Ministry of National Security talks about listening on phone calls
carlos perdomo
Big Brother, as George Orwell called it in his novel 1984, is looking over your shoulder. He was referring to a society where the authority is always near listening, watching, and in Belize that scenario is now closer than we imagine. Minister of National Security, Carlos Perdomo spoke about wire tapping earlier this week on Open Your Eyes, Channel Five’s breakfast show. According to Perdomo, criminal activity will be monitored but there will be other people whose conversations would be monitored? Will it be you and me? That’s what we asked him.
Carlos Perdomo, Minister of National Security
“We are looking at what we call lawful intercept in trying to deal with the communication system. The goal will be to target the criminal communication but of course you know you will always have problem with other people.”
William Neal
“What exactly does that mean? Does that mean that you start monitoring calls from individuals?”
Carlos Perdomo
“Yes, but not indiscriminately. Within all the proposals that we have seen or the laws in Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia I believe we’re looking at some of those, there always has to be somebody identified in possible criminal activity and you have to approach a judge to get permission. So it’s not like you just listen to everybody’s thing, you have to target maybe particular drug barons as we call them or maybe gang personnel or maybe even people who might be in trafficking of persons or contraband or something like that. But you would have to create a profile for that particular person as an individual and the judge would look at it.”
If contraband is a valid reason for tapping phone lines, then the Ministry of National Security might also tap the lines of persons in high places. If you recall, while he was the Minister of Sate in the Ministry of Human Development and Social Transformation, Juan Coy was accused of abusing his powers when he instructed the B.D.F. to release contraband and prohibited goods including twelve cases of soft drinks, Squirt, and Gallo beer to a smuggler. In March of 2009, the Toledo West Representative was then suspended to the back bench for six months as punishment.
Big brother…….next thing they going to start putting microchips in people…….the Mark of the beast….Carlos dah Satan pikny………..the whole UDP & PUP……..worship Satan……………Cyaah fool Rasta…….Majestic Alley Man Seh So………
Getting permission from a judge doesn’t mean that they will not abuse their powers. They will intercept other people’s phonecalls, especially those of their political opponents, and no one will find out, much less a judge who is sitting and waiting for the Ministry of National Security to approach the court and let them in on what’s happening. Foolishness for real! Man, I am really beginning to think that Belize is a ridiculous country. Our leaders are always implementing plans they identify in other countries. That is called schematization. These politicians don’t seem to have enough brains to come up with a homegrown solution. Can their CEO’s help? They are the ones who are really supposed to know. They lso collect big fat cheques but seem no more intelligent than their political bosses. Sad story. Eventually, the people will implement their own solution; and it won’t look pretty.
Wire taps for Belize. There suppose to be cameras in Belize on the streets and of course they do not work. Someone has to come all the way from Panama to repair the camaras the last time I heard of them. We can bearley handle camaras, think about it. Lets try and get more camaras in the hot spots , master them and move on to something else. Leave the wiretapping alone and just keep a close eye on the Ministers.
Thats invasion of privacy!……. but i guess none of our phone calls are private now since the government owns and runs BTL. So they can practically do as they wish without going through any procedure having to get approval from a judge and so fort. We live in an era of technology, personal emails are being hacked and made public, phone calls are being listened to,traced and recorded, private photos are being disbursed and made public via the internet……hmmm what’s next? I think the UDP is just using this technology as an excuse to persecute “certain” individuals who they seem to want to keep personal tabs on. It has nothing to do with any form of tracking criminal activities trust me…it’s just one big conspiracy……
PLEASE JUST RESIGN CARLOS PLEASE !
please just resign please carlos please ! nu se nu mo….zip resignnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!
C’mon now, stop this MADNESS, Belize should be more concerned with the Cost of Living/Crimes instead of Stupidity. If we were a NATION LIKE THE US, UK, or other countries facing TERRORISM, I might agree, but to say, People are going to be wiretap, for bringing a couple of imported BEER is just wasting TAX PAYER MONEY. USE IT (TIME/MONEY) TOWARDS SCHOOLS, THE POLICE/BDF OR HOSPITALS.
i really dont what is going on with mr perdomo i think people who is in charge of the whole country should know more about seure the nation they dont know if someone broke in their own house thats real sad two more years i will retire and i will run ilove belize too much i wil bring what it takes to save belize my people please wake up lets fix it together yes we can and will may god bless the peopletogether we stand lets chase them out of town love concern belizean
Hmmm..now that tapping technology has arrived in Belize and gob owns the telephone company it just means that if you want to say something you want no one else to hear..do it in person and even then they might be pointing a radar listning gun on you…..this sounds like a 007 James Bond movie…
Instead of wasting time and money setting up the listening/tapping equipment and hiring (UDP only need apply), operators, technicians, consultants etc. (More CEO’s?).
Save that and use it on front line policing and witness protection. 7% conviction rate is a really crap figure – Should be at least 70%, with harsher penalties to deter potential criminals. Don’t do the crime if you can’t face the time!
But no, this government has once again shown it’s true colours, and will prefer to listen into the oppositions phones, and anyone elses that they wish to, with total disregard to our rights of free expression and privacy. they probably are doing it already, so do we have to watch what we say? Will I get myself arrested for caling the PM a lying w*nker on the phone? Best turn myself in right now then. What next THOUGHT POLICE? They going to hire Phsycics and Mediums to report on what we think and feel, and God help anyone who isn’t happy with the UDP government!
I very much doubt that the drug barons will be tapped, as most of them are based in Belmopan. Same applies to the contrabanders and businessment who avoid duties and taxes on imports (Vega – that name ring a bell?).
Perdoma should step down and move out of the way for someone who is actually qualified to do the job (Ex military or Police, but NOT Zetina or Jeffries). But then, this is probably part of the UDP’s plan anyway – black & poor killing black & poor. All I can say is that the next General Election will be a very dirty and bloody affair!!!!! Me? I’ll be taking a vacation and staying at home, whenever that is.