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Can Belizeans go into the Sarstoon – at least on our side of the river? That’s been the million dollar question since our news team was stopped on May twenty-seventh. Our government says that we can based on an informal understanding reached in Istanbul, Turkey. The Guatemalans have said that there is no informal or […]
Late this evening, the Government issued a release about this morning’s incident in the Sarstoon. It reads in part: “G.O.B. is investigating this incident in an effort to verify all its particulars including that the media vessel was in Belize’s waters. In the meantime, Guatemalan authorities have communicated that they attempted to stop the vessel […]
As we’ve shown you, our news team traveled south to the Sarstoon River where they were turned back by the Guatemalan Armed Forces. While that was taking place this morning, another team was at the P.G.I.A. awaiting the arrival of Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington who returned today from the O.A.S. General Assembly in the Dominican […]
Is Guatemala taking the ongoing bilateral discussions seriously? It is a question that we’ve put to Foreign Minister Elrington in light of the recent happenings at the Sarstoon. On May twenty-seventh, our news team was turned away from the area; three days after government announced that, “there will be untrammeled traffic for Belize’s military and […]
Now back to the issue of the Guatemalan claim. Foreign Ministers Wilfred Elrington and Carlos Raul Morales are heading to Washington early next week where they hope to establish a bilateral cooperation mechanism for the Sarstoon. But prior to that meeting, there is an ongoing investigation by the Organization of American States into the shooting […]
With all the talk on either side about resolving the territorial dispute at the International Court of Justice, government intends to amend the existing Referendum Act to lower the threshold needed to prevail in the voting exercise. The revision, according to Elrington, has been carefully considered. While this is the first that we officially hear […]
There has been no official notification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belize, but thanks to a release from Guatemala and one from the O.A.S., tonight we can tell you that the member states of the O.A.S., meeting in the Dominican Republic, have endorsed a draft declaration on the resolution of the territorial, insular […]
Belizeans are free to access our portion of the Sarstoon – go forth and enjoy. That’s pretty much the last word, not in so many words, that we got from Prime Minister Dean Barrow on May twenty-fifth, following a now much scrutinized informal understanding in Istanbul. Two days after, Guatemalan military refused to allow our […]
Earlier we told you about the terse diplomatic note sent by Guatemala to Belize, rejecting the notion that there is free access to the Sarstoon by Belizeans. While that diplomatic note in which Guatemalan chastises Belize has just been leaked, at the Forty-sixth Regular Session of the O.A.S. General Assembly in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, […]
The territorial dispute remains at the national front burner and was a topic at this year’s graduation season. On Sunday, the largest number of students graduated from the University of Belize. Five hundred and nine earned either Associate or Bachelor’s degrees or diplomas. Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin was the guest speaker at the commencement exercises […]
There is another illegal Guatemalan settlement in Belizean territory near the border between the countries. That news came via release from the Ministry of National Security in the wake of a month-long operation in the area of Valentin Camp. According to the release, the settlement consisting of twenty Guatemalans was found in the area of […]
The government of Belize has issued a release expressing distress and sorrow over what it calls the senseless killing and injuring of innocent citizens in Orlando, Florida. Forty-nine have been confirmed dead and fifty-three injured in what is being called the worst mass shooting in US history. G.O.B.’s release goes on to state that, “this […]
The shooting stirred comments and condemnation from many quarters. In Belize, an employee of Buttonwood Bay Medical Center, Raynard Humphreys, commented on Facebook, “I know people will hate me for this but I believe the killing of fifty last night in Florida is justified.” He continued, “I’m proud a moral psychopath (if that exists) took […]
The O.A.S. General Assembly is slated for next week. The annual session is the highest level of political engagement in the hemisphere between foreign ministers. It was stated at the much talked about meeting in Istanbul, Turkey in May that the foreign ministers of Belize and Guatemala would meet at the soonest possible time on […]
The very strong remarks made by former Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega have gotten very positive attention locally. Vega castigated Guatemala for what he called a troubling shift in foreign policy which had resulted in military aggression at the Sarstoon – and he called for support from the Association of Caribbean States. The positive attention […]
Foreign Minister Elrington also, during his extended interview, explained that allegations that Guatemala is annexing the Sarstoon are unfounded and impossible. Shoman says she respectfully disagrees. Lisa Shoman, Member of Opposition’s Belize/Guatemala Committee “First of all, if someone comes into your yard and claims the line of mango trees along the fence and start […]
And then there was that unexpected assertion from Foreign Minister Elrington on Tuesday. He claimed that based on Guatemalan’s repudiation of the 1859 Treaty, that country is now claiming the entire territory of Belize. According to Elrington, “What is the proper situation is to say that they are stopping people from using the Sarstoon because […]
Amid the ongoing territorial dispute between Belize and Guatemala, the Belize Progressive Party has been unwavering in its position that a resolution at the International Court of Justice is not the only option to bring finality to the claim. Since its establishment in October 2015, the B.P.P.’s spiel has been a call for action under […]
Of concern to the B.P.P. is recent talk that the Referendum Act will be amended. This, according to Bobby Lopez, has raised the ire of the party and, if necessary, its membership is prepared to take to the streets in protest. Equally, there is unease in respect of the pending re-registration exercise which he says […]
The issue of campaign financing is one that the B.P.P. has been wanting to address since entering the political fray. While neither of the established mass parties are willing to budge and disclose their source of funding, the B.P.P. says it too is doing away with full disclosure. According to Lopez, the party has agreed […]
The Sarstoon has been a fixture in the newscast for months, but what’s the latest on the river? Can we go there without being stopped, or not? The P.U.P. did last week, but then we learned that in effect Guatemala had granted permission for that familiarization trip. In fact, to make that point clear, Guatemala […]
And finally, there’s the International Court of Justice. There’s no certainty that the dispute will end up in that forum and if it does, that is years in the future. But actions now will certainly matter then. So is the continuous Guatemalan occupation of the entire Sarstoon something we should be concerned about? Shoman says […]
Just how much of Belize is Guatemala claiming? It’s a valid question, but the answer may surprise you. We’ve always thought that the claim was for roughly half of Belize, and there’s a 1999 letter which specifically refers to all areas south of the Sibun River, including all cayes except St. George’s Caye. In fact, […]
The O.A.S. is getting set to commence its investigation into the death of a Guatemalan minor in the Chiquibul. And according to Minister Wilfred Elrington, that organization will also be looking into the murder of Danny Conorquie and the shooting of B.D.F. Staff Sergeant Richard Lambey, which seems to be a very recent request despite […]
The Istanbul talks on the Sarstoon were held on May twenty-third, and today was the first opportunity the media has had to debrief Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington, so to speak. Much has happened since that discussion between representatives of Belize and Guatemala, including an informal agreement which may or may not have actually […]
