Lieutenant Gregory Soberanis of the Belize Coast Guard led an informational session to discuss the Coast Guard’s state of readiness for the 2019 Atlantic Basin hurricane season. Lt. Gregory Soberanis, Belize National Coast Guard “One of the first things that we do is to activate what we call the recall system where we h […]
The Belize Defence Force is in the process of culminating its Belize Special Assignment Group special operator course and today, one of several exercises was carried out by a cohort of soldiers that made the cut to participate in the programme. After ten weeks of specialised training to increase their competencies in these military disciplines, […]
A Sarstoon Protocol has been on the books since a meeting in Istanbul, Turkey following a meeting between Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington and the then Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales. In the meantime, the GAF has been exercising authority in the Sarstoon. At the press conference, the Prime Minister was asked if there have […]
Admiral Craig Faller, Commander of the United States Southern Command, met with Prime Minister Dean Barrow and Minister of National Security John Saldivar earlier today at the Laing Building. Admiral Faller congratulated PM Barrow for the successful outcome of the I.C.J. referendum and extended his commitment to continue to strengthen the cooperative relationship between Belize’s […]
In the south, Sarstoon Island and River have been an irritant since Guatemala has been exercising authority in the area. The latest incident in which a Belizean flag was removed from Sarstoon Island after being planted by Belizeans caused a great uproar. The flag was removed by Guatemalan Armed Forces and returned to Wil Maheia […]
On Friday, the Ministry of National Security rejected claims made by Wil Maheia of the Belize Territorial Volunteers that three Guatemalan gunboats blocked citizens of Belize from entering the Sarstoon and stopped them at the mouth of the river. Maheia claimed the Coastguard and the B.D.F. were not at the Forward Operating Base, but the […]
The Ministry of National Security has issued a release essentially rejecting a claim by the BTV’s Wil Maheia in respect of his attempted visit to the Sarstoon on Thursday. According to Maheia, three Guatemala gunboats were blocking Belizeans from entering the Sarstoon. Maheia also said that there was no presence of the Belize Coastguard or […]
Earlier this month, on April fifteenth, we reported that the Guatemalan Armed Forces attempted to block the Belize Coastguard from travelling on the Sarstoon. Wil Maheia of the Belize Territorial Volunteers was leading a team of Belizeans on the trip on the Belize side of the river. Maheia is the point man in Punta Gorda […]
At around ten-thirty this morning, tensions were running high as members of the Guatemalan Armed Forces attempted to block the path of members of the Belize Coast Guard. Video footage of the event captured by Wil Maheia of the Belize Territorial Volunteers clearly shows three Guatemalan gunboats in Belizean waters. Late this evening, the Ministry […]
The vast Chiquibul Forest in the south-western region of Belize stretches across more than four hundred and twenty-three acres of land. The tropical rainforest includes the largest cave system in Central America, the Caracol Mayan Site, and the Chiquibul River. It is an invaluable natural resource, but the Chiquibul continues to be raped by Guatemalans […]
On Tuesday, we showed you the encounter between a News Five team on an excursion in the Sarstoon and members of the Guatemalan Armed Forces. While the Belizean vessel and its passengers were quickly supported by the coastguard and B.D.F. to circle the Sarstoon Island, the GAF verbally expressing rights over the Sarstoon has enraged […]
The Wonder Woman Competition came to a grueling end this afternoon. The coast guard team ALPHA emerged victorious, defeating four other teams including from the Belize Defense Force and the Police Department. The last leg of the competition involved a cross fit competition that tested the physical fitness of the women. News Five’s Hipolito Novelo […]
The Brits are reportedly looking to expand their military presence in the Caribbean. They have confirmed as much, but it is left to be seen where they will increase their footprint in the region. It is reported that they want to become more visible on this side of the world following their exit from the […]
Last week Minister of National Security John Saldivar went on a tour in the south to inspect security facilities. On Friday, the tour kicked off with a visit to Barranco Village and the Sarstoon River. Minister Saldivar and a delegation of officials were accompanied by heavy security detail made up of B.D.F. and the Coast […]
Minister of National Security John Saldivar commenced a tour of the south this weekend, beginning with a trip to Barranco Village and the Sarstoon River on Friday. The ministry is proposing to build a forward operating base in the village. And along with a delegation of government officials, Minister Saldivar held several meetings, including a […]
Commissioner of Police Chester Williams hosted a public meeting in Punta Gorda on Friday evening to discuss the concerns of residents in the wake of an increase in crime and violence in that southern municipality. The meeting was held several days after the homicides of Oscar Humes and Kevin Moro, who were both shot and […]
Minister of National Security John Saldivar was in Punta Gorda today and reportedly led a large civilian delegation under joint military and coastguard patrol to the Sarstoon River. The trip precedes the April tenth I.C.J. referendum and that area of southern Belize remains a point of contention between Belize and Guatemala. Minister Saldivar had proposed […]
Last November, B.D.F. soldier Private Fidel Williams lost an eye when he tripped and fell on the pier at the Forward Operating Base located at the mouth of the Sarstoon River. Williams fell into the river and landed on a steel rod that was jutting out of the water. The pier in question was said […]
A group of fishermen, squatting on a small landmass in Belize’s southern waters, has been given notice to remove equipment and other structures that have been erected on Coco Solo Island. This follows an enforcement order from the Lands Department for the Belize Coast Guard to evict the illegally settled fishermen off the island. Earlier […]
Approximately eight hundred applications were submitted to the B.D.F. for Intake number sixty- four but only one hundred and thirty were invited to train. But after the first several weeks of intense military, ninety eight of those recruits transitioned from civilians to soldiers. At today’s passing out ninety males and eight females marched with pride […]
While Guatemalan president and foreign minister are at the Biltmore, in Belmopan, a protocol was signed to deal with encroachments in the Chiquibul and Vaca Forests by persons from Guatemala who enter the protected area illegally. They extract the rich natural resources posing a serious threat to the environment and putting at risk the sovereignty […]
The newly established guidelines, according to Minister John Saldivar, who holds the national security portfolio, sets out the means by which the respective agencies, including the Forestry Department, will conduct operations in the Chiquibul and Vaca forests. Saldivar says that it is an initiative that the FCD has been clamoring for all along. John […]
The Best Warrior competition started today at the Belize Coastguard Headquarters. During the next four days, participating law enforcement officers will compete to test their mental and physical acumen in a number of tough challenges. It is one way of identifying the best warrior from the ranks of the Coastguard and the Belize Defence Force. […]
There is an update tonight on the health of B.D.F. private Fidel Williams. While on duty, Williams fell from the deteriorating pier at the Sarstoon Forward Operating Base on November fourteenth. He, unfortunately, lost an eye as a result of the fall when a steel rod rammed into his eye. Today, the Ministry of National […]
The twenty-fourth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate, known as COP24, will take place in Poland from December second to the fourteenth. The key objective of this year’s conference is to adopt the implementation guidelines of the Paris Agreement. It brings together world leaders and champions of the environment […]
