As we reported on Thursday, Government has been forced to do a complete about-turn on a local refugee program which has come under intense and sustained scrutiny. Help for Progress, an N.G.O. working under the UNHCR, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, has literally received applications from hundreds of immigrants seeking refugee status. From […]
There is a first confirmed case of Zika in Belize and it involves a woman in the north side of City. The Ministry of Health is carrying out surveillance in all neighborhoods of the City to avoid additional cases. Tonight, the message is to protect yourself from being bitten by any mosquito, especially the aedes […]
The Ministry of Education, through the Quality Assurance Development Service, is rolling out a new program to assist primary school children at the beginner level with reading. This morning, QUADS introduced My BZ Phonics, a locally flavored book which builds on the reading method involving letter recognition. According to Acting Director John Newport, the idea […]
The ushering in of the new program and accompanying textbook should see a more interactive approach to reading inside the classroom. Newport says the objective is to engage children in the reading lessons being taught. John Newport, Acting Director, QUADS “It introduces these sounds in a way which is systematic and it’s systematic based […]
Daily, between six and nine p.m., at the Memorial Park in Belize City, a small scale concert would end the day’s workshop for Belize Music Week, which is ongoing. Belizeans artists get the opportunity to showcase their talents to residents and others artists in attendance. But the week-long activities culminate on Sunday with the fifth […]
Morley Safer is one of the most recognized faces in broadcast journalism. His reports on CBS’s Sixty Minutes on Sundays attracted millions across the world for his distinctive style. As a CBS News correspondent, Safer also reported and wrote documentaries, including the “CBS Reports” series and CBS News special reports for at least five decades. […]
Six days after Guatemalan military and civilians allegedly came onto Belizean soil and abducted two men, along with a tractor and bulldozer, there is finally official comment from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Security. Today, the C.E.O.s of both hosted a press briefing to inform the public that they have indeed, despite appearances, […]
But there’s a problem straightaway with that response, firstly from the Ministry of National Security. The investigation is the first line of action in whatever government’s response will be. Just minutes ago News Five managed to verify with Roger Plett that Police have still not been to the actual site very near the border where […]
According to Colonel Lovell, they have been liaising with their counterparts and colleagues in Guatemala and at the O.A.S. since day one, verifying that no Belizean was still in Guatemalan territory. But that’s a cute situation. Verification by the O.A.S. that the Belizeans had been released, as we were told by Lovell, would seem to […]
So that’s where we were at that point – verification from no less than the O.A.S. that the Belizeans detained had been released. And that’s where the confusion comes in. What exactly are Belizean authorities waiting for? We’re not sure exactly what the problem is, although it is clear that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs […]
So with all the confusion and miscommunication arising out of what seems a very clear cut border incident, what happens next? Well…the Police investigation continues, of course, and then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will do what it has to do, whatever that is. Ret’d. Col. George Lovell, C.E.O., Ministry of National Security “I […]
There is support coming from the Commonwealth Ministerial Committee on the territorial integrity of Belize. After weeks of tension between Belize and Guatemala since the death of Julio Alvarado Ruano, the government has been seeking support from its allies. Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington met with the committee to discuss recent events happening […]
There was very significant news coming out of Cabinet on Tuesday, via a release sent to us via email three minutes before news time. It clarified that there is no formal agreement between government and the N.G.O. Help for Progress which has been facilitating immigrant applications for refugee status for the past months. Cabinet throws […]
The remote Garifuna community of Barranco, in the context of what is taking place at the Sarstoon, is widely seen as a mere transit point for local law enforcement officers traveling to the nearby forward operating base. The village, one of the oldest in the country, has shared a cordial relationship with residents of Guatemala […]
Earlier today, a group of Garifuna elders, including Doctor Joseph Palacio, issued a statement on the current conditions of Garinagu in Belize. The Garinagu, like other ethnic groups in the respective municipalities, are affected by existing urban issues such as poverty, crime and violence and health. Despite those prevailing concerns, resolutions have been drafted to […]
The Belize Progressive Party has taken umbrage with recent comments made U.S. Ambassador Carlos Moreno on the Belize/Guatemala issue. Ambassador Moreno has expressed support in taking the territorial claim to the International Court of Justice for resolution. The B.P.P., on the other hand, stands firmly behind its position that the matter should be resolved through […]
The Toledo Alcaldes Association and the Maya Leaders Alliance remain at loggerheads with the government-appointed Toledo Maya Land Rights Commission, following an incident on Monday in Punta Gorda Town. As we reported, TAA President Alfonso Cal was refused a meeting with commission chair Lisel Alamilla and was summarily removed from the organization’s headquarters when police […]
According to Coc, it is not the first time the Toledo Alcaldes Association had sought an audience with Alamilla. She says that several attempts have been made verbally, as well as in writing. Additionally, Coc maintains that the statement issued by the Toledo Maya Land Rights Commission is disingenuous since it is unclear as to […]
Tonight we have more details on the alleged kidnapping of two – not one, Mennonite farmers who were clearing fire breaks on a large plot of land which adjoins the Guatemalan border last Thursday. To recap, in Monday’s newscast, we brought you Roger Plett’s very compelling story of being taken off his tractor by Guatemalan […]
There was another incident on the farm the next day. Watchman Rogelio Barrientos was allegedly approached by fifteen military officers, and a request was made for heavy equipment to be handed over to the Guatemalans. A distress call was sent to Police who responded, and then called in backup. But local law enforcement allegedly decided […]
That brings us to officialdom – first the Police. San Ignacio Police aren’t talking. They would only say that an investigation is underway and a release was sent out from the Commissioner’s Office on Monday. We never got that release. They cannot provide any other information because of the sensitive nature of the incident – […]
While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Police Department stay silent on the alleged seizure of Mennonites by Guatemalans, the opposition People’s United Party is not. In a release issued late today, the Party calls for an immediate investigation by pertinent authorities into the allegation made by Roger Plett. It states that, “we understand that […]
Tonight there is confirmation that the People’s United Party will be going to the Sarstoon on Saturday to challenge the Sarstoon Law which prevents Belizeans from visiting the area. That law is about to expire on May twenty-seventh. Interestingly, Saturday is the very day when Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington will be holding talks […]
The headlines in the past week have been about events in the Toledo District in southern Belize. And that’s where we headed today again. The following story, however, has to do with farming practices in the community of Trio which is settled mostly by nationals from Central America who came to work on farms in […]
On Monday, the Toledo Alcaldes Association issued a release, following an incident where the chair of the Toledo Maya Land Rights Commission reportedly evicted TAA President Alfonso Cal from the Commission’s office. The Toledo Alcaldes Association, after meeting to discuss a five-point resolution on the weekend, was seeking an audience with Chairlady Lisel Alamilla at […]
