Taxis, Students Need Not Fear

Said ‘Badi’ Guerra

Amid the chaos that ensued at the border on Sunday, the Guatemalan media also reported that students from neighboring Melchor who commute to Benque Viejo daily to attend school, would be refused entry at the border.  According to Ambassador Guerra, that was furthest from the truth.  He says the rumor was immediately cleared up during a phone call with the mayor of Melchor.

Said ‘Badi’ Guerra, Director of International Affairs

“It says that their people were being abused and that their people were being forced to move.  At no point did that happen.  They were asked to move, but as you know, sometimes we kind of feel we don’t really like to be moved from our comfort zone.  So I think that that was the reason why they reacted to it.  And then a lot of misconceptions, a lot of misinformation in Melchor that the media, the radio was informing, you know, that they were being forced to leave and that the students that come on a daily basis to Belize were not going to be allowed entry today.  So I spoke to the mayor, the mayor of Melchor called me and I explained to him what was going on.  I explained also to the immigration officer on the Guatemalan side who called me to find out what was going on.  It took them by surprise and I explained to them, you know, this is what is happening.  It is for their own security, it’s for everyone’s security, for everyone’s wellbeing and to avoid any incident that might happen in the future, you know.  So they understood, but it was the people who were making up stories because they didn’t know what was going on.  That was what happened yesterday.”

Isani Cayetano

“From a foreign affairs perspective, what is the importance of constructing this new fence and the gate that will be used at the border crossing?”

Said ‘Badi’ Guerra

“I repeat that we are concerned about the wellbeing of everyone there, the security of everyone there.”