Maya leaders want inquiry on deaths

Toledo’s indigenous community has reacted to Friday’s violent incident in which two men were killed and three wounded in a confrontation with police. In a letter to Prime Minister Said Musa and copied to the press, the Maya Leaders Alliance has called upon the P.M. to establish a commission of inquiry into the killing of Alfredo Chen and Seriano Choc at the hands of the police near Otoxha Village. The Alliance also asked that the commission’s report be made public and that the government promptly institute clear policies which will govern the relationship between government agencies and the Mayan communities in the south. While not advancing a position as to what exactly transpired in Otoxha, the letter writers expressed a strong belief that the police could have handled the incident without loss of life. The police version of events, which is expected to be corroborated by forestry officers, is that a machete wielding mob attacked two policemen who were attempting to gather evidence of illegal logging in the western Toledo District. The police, armed with military rifles, say they acted in self-defence when they fired, killing two and wounding three. One of the police officers had three of his fingers chopped off and his rifle stolen before fleeing across the Temash River. Prime Minister Said Musa is out of the country and is not scheduled to return until October fourth. The Maya Leaders Alliance consists of representatives from the Toledo Maya Cultural Council, Toledo Alcaldes Association, Southern Alliance for Grassroots Empowerment, Q’eqchi Council of Belize, Toledo Maya Women’s Council and the Toledo West Village Council Association.