On Tuesday, we brought you the highlights of the Prime Minister’s press conference on the very volatile state of events between Belize and Guatemala. But there was much more of interest coming out of that short briefing during which the PM fielded questions – including this pointed query. How did we get from the point […]
The People’s United Party announced on Tuesday that it plans to proceed with a scheduled trip to the Sarstoon River, despite an existing Statutory Instrument forbidding travel to the river now controlled by Guatemalans. The last trek to the river by a delegation of Belizeans was met with resistance by police and coast guard. So, […]
So the P.U.P.’s National Executive and delegates of the Party Council may head to the Sarstoon sooner, rather than later. But as the BTV found out on Saturday, heading to that controversial river is not the same thing as actually reaching that controversial river. It’s going to be an interesting proposition for the constitutional Opposition, […]
And speaking about fishing, since the Coast Guard and Police are so diligently enforcing the laws in the Sarstoon and surrounds where Belizeans are concerned, will they do the same for Guatemalans who are breaking the law by not only fishing illegally, but also trespassing illegally on the Belizean side of the Sarstoon? You probably […]
The P.U.P.’s position on the recently enacted SI is fairly simple. From the onset, the party has flatly rejected and continues to criticize the knee-jerk piece of law, banning local travel to the Sarstoon. In fact, the Opposition is challenging the legality of the Sarstoon Law and wants it rescinded. On Tuesday, former P.U.P. Leader […]
Since the shooting death of reputed George Street boss Gerald ‘Shiny’ Tillett several weeks ago in Dangriga, there has been a spate of gun violence in Belize City. The series of shootings, believed to be acts of retaliation by various gangs, have prompted Assistant ComPol Chester Williams to once again reach out to the feuding […]
Officers from Eastern Division continued their weekly meet and great sessions in Belize City this afternoon. Assistant ComPol Chester Williams led a team of policemen and women into Taylor’s Alley where they met with residents in the neighborhood. Now, Pregnant Alley, as it is otherwise known, is a hotspot for gang activity and police have […]
Over the past few days, a number of residents have come forward to complain about police brutality. Martha Phillips and her sons claim that they were manhandled by police officers at their home on Armadillo Street over the holiday weekend. Similarly, Noel Maheia’s apartment on George Street was reportedly stormed and ransacked by GSU officers […]
There has been a sustained clampdown of businesses selling liquor after nine p.m. that are not restaurants or nightclubs. For the past few weeks, the police department has been actively enforcing the shutting down of shops and other establishments that are operating outside of the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Act. Officers have been briefed by Assistant […]
Last Friday, the Government of Belize passed a most controversial law to prevent the Belize Territorial Volunteers from entering the Sarstoon, over which the Guatemalans are now in full control. We will have that story later, but today, the Prime Minister spoke for the first time of that law and other developments in the Sarstoon. […]
There are many issues on the table between Belize and Guatemala, including what the Prime Minister has termed a crisis averted. But even before that crisis following the Chiquibul incident, the Sarstoon remained a volatile point between countries. So what exactly will the Belizean delegation discuss when it sits across from Guatemala in Washington? […]
As we said a little later, an expedition planned by the Belize Territorial Volunteers for the Sarstoon this past weekend was halted by elements of the Belize Coast Guard and the Police. In fact, the expedition didn’t even get off the ground, so to speak. The Prime Minister had no apology today, and instead hoped […]
With the Sarstoon under lock to Belizeans by both Guatemalan and Belizean law enforcement, all eyes are on the diplomatic channels being maneuvered. That hasn’t worked out so well to this point, but at least where government is concerned, hope springs eternal. But today, PM Barrow explained that it’s not really eternal at all – […]
In one of his recent interviews condemning Belize, Guatemala’s Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales claims that he has an agreement with his counterpart, Wilfred Elrington, in which no Belizean would go to Sarstoon Island. That’s an extraordinary agreement to which we’ve certainly not been made privy. Prime Minister Barrow today told us that that’s because […]
Hours prior to the Prime Minister’s press conference in the capital, the People’s United Party briefed the media in Belize City. The National Executive approved five measures that the party will be undertaking in light of the developments in the Sarstoon. Essentially, the party wants the Sarstoon Law to be rescinded and will file a […]
You have heard the Prime Minister say there was no time to invite the representative of People’s United Party to the discussions to be held by Minister Elrington in Washington. The P.U.P. says there have been other recent instances where the opposition has been left out which signals that the long established bipartisan approach to […]
The passage of an unprecedented law on Friday restricting Belizeans from traveling to the Sarstoon has been met with opposition. But the Belize Territorial Volunteers were undeterred to trek to the river on Saturday. But the expedition was stopped on its tracks even before it got underway since elements of the Police Department and the […]
And tonight’s question is: Do you believe G.O.B. should rescind the new Sarstoon Law? Send your comments and responses using your SMART phones to 8686 or post your vote on our e-poll at channel5belize.com. You can also send an email with your comments to questions@channel5belize.com
The Football Federation of Belize met on Saturday in Belize City where anticipated elections for five senior posts within the national sporting organization were being held at the Princess Hotel and Casino. Vying for president were bitter rivals, Ruperto Vicente and Sergio Chuc, who had been elected on the same slate a few years ago. […]
The unveiling of a bust in honor of Right Honorable George Price, Father of Belize’s independence, was held this morning in Belize City. The idea of placing a sculpture at the entrance of the Old Capital near his namesake highway was the brainchild of the Belize City Council. Mayor Darrell Bradley then approached the Holy […]
The National Agriculture and Trade Show took place over the weekend at the show grounds in Belmopan. The annual event drew thousands looking for deals in goods and services. This year, the traditional was offered complemented by a mix of new products in a wide range of items such as chocolates, jams, sauces, beauty products […]
If at first you don’t succeed, send in the big guns. And if they don’t succeed, just change the law. And they have. Via release issued today, the government informs that a new law passed under Section Two of the Public Safety Act will, “prohibit persons and vessels, without lawful authority, from entering into Belize’s […]
Those immediately affected by the law, and in whose honor the law was drafted are the Belize Territorial Volunteers. The group had planned an expedition to the Sarstoon on Saturday. Public entreaties by Prime Minister Dean Barrow failed to sway BTV head Wil Maheia, so on Thursday the PM dispatched military and foreign affairs leaders […]
The grassroots activist organization known as COLA, Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action, has been quiet lately. But today it re-emerged with a fiery release condemning G.O.B.’s new law, which we could probably dub Wil’s Law. The release blasts G.O.B., claiming that the, quote, latest action proves the government’s lack of priority as it relates […]
Brackett says COLA is prepared to go a couple steps further than condemnation by calling for a national shutdown. He told News Five that “For far too long Belize has lacked true leadership as it relates to this issue and it is time for the citizens of Belize to rise up and demand better.” […]
