On Tuesday, News Five had an opportunity to speak with Minister of foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington on a variety of issues, including the murder of the Panamanian diplomat. We also asked for, and got, an update on the Coast Guard Forward Operating Base on Hunting Caye. Last we heard, at a press conference hosted by […]
This afternoon, high level representatives from the Panamanian government landed at the P.G.I.A. to deal with the gruesome murder of one of their own. While they declined an interview, News Five is reliably informed that a meeting between them and the government is set for Wednesday. All indications are however, that it will not be […]
Since the murder of Special Constable Danny Conorquie, and the ensuing hostilities between B.D.F. personnel and residents from the border community of San Valentin, there have been strong public sentiments against Guatemala, the age-old territorial dispute and Belize’s national security. A majority of those views have been expressed openly across the airwaves. Recently, it came […]
As we reported earlier this week, a high-level delegation led by former C.E.O. Alexis Rosado, including representatives of the Opposition, the Belize Defense Force and the Police Department, left for Guatemala City last Friday where a meeting of the Joint Belize-Guatemala Commission was held. The purpose of the gathering, which saw the participation of the […]
According to Elrington, despite the fact that Guatemalan authorities were unable to prevent the despoliation of natural resources on their side of the border, they are prepared to work with Belizean counterparts to come up with agricultural initiatives that will see less encroachment on Belizean soil. Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs “I […]
While former C.E.O. Alexis Rosado is just getting his feet wet as Belize’s ambassador to Guatemala, he attended a diplomatic meeting this past Wednesday where he sat with Guatemalan Foreign Minister, Carlos Raul Moralez and EU Director of the Americas Roland Schafer to discuss a number of issues between both countries. Chief among them is […]
Construction of a Coast Guard forward operating base on Hunting Caye was brought to an abrupt close last week after a stop order issued by the US Southern Command. That same day, Thursday, all Guatemalan workers on site jumped in their boat and departed the premises. Government’s response to the breaking news that Guatemalans were […]
That, relatively speaking, takes care of the substantive matter of the forward operating base, but there are other serious issues – like the immigration and work status of those Guatemalan workers, for example. Minister of Immigration and Labour Godwin Hulse told News Five last week that he had no clue about how they entered the […]
Another issue that has remained in the headlines is the execution-style murder of Danny Conorquie at the Caracol Archaeological Site, inside the Chiquibul National Park. The BDF says that groups of unauthorized visitors are showing up at the Conservation Post along the border and taking photos of its layout, as well as of security personnel […]
The government also announced today that a Belizean delegation led by CEO Alexis Rosado traveled to Guatemala City last Friday where the Belize-Guatemala Joint Commission convened a meeting to discuss security issues in the wake of recent incidents within the Caracol Archaeological Reserve. The team, comprised of Senator Lisa Shoman, Brigadier General David Jones, Acting […]
There is some good news coming out the European Commission. In March this year, the EC imposed restrictions on Belize and other countries for not doing enough to combat illegal fishing activities even after government passed a new High Seas Fishing Act. Well earlier today, the EC announced that it is lifting the sanctions over […]
Immediately following last Thursday’s murder of Conorquie, Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington told the media that he was uncertain whether the shooting death of Special Constable Danny Conorquie was indeed perpetrated by Guatemalan bandits. Despite the massive firestorm that followed his statement, Elrington remains firm in his position. Today, he backed up his opinion by stating […]
In responding to criticism that he is too lenient on the issue of how the Guatemalan claim is being handled, Elrington told the media today that despite seeming public disapproval he has personally made great strides in fostering diplomatic relations with Guatemala to the point where Guatemala has now agreed to go to the International […]
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary John Feely, of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, concluded a two-day working visit to Belize today after meeting with various organizations, including government, civil society, security, education and culture. Feely met with officials from the Ministry of Education on Thursday at the Leo Bradley Library, where a […]
On Thursday evening, upon his departure from the Leo Bradley Library, Feely visited the National Youth Cadet Corp on the George Price Highway where he met with a number of at-risk youths who are currently enrolled in the program. He discussed the experience of seeing firsthand the intervention being used to improve the lives of […]
A high-level meeting between government officials from Belize and Mexico was held earlier today to conclude the eighth meeting of the Bi-national Commission. A delegation from the neighboring country, led by Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Jose Antonio Meade, convened with the ministers of Foreign Affairs and Tourism at the Princess Hotel this morning to […]
According to Jose Antonio Meade, Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of President Enrique Pena Nieto, a guide has been established in order to achieve the purposes of bolstering the management of the countries’ marine and tourism resources. Jose Antonio Meade, Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs “We have not really constructed a […]
The murder of Danny Conorquie continues to be the number one topic of public importance on the airwaves five days after it occurred on the Caracol Maya site. The PM issued a statement on Monday; he said the government believes Conorquie’s killers are Guatemalans. But the Foreign Minister’s interviews following the murder last week, did […]
The brazen midday execution of Special Constable Conorquie at the Caracol Archaeological Site on Thursday, by persons believed to be Guatemalan nationals, has caused public outrage. And as you heard earlier in the newscast, there are significant differences in the interview from the San Ignacio police and the sanitized information released on Thursday. Still, the […]
Following the shooting death of a Guatemalan encroacher three point five kilometers within Belizean territory on March twenty-ninth 2014, the government compensated the family of Tomas Ramirez. When asked about the possibility of the Guatemalan government compensating the family of the fallen officer, Elrington says that there is not sufficient basis at this point to […]
The Council of Foreign Ministers meeting of the Central American System of Integration, SICA was held today in San Pedro. Belize has the six-month rotating presidency until the end of December. Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington chaired the proceedings. Belize is hoping to further develop trade relations between SICA and CARICOM and to address the issue […]
Taiwanese ambassador Benjamin Ho presented the National September Celebrations Committee with a check for twenty thousand U.S. dollars this afternoon to be used in defraying the cost of activities during the month of September. The handing over took place during a brief ceremony at the House of Culture in Belize City. Co-chair of the committee, […]
Since absconding to Belize in October 2013, many questions have been raised concerning the fugitive status of Dr. Errol Elrington, sibling of Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington. In the wake of initial media coverage, many, including Prime Minister Barrow, would chime in on the matter and subsequently the Minister of Foreign Affairs himself. But […]
On Thursday, a group of journalists from across the local media participated in a round-table with U.S. Ambassador Carlos Moreno at the embassy in Belmopan. During the forum a range of issues were discussed, including financial assistance offered to UNIBAM to advance its awareness campaign on stigma and discrimination, gay marriage, Belize’s border dispute with Guatemala, the justice […]
While the constitutional challenge to repeal Section Fifty-Three of Belize’s Criminal Code remains before the Supreme Court, a decision is yet to be handed down by Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin on the matter. It is no secret however, that the claimant, UNIBAM’s executive director Caleb Orozco, has received grant funding from the U.S. Embassy to […]
