B.D.F. Commander Says Military Changeover at Cadenas is Smooth Sailing

Where the B.D.F. is concerned, the changeover of personnel at the Cadenas Observation Post, using the Sarstoon River as ingress to the remote location, has been unhindered since early May.  While that is good news for the military, from a civilian perspective, it’s pretty much the same old, same old.  Entry into the Sarstoon, even if it is on Belize’s side of the river, is unimpeded by Guatemalans and their metal sharks.

Isani Cayetano    

“Insofar as the movement of B.D.F. soldiers, to and from Cadenas using the Sartoon, I know that some progress has been made over the past few weeks.  Was that discussed at the meeting and are there other changes to be expected going forward?”

David Jones

Brig. Gen. David Jones, Commander, B.D.F.

“Well what has definitely been achieved so far is that the B.D.F. is not being interrupted whatsoever.  The previous changeover we had for about a month now, we’ve had absolutely no interruption to the point where they have even stopped following our soldiers into Cadenas.  So what we are working on now is the civilians having the same freedom and access going back and forth to Cadenas as well.”

Isani Cayetano

“Is it a directive from the B.D.F. hierarchy for the officers stationed at the forward operating base not to necessarily either support or engage the media in terms of our frequenting that particular location?”

Brig. Gen. David Jones

“Well not really, whenever any Belizean goes to that area I would beg and ask that they go and check in at the forward operating base.  You will be welcomed there, be it media or any other civilian to go to the base and you can go there now, check in with the base and just inform them what you are going to do and you should be allowed that access to go in.”

Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington

Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs

“Well it’s a process, you know.  You go and sometimes you are stopped and there are times you go and you are not stopped.”

Reporter

“We have always been stopped, civilians have always been stopped.”

Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington

“No.  Civilians have been using that river long before you and I were born.  This thing has been there since 1937 you know.”

Reporter

“We are talking about now sir, recently.”

Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington

“It’s since 1937 that this has been happening and certainly since our independence our military has been going there every single week.  Civilians have been using the river for fishing and for poaching, whatever it is and there are times when you have hiccups in the relationship and government’s responsibility is to try to resolve those hiccups but the intention really is to ultimately cause these things to happen without any problem.  The same way in which you can go to any other part of the country, the intention is that you would be able to do the same in the Sarstoon.”