Media houses, including this station, have endorsed a letter to the Chairman of the Senate Special Select Committee which condemns the unprecedented and unprovoked actions of members of the United Democratic Party against members of the press covering last Wednesday’s public hearing in Belmopan. These included Chairman Alberto August and Sergeant-At-Arms of the House of […]
Chairman of the United Democratic Party, Alberto August, this afternoon told News Five he was taking full responsibility for the attack on members of the press last week at the Senate Special Select Committee public hearing. It appears the media got in the way of his ad-hoc group called “Belizeans against Courtenay” – specifically, Senator […]
August called on Leader of the Opposition John Briceño to remove Courtenay from the Senate, a decision Briceño has said previously he will not make. Courtenay is seen as the member of the Committee most able to draw out vital information from witnesses. It is believed that he is being targeted for his tough lines […]
Even before today’s interview, August appeared on the U.D.P.’s Wave Radio Morning Show on Friday. Not only did he reiterate his intention to return to Wednesday’s meeting, but he challenged Courtenay to call him before the inquiry as he, Courtenay, suggested on May tenth. He even offered to resign his party post if Courtenay did […]
Turning to another incident involving the media…We note that there has been no official statement from G.O.B. in respect of the assault by U.D.P. operatives on Marisol Amaya and other media colleagues. But late on Friday, a release was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs as it relates to the charges being brought against […]
Two persons drowned over the weekend in separate incidents in the Belize and Cayo Districts. In Bermudian Landing, in the Belize River Valley area, twenty-three-year-old Denia Zelaya was with her common-law husband and two other friends swimming in the Belize River, just behind the Howler Evolution Tour establishment on the main road. The outing ended […]
There’s some good news…On the occasion of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day on May seventeenth, the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Operators (CANTO) has announced that a Belizean won the annual competition for the fourth time since its inception eleven years ago. Eighteen-year-old Jo-Elisa Clarke of Calcutta, Corozal District won with a video demonstrating […]
The Senate Inquiry into the corruption at the Immigration Department resumes this Wednesday. At least two persons are scheduled to testify before the Senate Special Select Committee. Now, the Belize Passport Information System (BPIS) has been a center of inquiry throughout the public hearings of the Senate Special Select Committee. It is the system used […]
As the Senate Special Select Committee swims into deeper waters, questions are rising as to what rights do witnesses who appear before it have and do not have. Two of the Committee’s biggest headaches in terms of giving testimony were Barton Middleton and Elvin Penner, who either outright refused or gave evasive answers because they […]
Do you have a special design or invention that can make lives easier and make money too? Then pay attention to our next story. The Belize Intellectual Property Office (BELIPO) today hosted a seminar on plans to switch Belize from a 1960 Act of nations on intellectual property registration to a more recent 1999 Act. […]
Technical and Vocational Education has traditionally been a field dominated by males, but this year, the program is aggressively proposing to change that to include women. ITVET is holding activities this week to promote equal opportunities. This morning, a group of students from Punta Gorda walked away with the top prize for their product, Xococcino […]
It’s been a bad week for the media. It started at Wednesday’s senate meeting when political operatives attacked members of the media. And this morning, in San Ignacio, the outspoken and firebrand Plus TV editor, Louis Wade, was charged with criminal offences, in relation to an incident that is almost six months old. Wade says […]
Just now you heard Journalist Louis Wade speak on what has transpired with an incident that led to him being slapped with two charges; one for common assault and the other for use of insulting words. At the centre of the story is the San Ignacio Police Formation. On Thursday the media had inquired with […]
Earlier this week, you saw what transpired during the hearing of the Senate Select Committee – journalists were threatened by political operatives carrying out the dirty work of their party which caused a disruption in the session. Today, Wade pointed out that journalists were assaulted on Wednesday, similar to the manner in which he was, […]
The Senate of Belize met in ordinary session this morning at the National Assembly. It is its first meeting since the unprecedented and heinous attack on members of the press during Wednesday’s Senate Special Select Committee public hearing. We will have highlights of its business later on, but first: the Opposition’s members – Eamon Courtenay, […]
Senate President Lee Mark Chang defended his actions following the meeting. He pointed to his track record of being what he feels is overly generous with Senators in raising issues inside the Upper Chamber and said he didn’t feel it necessary for the Opposition Senators to essentially throw a temper tantrum after not getting their […]
Senate President Chang also told reporters today that he shares the opinion of Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber and Chairman Aldo Salazar that the Committee’s public aspect is starting to become wearing. But Committee member Mark Lizarraga disagrees, stating that it is absolutely important to get to the bottom of what happened at the Immigration […]
While President of the Senate Lee Mark Chang has few issues with the conduct of the Senate Inquiry, what was not known was that he had a brief conversation with witness Barton Middleton when he testified before the Senate Special Select Committee in March. This was at the time when Middleton refused to answer questions […]
Career public officer Eldred Neal has been suspended as President of the Public Service Union, following disparaging remarks he made against the Garifuna community, which was recorded back in March. This morning, a special meeting was held at the P.S.U.’s Hilltop headquarters to discuss a letter that was endorsed by nine members of the Council […]
Prior to today’s special meeting of the Council of Management, Neal told News Five that he would not be stepping down as President of the P.S.U. until his term of office expires. Today’s decision, taken in his absence, sees Second Vice President Kenneth Mortis succeed him at the helm of the union. Mortis, a fireman […]
Is Lee Mark Chang one of the fish not caught up in the 2011-2013 Immigration scandal? While there is no indication of his name being in the Auditor General’s Reports, an Asian national whose name does appear in the report has accused Chang in other forums as endorsing his actions. The question was put to […]
As we reported at the end of April, the Immigration Department has decided against buying over the Chon Saan Palace building for use as its headquarters in Belmopan. It is owned by President of the Senate Lee Mark Chang, who had offered one point six five million dollars for a buy-out, a price Government was […]
The Belize Network of Non-Governmental Organizations has issued a statement condemning what it calls the vicious and personal attacks on Senator Eamon Courtenay and the press during Wednesday’s Senate inquiry. Reiterating the importance of the Committee’s work, it maintains that the press must be able to follow the truth and show the public what is […]
In light of recent developments in the Senate as well as by the Integrity Commission, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry today issued a statement condemning acts of corruption. The Chamber believes that “corruption continues to grow throughout the economy, enriching the few at the expense of the many, yet an ongoing shortage of […]
The motions passed by the House on May twelfth for consolidated line of credit by the Caribbean Development Bank to the Development Finance Corporation and a loan to the Belize Social Investment Fund were taken to the Senate for approval. The Senate was also asked to pass ratifications for three agreements. Belize is to join […]
