Major downsizing in BATSUB to take effect in January 2011
The systematic withdrawal of three thousand British troops from Belize annually as part of a major downsizing effort by the British Ministry of Defense takes effect in January 2011. The reduction will have a dramatic impact on various aspects of our local economy. Directly affected by the extraction will be the Belize Defense Force as it is heavily reliant upon BATSUB helicopters to transport soldiers on routine patrols to the far reaches of the country. Over the past year the British Army has terminated the use of its helicopters for emergency response and since David Cameron took office as prime minister earlier this year there has been an ongoing debate concerning the removal of British troops from allied nations as part of a cost cutting initiative. The announcement was made on Wednesday and today we spoke one on one with Lieutenant Colonel Robert Lindsay, who says it has been a difficult decision to end jungle training and other military activities in Belize.
Lt. Col. Robert Lindsey, Commander, BATSUB
“Since the last general elections there has been a strategic defense and security review that’s taken place in the Ministry of Defense and as part of that a number of very difficult decisions have had to be made. One of those has been to reduce what we do in Belize and to reprioritize some of our assets here, in particular [relocating] the helicopters elsewhere. So the decision has been made to reduce the amount of training that we take, that takes place in Belize and also to reduce the size of BATSUB itself.”
Isani Cayetano
“Is this going to be a systematic reduction?”
Lt. Col. Robert Lindsey
lt. col. robert lindsey
“Well we are going to reduce over the duration of 2011 and into 2012 but then the intention is to keep BATSUB at a smaller level which will still consist of over sixty of the local employed civilians and a number of British soldiers as well.”
Isani Cayetano
“In terms of the financial loss that this will bring about, I know that the Government of Belize and the country on a whole makes quite a lot of money based on the relationship between the Government and BATSUB. Can you speak to us in terms of what that figure would be more or less?”
Lt. Col. Robert Lindsey
“Yes, and I’d like to clarify some misconceptions here. I’ve seen the article in the Daily Telegraph that mentioned a figure of ten million pounds per annum. That is correct as far as the cost of BATSUB is concerned but it is not the amount of money that is generated from a local point of view. For example, the cost of the helicopters which is extremely high, that money is spent in the United Kingdom on behalf of the helicopters as opposed to going into the local economy here. So there will be a reduction in the amount of money that comes into the local economy particularly around Ladyville and across the board but nothing like what is being suggested in some of the communications that I’ve seen.”
Isani Cayetano
“In terms of Belize and England being allies would we still be able to receive any military assistance from the United Kingdom in the event of some threat upon our sovereignty?”
Lt. Col. Robert Lindsey
“Well it has been absolutely clear that the level of communication and liaison that may take place in any such circumstances will be exactly the same in the future as it has been in the past and I think the fact that BATSUB is still going to be here albeit at a lower level is also demonstration of our overall intent and goodwill towards Belize.”
The British Army Training Support Unit in Belize was established in 1994 upon the withdrawal of British troops from Belize. Since then the unit was established primarily to train soldiers in jungle warfare.
I say lets contact Russia and allow them to built a military station in Belize….and in return, offer us protection like they offered to Cuba….Cuba has not being invaded by the U.S. because Cuba is protected by Russia through a Declaration.
Kennedy: “The U.S. will make a statement in the framework of the Security Council in reference to Cuba as follows: it will declare that the United States of America will respect the inviolability of Cuban borders, its sovereignty, that it take the pledge not to interfere in internal affairs, not to intrude themselves and not to permit our territory to be used as a bridgehead for the invasion of Cuba, and will restrain those who would plan to carry an aggression against Cuba, either from U.S. territory or from the territory of other countries neighbouring to Cuba”. [ http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/cuba_mis_cri/621026_621115%20Chronology%201.pdf ]
I don’t see no benefit from Belize having the Queen of England as the Head of State when the UK does not invest or cares about the infrastructure of Belize.
Belize has been receiving assistance from developing countries and not from UK or the US. The UK or the US only invest on military activities that serve their interest and not the interest of the average Belizeans. When was the last time you heard the US or UK offering hundreds of scholarships to Belizeans????? when ???
Belizeans receive hundreds of scholarships each year from Mexico and Cuba; and medical assistance from Cuba and Venezuela. Developing countries helping developing countries.
The Federation of Russia of today does not follow the same ideologies of the USSR of being Lenin or Marxist.
Many Belizeans are indoctrinated by Western Media like CNN, Fox News, BBC, all this media houses are own by corporations that are very bias and subjectives. Belizeans need to watch news from other sources that are non-bias and objective; which provide the news from a different perspective, thus are not controlled by the U,S, who dictates how the news is reported to influence the people. [ e.g. The War You Don’t See http://www.vimeo.com/17886210 ]
We cannot trust the U.S. or the U.K. because they want to continue raping the poor countries. They want to continue maintaining power worldwide. [ e.g. Inside the dark legacy of the US ‘School of Assassins’ http://rt.com/usa/news/usa-military-school-americas/ ]
The US is a sword of double edge. For instance, they criticizes Cuba but at the same time have under-the-table negotiations. [ Caribbean Narco-Triangle: The USCuba-Jamaica Connection http://www.normangirvan.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/caribbean-narco-triangle.pdf ]
Once again, i would like Belize to depart itself from UK that exploited the country and left with the wealth and does not care about Belize.
NOW…………………. WE WILL HAVE TO LEARN TO STAND ON OUR OWN TWO FEET!!!!!!!!