On Saturday news spread like a toxic cloud over the nation…thirty-seven Belizeans, part of an expedition headed to the southern-most border marker, had been detained by Guatemalan military and taken to Livingston, Guatemala. The detained individuals were mostly from Orange Walk, since the trek was organized by the Northern Territorial Volunteers. The mission plan was […]
But with the emotional homecoming out of the way, the question remains – how could the unthinkable have happened? How is it that a Belizean vessel carrying Belizeans could have been seized at gunpoint by Guatemalan military and taken to Livingston? Mike Rudon spoke to those on the boat and put the pieces of the […]
We’ll get to that government response in a few, but first the Captain of the Dore – Guillermo “Memo” Avila. He is the man who took the expedition to Gracias a Dios, and then made the unscheduled and unexpected journey to Livingston, Guatemala. He chose to retain the services of attorney Audrey Matura-Shepherd, who gave […]
As we told you, officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Security conducted a debriefing exercise with certain members of the expedition right after arrival on Belizean land. National Security C.E.O., Colonel George Lovell, told News Five that the objective of the exercise is to establish the facts, an opportunity to get first-hand […]
While it was probably a little too early to expect an official comment from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we approached Belize’s Ambassador to Guatemala, Alexis Rosado. He took part in the debriefing, but apart from expressing some disappointment, he would only say that the most important thing is that everyone is back home safe. […]
There were three murders over the weekend; two in Belize City and one in Corozal. In the city, we start with the most recent murder that occurred just after eleven on Sunday night. Two disc jockeys were socializing at a residence on Periwinkle Street when they were targeted by two gunmen who were reportedly on […]
Four hours before the cold-blooded murder of Michael Welch, shots rang out behind the Charles Bartlett Hyde building, better known as the Complex. Just before seven p.m. on Sunday, twenty-seven-year-old Japhet Martinez of M and Y Street, off Holy Emmanuel Street in Belize City was the target of a gunman. Martinez had left home and […]
A Mexican national was hacked to death in the Corozal District over the weekend. On Sunday night in San Victor Village, the mutilated body of Sergio Martinez was discovered inside a pimento bungalow with multiple chop wounds to the face and head. Punctures were also visible on Martinez’s neck and chest. Initial investigations revealed that […]
At around midnight on Saturday, an attempt was made on the life of twenty-six-year-old Jaime Emmanuel Chavarria. Just outside his house on West Canal, Chavarria had just exited his vehicle, when a man, who came from the direction of Rocky Road, fired several shots. Chavarria was hit twice. Neighbors say they heard at least seven […]
Nineteen-year-old Ernesto Vasquez of Antelope Street Extension was remanded to the Belize Central Prison for the killing of Herbert Bowden. Vasquez was unrepresented in Magistrate’s Court today when he was charged with a single count of murder. While no plea was taken, Magistrate Herbert Panton asked the accused why he was named in the murder […]
Allen Valencia was immediately detained on Friday after a group of protesters threw eggs and water at former Immigration Minister Elvin Penner when he exited the Supreme Court that day in Belize City. While only one of the missiles thrown missed the intended target, another one caught Sylvester Maldonado, who is believed to be Penner’s […]
Sixty-one-year-old Alvin Lewis Senior perished in an inferno which consumed his residence in Dangriga on Sunday afternoon. According to his wife, Thelma Lewis, sometime after one o’clock she left their home on Isidoro Street to do some business. Lewis, a paraplegic for the past twenty-five years, remained at home. Upon her return, she discovered that […]
It is with deep sadness that tonight we report on the death of Guatemala’s Ambassador to Belize, His Excellency Manuel Tellez. He passed away on Sunday morning in Guatemala City surrounded by his loved ones and was laid to rest earlier today. Prior to his funeral services the ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala paid […]
Two weeks ago, a picture of Lord Michael Ashcroft and Audrey Matura Shepherd at breakfast went viral. It was all over social media, so much so that it made the local news. Although he was on business, supporters of the U.D.P. camp were speculating that his trip was about election financing for the P.U.P. That […]
In our interview, Ashcroft also spoke about his level of financial involvement, or, as we learnt, his lack of financial involvement, in Telemedia at the time of nationalization. He categorically stated that it was never about him and the government. Here’s what he had to say. Lord Michael Ashcroft “I have no shares in […]
Election Day 2015 is less than forty-eight hours away and the two major political parties, together with their mayoral and councilor candidates, are fueling their respective machineries. On Wednesday, both P.U.P. and U.D.P. will be mobilizing supporters en masse to and from polling stations across all nine municipalities. It is no secret that money, in […]
In the past weeks, News Five has travelled across the country, bringing you interviews from candidates vying for the sixty-seven seats up for grabs in the 2015 municipal elections. Over the weekend, we had the opportunity to speak with Wil Maheia, head of the People’s National party, based in Punta Gorda. The P.N.P. has fielded […]
The People’s United Party has been at the helm of the Punta Gorda Town Council for the past three years, under a U.D.P. Central Government. According to Maheia, that hasn’t worked for the municipality, and both parties have fallen down on the job, leaving the path open for his People’s National Party. Wil Maheia, […]
