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Requeña says that Saturday’s events were precipitated by the very aggressive behaviour of Rupert Myles when he attended a meeting following months of being invited to speak to village leaders. Oscar Requeña, Area Representative. Toledo West “On Saturday, which was June the twentieth; he came, he barged into the community center, he slammed the […]
Today Minister of Fisheries, Forests and Sustainable Development Lisel Alamilla was in the House of Representatives, surrounded by invited representatives of various conservation N.G.O.s. They were there for the passage of two bills – the new National Protected Areas System Act Bill and the amended PACT Bill. Both have drawn some measure of concern from […]
The United States Supreme Court ruled earlier today that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right throughout the U.S.; it is considered a historic victory for gay rights advocates. The decision, which strikes down bans against gay marriage that had previously existed in fourteen states, comes after decades of protest and litigation on behalf of the […]
According to the executive director of the United Belize Advocacy Movement, UNIBAM, while a legal decision is one thing, it does not necessarily deal with the issue of living with prejudice and stereotypes. Isani Cayetano “Clearly there is a long road ahead to get to where the United States is, in terms of recognizing […]
The image factory turned twenty years today and it was a perfect opportunity for the founders of the art gallery to celebrate its contributions and achievements in the art world. The celebration continues tonight with the opening of a retrospective exhibition that captures the works of various Belizean artists in the past two decades. News […]
On June twenty-ninth International Fishermen’s Day will be celebrated in Belize, as well as the wider Caribbean region. The Fisheries Department and several other organizations concerned with fisheries will be hosting a series of events to observe the economic, social and cultural contributions of Belizean fishers. Two of the participating organizations shared why this recognition […]
Tonight, impassioned debate continues to dominate over the incident in Santa Cruz, Toledo in which a Creole man, Rupert Myles, was ordered detained and handcuffed by the community alcalde. That incident sparked the arrest on Wednesday of ten Maya residents and Maya Leaders Alliance spokesperson, Cristina Coc. The villagers were charged with unlawful imprisonment and […]
Following the arraignment of the group of eleven, allegations of physical abuse by personnel from the Special Patrol Unit are being refuted by Superintendent Simeon Alvarez, Officer Commanding Punta Gorda Police Formation. During an early morning raid on Santa Cruz village on Wednesday, a pair of detainees was reportedly manhandled and injured to various parts […]
The race card, as we’ve mentioned in our coverage of this incident, is on prominent display, having been played by Rupert Myles in the wake of his detention on Saturday. His opinion that he is the victim of racial discrimination by the Mayas is a sentiment that is also echoed elsewhere in Toledo. Outside of […]
The ugly situation which is now playing out in Santa Cruz, Toledo will likely not blow over. It incorporates the cloudy issue of communal land rights, religion and cultural diversity, possible state-sanctioned abuse and even racial undertones. Apart from comments by the Prime Minister on Monday, which were followed by the pre-dawn arrest of Mayan […]
Written on June 25, 2015 | Posted in
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The situation of communal land rights is in the forefront of the news this week, and it’s brought with it a peripheral, but very serious issue. Here it is in a very small nutshell. In 2010, the Supreme Court granted communal land right to Mayans in thirty-three communities. But in 2012, and 2013, Government went […]
Written on June 25, 2015 | Posted in
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A News Five crew is in Punta Gorda tonight where the situation is a volatile one. We’ll have much more on this story later on in the newscast, but at about four o’clock this morning, the police rolled into the village of Santa Cruz, Toledo. They rounded up ten Maya residents and took them to […]
As we said, Cristina Coc and ten others were arraigned this morning in the Punta Gorda Magistrate Court following an early morning operation. Several persons in detention were reportedly injured when personnel from the Special Patrol Unit descended on their homes. Doors were allegedly knocked down and one man was said to have been punched […]
Also in the south… On Friday, Magdalena Buul came forward with a story alleging that former U.D.P. Minister of State Juan Coy sold off a forty-five acre tract of land belonging to her in San Pedro, Columbia. The title for the land was granted to Clive Ferrell, a resident of the United Kingdom who reportedly […]
Did the Board of Directors of the S.S.B. approve loans to Belizean businessman and banana magnate Johnny Zabaneh? That’s the report which came out of the S.S.B. last week, and it’s of interest because in 2012, Zabaneh was sanctioned by the U.S. under the Kingpin Act, for his alleged connection to the Sinoloa Cartel and […]
Public Service Day is celebrated every year on June twenty-third. On Tuesday, a number of public officers with twenty-five years of service were honored at the tenth Annual Belize Public Service Awards held at Blue Water Grill in San Pedro Ambergris Caye. The event is organized by the Ministry of the Public Service to recognize […]
Written on June 24, 2015 | Posted in
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There are currently one thousand students attending the Ecumenical High School in Dangriga in the south. With the school reaching its maximum student capacity and bursting at its seams, there is a need for additional classrooms to accommodate the growing number of students. And so the institution is organizing a benefit concert this weekend in […]
Scoliosis, osteoporosis hip fractures, and rheumatoid arthritis are among a long list of orthopedic diseases that affect adults. In the case of young children, they are affected by flatfeet; toe walking, pigeon toes, bowlegs, and knock-knees. For the past thirty-five years, the Rotary Club of Belmopan, through its Belize Children’s Program, has been holding orthopedic […]
For the severe cases that require medical treatment overseas, the children are transferred to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Saint Louis, Missouri where they are provided free medical care. Mena and Committee Chair for the Belize Children’s Program, Charlene Brennan, told News Five about the process in the U.S. Charlene Brennan, Committee Chair, […]
In the recording, former U.D.P. Minister Melvin Hulse speaks repeatedly about the arrogance which he claims has now become the modus operandi of his PM, Dean Barrow. He goes so far as to say that Barrow should just shut up, and cautions that that sort of pompous grandstanding can lead to a fall. To prove […]
Written on June 22, 2015 | Posted in
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A citizen’s arrest effected by residents of Santa Cruz on Saturday, at the request of Village Chairman Aram Canti, has sparked controversy across the Toledo District, among members of the Maya and Garifuna communities. Rupert Myles, who has been occupying land within the village for almost two years, was bound and shackled. It happened following […]
Written on June 22, 2015 | Posted in
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As we mentioned earlier, the Maya Leaders Alliance and the Toledo Alcaldes Association has issued a release in the wake of the incident. Their account of what transpired in Santa Cruz differs greatly from what Myles told Maheia. The statement, accompanied by supporting documents requesting Myles’ eviction from Uxbenka, has been made public. In one […]
Written on June 22, 2015 | Posted in
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Prime Minister Barrow has also commented on the incident speaking quite firmly against the action taken by the villagers to detain Myles. According to the PM, what occurred at the hands of the Maya community is inexcusable as Myles’ human rights were also violated during the false imprisonment. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “It is […]
Written on June 22, 2015 | Posted in
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Last week, we tried to get an official comment on the assessment of damages cause by the Guatemalan gunboat, Tecum Uman, running on the reef near Middle Caye. That comment was not forthcoming, but today PM Barrow confirmed that it is completed and a dollar figure has been assessed. According to the PM, that bill, […]
The Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations, APAMO, is the most recent to weigh in on the National Protected Areas Bill and supplementary changes to other supporting legislation. The government is being soundly criticized for failure to consult with the conservation community prior to tabling these amendments before the House of Representatives. While the new […]
