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As tensions continue to mount, the Prime Minister is meeting with high level officials from the United Nations, the O.A.S. and the international community. Here on the ground, the government is briefing the U.S., the U.K. and other allies. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “I am meeting with the deputy secretary general of the UN […]
Written on April 22, 2016 | Posted in
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Here in Belize City, the National Security Council met this afternoon at the Office of the Prime Minister in Belize City, following a meeting this morning between Minister of National Security John Saldivar and the senior command of Belize’s security forces. The Belize Defense Force, the Belize National Coast Guard, as well as the Belize […]
As the government of Guatemala becomes more aggressive, The People’s United Party has been swift in issuing a statement following an emergency executive meeting at Independence Hall. P.U.P. Leader John Briceño addressed the nation on the crisis along our borders. He called the troop build-up an irresponsible threat to peace and demanded that the kaibiles […]
Written on April 22, 2016 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Opposition Leader Addresses Nation as Guatemala Increases Aggression
As we said, the People’s United Party held an emergency meeting this morning in light of the amassing of troops in the Sarstoon as well as at the Adjacency Zone. The lead of the advisory group for the P.U.P. is Senator Eamon Courtenay, who is also a former Foreign Minister. Prior to that meeting, we […]
Senator Courtenay explains that once Guatemala moves its troops to exercise their so called sovereignty, it is a clear case of annexation which if left undone, becomes a permanent situation. Eamon Courtenay, Opposition Representative “When a country declares part of a territory of another country is there’s coupled with the actual exercise of sovereignty […]
Courtenay goes on to say that the internationalization of the Belize/Guatemala crisis, in light of the shooting death of a minor in the Chiquibul, is being used by Guatemalan army generals to push an aggressive military position against Belize. The full story, he says, must be told in the international community in the manner in […]
Secretary General of the O.A.S., Luis Almagro, was sitting comfortably witnessing a Culture for Peace Program at the Adjacency Zone on Wednesday removed from what was happening at the Sarstoon where the Guatemalan Armed Forces were making their presence known immediately in front of the Forward Operating base. As far as we can tell, the […]
Written on April 22, 2016 | Posted in
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Senator Eamon Courtenay, this morning expressed dismay at the O.A.S. pointing out that the organization is well aware of the plunder of Belize’s resources in the Chiquibul by Guatemalan nationals. He said that the circumstances deserve a stepping up of diplomatic work. Eamon Courtenay, Opposition Representative “In my experience, the O.A.S. does not issue […]
Written on April 22, 2016 | Posted in
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Since we visited the Sarstoon on Wednesday for the inauguration of the joint operations Forward Operating Base a lot has happened. A Guatemalan minor was shot and killed in the Chiquibul, allegedly by a B.D.F. Patrol returning fire, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales has inflamed the issue with a very strong video message and Guatemalan troops […]
Aside from the Sarstoon, we headed to Benque which is the western town on the border with Guatemala. We witnessed Guatemalan children crossing the border to attend school in Belize. And while business has slowed down, the flow of traffic and people continued without incident. News Five’s Isani Cayetano has a report from Benque. […]
Apart from the O.A.S. and Mexico issuing statements on the latest developments between Belize and Guatemala, the U.S. State Department made a brief comment on the escalated tension. The press statement by Assistant Secretary and Department Spokesperson John Kirby, says, “We are deeply concerned by reports today that a child was killed and two family […]
The government of Mexico has also issued a statement. Our neighbor to the north reiterates its support for the efforts of both countries to advance the solution to the dispute that maintain as well as its support for the initiatives that are implemented within the framework of the O.A.S. to promote measures of confidence building. […]
The P.U.P. leader told News Five on Thursday that Senator Eamon Courtenay continues as his chief representative on the advisory group to the Belize/Guatemala issue. Former Minister Assad Shoman has moved on. Now, Minister Elrington and Senator Courtenay have not always seen things eye to eye. Courtenay was this morning asked about the relationship with […]
Written on April 22, 2016 | Posted in
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The Organization of American States has issued a release on the fatal shooting of Guatemalan minor Julio Rene Alvarado, in the Chiquibul on Wednesday. The release states that, “the O.A.S. General Secretariat repudiates the death of a Guatemalan minor at the hands of a Belizean patrol and urges both sides to redouble efforts to establish […]
The Belize Territorial Volunteers will be heading to Sarstoon on Saturday, April thirtieth. Or will they? Maheia has been accused of provoking the Guatemalans, so he is certainly on the blacklist of both militaries. Brigadier-General David Jones, even before the current high alert, reiterated that civilians will be stopped and even if he hadn’t said […]
Written on April 22, 2016 | Posted in
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Tonight, there is heightened tension on both Belizean and Guatemalan fronts following the death of a Guatemalan minor and a very strong and disturbing message to Belize from Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales. First, the shooting….News Five has confirmed that at around six-thirty Wednesday evening, seven B.D.F. soldiers and seven FCD rangers were destroying farms within […]
The release from the Government of Belize does not respond to the bold statement of Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales. News Five has been reliably informed that Prime Minister Dean Barrow and Morales are meeting in New York tonight, where both have gone to sign on to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We’re assuming that […]
As you heard just now, Belize has asked the O.A.S. for a verification exercise for Wednesday’s shooting near Cebada. This morning, just before he left the country, O.A.S. Secretary-General Luis Almagro made reference to the urgent need for just such an exercise in the interest of keeping the peace between both countries. Luis Almagro, […]
Written on April 21, 2016 | Posted in
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The Secretary General’s brief interview at the Phillip Goldson International Airport was essentially a continuation of an ad hoc question and answer session at the western border on Wednesday which ended abruptly. While Almagro’s itinerary did not necessarily include formal discussions on protocols governing the Sarstoon area, he did meet with Prime Minister Dean Barrow […]
Written on April 21, 2016 | Posted in
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Before that shooting near Cebada, the biggest thing in the news would have been the actions by Guatemala on Wednesday, as the Ministry of National Security inaugurated its Forward Operating Base at the Sarstoon. Vessels from the Guatemalan base stationed themselves well within Belizean territory, and at one point were less than one hundred feet […]
Written on April 21, 2016 | Posted in
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And where the Opposition’s participation in the Belize/Guatemala talks is concerned, there is very significant news. Ambassador Assad Shoman is out, and Ambassador Eamon Courtenay is in. We could not confirm whether the very sudden removal of Shoman as P.U.P. Representative is based on the fact that last week he stated that he is not […]
This morning, Briceño also briefed News Five on the meeting with Secretary-General Almagro which included the participation of former P.U.P. Foreign Ministers Said Musa, Lisa Shoman, Godfrey Smith and Eamon Courtenay. He told us that the Opposition took great pains to reject Guatemala’s claim and recent actions and also to let him know that the […]
As we reported earlier in the newscast, there is a build-up of Guatemalan troops on the Sarstoon and along the adjacency zone. It comes immediately after President Jimmy Morales issued a statement saying he would beef up his security forces and recalled his ambassador. Now PM Dean Barrow is in New York for the signing […]
There is another recent case involving the destruction of Mayan sites, but in the south. Rupert Myles was detained in June of 2015, according to traditional Maya customs, for desecrating a mound within the Uxbenka Archaeological Site. Myles, despite warnings from Mayan leaders in the community, had constructed his wooden house atop a monument and […]
Written on April 21, 2016 | Posted in
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The shooting of the Guatemalan minor occurred in the Chiquibul, in an area which is known for illegal marijuana plantations. Ironically, on Wednesday Brigadier-General David Jones spoke to us about the ongoing B.D.F. patrols in the area to address the situation of illegal farming and marijuana cultivation. He couldn’t have known that just hours after […]
