Guatemala launches an investigation into border incident

The body of a Hispanic man shot on Monday by the Belize Defense Force while on patrol in the jungle about a mile inside the Belize/Guatemala border has not yet been found. According to the Ministry of National Security, on Monday, around two in the afternoon, a BDF patrol searching for illegal marijuana plantations was fired upon in the area of Sapote camp, located about eight miles south west from the Caracol Maya ruin and about a mile and a quarter from the Belize/Guatemala border. The patrol returned fire, fatally wounding one of the assailants, who are believed to be marijuana cultivators. The BDF had tried to bring the body out but as they were leaving the area, they realized a party of about fifteen armed men were following them and trying to avoid more fatalities, they were forced to leave the body behind. At this time, the Ministry of National Security believes that the man was a Guatemalan. Belizean security forces are in the area at this time to locate the body for identification purposes. Sources within the BDF tell News Five that yesterday, near Sapote camp, a BDF patrol met another group of about thirty persons. While there was no violence, the group did tell the Belizean soldiers that they were in Guatemala and that they, the BDF, were interfering with their weed growing. So far, the Guatemalan press has remained uncharacteristically silent about the shooting. However, late this evening News Five learned that Guatemalan Foreign Minister Gabriel Orellano announced this afternoon that his government will be forming a commission to investigate the incident and will be requesting a full report from the Belize Government. Orellano told local media that quote “incidents of this nature will continue to occur until both countries resolve our territorial differences”.