is a standard and normal operating procedure which of course involves queries, contact with Guatemalan authorities ascertaining what exactly happened. So the truth or the veracity of the story, looking to find evidence, looking to find anything material to corroborate what Mister Plett is saying then after that we take a step. We can’t go on hearsay.”

As we’ve told you, up to news time, the Police had not visited the exact site of the alleged detention. They say they will not without word from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs because of the sensitive location. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the other hand, has said that they cannot proceed without a police report.