The National Trade Union Congress of Belize, for the first time in recent memory, is not marking Labour Day with a parade and rally. It is announced at the very end of their Labour Day message, which states that N.T.U.C.B. takes no pride in acknowledging that this year we could not muster even the modest […]
And on this upcoming Labour Day weekend, Belizeans are expected to cross border points. Neighboring Mexican communities, including Botes and La Union, are hotspots for the illicit movement of uncustomed goods. On an almost daily basis, dozens, if not hundreds of Belizeans, cross over illegally to these locations to purchase groceries and other household items. […]
Illegal activities continue deep in the Chiqubul where the forests are under serious attack. Gold-panning of late has become one of the most lucrative activities attracting Guatemalan nationals. In a fly-over today with Friends for Conservation, which manages the natural reserve, the denuding of the thick forests is also highly visible. Slash and burn practices […]
“Building Competitiveness in Belize in a Global World- the Role of the University of Belize” that is the theme in which it held its annual research conference in Belize City. The event showcases research done by students and faculty of three of U.B.’s campuses. This conference highlights practical and policy oriented research on a broad […]
And in more U.B. news, today the institution met with several stakeholders of the private and public sectors in a workshop to discuss institutional enhancement of the university in an effort to help drive the social and economic development of Belize. The institution has received grant financing from the Caribbean Development Bank towards the cost […]
The finals of the National Tertiary Debate sponsored by the Social Security Board were held today in Belize City. The final two teams, Independence Junior College and Ecumenical Junior College, debated on the topic “Be it resolved that Belize should submit its territorial differendum with Guatemala to the International Court of Justice”. The Independence team […]
Thousands of Belizeans will be heading to the Capital City on Saturday and Sunday for the annual National Agriculture and Trade Show. Since it started back in 1970, “Agric” has grown from year to year. While for many years the focus was on the agriculture industry, in the last decade or two it has expanded […]
The Corozal Commercial Free Zone has had its share of recent troubles with imports falling drastically and sales plummeting as well. Now comes word that with a new man at the helm, administrative staff protested by not showing up to work today because of unenumerated ‘issues’ with their boss. News Five understands that all activity […]
On the eve of the extended holiday weekend, opposing gangs met in the city to commit to a crime free weekend. The meeting was held at the Raccoon Police Station and attended by representatives of all gangs and top cop Chester Williams of the Eastern Division South as well as mediator Dianne Finnegan and Motivational […]
Omar Phillips worked as a Data Entry Clerk for the Immigration Department from 2009 to 2013, when the Won Hong Kim scandal broke, and his role became known. He and two other officers, Erwin Robinson and Sharon Neal, were suspended from their jobs. They were also taken before the Public Service Commission for a hearing. […]
According to Phillips, Immigration officers, particularly at lower levels, receive only the most basic training in the various tasks to which they are assigned on a daily basis. For data entry and capture, that is as simple as looking at the forms cursorily without attention to specific detail, and passing them on. Senator Mark Lizarraga […]
As we reported on Wednesday, retired Immigration Officer Therese Chavarria confirmed that in at least two or three cases, with permission from senior officials, she was able to fool the passport system into accepting a picture of someone who did not appear to take the photograph in person. Her method was basic: she simply printed […]
The Senate Special Select Committee has been soliciting most attendees of the public hearings for their ideas on how the Immigration Department can be improved. While it has become clear that a culture of corruption and hustling pervaded the Department, the will to remove it has been absent. As a public officer for more than […]
A Canadian woman and her boyfriend are reported missing in the north. On Wednesday midday American national Joseph Milholen reported that earlier that day he went to pick up his friend fifty-two-year-old Francesca Matus from Serenity Sands on the Consejo Road in Corozal. Milholen reported that he was to take Matus to the P.G.I.A., but […]
Police officers from El Salvador were in Belize to take part in the GREAT program. They joined up with local police officers for a two-week training program that concluded today at the Radisson Hotel in the City. GREAT has had considerable success in gang and violence prevention. It has been implemented in Belize for years. […]
Rural Eastern Division of the Police Department is making changes to their headquarters in Ladyville, Belize District to allow for greater space for officers to do their work. Both Government and the private sector are contributing to building an attachment to the building currently hosting the commander’s office as well as a new detention center […]
On Wednesday, you heard South Side Commander ACP Chester Williams talk about the progress community policing has made on the south side. Last weekend his division held a family day in the Conch Shell Bay area and he says that more activities like that are on the horizon. One of the areas he wants to […]
Earlier this week, we asked C.E.O. George Lovell of the Ministry of Home Affairs about the transfers of some of top cops in Belize District. One in particular is the transfer of Chester Williams. So will the move affect the peace established over the last few days? In the interview, Lovell appears to take a […]
Government has secured financing from the Caribbean Development Bank to expand the Youth and Community Transformation Project to at risk communities in Dangriga, San Ignacio and Santa Elena. These communities are challenged by increasing crime and violence, anti-social behavior and limited access to social services. The new project called Youth RISE is funded through a […]
Today, the Embassy of Mexico and the Mexican trade and investment agency, ProMexico, organized a Commercial Mission to Belize where seven companies from Cancun and Merida brought products and services to meet with local entrepreneurs. Officials from the Mexican trade team were joined by representatives from BELTRAIDE as well as the Belize Chamber of Commerce. […]
Art is being used as a means to bring communities together. In the south side of Belize City, the Department of Youth Services has turned bare walls into colorful pieces to promote peace in the community. Three generations of men and women came together to create murals that are not only pleasing to the eye, […]
The Senate Special Select Committee resumed hearings in public today into the Auditor General’s report, calling three witnesses. One of the witnesses called today was Barton Middleton, the elusive Orange Walk businessman who previously caught a severe case of amnesia over his alleged role in facilitating visas for Chinese nationals, following a purported surgery for […]
Retired Immigration Officer Therese Chavarria has seen it all in thirty years at the Department, dating back to 1986. She took her leave last year after being transferred to Punta Gorda following assignments in the Passport Section and the head office in Belmopan, which was where she was at the height of the period documented […]
Chavarria spoke to the issue of shortcuts in the Department to benefit a chosen few, accomplished through bribery. In one instance, a prospective applicant for a passport, accompanied by a woman well-known to the Department, flunked his interview after his particulars were taken. He was not able to identify where he was born or even […]
As to how the passport was caused to be printed despite Chavarria’s investigations, it turns out that former Cabinet Minister Carlos Perdomo was the one pushing for it. He apparently appealed directly to Director Meighan who later belatedly informed Chavarria of the decision. As for the five hundred dollar bribe to look the other way, […]
