Belize’s Maya reject Guatemalan claim
Maya leaders of Southern Belize today made it unambiguously clear that the Guatemalan government could expect no help from them in their campaign to snatch a piece of Belize. Speaking at an afternoon press conference along with Prime Minister Said Musa, spokesman Greg Ch’oc, on behalf of the six major Toledo Maya organisations, called on Guatemala to respect the border, stop making threats, and start treating its own indigenous people with respect.
Greg Ch’oc
“The Mayan leaders of southern Belize on the behalf of the Maya Mopan and Maya Q’eqchi’ peoples Toledo Belize, call upon the State of Guatemala to recognise the border between Belize and Guatemala as agreed to in the Treaty of 1859 by Britain and Guatemala so as to foster peace and stable, productive and cooperative relationships between the citizens of the State of Belize and the State of Guatemala, and between the indigenous Maya Q’eqchi’ and Maya Mopan on both sides of the border.”
“The Maya people of Belize are indigenous peoples and Belizean. As indigenous people, we have rights to our traditional land, to our traditional culture and other rights recognized by international law. As Belizeans, we are integral and full members of the nation of Belize and we declare our full and unequivocal allegiance to the State of Belize.”
“We have become aware that certain elements in the neighbouring State of Guatemala have attempted to use our Maya communities in their unfounded and unjust claim to territories belonging to our State of Belize, pretending to be concerned for the welfare of Maya communities living in Belize. We categorically disassociate ourselves from those maneuvers. We do not seek, we do not welcome, and indeed, we emphatically reject and such offer of assistance from the State of Guatemala.”
