Alcalde and Companion attacked by Guatemalan Xateros
The infiltration of Belize’s border and our forest reserves by Guatemalan Xateros has become a growing national problem. But on Tuesday evening, one such incident escalated almost into a double murder for a Belizean Alcalde and another man. The two villagers of San Jose in the Toledo District were reportedly on a trek deep in the jungle of the Columbia Forest Reserve on Tuesday evening when they came under attack. But while Alcalde Emelino Sho suffered a serious gunshot wound to his lower abdomen and a gash over his right eye, he mustered the strength to walk back to safety for several miles along with his colleague, Alfredo Sho. Acting Officer Commanding the Punta Gorda Police Station, Sergeant Octaviano Victorin, told News Five that they have no clues who the attackers were or what their motive was, but that patrols in the area continue.
Voice of: Sgt. Octaviano Victorin, Ag. O.C., P.G. Police Station
“We received information of two persons injured in the Edward Central Area. We dispatch police to that area where initially investigation revealed that the person that was shot is one Emelino Sho, who is the Alcalde from San Jose Village and Alfredo Sho, both of them are from San Jose. Our investigation shows that both persons left San Jose on October ninth, 2010 en route to Doyle’s Delight in the Cayo Area for an expedition. It was found out that they left from that area on Tuesday around eight in the morning and while travelling they stopped at the Union Camp area. This is around three in the afternoon. Around three-thirty p.m. while at the same spot, there were three Hispanic male persons believed to be from Guatemala—known to be Xateros—they approached them and asked them for food. They provided some food to them and after they get through, there was one that was armed with a machete and that same person took out a small firearm from his pants waist and it was then that he fired a shot at the Alcalde, Emelino Sho, which caught him on the lower part of his abdomen. He then fired another shot to Alfredo Sho. However, an altercation happened with Emelindo Sho where the aggressor manages to injure the Alcalde on his forehead. They did not get robbed or nothing. The three Xateros, they just walked through the Navarro Perez Road and they left and they went. Both injured person managed to walk and they reached San Jose last night between eight and nine pm. It was until this morning that we were informed and we went there and with the assistance of the ambulance, and those people were brought to the Punta Gorda Hospital where both of those persons have been transported to the Dangriga Polyclinic for medication. The last information we received was that they were in a stable condition and recovering pretty well at this moment.”
Marion Ali
“Have you established a motive for the shootings, the attack?”
Voice of: Sgt. Octaviano Victorin
“Not at this moment. We are unable to record statements from these people and we are working on it to see how quick we can get it to see what the motive is or what really transpired.”
Over recent years, fly-overs at the Columbia Forest Reserve have revealed the high level of intrusion in the protected area and the patrols that are conducted on the Belizean side of the border have shown very little effectiveness in deterring the pillaging.
It is sad to see that the people in the villages is not protected. so they can make a dail living.This is not the first time in 2 month that this happen.A family for San Pedro Columbia had the same thing happen to Them.But i didn’t read anything about it.But the police in PG know about the problem .THe G.O.B. Shoutld make the B.D.F. into A Paramilitary Force .Like the Police Special Force was.And let them work the The Street of Belize and the Border .I visit one of the Border with Guatemals about a month ago.and the Policeman n the B.D.F. was just there standing to see who is coming across .Let the Custom and the Immigration go and check on those people is it a port on entry.and the Police and B.D.F.go and patrol the Border. and Give them communication tools to work with.Minister of Defence and Police prevention is better than cure.Stop the talking .Make it happen.
I dont like this situation. They come and rob us of our Xate and on top of that, injure our people? GOB, wat will u do?
OK. This is it! GOB should put 1 conservation post at Columbia and another 1 in Chiquibul. This thing works! Look at Rio Blanco for example, before there used to be a lot of incursions into Belize from that point. Once the Conservation Post was established and manned with BDFs, NO more incursions. That is exactly what we need in Columbia and Chiquibul. Problem is, we are afraid of doing this because mama OAS says no, and we as obedient children simply say ok. Stop this once and for all. Make the CP. This is OUR country damn it!
Perdomo!!! What are u doing??? U lazy get up and protect your people.. as a matter of fact i just don’t know how our Prime Minister can put such an incompetent person like perdomo to run our national security. He can’t even explain himself to the media.. He dah one dumb minister in the history of Belize.
what the hell do we have bdf for? let them be sent there to patrol our borders since for yrs this have been happening along this border line but seems to a an issue of less importance to the gov. both ( p.u.p & u.d.p ) PM our fellow belizeans are being disrespected by crossing our border and to make it worst attack them after giving them food, jeez mein, what kind of guatemalans are they ? like dogs that you feed and later bite your hand, it really pisses me off to see that no intentions from gov. to prevent this things happening again. so much negligence have been done in the south of our country knowingly that guatemalans have no repsect to our border nor our people there and yet have bdf riding trucks in town when we need them to protect our border.
I think the government needs to step up to the plate and do more to protect the people of this country. While they are waiting for this matter of soverignty to be decided by some ICJ in the Hague, the Guatemalans are having their way more and more in Belize’s territory.
Evidently the BDF is under manned and under equipped to deal with all these cross border incursions perpitrated by hostile Guatemalans. To assist with border patrol what the GoB should do is round up all those strong healthy young men that are not gainfully employed and only getting into mischief and train them and post them along the border to provide security for the nation.
So rather than shooting and killing one another, including innocent babies, these thugs should be out there holding off this suttle invasion of Belize’s soverignty. What sayeth thou, Minister of national security??
Im from Guatemala the situation is critical here its sad to hear people of our country is doing this not all of us are like the xateros that actually is the nickname “rateros” of rat this is how thieves are called here, these guys are unmercy killers that kill even for 50 dollars my uncle got killed by ……. like they i hope belizeans forces can neutralize them well at least you ha
ve british on your side in Guatemala at least 10 people is murdered every day, we need help i hope belize people can live with peace and not let these guys do this kind of stuff in your country
If Belizeans were allowed to have firearms to protect themselves, they would be able to defend their own properties and lives without having to beg their Government.