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On Wednesday, we showed you how ex-Immigration Director Ruth Meighan took responsibility as senior officer for not taking advantage of the resources available to her to properly vet documents. But there is a greater mea culpa she took on, and that is for most of the entire state of affairs under her tenure. While she […]
Written on January 26, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on My Most Grievous Fault: Meighan Says Sorry for Immigration Fumbles
Wednesday’s public hearing of the Senate Special Select Committee on Immigration touched many issues and provided many revelations. One is the extensive back and forth with regard to the issue of recommenders for visas and passports, and the contrast with letters from persons seeking investment opportunities or sponsoring family members to come to the Jewel […]
Written on January 26, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on No Record of Ministers’ Many Recommendations, At Least Not Officially
The Senate inquiry has revealed that Ministers wielded outsize power as it related to the workings of the Immigration Department. While Minister of Immigration Godwin Hulse has contended that none of his fellow Ministers had the power to intimidate employees of the Department into doing favours for them, it turns out there was a lot […]
Written on January 26, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Ministers Made Many Visits to Immigration – But What Were They Doing There?
Jin Chen An. He or she, depending on who you ask, was a Chinese investor consultant working with one Roger Tien, seeking a visa to come to Belize. He was invited by Minister of Trade Erwin Contreras in 2012, despite apparently living in Belize from 2007 and even opening a place of business, National Bar […]
Written on January 26, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Aldo Salazar Indicts Officers for Failing to Collaborate on Applications
Thirty-nine-year-old Elsworth Morter is spending a second night at the Belize Central Prison after being sentenced to three years for drug trafficking. A GSU raid on his Oleander Street residence on Monday night yielded over thirteen pounds of cannabis. At the time of the sweep, seven others, including six adults and a minor, were inside […]
Written on January 26, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on 3 Years in Jail after G.S.U. Sweep Nets 13 Pounds of Weed for Elsworth Morter
A gang of six would-be thieves, busted during a foiled robbery attempt at the Northern Fishermen’s Cooperatives on January tenth, appeared before the lower court on Wednesday. Taxi driver Gilroy Thompson, Dorian Blair, Aaron Flowers, Kenroy Vanzie and Collet Montero were previously arraigned for possession of a firearm with intent to commit a crime. They […]
Written on January 26, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Northern Fishermen 6 Charged Over Stolen Gun
The Statistical Institute of Belize has released figures for December 2016. From that information, it comes as no surprise that consumer prices were up by one point one percent. That figure is compared to the same period in 2015. The transport index increased by nine point nine percent and remained the key contributor to the […]
Written on January 26, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on 2016 Concludes with Higher Prices, Lower Trade
There was an encounter earlier today resulting in a heated exchange between local customs officials and Mexican contrabandists at the northern border in Corozal. Amateur footage of the incident was posted online this afternoon and that video has since gone viral. A rowdy mob of peddlers can be seen at the border crossing engaging the […]
Written on January 26, 2017 | Posted in
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It made the news back in June 2011 when businessman Patrick Menzies was charged with the attempted murder of a GSU officer and a woman who were socializing at a City establishment when a fight broke out. The original claims were that GSU personnel intervened to break up the fight and in the process officers […]
Written on January 26, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on G.S.U. Can’t Prove Patrick Menzies Knocked Down Officers in 2011
This morning, more than eleven million viewers watched the live streaming of the preliminary events of Miss Universe pageant held in Manila, Philippines. The top ladies from the swimsuit and evening gown will be named at the coronation event that airs here in Belize on Sunday, January twenty-ninth. Belize’s eyes will be watching closely as […]
Written on January 26, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Rebecca Rath is a Stunner in Miss Universe Preliminaries
The twenty-sixth of January is celebrated annually as World Customs Day and today the local Customs and Excise Department commemorated the day by setting up information booths inside the Battlefield Park in downtown Belize City. In April of 2008, the department joined the World Customs Organization and has since been upgrading the processes within the […]
Written on January 26, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Customs and Excise Host Annual Celebration
Many are of the opinion that the role of the department is really to have customs officers stationed at border/entry points searching your luggage and groceries and fining you. But the mandate of the Customs and Excise Department is really for security measures at entry points. Leslie says that the event showcases risk management practices […]
Written on January 26, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Customs Revamps Enforcement at Borders
It’s been just over two years since Belize and the world lost musical legend Paul Nabor. Nabi, as he was affectionately known, was a humble Garifuna fisherman, farmer, and musician, who through his parandero music took his cultural heritage to the world stage. That intangible heritage lives on through Punta Rock musicians and youths in […]
Written on January 26, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Remembering Legendary Musical Ambassador, Paul Nabor
Former Director of Immigration and Nationality Ruth Meighan returned to an already hot seat at the National Assembly as the latest to testify in the Senate Special Select Committee’s hearings on the Special Audit of the Immigration Department. As the top boss, she presided over most of the time covered in the Audit, but questioning […]
Written on January 25, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Eamon Courtenay Turns Up the Heat on Ruth Meighan at Senate Inquiry
Ministers of the Government of Belize tend to enjoy their power, especially when it comes to influencing their constituents. Of course, constituents tend to take advantage of that power and influence when they so wish. In the case of Immigration and Nationality, all members of the National Assembly are among the recognized recommenders for passports, […]
Written on January 25, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Did Ministers’ Recommendations Sway Immigration Officers?
So, is there anything Director Meighan would have done differently? She acknowledged the changes made to the Department’s system since her time there and said that in hindsight, she might have taken more advantage of the resources available to her to properly vet documents. In addition, she agreed that a full audit was necessary and […]
Written on January 25, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Ex-Immigration Director Admits She Would Have Done Things Differently
You can say it’s common knowledge that the bondholders of Belize’s international debt, known as Superbond 3.0, rejected a third restructuring proposed by the Government of Belize. G.O.B. is now seeking to avoid further credit risk and strengthen Belize’s economy. But will the government turn to retrenchment and increased taxes, as proposed by the International […]
Written on January 25, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on G.O.B.: Yes to Cutting Expenses; No to Higher Taxes and Retrenchment
Last week, we reported on the arrest of the principals of the proposed multimillion dollar Puerto Azul tourism project on the islands of Sand Bore and Northern Two Cayes in Belize. The eight-star ultra-luxury resort was a pyramid investment swindle that netted so-called developers Domenico Giannini and Fabio de La Rosa millions of dollars. Giannini […]
Written on January 25, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Belize Should Be Safe from Puerto Azul Fallout, Trade Minister Believes
There was a community outreach earlier today in the Conch Shell Bay neighborhood, led by the Belize Police Department and Albert Area Representative Tracy Panton. The initiative followed the arraignment of twenty-seven-year-old Enfield Fitzgibbon who has been charged with the attempted murder of Keimar Nicholas. The near-fatal shooting incident occurred on Monday night in Lindo’s […]
Written on January 25, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Enfield Fitzgibbon in Court for Attempted Murder in Conch Shell Bay
Today, the Eastern Division of the Police Department held its first meet and greet session on south side Belize City after a new media policy was introduced. The community policing activity saw the officers visit the Conch Shell Bay area, which recently has been seeing a spike in crime. But the police were joined today […]
Written on January 25, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Police Meet and Greet Conch Shell Bay with Area Rep Tracy Panton
Conchshell Bay is a fairly small area within the Alberts, divided by the canal at the Fish Market. Since the beginning of the year, there have been repeated acts of violence in the area; there have since been two murders and several shootings. While the Regional Commander of Eastern Division South, along with several officers, […]
Written on January 25, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Drugs and Turf Wars to Blame for Crime Spike?
But drug war aside, there are several factors that must also be taken into consideration, including the lack of employment opportunities in the area. Panton says that the police, as well as her constituency office, will intervene and mediate between feuding gangs in an effort to mitigate crime. Tracy Panton, Area Rep. Albert “I […]
Written on January 25, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Area Rep for Albert Joins Fight Against Crime
Was slain religious extremist Abu Naila, believed to be Belizean born Nadir Ali Ahmad, associated with the local chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community? It’s a question that was put candidly to a panel of religious leaders this morning during a press conference to announce an upcoming convention. Since News Five broke the story last […]
Written on January 25, 2017 | Posted in
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According to Lal Khan Malik, who is visiting from Canada, the teachings of the Holy Book of Islam, speaks to the idea of peace and harmony. Any radical departure from those teachings often results in harsh punishment and condemnation. Lal Khan Malik, President, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, Canada “Are these terrorists who claim to be […]
Written on January 25, 2017 | Posted in
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On Thursday morning, our Miss Belize Universe will be taking part in the preliminary events of the sixty-fifth Miss Universe pageant. In the prelims, Rebecca Rathand the other contestants will be showcasing their swimsuit, evening gown and national costume to bid for a spot in the top twelve. These preliminaries will be carried live on […]
Written on January 25, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Miss Belize Universe, Rebecca Rath, Flies the Flag in Philippines
