Tonight, there is real and present danger of bloodshed in the forests along the Belize/Guatemala border, and a chilling sense of escalating violence. This morning at around nine-thirty, there was an encounter between B.D.F. soldiers and approximately twenty-five Guatemalan civilians. The soldiers were guarding civilian workmen who are building a new outpost at Camp Valentin, […]
The newly constructed outpost at Camp Valentin is less than a kilometre from the Guatemalan border. Reinforcements were called in from Camp Belizario, located at least four hours from the remote outpost. The threat to the B.D.F. soldiers, and to the workmen under their watch, was very real. But is the government taking the threat […]
The question of the adequacy of the government response to threat is a pertinent and valid one. After all, Danny Conorquie was murdered fully eight months after the head of the Tourism Police Unit, Diana Hall, issued a dire warning to her superiors via memo, and begged for assistance. Her requests for additional training, manpower […]
A week after his execution, the country is still grieving the death of Conorquie, a twenty-year old tourism police constable working at the Caracol Archeological Site. Two protests were held earlier this week demanding justice for the special constable; today another was held in front of the Embassy of Guatemala in Belize City because it […]
In the wake of significant unrest and public outrage towards Guatemala, the news that the Coast Guard’s forward operating base on Hunting Caye is being built by Guatemalans has likely become the proverbial straw. So much so that Prime Minister Dean Barrow has lashed out at the US government which is funding that facility. Like […]
During the nationwide blackout on Thursday night, twenty-seven year old Gerald Palmer was shot multiple times on Grants Alley. The food vendor of Barrack Road had just left home when a lone gun man opened fire on him. Palmer was rushed to the K.H.M.H. where he succumbed to his injuries at about two thirty this […]
Immediately following last Thursday’s murder of Conorquie, Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington told the media that he was uncertain whether the shooting death of Special Constable Danny Conorquie was indeed perpetrated by Guatemalan bandits. Despite the massive firestorm that followed his statement, Elrington remains firm in his position. Today, he backed up his opinion by stating […]
In responding to criticism that he is too lenient on the issue of how the Guatemalan claim is being handled, Elrington told the media today that despite seeming public disapproval he has personally made great strides in fostering diplomatic relations with Guatemala to the point where Guatemala has now agreed to go to the International […]
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary John Feely, of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, concluded a two-day working visit to Belize today after meeting with various organizations, including government, civil society, security, education and culture. Feely met with officials from the Ministry of Education on Thursday at the Leo Bradley Library, where a […]
On Thursday evening, upon his departure from the Leo Bradley Library, Feely visited the National Youth Cadet Corp on the George Price Highway where he met with a number of at-risk youths who are currently enrolled in the program. He discussed the experience of seeing firsthand the intervention being used to improve the lives of […]
Back to the encounter between Guatemalan civilians and the B.D.F. at Camp Valentin. Late this evening, the Ministry of National Security issued a release saying that the group of Guatemalans, some armed with rifles, shotguns and machetes, entered into Belize in the area of Valentin Camp where the Government is constructing a conservation post. According […]
The police continue to investigate the murder of Danny Conorquie. But at this point that’s more an exercise of proving what everybody believes to be true. With the exception of the Foreign Minister whose head is buried firmly in the sand, there is consensus that the special constable was killed by Guatemalans. Prime Minister Dean […]
The threat to our armed forces this morning has highlighted a deficiency in our military capacity which is certainly no secret. There is need for a helicopter to assist in operations, not the least of which is maintaining our territorial integrity. To drive the point home, this morning it took reinforcements as much as five […]
And with sentiments against Guatemala running high, News Five has obtained a copy of a page of the passport of U.D.P. Orange Walk Central candidate Denny Grijalva. The information contained in the passport shows what is widely known that Grijalva was born in Guatemala on November twelfth, 1968. But he subsequently moved to Belize and […]
In a cleansing of the police department, three police officers were before the court today to answer to criminal offenses. First to be arraigned were two alleged rogue cops who have been fingered for attacking Belize City resident, Tramane Ciego. They are police constables Jefferson Gilbert Dawson of Belize City and Eber Depaz, of San […]
A third cop and his girlfriend were arraigned but were able to get bail today. Police officer Jamille Scott is accused of stealing jewelry and other items from the house of Randolph Gentle. He was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith for two counts of Theft for stealing a black hand-held radio valued at […]
The prime minister met with church leaders today on the revised gender policy. The leaders from the various churches have made numerous recommendations that they wish to be included in the controversial policy document that has sparked demonstrations across the country led by the evangelical arm of the churches. PM Barrow told the media that […]
A high-level meeting between government officials from Belize and Mexico was held earlier today to conclude the eighth meeting of the Bi-national Commission. A delegation from the neighboring country, led by Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Jose Antonio Meade, convened with the ministers of Foreign Affairs and Tourism at the Princess Hotel this morning to […]
According to Jose Antonio Meade, Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of President Enrique Pena Nieto, a guide has been established in order to achieve the purposes of bolstering the management of the countries’ marine and tourism resources. Jose Antonio Meade, Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs “We have not really constructed a […]
Everyone has or knows someone that has been afflicted with cancer. Over the years it has become even more prevalent in Belize regardless of age or gender. The Belize Cancer Society has been actively working along with the health institutions for years promoting awareness and the importance of carrying out screening tests. CIBC FirstCaribbean Bank […]
A Defensive Driving Course for government drivers concluded on Thursday in Belize City; it is part of a larger eighteen million dollar initiative called the Belize Road Safety Project funded by the Caribbean Development Bank. The objective is to train government drivers to improve their road behaviour and so reduce the number of traffic fatalities […]
