But according to UNIBAM’s Attorney, Lisa Shoman, there is precedent for the action being taken against Beenie Man, whose real name is Anthony Davis, and she’s right. Beenie Man and several other reggae artists were actually banned from the UK in early 2000 due to the content of the music and were unable to participate […]
The murder of Danny Conorquie continues to raise the ire of the public. One group that is championing that Conorquie’s murder should not be in vain is the Belize People’s Front. This morning, they held a press conference in Santa Elena placing on government a number of demands. Chief among the demands is a four […]
Earlier today when we caught up with the Minister of National Security, John Saldivar, he was drilled about compensation to the family of Danny Conorquie, who was killed two weeks ago at one of our most sacred Mayan sites, Caracol. Saldivar agreed that compensation should be paid but did not throw any light in respect […]
At the beginning of the year, on January twenty-fourth, the Commander of the Tourism Police Unit, ASP Diana Hall, wrote to the ministry outlining the dangers and risks that tourism police are facing at Caracol in the execution of their duties. ASP Hall cautioned that her officers are inadequately trained and equipped to deal with […]
Today, the Senate met and with government’s majority, approved amendments to the Firearms Control Act, the Gun Control Act and the Legal Profession Act. Where the Firearms Act is concerned, there has been some concern that the amendments are not as comprehensive as they should be. Senator Hulse today told News Five that there have […]
One hundred and thirty-six women and men joined the ranks of the Belize Police Department today. The ceremony was held at the police training academy in the capital where family and friends converge to witness the passing out of recruit squad number ninety. The Minister of National Security was also on hand and after the […]
One group that we had not heard from in respect of the execution of Danny Conorquie is the Belize National Teachers Union. Well this evening, we did. Following a meeting over the weekend, the B.N.T.U. issued a call to action to teachers. The union decided on a course of action to show support for Danny […]
If you have been following social media, you would know that the launch of the Belikin Calendar takes place on October twenty-fourth, at a reception to be held at the King’s Room at the Ramada Belize City Princess. The launch, itself, will feature entertainment by DJ Linda Blease and DJ Dalla and eleven of the […]
The Ministry of National Security has been forced into discussions with the US Embassy following revelations that a US-funded Coast Guard forward operating base on Hunting Caye is being built by BINARQ, a Guatemalan company employing Guatemalan workers. The news broke last week and public fire and brimstone have rained down on the government. At […]
If it is not feasible to halt the construction of the forward operating base on Hunting Caye, the Ministry has committed to ensuring that it does not happen in the future. But has it happened more than once in the past? Today, News Five was reliably informed that the very same Guatemalan company, BINARQ, not […]
The concert by the controversial dancehall artist, Alkaline, was high in the September calendar of activities. But on the eve of the concert, the Roman Catholic Bishop went to court seeking an injunction to stop the concert from being held at the Sacred Heart Gymnasium because the church considered the artist’s performances as satanic and […]
There is a truly disturbing story to report tonight in which a Muslim woman claims she was denied access to court because of her religion. The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, is a victim of domestic abuse. She sought the intervention of the court for a restraining order against her husband, and was given […]
As we said, the matter is disturbing, but the alleged victim of the discrimination has not chosen to stay silent. Supported by the Muslim community, she has sought legal recourse. On September twenty-fourth, because she could not enter the courtroom, the application for a restraining order was thrown out by the Magistrate. That means that […]
On Wednesday the Senate will pass the bill for amendments to the Legal Profession Act, which means two things, really – one is that membership in the Bar Association will no longer be compulsory for an attorney to practice law in Belize. And the other is that the composition of the General Legal Council, the […]
The September carnival is now behind us, but there are side events that continue to take the spotlight. This Monday, the National Carnival Commission decided on who are the most outstanding designers of the elaborate and glitzy carnival costumes during the road march. The durability of the costumes and creativity of the designers also came […]
Tonight, we continue with the third in a series of environmental features on poaching and illegal logging in Belize by Guatemalan intruders. In July 2012, former News Five reporter Andrea Polanco ventured into the Chiquibul National Park where, along with cameraman Darrel Moguel, she experienced firsthand the wholesale denuding of our precious resources. While the […]
On Friday, the nation was shocked and outraged at the news that a gang of armed Guatemalan civilians came across the border and confronted BDF personnel. The incident happened at Valentin Camp about one kilometre from the border, where a new outpost is being constructed. According to the Ministry of National Security, villagers from the […]
The Coast Guard’s Forward Operating Base, located on Hunting Caye, remains a point of much contention. Last week, the news broke that the base, funded by the US, is being built by a Guatemalan firm that contracted Guatemalan workers. Now that news would have raised eyebrows in the most tranquil of times. But these aren’t […]
A flood mitigation project is being funded by the Inter-American Development Bank, which is a good thing because the City Council seems to be chronically cash-strapped. A significant portion of the financial burden on City Hall is its sanitation debts to companies like Belize Waste Control and Belize Maintenance Limited. The situation where BML is […]
This morning, the Belize City Council broke ground on a twenty-million dollar project designed to relieve the perpetual problem of flooding in Belize City. It’s called the Flood Mitigation Infrastructure Project, and includes the construction of a drainage canal below Douglas Jones Street and Cinderella Plaza. The extensive works will commence immediately, and residents of […]
Tonight, there is real and present danger of bloodshed in the forests along the Belize/Guatemala border, and a chilling sense of escalating violence. This morning at around nine-thirty, there was an encounter between B.D.F. soldiers and approximately twenty-five Guatemalan civilians. The soldiers were guarding civilian workmen who are building a new outpost at Camp Valentin, […]
The newly constructed outpost at Camp Valentin is less than a kilometre from the Guatemalan border. Reinforcements were called in from Camp Belizario, located at least four hours from the remote outpost. The threat to the B.D.F. soldiers, and to the workmen under their watch, was very real. But is the government taking the threat […]
The question of the adequacy of the government response to threat is a pertinent and valid one. After all, Danny Conorquie was murdered fully eight months after the head of the Tourism Police Unit, Diana Hall, issued a dire warning to her superiors via memo, and begged for assistance. Her requests for additional training, manpower […]
A week after his execution, the country is still grieving the death of Conorquie, a twenty-year old tourism police constable working at the Caracol Archeological Site. Two protests were held earlier this week demanding justice for the special constable; today another was held in front of the Embassy of Guatemala in Belize City because it […]
In the wake of significant unrest and public outrage towards Guatemala, the news that the Coast Guard’s forward operating base on Hunting Caye is being built by Guatemalans has likely become the proverbial straw. So much so that Prime Minister Dean Barrow has lashed out at the US government which is funding that facility. Like […]
