Lack of translators slows Zabaneh investigation

The joint investigation by Belizean and British Military Police into the death of fourteen year old David Zabaneh Jr. continues. Zabaneh was severely beaten by a number of British Gurkha soldiers in the wee hours of May eleventh at Raul’s Rose Garden nightclub. He died in a Florida hospital two days later. Questioning of the three teenage boys who accompanied Zabaneh that night began on Thursday and continued today. According to British Army spokesman David Falcke, the whereabouts of every British soldier in Belize that night is being accounted for and with the help of Belize police, virtually every patron in Raul’s on the night of the attack has been identified. Some non-Gurkha British soldiers already sent back to the U.K. are being questioned there, while all of the approximately thirty Gurkhas involved in the incident remain confined to camp in Belize. The major problem with questioning the Gurkhas remains the language barrier. Two Nepali translators brought to Belize early in the investigation do not have the proficiency required for a judicial proceeding and the British Ministry of Defence is said to be scouring the countryside in search of qualified interpreters. The matter is further complicated by the requirement that the professionals chosen are not influenced by bias in favour of the Gurkhas or British Army in general. Until those key personnel are on the ground in Belize, the Gurkha version of events that fateful night will remain unknown. Meanwhile, Raul’s remains open for business, but will have to rely on local patronage only. All British military forces remain confined to camp except for occasional organised group excursions to St. George’s Caye or the Princess Movie Theatre in Belize City.