As we reported on Thursday night, the Police Association and Ministry of National Security have mended fences. In a joint press release, it was announced that the leaders of the association, Corporal Eldon Arzu and Sergeant Edlin Lorenzo, have apologized to the Commissioner of Police, David Henderson and Minister John Saldivar for going to the […]
In the House, the Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, announced today that it has been granted a loan of two million US dollars from the Caribbean Development Bank to be used for education sector reform. According to Faber, the monies will greatly assist in the development of a policy that will seek to improve the […]
Toledo West area representative Oscar Requeña, whose constituency is made up of a number of villages near the Belize/Guatemala Border, today raised concerns in the House in light of the recent encounter with illegal Guatemalan loggers in Machaquila. According to Requeña, residents of communities in those areas have been living under the constant threat of […]
An expressive arts camp in drama, dance and arts and craft culminated today at the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts. The camp was sponsored by the Ministry of Education to promote patriotism and by Crimestoppers Belize. Close to fifty students participated and they were beaming with pride as they showed off to friends and […]
There is justice for Colonel Javier Castellanos. Seven months after he was removed from the Belize Defence Force as Deputy Commandant, Castellanos has been cleared by the Belize Advisory Council and re-instated to return to post as second in command at the B.D.F. He heads to the Ministry of National Security in Belmopan this Friday, […]
Tonight, it appears that the dust has settled between the Belize Police Association and the Police Department. On Wednesday, the president of the Association, Corporal Eldon Arzu and its vice president, Sergeant Edlin Lorenzo, appeared before a tribunal where they were arraigned for disrespecting their superiors and for disobeying a command. The two had fallen […]
Belize’s natural resources are under sustained threat. In the Chiquibul, incursions by Guatemalan nationals to illegally log, extract xate and poach for exotic birds are escalating. There is now news that about three hundred Guatemalans are panning for gold. It takes a bit less work than logging, and it fetches more on the market, so […]
After years of back and forth, today the Christian Workers Union signed a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Social Security Board. Following the lengthy negotiations, President of the C.W.U., Antonio Gonzalez, says that they achieved at least seventy-five percent of what they had originally proposed and will continue to negotiate on other benefits. But for […]
The P.U.P. is condemning the lack of adequate notice for Friday’s House sitting. According to the P.U.P., members of the opposition received notice of Friday’s meeting on Tuesday and a bare agenda on Wednesday. The party is railing up that the government is hiding behind the so called special meetings to prevent the opposition from […]
A fisherman of Alligator Head Caye in Southern Belize is complaining that the Belize Coast Guard reportedly carried out two raids at his house on the island. According to Jamaal Tablada, he went out to the Caye on July twelfth with three employees and four kids. He says that as they arrived, he noticed a […]
The City Emergency Management Organization, CEMO, the municipal arm of the National Emergency Management Organization, NEMO, is gearing up for any disaster this season. This morning, a presentation was held at City Hall where the disaster preparedness and relief plan were discussed. The CEMO team outlined various hurricane shelters across the city, their capacity, as […]
Special needs students from primary and high schools from all corners of the jewel have been camping in Belize City. They have been attending the annual summer camp of the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired which, in addition to providing them with an outlet for fun and education, prepares them for the upcoming school […]
Not far away, over two hundred children have been attending the Central Assembly of God’s summer camp. The students were engaged in the creative and performing arts for the past three days under a partnership with Crimestoppers Belize and members of Orchard Assembly. Organizer, Phillipa Herrera says that this year’s camp seeks to bridge social […]
It’s not a good day for cops; two have been arraigned before a police tribunal and the other is fighting for his life. At the Police Training School in Belmopan this afternoon, the tables were turned on two officers. The vocal president and vice president of the Belize Police Association were arraigned for disrespecting their […]
The fiery executives of Citizens Organized for Liberty Through Action turned up the heat today on the Organization of American States and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. They headed this morning to the O.A.S. office in the city to protest the erroneous information put out by the O.A.S. in respect of the killing of a […]
The following story is also about the cops, but this one is about alleged police brutality. Francelia Gillett of Hattieville says that her son, eighteen year old Richard Smith, was picked up by Hattieville Police who proceeded to inflict physical harm on him. Gillett says that the abuse of her son is wrong and that […]
The Y.W.C.A. today launched a special training programme at its headquarters on Saint Thomas Street in Belize City. It is called the Y’s Enterprise Creation and Extracurricular Development Project, which will offer skills training to unemployed young men in the city. The programme will simultaneously boost the institution’s Helping Early Leavers Program (HELP) that prepares […]
The Police Association and the senior command of the Police Department remain at odds and pressure is mounting. But tonight, the association picked up major support from unions across the country. The Ministry of National Security on Monday night, in a televised statement, condemned the actions of the association’s leadership in publicizing its objection to […]
The N.T.U.C.B. contends that a threat by the Ministry of National Security to disband the Police Association is tantamount to union busting. According to Reneau, the specific piece of legislation that applies to the association needs to be revised to allow officers the right to defend and protect their rights. Dylan Reneau, President, N.T.U.C.B. […]
In an update to the Police Association issue, we can confirm that Corporal Eldon Arzu, the president, has been charged for being disrespectful to a superior officer while Vice President, Sergeant Edlin Lorenzo was charged for disobeying a lawful command. Both officers were given letters of interdiction, effective today and will now go to disciplinary […]
In a memo dated July sixteen, the Ministry of the Public Service advises that a review of allowances is being undertaken and that in September all allowances will be suspended pending the outcome of the review. The government says that the allowances cost over a million dollars per month and that in some instances they […]
The City Council has imposed a new fee on drivers. Parking at the NICH Parking Lot in downtown Belize City will now cost two dollars an hour. The property, which was previously available for free public parking, is for the City Council and the new fees are a way to generate revenue to cover costs […]
The President of United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM), Caleb Orosco, is taking the government to court, challenging Section Fifty-Three of the criminal code on the grounds that it criminalizes homosexuality. This morning the organization held a meeting at the Radisson to dialogue with various human rights agencies. It discussed a myriad of issues including sexual […]
The Belize Police Association has taken to the airwaves to ventilate their grievances with the senior command of the force. They are taking issue with the sudden transfer of a number of officers which is being resisted by the association because of the undue haste in the way it is being undertaken. The officers were […]
According to Arzu and Lorenzo, the ComPol has threatened to cancel the B.P.A. office and equipment as well as revoke the secondment of the president. They also complained that they are being called to sudden meetings in Belmopan, and that the commissioner of police is not responding to their formal correspondences. Cpl. Eldon Arzu, […]
