So how did a customs officer get involved in an issue that appears to be an immigration offense? Those details will be made clear following a pending investigation. Similarly, why would a customs officer threaten to expel anyone for illegal entry? Isn’t that the jurisdiction of the Immigration and Nationality Department? News Five also contacted […]
Government is inching closer and closer to setting a new date for a referendum. At news time, there is word that having been passed in the House of Representative and Senate, the Belize Territorial Dispute Referendum Bill 2019 has landed on the desk of the Governor General and has received his assent. The Prime Minister […]
The Maritime Areas Act was a controversial issue in the early nineties when it saw the fracturing of the then opposition United Democratic Party. On August sixth, 1991, government, after consultation with the U.D.P., introduced a bill in the National Assembly for an act to provide for the territorial sea, internal waters and exclusive economic […]
According to Senator Courtenay, Honduras will likely sign on as an interested party should the matter be taken to the I.C.J. He went on to say that the legal opinion provided by retired I.C.J. President Stephen Schwebel makes no mention of Honduras stake in the case. Eamon Courtenay, P.U.P. Senator “Beyond that, for the […]
N.G.O. Senator Osmany Salas, during his presentation in support of the Belize Territorial Referendum Bill 2019, spoke about the confusion that the politicization of the I.C.J. referendum has caused among voters. He says that voters have found themselves in a tug-of-war between the government and the opposition since the messages being sent are along party […]
And while the Leader of Government Business introduced the bill in the upper house, he was among the last to take the floor in the debate. Senator Godwin Hulse echoed concerns raised by Senator Courtenay in respect of litigation risk. While he asked for answers, Hulse also noted that Belize would be stronger in taking […]
Public officer Jerrylyn Bruce remains steadfast in her position that the Chief Elections Officer is politically victimizing her; a claim which Josephine Tamai has categorically denied. Disciplinary actions have been taken against Bruce and she stands accused of disenfranchising electors. But according to the career public officer, she was following the rules and accuses Tamai […]
In February, Chief Elections Officer Josephine Tamai appeared on this station’s Open Your Eyes to discuss the re-registration process ahead what should have been the April tenth I.C.J. referendum. During her time on the show, Tamai spoke about the two thousand electors who were placed on the disallowed list for failing to meet the requirements […]
In March, News Five brought you the story of several Belizeans who were disallowed to vote because they did not meet the qualifications as a citizen of Belize. Now, for Burrell Boom natives Selvin Segura Sr., Jennifer Baptist and countless others, being told that they were disallowed because they did not meet the requirements as […]
The Ministry of Tourism, Belize Tourism Board and the San Pedro Town Council inaugurated the Boca Del Rio Beach and Park this weekend. A beachfront was reclaimed along with the construction of a swimming area and the sea wall was reinforced. These developments are all a part of the B.T.B.’s plan to develop and enhance […]
A Belize City mother will be spending Easter comfortably. That’s because on Monday night after playing the game Scratch and Win, she came up with the lucky ticket she bought at a store on Euphrates Avenue. Esther Gillett scratched the ticket to win five thousand dollars. She was all smiles when she picked up her […]
The Senate met today and we will come to all the debate on the Belize Territorial Referendum Bill 2019. But first in the course of the debate, Senator Eamon Courtenay dropped a bolt from the blue to add to the cries of the politicization of the I.C.J. referendum campaign. While the P.U.P. and U.D.P. have […]
Senator Courtenay went on to expose what seems to be a clear misuse of Tamai’s post as Chief Elections Officer. Eamon Courtenay, Lead P.U.P. Senator “What was wrong was that because Mr. Bradley is a well-known member of the United Democratic Party his complaint to you seemed to have been given special significance. Ms. […]
While all that information was revealed in the Senate, this evening, Chief Elections Officer Josephine Tamai responded to the claims contained in the letter by attorney and former U.D.P. Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley. Tamai was not able to share the specific contents of the case because the matter is before the Public Service Commission. […]
In the letter, Bradley, on behalf of Jerrylyn Bruce accuses Tamai of political victimization and demands that it cease immediately. Bruce who has been transferred to the central office and given new responsibilities is also demanding that she be reassigned to her post in the field so that she is able to do her job. […]
The Chief Elections Officer also responded to the assertion that the Naboo Online System has an automatic feature of trying to correct itself and deleting any duplication instead of flagging them for correction. The Naboo System is an online programme, which collects all applications, but the issue that is highlighted in the letter is that […]
A vote by division in the Senate came shortly after four o’clock this afternoon following passage on Friday of the Belize Territorial Dispute Referendum Bill 2019. The vote ended in a strong yes: there was one abstention, four no’s and eight voted in favour. The Senate then recessed for committee meeting to fix all the […]
Government, in its media blitz, continues to put forward that Belize has an ironclad case should the territorial claim with Guatemala be taken to the I.C.J. for resolution. But the question on the minds of many is the likelihood, however remote, that Belize can in fact lose at the International Court of Justice. It’s a […]
Back to the debate in the Senate. Last Friday, the former PM Said Musa voted to abstain in the House on the same referendum bill. That position happened again in the Senate when P.U.P. Senator Valerie Woods abstained on the Belize Territorial Dispute Referendum Bill, as the only opposition parliamentarian to do so in the […]
The social partners added to the debate on the new referendum bill. While the N.G.O. senator Osmany Salas voted yes, Trade Unionist Elena Smith raised several concerns relating to the bill, as well as the move to referendum, but at the end of the day she voted against the legislation. Here’s what she said. […]
While there were various reasons given by the senators on why to or not to support the new referendum bill, Senator Ashley Rocke gave his perspective on behalf of the churches. Here is what he had to say. Ashley Rocke, Church Senator “We’ve also said that the next problem seems to be re-registration. There […]
Going into the weekend, there was a report on a sixteen-year-old who went missing at sea during a trip to South Water Caye. Last Monday, Frederick Lammey Juniour went on a fishing trip, but soon later began exhibited erratic behaviour, which caused concern to his cousin and others who were out on the island. On […]
A new housing project was launched over the weekend that presents exciting opportunities to prospective homeowners. The “Eagle Jem Estate” is located just outside Belize City. It is by the Holy Redeemer Credit Union and in its first phase, sixty-seven properties are ready. Qualifying member owners can choose between two or three bedroom houses through […]
Casting call for the next Miss Belize got underway this weekend and will continue online. While beauty is an integral part, the Miss Universe Belize Director says inner confidence is huge in the selection of the new Miss Belize. Duane Moody was the Bliss for the first casting call that attracted a good number of […]
A new referendum bill was introduced and taken through all its three stages in the House of Representatives. The special sitting started after ten this morning and continued well into the evening. Debate was robust, at times emotional and even produced an abstention from former prime minister Said Musa, an individual rare vote hardly taken […]
