B.T.V. Takes Over Sarstoon F.O.B., Despite Warning Signs for Trespassers
Over the weekend, the Belize Territorial Volunteers, led by Wil Maheia, travelled to the Sarstoon River where they were intent on taking over the forward operating base at the mouth of the river. The Forward Operating Base was installed back in 2015. Over the last year or so, the military post has been deserted due to erosion in the area. While the structure itself is intact, it has been deemed unsafe. The B.T.V. believes that not having any presence in the area gives way to illegal fishing and is an indictment of G.O.B.’s interests in the Sarstoon, which they say Guatemalans are exercising control over. On Saturday, the Belize Defense Force and the Belize Coast Guard prevented the group from disembarking at the base, but on Sunday, they returned and accomplished their goal. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
It was a calm and untroubled trip onboard the “Getaway”, as a small group of Belizeans travelled twenty miles from Punta Gorda to the southernmost end of the country, the Sarstoon. That peaceful, non-contentious sensation was completely unexpected, even as we arrived at the mouth of the Sarstoon River because many have come to associate expeditions to this location with some level of aggression and hostility.
Wil Maheia
Wil Maheia, Belize Territorial Volunteers
“You see the Guatemalan base with their flags on it.”
Duane Moody
“There is no indication here that this is Belize.”
Wil Maheia
“Well we have to encourage the Government of Belize to do what is right for the Belizean people. This is the Sarstoon River; we need to maintain our presence on the Sarstoon River. As I was saying earlier, it’s not only about maintaining a presence here, but the social, economic and environmental benefits that come.”
Duane Moody
Duane Moody
“For almost a year, the forward operating base here at the mouth of the Sarstoon has been unoccupied by Belize’s military. But a move by the Belize Territorial Volunteers has triggered a reaction and now a handful has been stationed here.”
Signs in English and Spanish were erected within days at the F.O.B., cautioning that it was a military installation and that trespassers would be prosecuted. The B.D.F. soldiers who were later joined by a group of personnel from the Belize Coast Guard, informed us that we would not be allowed to disembark at the base.
Audrey Matura
Audrey Matura, Attorney-at-law
“I expected our own government to pushback. I think it is an embarrassment for them and it’s even more embarrassing to see – look at the little handful of people they sent to try and stop us. I mean I feel embarrassed for them because I know they are only following commands. But the embarrassing part is that I have come so many times with Wil, this place was abandoned. We could dock there and nobody could tell us anything, they didn’t have no signs. So I did expect that there would be a pushback. But you see the fact that the government has to pushback is an indication of their failure.”
Attorney Audrey Matura, BGYEA’s Nigel Petillo, and Philip de la Fuente were among those on the expedition. They reacted to the experience, including being met by armed soldiers.
Audrey Matura
“If this was a genuine occupation by the B.D.F. of this place, there would not have only one boat. Two, they would not have only that little gallon there of water because it means they would have come to stay long term. Three, they would not have had only that barrel of fuel because it takes more than that to be up and down, so they didn’t come here to do any operation. Four, I don’t see that they have any Belizean flag nor B.D.F. flag. They claim that this is a military installation, but there is just a sign. That’s why I ask them show me where it has been gazetted, show me where in the law we have this.”
Philip de la Fuente
Philip de la Fuente, Belize Territorial Volunteer
“When we got to the forward operating base, I was hoping that the B.D.F. would have greeted us with some shovels and some picks and material to do the landfills to help reclaim the land. But no, they met us with grenade launchers and armaments. So, it is not a good sign.”
Wil Maheia
“As you can see the structure is not leaning, it has a solid foundation, so there is no reason to abandon it. Yes, there is erosion over there, but we the volunteers have volunteered to help to build the wall so that the base could be intact. They have turned it away.”
Commander of the Belize Defence Force, Brigadier General Azariel Loria says that the expedition could further agitate tensions in the area and questioned the motive of the Belize Territorial Volunteers.
Azariel Loria
Brig. Gen. Azariel Loria, Commander, B.D.F.
“As recent as a month and a half ago, when in one of the excursions conducted by the territorial volunteers, we noticed a change in the attitude of the Guatemalan navy that is on the other side of the river and they started trying to deny us access from entering into the river, the bar mouth itself. Nevertheless, we told them that based on the 1859 treaty, we are patrolling what belongs to Belize and no more which is the deepest navigable channel of the Sarstoon. They kept tailing us but about a month and a half ago was the last time that they did that. It is no longer, they are no longer doing it and in so, we would have reverted back to kinda controlling the situation. The Guatemalans start with those type of aggressiveness when someone goes there and agitate it, rock the boat per say.”
Wil Maheia
“If he was doing his job, we would not need to be here today. All we are calling for is so that Belizeans have a constant presence on the Sarstoon without being harassed by anyone – not by our military, not by the Guatemalan military.”
BTV returned on Sunday to find the base unoccupied once again. Despite the warning signs, they proceeded to install their banner.
Wil Maheia
“We told the military if they are not occupying the base that we are taking over. We are taking it over today, the Belize Territorial Volunteers. And as you can see the amount of illegal fishing that is taking place in our waters. If they were here that would not have happened.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
