Earlier you heard the N.T.U.C.B. take a stand on the release issued by the Organization of American States in which it prematurely “repudiated” the death of Julio Alvarado Ruano at the hands of the B.D.F. Today, the Belize Progressive Party expressed disappointed with PM Barrow’s response to the O.A.S. statement. News Five spoke with B.P.P. […]
The N.T.U.C.B. could not support the trip the Sarstoon, but according to B.P.P. Chairman, “those who on their own volition choose to go on the expedition know the inherent risk, but anything worth having is worth sacrificing for.” Paco Smith, Chairman, B.P.P. “Our counterpart association, the Belize Territorial Volunteers, we plan to visit the […]
Executives of the Belize National Teachers Union are meeting this week to schedule a date, as well as a venue for a subsequent sensitization forum on the Belize/Guatemala territorial dispute. A nationwide campaign dubbed Stand Up for Belize was launched on April fifteenth, in Benque Viejo, where hundreds of educators from across the country converged […]
Our cameras captured images of a humpback whale last week as our news team traveled to the Sarstoon. The whale was in Belizean waters for the past eight weeks, but was trapped in a gillnet off the coast of Barranco. On Monday, the whale died after being in distress for days in the shallow murky […]
Earlier this year, the Financial Intelligence Unit and the Customs and Excise Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding which amended the law in respect of the declaration of currency in excess of ten thousand U.S. dollars. But in order for the Customs Department to enforce the new laws and procedures, the FIU today conducted training […]
On Tuesday night, the Belize Tourism Industry Association, in collaboration with the Belize Tourism Board and McNab Publishing unveiled the new theme for the 2016/2017 Destination Belize Magazine. “Travel Curious: This Journey Will Change You,” is expected to capture the unique cuisine, locations and cultural experiences of the country. The B.T.I.A. has been working on […]
The fatal shooting of a Guatemalan minor inside the Chiquibul has stirred a lot of emotions among Belizeans. There was unease across the country as Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales made his inflammatory statements followed by reports that thousands of Guatemalan troops were being deployed to the Sarstoon and along the adjacency zone in the west. […]
Prime Minister Dean Barrow returned to Belize from New York on Sunday after holding discussions with the United Nations, the Organization of American States and others on the aggressive stand by Guatemala, following the killing of a minor inside the Chiquibul. Guatemala’s President Jimmy Morales and other high-ranking officials ramped up the rhetoric and mobilized […]
The de-escalation of the tension, according to the PM, came despite the positions taking by both leaders – Morales seeking justice for the death of thirteen year old Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano, and Barrow maintaining that the shooting was justified…self-defense after a B.D.F. patrol came under fire. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “President Morales committed […]
While reports from Guatemala have spread like wildfire, along with condemnation of the B.D.F. at the highest levels of government, the incident is still under investigation by the O.A.S. Guatemala’s Foreign Minister, Carlos Raul Morales, has been particularly focused on the B.D.F., criticizing their training and rules of engagement. Today, for the first time, B.D.F. […]
If you wanted more assurance that the rhetoric has been dialed way down, you’d only have to listen to an interview from Guatemala’s Minister of Defense Williams Mansilla over the weekend. He told the press in Guatemala that there was no declaration of war, and not even a mobilization of troops as was widely reported. […]
So the crisis has been averted, and all attempts will be made to de-escalate tensions in the wake of the incident on Wednesday in the Chiquibul. But the truth is that the factors which coalesced to create that near flashpoint are still very much in evidence. In the Sarstoon, for example, there is a state […]
Earlier in our newscast we mentioned the BTV trip scheduled for Saturday. The government has advised that it not happen, while BTV head Wil Maheia insists that he will lead an expedition to Sarstoon Island to mark the anniversary of the 1859 Treaty. Based on what we saw first-hand on Friday as we visited the […]
Late last week, the Organization of American States issued a rare statement. We say rare because the O.A.S. has stoically maintained silence in times of tension, like when Special Police Constable Danny Conorquie was gunned down at Caracol. But not this time, as the O.A.S. release states that it repudiates the killing of the minor […]
The last we heard, Guatemala had rejected eleven proposals presented by Belize to government rules of engagement in the Sarstoon. At the same time, we heard that Belize had roundly rejected Guatemala’s counter-proposals asking for a return to the status-quo. So with a rejection from both sides, the talks are presumably on hold right? Well, […]
Minister of National Security John Saldivar attended a pair of emergency meetings on Friday, including a session with the upper echelon of Belize’s security forces. Later that afternoon, he convened a meeting of the National Security Council where Prime Minister Dean Barrow participated via teleconference. While the diplomatic aspect of the Belize/Guatemala issue is essentially […]
The Government of Guatemala has also issued a statement following the meeting between Prime Minister Dean Barrow and President Jimmy Morales in New York. That statement makes no reference on the de-escalation of tensions as the Prime Minister asserted this morning. In the statement, Morales rejects the Belizean version that the B.D.F. acted in self-defence […]
The Guatemalan Government has also gone on the offensive. President Jimmy Morales also met with the Secretary General of the O.A.S., Luis Almagro, and with the Secretary of the Commission of Human Rights, Emilio Alvarez Icaza Longoria, to request their involvement in the investigation in the death of Guatemalan minor. Guatemala is also seeking an […]
There is tragic news in the west at Santander, whose offices are headquartered in Guatemala. A twenty-four year old Guatemalan national was mangled around midday today by a harvester at the company’s cane fields in Valley of Peace. The field worker, Francisco Andres Antonio Sebastian, was part of several crews who were harvesting sugar cane. […]
The body of thirteen year old Julio Alvarado Ruano, who was killed inside the Chiquibul last Tuesday, was laid to rest over the weekend in his home village of La Rejoya. It’s a tragedy that has spurred increased aggression by the Guatemalan military along the adjacency zone and the Sarstoon River. According to B.D.F. Commander […]
And to close off our coverage of Belize/Guatemala relations tonight, we turn to the status of Ambassador Assad Shoman. P.U.P. leader John Briceño last week made the announcement that Senator Eamon Courtenay would continue as their lead representative to his advisory group of foreign ministers. Shoman might be gone from the P.U.P., but maybe he […]
Turning to politics….While Minister of Education Patrick Faber applauds the B.N.T.U.’s campaign to educate its membership on the Belize/Guatemala dispute; he has been busy heading a campaign of his own. Since a date for a special convention to elect a new deputy leader of the United Democratic Party was announced, Faber has been across the […]
On Friday night in Belmopan, area representative John Saldivar bused in delegates to attend the launch of a music video and jingle as part of his ongoing campaign. Saldivar is also contesting the first deputy leadership of the United Democratic Party and is reaching out to all voters in an effort to gain their support. […]
There is an escalating crisis between Belize and Guatemala that is reaching tipping point. In recent days, Guatemala has adopted an aggressive stand against Belize especially in the Sarstoon where Belizean vessels are now required to get their permission to enter the Sarstoon. The death of a minor near Cebada in the Chiquibul on Wednesday […]
Guatemala earlier today issued a statement saying that ten Guatemalan civilians had been killed by Belizean troops. But there is also the murder of Danny Connorquie and the shooting of Sergeant Richard Lambey within Belize territory, which remains unresolved. While Belize has not placed responsibility at the hands of Guatemalans, everything points to them. According […]
