Santa Rosa Cleared of Squatters, BDF Patrolling 24/7

Since 1988 – Guatemalan nationals have been calling the Belizean village of Santa Rosa near the border in Toledo home. They have lived and farmed in the village as if it was Guatemalan land. What started as 65 persons in 1988 ballooned to 130 people from 16 families in 2007. And so as part of the confidence building measures adopted by Belize and Guatemala through the Organization of American States, the Guatemalans were told they had to go and offered a better place to live in Guatemala.

But that was easier said than done, the Guatemalans were stubborn and the issue of Santa Rosa became a thorn in the side of the Musa administration which promised but never delivered the eviction of all Guatemalan settlers before the end of December 2007. But in the confidence building era and with sensitive border relations, these things have their own glacial pace, and so the last family left at the beginning of April.

So they are gone but will it be for good? That’s what Keith Swift flew to Santa Rosa to find out today.

Keith Swift Reporting,
This is Santa Rosa then – a thriving Guatemalan village on Belizean territory- complete with a school building. The illegal settlers, seen here in a 2007 meeting with the OAS, had made Belize their home – building homes, even a school, and planting crops. All of this on Belizean territory – and it seemed at times that no one was able to stop them.

But that was then and this is the village of Santa Rosa now – or what’s left of it. First here’s the view from the air – and then this is how it looks on the ground. The 16 Guatemalan families are gone. Their dwellings have been reduced to piles of sticks and sheets of zincs – while their tennis shoes, bed frames, and even beer cans are now scattered – and left as memories of the stubborn and divisive settlement that for 20 years just wouldn’t go away. And as for the school – well this is all that’s left of it.

All told it took four months to evict the illegal settlers.

Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of National Security
“It had reached a point where the people living in this village began to raise their flag, they had a school, the remnants is behind me, they started to teach with Guatemalan teachers and Guatemalan curriculum and so it is in that type of situation that it became a ticklish diplomatic issue and they claim that this was their land and so forth.”

Brig. Gen. Lloyd Gillett, CEO – Ministry of National Security
“I know that at times the Belizean public was impatient but I think this is a triumph for diplomacy and also military cooperation. I think both governments realized that the people had to be returned to Guatemala. It was just the manner in which they were returned. I think in the end we ended up with a peaceful transfer of people ton Belizean soil into Guatemala.”

And while getting rid of the illegal Guatemalan settlers was hard - keeping them away might be even harder. That is because Santa Rosa is smack on the Belize/Guatemalan border. In fact right now I am standing on Belizean territory in Santa Rosa but if I take a few steps back, I will be in Guatemalan territory – in the village of El Limon.

And to ensure Guatemalans don’t cross into Belizean territory, armed Belize Defense Force soldiers equipped with global positioning systems now patrol this stretch of the border 24 hours a day. The man leading operations is BDF Captain Daniel Mendez.

Capt. Daniel Mendez, BDF
“The patrol that stays out here rotates on a 24 hour basis which means we have persons out here all the time. Their job is to patrol from the village of San Vicente up to an area called Esperino which is about three kilometres to the north. We also continue patrolling the farms which were used by the villagers of Santa Rosa in order to ensure that no one is returning to use them over again.”

Captain Mendez says that even today - post Santa Rosa - his team regularly encounters Guatemalan nationals trying to cross into Belizean territory.

Capt. Daniel Mendez,
“We still encounter Guatemalans but mostly ex-villagers from Santa Rosa coming back for some things. We have not meeting the number of persons that we used to meet and whenever we do encounter persons, they are informed that they are in Belize and they are told to leave the territory. They are asked to return back to Guatemala.”

Keith Swift,
And they do so willingly?

Capt. Daniel Mendez,
“Yes they do. We haven’t med any resistance.”

And in addition to those 24 hour foot patrols, the BDF will be keeping an eye on the border and on Santa Rosa from atop this hill where an outpost cabin will be built shortly. This morning 7NEWS accompanied National Security Minister Carlos Perdomo and his CEO, Brigadier General Lloyd Gillett, on a tour of Santa Rosa and a visit to the border. Perdomo gave his government’s assurance to ensure that Guatemalans stay on their side of the border.

Hon. Carlos Perdomo,
“The BDF will now be patrolling and ensuring that there are no illegal loggers or illegal farmers or any further migration into this part of Belizean territory.”

Brig. Gen. Lloyd Gillett,
“Even when we have a diplomatic solution to the border dispute there will still be challenges, pressures, people wanting to migrate into Belize, people wanting to farm into Belize, people want to extract forestry products out of Belize. So the BDF has to remain vigilant. We have established a series of permanent observation posts along the border. This is one, we have one in Jalacte, we have another that we recently established in the Rio Blanco area and we will continue to aggressively patrol and also coordinate our patrols with the Guatemalan Armed Forces so that the people living in this area see that we are cooperating and then they understand that they are in Belizean territory and where the border is.”

And one reminder will be armed BDF soldiers – either from atop their observation post – or on foot patrol.

Minister of National Security Carlos Perdomo says he doesn’t expect Belizeans to re-occupy the area because it is part of the Colombia Forest Reserve. In fact plans are afoot to replant trees in the area which was cleared by the Guatemalans. And we should note that the Guatemalans did leave to greener grass on the other side. The OAS provided them with new houses on the Guatemalan side of the border.

Melvin Hulse to Bus Owners: Deliver or Depart

Apart from the Albert Street riots in 2005, the most memorable events of unrest in the past 5 years have been the bus riots: there were four of them, two in Orange Walk and two in Benque Viejo. They were nothing nice, and it seemed to us, they had the effect of tipping the balance of power in the transport industry away from the regulator – which is government, and in favour of the bus owners.

That’s because government was forced into or accepted a position of weakness – compromised by the Novelo’s mess and then incapacitated by its own fear of popular disapproval. So the bus owners assumed a position of power – striking whenever government proposed something they didn’t like - which would in turn foment public unrest, forcing government to capitulate.

But there’s a new sheriff in the transport industry. That’s Minister Melvin Hulse, and in meetings across the country, he’s been telling bus owners about his no nonsense approach, which demands that either they deliver, or depart. He met in Orange Walk yesterday and told our affiliates at Channel 10 – that’s it’s all about the end user of the bus services.

Hon. Melvin Hulse, Minister of Transport
“So what we want to ensure is that there is a national transportation grid, a national transportation program where we ensure reliable services on safe buses, punctual buses that will take the people safely; when they leave that they know that at 3:30 in the morning there will be a bus leaving to go to Belize and they can get on it with their clean clothes and not to get dirty because as I explained to them, the buses do not belong to the people who own the buses, the purpose of the buses is the for the people – moving people. So if there were no people then nobody would have a bus.

I have explained to people that they do not have right to a bus permit, that is a privilege and an opportunity for a business but their priority must be so. The public has a right to complain when the bus is late, when the bus is dirty, when the bus is overcrowded and over the years the owners and the operators of buses think that the public grumble too much. They have a right because they are paying, it is a service being provided. And then these people have drunken people coming on and bringing liquor and they are bringing machetes and it’s all jammed up. You have workers piling up and you have paid to sit down and then they turn around and say this is their bus and they can do what they want. No, you cannot do what you want.”

Hulse is currently touring to meet bus owners in the four zones: north, south, west and central.

Home Invader Darrel Hyde Died From A Stab Wound

No charges are expected to be brought against Charles McIntosh and his common law wife Kim Myles after the couple stabbed and shot an intruder inside their home in Ladyville. He was found lying on Marage Road about one hundred yards away from McIntosh’s residence. The suspect identified as Darrel Hyde later died at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.

But was it the bullets from McIntosh’s licensed thirty eight revolver or the blade from the small knife held by Kim Myles that caused his death? Today authorities told 7NEWS that while Hyde was shot three times to the chest and left arm a post mortem has revealed that he died due to a stab wound to the heart.

Investigations reveal that both Charles McIntosh and Kim Myles acted in self defence after Darrel Hyde struck McIntosh in the head with a hammer and tried to take the gun away from him. Kim Myles is a cousin of the deceased.

Jermaine Matura Shot

There was another Belize City shooting last night that has left Jermaine Matura alive but hospitalized. Last night Jermaine Matura was along with his family and friends inside a yard on Central American Boulevard when gunshots rang out. Two of those bullets caught Jermaine Matura in the back of his right hand and abdomen.

Matura declined an on camera interview but information reaching 7NEWS indicates that it is not the first time that his life has been threatened. In fact only two weeks ago someone shot at Jermaine Matura but he escaped injury. Today Belize City police are trying to determine if both cases are related. But it’s not been easy because Matura has been unable to positively identify his shooter in both incidents.

So while police have no definitive lead on who pulled the trigger they are looking for two persons who they believe can assist in the investigation.

Belize Has Enough Food to Export

There’s a worldwide food shortage and its effects are being felt most deeply in the developing world. Food riots in Haiti toppled the government and in Somalia this week, 5 food rioters were shot by armed forces. There have also been food riots in Cameroon, Egypt, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Madagascar. Protestors are angry about soaring prices and scarcity. But it’s not that bad in Belize.

Yes, the cost of living is higher than it’s ever been and there have been flour shortages as a consequence of the worldwide wheat shortage, but there are no critical shortages. In fact, today Agriculture Minister Rene Montero told us that Belize is so self sufficient – that his Ministry is looking for ways to start exporting to its neighbours.

Hon. Rene Montero, Minister of Agriculture
“Our main challenge is good security and at the moment we are self sufficient in the basic grains and meats and we will continue to be self sufficient. We are organizing ourselves, we are organizing the farmers so that we can remain self sufficient in the basic grains like beans, rice, and corn.

In the same token we are also sufficient in also beef meats and poultry meats and since it is a global phenomenon that food prices are going up, the challenge for Belize is not only to remain self-sufficient but also to see if we can increase our production so that we can import to our neighbouring countries, that we know there is a market in both Salvador and Honduras for rice, beans, and corn and we are getting ourselves ready for that. We are getting our farmers organized so that we become an exporting country.”

As regards the rising price of flour, Montero said Belizeans have to start looking to other starchy locally grown crops such as sweet potato, cacao and plantains.

BTL Was Warned

We’ve told you about the dozens of charges that the Financial Intelligence Unit is bringing against the Belize Bank and its President Phil Johnson. The charges are for failing to report suspicious transactions under the Money Laundering Act. It relates to cash deposits made by BTL in a period for specific dates 2001 and 2005.

At that time, due to an acute scarcity of foreign exchange in official outlets, BTL made the decision to purchase foreign exchange on the parallel market. That left Financial Controller Gaspar Aguilar with the unenviable task of having to transport and exchange tens of millions of dollars in cash. And it ended badly – with Aguilar losing millions of dollars to black market currency traders. But it was foretold – by the auditors – who warned one of Belize’s most profitable companies that they were operating in a gray area- without controls and it could end up badly. Well it has, officially and unofficially.

Tonight we look back at a report we did in 2005 when 7NEWS obtained official documents from BTL showing that the black market currency trade was sanctioned at the highest level and BTL was warned also at the highest level.

[October 26th, 2005]
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
The letter shows that as Financial Controller, Gaspar Aguilar wrote to Dean Boyce on June 13 of 2003, telling him that the company needs to secure US$3 million within 30 days to meet its external commitments. He tells Boyce he checked the source, which would be black market currency trader, for the U.S. dollars, and the exchange rate is US$2.18 to BZ$1. He tells Boyce, "with your approval I can begin the purchase of the US$3 million, starting on Monday June 16". In a signed note at the bottom of the letter, Boyce, Ashcroft's Chairman, authorizes the transaction saying, "transaction authorized to a maximum of US$3 million at a maximum exchange rate of $2.18." That signature is Boyce's.

And if that isn't sanction enough of this very illegal business, on August fifth, of 2003, just one month and a half later, Aguilar writes to Boyce, asking for approval to buy US$1 million a month from August to March of the following year at a rate of $2.18 and $2.20 in the Christmas season. Now keep in mind all these transactions are for currency to be bought off the black market. Boyce writes in an e-mail later that same August fifth: "I am authorizing the purchase of US$1million per month with a maximum exchange rate of US$1 to BZ$2.18."

All these authorizations came after Boyce was warned in August of 2003 by the external auditors that there are "deficiencies in supporting documentary evidence of U.S. dollar purchases." Of course, those deficiencies existed because the currency was being purchased illegally on the black market where there's no paper trail. In 2004, those same external auditors again warned BTL's Board of Directors that BZ$8.2 million was used to purchase U.S. dollars on the parallel market which is contrary to exchange control regulations. It warns that, "the risk is fairly obvious."

All this proves that at all times, BTL's Board of Directors and its Chairman, both Prosser's and Ashcroft's, knew of the risks involved with the way they were changing money, but chose not to heed them and apparently also turning a blind eye was the Financial Intelligence Unit headed by the now Chairman of BTL Keith Arnold.

Again that report was from 2005. The Belize Bank now face the charges that now stem form that currency trade. In a statement the bank has said that “there is no substance whatsoever to the strangely timed allegation by the Financial Intelligence Unit that the bank failed in 2004 to report a suspicious transaction to the FIU…the bank vehemently denies that it has acted in the manner alleged and will vigorously defend itself, and expects in due course to be fully vindicated.”

A Piglet With the Head of A Monkey

Few words can be said to introduce our next story – so we’ll keep it short. The animal you are about see was supposed to be a piglet but it looks more like a monkey- or a cross between the two. That’s right – 2 months ago a pig in Calcutta Village had piglets. One of them was born with the body of a pig and the head of what right now is anyone’s guess. It died two days later and so did the mother but the owners have preserved the strange piglet’s body and called us to see it today. Kissie Staine told us about the perplexing piglet that belonged to her brother.

Keith Swift,
What are we looking at?

Kissie Staine,
“A pig with a monkey head. To me it looks more like a howler monkey. I don’t know cause I am not really a specialist in monkeys or so but it is a monkey head and it is a pig within a pig body. People need to see something like this because just telling them about this they won’t believe. I didn’t believe but then look at that. To me I think it is a curse. I think people should see it and we were trying to get in contact with the zoo because I said we have a lot of tourists and that would attract tourists to Belize because seeing the news and watching Discovery Channel I have never yet see something like this.”

Keith Swift,
What does your brother plan to do with it?

Kissie Staine,
“Well he was planning to see if he could sell it as maybe a tourist attraction or something. We would like to know why that happened like that because if this could happen in Belize then maybe eventually we will have babies, maybe we will have babies being born like this.”

They are hoping to sell the piglet which has been embalmed or at the least get a professional’s opinion on the strange freak of nature.

New Crime Control Council Convenes

The new 14 member Crimes Control Council has been appointed and they held their first meeting today. It has membership from the NGO community, the Opposition, the business community and the Ministry of National Security – in the person of Chairman Michael Young who is the Minister’s representative. They are tasked to monitor crime and come up with programmes to address crime and its root causes. At the first meeting, Chairman Young told us they came up with a motto.

Michael Young, Chairman
“We have approved a motto at our first meeting today which is that crime is a community problem that requires a community solution. It stems exactly what you have mentioned which is that there are so many causes, some of them interwoven which really produce crime. The makeup of the Crime Council is multi-sectoral; governmental bodies, representatives from the business community, non-governmental organizations, the Opposition. And so it is elements from various part of the community which convene together who are represented on this council. And the whole I think thrust of the approach of this council as we have already adopted is that we need to embrace the whole community from in a sense the top right down in this fight against crime.”

The council is also developing some rapid response programmes to deal with the current crime situation.

R&B Legend Millie Jackson Touches Down

She’s an R&B singer in an era when rhythm and blues has gone pop. But that doesn’t mean Millie Jackson is any kind of antique piece. The 63 year old is still getting down and belting out songs that would make Beyonce blush. She arrived in Belize for the first time and she and I had quite a chat. Here’s how it went.

Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
She arrived in Belize like just another visitor passing through Philip Goldson International Airport but sixty three year Millie Jackson is no ordinary individual. She remains as one of the most controversial and uncut R&B artists of her time.

Millie is in Belize for a one time only performance at a Mother’s Day special.

Millie’s singing career stretches over four decades and it has been quite an interesting ride for this singer and song writer whose style of telling it like it is no matter who she offends has resulted in a string of successful albums and R&B singles. I had a sit down with this musical icon at the PGIA and as I expected Millie was nothing but herself.

Jacqueline Godwin,
The year I was born I understand that your career had just gotten off to a start and it all started off as a dare.

Millie Jackson,
“Well you are getting of on a very bad start.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
No man, no that is actually a compliment to you Millie. I mean to be in this business for forty three years and still going strong.

Millie Jackson,
“I have been in this business for forty three years! I guess I have huh.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
And it all started off as a dare I understand in a talent competition?

Millie Jackson,
“No, it was not even a competition. I was just being Millie. She sounded bad and I said she sound terrible and they said yo, I said yah, anybody can and so they bet me five dollars that I would not go up and sing and I went up and sing.

You know I just do what comes natural and it feels good. Hey, that’s it. Do what feels goods. Life is too short to be walking around with drudgery and all of this stuff on your back and moping and groping and frowning and being upset. Frowns make you look old.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
That’s true it gives you the lines.

Millie Jackson,
“But I still have the lines right here from laughing all the time.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
You have made so many hits throughout your career but I know Belizeans will definitely remember if loving you is wrong then I don’t want to be right.

Millie Jackson,
“Okay we still do that one. Don’t scare me by recalling all those songs that we do not do anymore.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
Why? That is what made you Millie.

Millie Jackson,
“I said I still do that one.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
So why should that scare you?

Millie Jackson,
“Because they were naming songs that I, my band don’t know that. I forgot that. We do not know that song. That one we still do know.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
I understand that Gladys Knight; you were inspired by Gladys Knight.

Millie Jackson,
“Yes, that’s my hero.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
But it must makes you feel good because people are actually comparing you to this person that you were inspired by.

Millie Jackson,
“Yes, it is good but she follows me you know because I grew up with her and you know she is my hero so therefore anytime I do a ballad she finds out and I am going in fact I try so hard to get away from her where I am recording and she comes out and get on my record. She is responsible, she is the reason why I am going to hell because I have to curse to get away from her.”

Louis Escobar, Avid fan of Millie Jackson
“This is my day because I’ve listened to every song from Millie Jackson and I didn’t know that today I would have met her.”

Millie Jackson,
“All this time you’ve been saying I need Millie Jackson, I need Millie Jackson and now you meet Millie Jackson and you go, ‘that’s what I’ve been waiting for?”

Today she still performs on the stage but for the past decade she has been a radio talk show host and she says it is all clean.

Millie Jackson,
“Oh yeah in Dallas Texas.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
What is that like?

Millie Jackson,
“Whatever I decide it to be. They play the music and I do the talking, whatever I want to talk about as long as I don’t use profanity so they’ll lose their license its cool. I haven’t used profanity on the radio in ten years.”

On Saturday Millie will be at the House of Culture. The show is organized by Bounce Enterprises in collaboration with WIN-Belize.

Jacqueline Godwin,
Why Millie?

Gweneth Longsworth Williams, Local Promoter
“Well Millie is a favourite of mine for many years. I love her, I really do, I love her music. I play it all the time and I think all Belizeans like her as we know.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
So you are going to bring back some golden oldies for Belizeans?

Millie Jackson,
“Yes. A few of them medley whatever and some of the new stuff. I probably will talk until you all get tired of me and then I sing a song then I talk until I see people snoring and then I’ll sing songs.”

The special Mother’s Day show by Millie Jackson gets underway this Saturday at nine at the House of Culture. Jackson will be backed by the Gilharry Seven Band. Tickets are fifty dollars or sixty dollars on the night of show.

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7NEWS produced for broadcast by News Director Jules Vasquez
Edited and Prepared for the internet by Keith Swift

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