More Sri Lankans trafficked through via Quito, Ecuador and Havana, Cuba.
The government is being completely silent on the gaping holes being exposed in Belize’s national security apparatus by the continuing revelations about the immigration scandal. Our investigations have shown that there are ongoing breaches, at multiple layers, in Belize’s national security arrangements at our diplomatic missions abroad, and locally at the Ministry of Defence and Immigration. The result is that Belize is being increasingly used as a transit point for human trafficking. In our continued investigation, News Five’s Jose Sanchez reveals that the government of Ecuador in April of this year raised the red flag about the transit of Sri Lankan nationals through that country.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
The Honorary Consul in Quito, Ecuador was out of the loop and concerned when Immigration Police called him about six Sri Lankan nationals that were arrested at the airport after they arrived in Quito with Belize visas already stamped in their passport. The consul was served another blow when the police told him the group appeared suspicious because another six had already slipped past Immigration on a previous flight to Belize. The consul had no idea that there was a first group of Sri Lankans, so he was forced to send another distress email for help.
Dr. Mauricio Semanate Alvear, Ah-Honorem Consul of Belize in Quito, Ecuador
“The Immigration Police of Ecuador has made contact with this Consulate, because various nationals, mainly Asians, have travelled to Belize with “visas” supposedly issued directly by the authorities of the Office of Immigration and Nationality in Belmopan, while they physically in Ecuador or another part of the world.
There are other persons who pretend to travel today, also from Sri Lanka, but have been prevented by the police authorities of Ecuador, who consider that these visas are false and fraudulently issued and which can be treated as an international trafficking of a person’s network.”
A
nd as previously assumed, the Sri Lankan Nationals told the Immigration Police in Quito that they indeed received their visas in the mail from the Immigration Department in the Capital.
Dr. Mauricio Semanate Alvear
“The passengers indicate that the visas were issued though the mail with the need of their presence. I am forwarding digitally the passports and the visas that were issued in favor of the 6 passengers that travelled. There it appears that these were issued in Belmopan on recent dates.
Based on the above, I urgently beg you that you confirm the following:
1. If the visas issued in favor of the persons whose names are listed below, all Sri Lankan nationals, were issued legitimately by the authorities of Belize or not. They are:
NAGALINGAM VARATHARAJAN,
ARUNTHAVARASA THANEES,
THANGAVELU SELVARASAH
THARUMARASA KOKULAN
SUPPAIANH SUJJEWAN
PINGALAN SIVAGNAMAN
2. If the visas stamped in the passports of these persons, are possible to be issued directly by the authorities of Belize though the mail, or is it usual that these types of visas are issued directly by the authorities of Belize?
The information is needed urgently by the Police authorities of Ecuador, to begin the corresponding investigation or not.
Please accept the assurances of my highest and distinguished consideration.
Dr. Mauricio Semanate Alvear.”
Sri Lankan Nationals using Belize as a spring board to United States did not only use the route through Ecuador. They also passed through Havana, the preferred route for Chinese Nationals. When this investigation uncovered over one hundred and twenty visas, two documents regarding Sri Lankans nationals were found amongst the pile. 
The Director of immigration, Gareth Murillo confirmed that two of the documents for Sri Lankan nationals were forged. Someone in the Immigration Department in Belmopan used a very flamboyant signature, much different from Murillo’s real signature to approve the visas. The two documents say that the applicants are Chinese Nationals, however the names that appear are similar to Farooque Umar and Mohhammad Aasif, and these were faxed from Belmopan to Havana, Cuba. So in December 2009, ten Sri Lankan nationals received visas to Belize on forms that were clearly fraudulent. And whether any of the twenty-two Sri Lankan nationals traveled the Cuba or Ecuador route to Belize, only a proper investigation can show if they left Belize through a legal border. Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.
Police Officers in Ecuador assisted with this investigation because they did not want the airport in Quito to be used for any alleged human trafficking scheme.
WHY WE DON’T HERE THE BIG MOUTH OF DEAN BARROW???
weh he at now???
look like the man get blind, deaf, and mute all of a sudden. I wonder why? is he and the other politicians involved???
BELIZEANS PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS WILL AFFECT US DIRECTLY WHENEVER WE TRAVEL TO OTHER COUNTRIES. THE FIRST THING THAT THEY WILL THINK , IS THAT WE ARE NOT BELIZEANS AND WEVHAVE BOUGHT OUR PASSPORTS.
THEREFORE, I ASK ALL BELIZEANS TO BE MORE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE AFFAIRS OF BELIZE.
NOT EVERY ONE IS CORRUPT OR IS EASILY MOVED BY GREEN MONEY—Those in power
are to be blamed–Don’t let them threaten to bash your head in Senor Perdomo–Don’t let them
drunk you with dirty alcohol–OOPs too late–the crime has been committed–It’s best to give up
the next BIG HEAD or else it will be yours—in a game of chess-one will refuse to sacrifice the
QUEEN and in doing so ends up sacrificing the BISHOP and KNIGHT or the ROOK and
BISHOP–Catch my drift—BARROW are you gonna put your head on the stake –JUST ONE
MORE TIME—-BELIZEANS GET THEM
they should all be in jail, just like the lady that shoplifts a pack of biscuits and gets 5 years. a crime is a crime
The Belize government should put an inquiry into this immigration scandal and please remove the minister a defence carlos perdomo he cannot be the one incharge a his own corruption,GOB NEEDS TO DO ITS JOB AND STOP THE LAMPOP’.
Why is Perdomo still the Minister of Immigration? Why is he in charge of the security of the country? Does anyone sleep well at night knowing about the countless people passing through our borders. Perdomo issued so many visas to people that disappear. Stop protecting Perdomo Mister Barrow. Stop protecting him. If you keep him, your entire party will suffer. PM i voted for you and yoru party. I didnt’ vote for corruption. remember the slightest hint of corruption you said? well I remember. I believe you still. end it. just end it. put Perdomo on the back bench, move the cuban ambassador also. You can make a good excuse for it. but stop all this crap from happening or i won’t vote at all. i won’t vote for PUP but if you don’t be a Prime Minister, i won’t vote at all. Like Kaiser Souze and the CHinese and teh Indians and the Africans, I Will simply disappear also.
Concerned voter
get rid of Perdy. we need a commission of inquiry. No even the Ecuadorians want be part of our smelly stinking scandal. they are saying keep it to yourself, find another country to be a part of your scandal.
This is Belize. TIB. So human traffickign has illegal means and legal means. i think what the author doesn’t want to say is that unsavory people or people who obviously want to reach the USA are paying good money for visas. and they get it straight from Belmopan. so they get to Belize legally, without any due dilligence or investigation. then they disappear. WHy would a Sri Lankan come to Belize to disappear? why would chinese coem to belize to disappear?
and why won’t teh government just look into these names to find out what happened to them? I think they don’t want us to know. Barrow, you wah tek the lick fi Perdomo, Contrary and Salva?
Mi llamo es Osama Bin Laden. Cuantos dollares these people pay for the visas? Who do they contact at belmopan? the Minister? the Immigration Department? or the Chinese man? Which scheme works best right now? Buying an old passport? a new Belizean Passport? or do i apply vor visa? a real visa or a fake visa? i don’t understand. i am confused because the real visa and the fake visa both come from Belmopan in the vault? It seems there are so many ways to visit Belize? Can someone explain.
Sincerely,
Osama Bin Waiting to get to the USA
Im really pissed off. What if any of these people are actual terrorists that get smuggled through Belize either through legal means with assistance in Belmopan or straight up illegal means. What if a terrorist is found to have used ZBelize to get to the USA? how messed up would that be. they would reject all our US visas. i have family in the states. I prefer they reject someone else’s visa. this is lone RxxS.
Politics is simply greed, hiding behind a mask of morality!
The mask has slipped Belize, and this is just the tip of the iceberg!!!! Much, much more to follow and be brushed under the rugs in Belmopan. I am a permanent resident – and I’ll stick to my UK Passport for a while, thank you very much, as after all this BS, Belize Passports won’t count for anything overseas! Use one, and face detantion, interrogation and deportation everywhere you go – Thanks to this transparent government!!!!!!!!!!
Probably Tamils.