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Brigadier General Jones has gone on record to say that the mutual relationship between the Guatemalan and Belizean armed forces is now vulnerable, thanks to the unsolicited trek to Sarstoon Island. On the other hand, BTV’s founding member Wil Maheia is asking a rather pointed question, how have Belizean men, women and children bearing the […]
On Sunday, the Coast Guard made its presence felt in Barranco, as they checked to ensure the safety of passengers and vessels headed to the Sarstoon. But they couldn’t do more than that, and were nowhere around when Belizeans were stopped by the Guatemalan navy at the mouth of the Sarstoon. Neither was the B.D.F., […]
The incident between a Belize Territorial Volunteer-led expedition and Guatemalan military on Sunday has created a storm of anti-Guatemala and certainly anti-government sentiment. G.O.B. has remained tight-lipped on the attempted interception of Belizean vessels in the waters at the mouth of the Sarstoon, until today. This afternoon the Prime Minister hosted a press conference in […]
The government has also come under fire because the expedition which included approximately one hundred and fifty Belizean men, women and children was not afforded the protection of a Belizean military presence. According to the PM, two questions have been at the forefront – whether the military should have been present…and since there is talk […]
PM Barrow says that they don’t just talk the talk about maintaining sovereignty, but actually claim it. Every Tuesday, the B.D.F. travels down the Sarstoon to change shifts at the Cadenas Observation Post, and do not ask permission from the Guatemalans stationed at the mouth of the Sarstoon to do so. According to the PM, […]
The Prime Minister claims that following Sunday’s incident with the Guatemalan Navy, there is no doubt that tensions and thus the risk and danger has increased, not only to the BTV contemplating a return trip, but also to B.D.F. soldiers who must traverse the Sarstoon every week. Commander of the B.D.F. Brigadier-General David Jones echoed […]
Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington was at the press conference today and indeed, the entire issue of the Sarstoon expedition and Guatemalan falls squarely in his portfolio. But apart from being just a face at the head table, Elrington did not contribute to the briefing. Perhaps the PM believed that Elrington said more than […]
And just in case that was a little ambiguous, it was made clearer by the Prime Minister. He didn’t exactly go so far as to say that Elrington has been messing up, but he did say that when he has the need to step into any minister’s portfolio, then his line is the only line […]
Already escalating anti-Guatemalan sentiment was fuelled by a news report of the incident released by a Guatemalan reporter with Canal Antigua. That reporter conducted an interview with Vice-Commander Thomas, the senior Guatemalan naval officer on the scene – in fact, the one who ordered the Belizean vessels to turn back. Thomas asserts that everybody knows […]
Immediately after BTV’s trek to the Sarstoon, the government of Belize, through the National Security Council, announced that they had been on top of things, monitoring the entire expedition – start to finish – with multiple agencies. But when met with multiple claims that Guatemala aggressed Belizeans in Belizean waters, Foreign Minister Elrington has been […]
The release from the National Security Council has been met with disbelief and outrage in certain quarters, largely because it does not even acknowledge that there was any incident at all. In fact, the NSC expresses its, “profound pleasure” that there was no incident. The BTV isn’t impressed by the release, and according to de […]
On Sunday, Guatemalan military personnel attempted to turn back five Belizean vessels carrying members of an expedition led by the Belize Territorial Volunteers. The incident occurred in the early afternoon near the mouth of the Sarstoon River, an area known to be well within Belizean territory. Following a brief ceremony held on a sandbar in […]
The incident with the Guatemalan military occurred in the early afternoon…actually close to the end of the expedition to the Sarstoon. The morning was spent further north, where about one hundred and twenty-five men, women and children stood in knee-deep water off the coast to send a message to the governments of Guatemala and Belize. […]
The National Security Council release issued Sunday evening states that the O.A.S. confirmed that the vessels which transited Sarstoon Island did so from the north and the south. The NSC credits what it proudly boasts as its diplomatic safety net for protecting Belizeans from any major fallout from that, “no doubt inadvertent occurrence.” That bit […]
The National Security Council reiterates that, “assertion and maintenance of sovereignty over the Sarstoon Island and our half of the river is best left to the Belizean military and Belizean diplomats.” We wonder what the military and those diplomats are making of the Guatemalan version of the events on Sunday. As we showed you, there […]
The Belize Territorial Volunteers are in full gear for this weekend’s Sarstoon Island trek and have received the blessings of Bishop Dorrick Wright. One person whose blessings they don’t have is Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington. He has gone on record to say that the BTV’s trek is an “imprudent act” and he maintained […]
The Belize Territorial Volunteers have formally requested the presence of the Belize National Coast Guard on their mission to Sarstoon Island this weekend. The call is for personnel from the naval service to be on hand to ensure that safety measures are in place before departing from Barranco Village on Sunday morning. According to organizer […]
Sunday’s expedition to Sarstoon Island will see a rather large civilian contingent representing various organizations, including the Northern Territorial Volunteers and COLA. The maritime leg of the journey, from Barranco to the southernmost tributary separating Belize and Guatemala, will be covered without the protection of the coast guard. Likewise, the trek to the remote location […]
Notwithstanding stern warnings from government and its military branches, the BTV will be heading to Sarstoon Island on Sunday morning. But before doing so, Northern Territorial Volunteer Orlando de la Fuente visited with Roman Catholic Bishop Dorick Wright to get his blessings on the trip to the suddenly very controversial and uncertain area of the […]
The usually reserved Roman Catholic Bishop also chose to speak on the Guatemalan claim on Belize which is obviously close to his heart. He told media personnel that as far as he is concerned, the ICJ may not be the way to go and Guatemala should really just leave Belize alone. He spoke in the […]
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and current P.U.P. Senator Lisa Shoman announced on Thursday that she would be on the expedition to Sarstoon Island. That resulted in an immediate government release expressing consternation and accusing Shoman of a blatant political ploy. The release goes on to add that Shoman will be going on the trip […]
On Wednesday morning, the Belize Territorial Volunteers, on a scouting mission in the vicinity of Sarstoon Island, had a near brush with Guatemalan military personnel upon returning from the remote location. That incident, along with recent comments made by the Minister of National Security on a pending expedition to the secluded area, has motivated Senator […]
According to Shoman, the idea that local military presence in the area, while accompanying the volunteer expedition, can inflame an already hostile situation with Guatemalan armed forces is total nonsense. She maintains that military personnel from both countries have routinely conducted joint operations in that corner. Furthermore, Shoman says that her capacity as a senator […]
The issue of constructing a forward operating base near Sarstoon Island remains a controversial subject. The matter has seemingly been exacerbated following recent comments made by Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales during a press brief at the end of last month. Morales went on record to say that in the Confidence Building Measures, Belize […]
Additionally, P.M. Barrow maintains that informing Guatemala of the intent to erect a forward operating base or to increase Belize’s military presence near its boundaries in the west and the south is simply an act of good neighborliness. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “In talking to the group of friends, people will always advise caution […]
