Important Note: This Internet version of 7 News is a verbatum
transcript of our evening television news script. Many interviews on our newscast
are conducted in Creole. In the interest of clarity for our foreign readers,
we attempt to paraphrase the Creole quotes in English
There have been a rash of daring armed holdups in and around the downtown
area in the past few weeks – and though the police’s oppressive
new media policy appears to be to just not report these frightening assaults
– one way or another, most of them still come to public attention. This
afternoon we got a call about a robbery that rattled the bustling King street
area. It happened at around 3:00 at A to Z store – which is about 50 feet
from the busiest part of Albert Street. But that didn’t dissuade the fearless
gunmen...Jacqueline Godwin visited shortly after and reviewed the security tape
with the owners.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
A&Z Store on King Street is the third Indian in the area to get held up
this week. The latest victim did not wish to appear on camera but through the
video that captured the crime in progress it first shows the young businessman
sitting in a plastic chair waiting to serve customers when a little boy from
a family’s store next door enters the shop.
Voice of Victim, “I am relaxing and he usually comes and play, he is from the shop
next door.”
Look closely now as the child continues to speak with the young business man,
the first robber enters the building followed by his accomplice.
Voice of Victim, “The other person he holds the baby mouth because he was screaming,
so he holds the baby’s mouth and carried him to the back where the cash is and held him tight like he was ripping off his mouth or something, you can
see all the red marks on the baby’s arm, and they just tek the cash and
went.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
So the child is left traumatised?
Voice of Victim, “Yeah, right he just gone back and started to cry cry cry.”
As the business employer and child are taken to the rear of the store the video
then captures the businessman being dragged on the floor.
Voice of Victim, “Now they push me in the corner and they told me to take out the mouth
and I said I didn’t have any money. So they dragged me to the counter
like they wanted to take me to the cash register and I just stayed on the floor
for a little while because I know what is going on.”
At this point the video is not clear but one of the robbers can be seen rifling
through the cashier’s box situated behind the counter.
Voice of Victim, “Another guy came and put a gun in my face and then he grabbed by
my shirt and dragged me to the back and there he pushed me in the corner and
he took like all the money from the cash register.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Do you know how much money was stolen?
Voice of Victim, “I think about 250 dollars or something like that.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Were they wearing masks?
Voice of Victim, “No, nothing. No masks, nothing. Two of them had bikes too. They came
like two seconds after each other.”
In the final shot, the traumatized child is then seen in the video running
away from the store. Shortly after the two robbers then escaped on bicycles.
Jacqueline Godwin,
Is the first time they held up A&Z Store?
Voice of Victim, “Yes Miss.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Were you surprised of the time it happened and how it happened?
Voice of Victim, “No Miss because this is happening every week somebody else is getting
hit right now. I was prepared for it.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
So you plan to beef up security?
Voice of Victim, “No the police have to come and monitor the streets. If they don’t
monitor the streets we can’t do nothing else.”
So far Belize City police have no leads in this case. Jacqueline Godwin reporting
for 7News.
But as police search for their robbers, the Indian business community
in downtown Belize City is upset because they say it is the third for this week
that their stores in the downtown area have been robbed. Today they appealed
to the police to increase foot and mobile patrols in the area and not only in
the night. According to the business owners because of the crime they now close
at seven in the evenings, but it seems the criminals have adjusted as now the
hold ups are being staged much earlier in the day.
This morning, the Western Highway again proved how dangerous it can
be. Two trucks – one light, one heavy, were cast off the highway in different
directions after what appeared to be a near miss. Jacqueline Godwin went to
find out what happened.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
When 7News got to the scene, the four door Toyota Tundra was lying right side
up in a pool of water off the right hand side of the Western Highway. Because
the roof of the vehicle’s cab was not damaged, it is believed that the
pickup truck did not flip as it went off the embankment. The debris of tire
rubber left scattered over a wide section of the road came from the other vehicle
involved in the accident.
You have to look to see the dump truck that went off the left hand side of
the road. The driver lost control and as can be seen by the marks left on the
highway skidded off the left hand side of road, and ploughed through bushes
before it was stopped by thick mangroves and swampy water.
None of the drivers involved in the accident that occurred between miles 10
and 11 would talk to us about what happened out here but all indications are
that one of them is responsible for causing both vehicles to run off the highway.
Although the drivers did not want to speak to us the driver of the pickup identified as thirty four year old Bryan Mena did not look like he received any injuries
nor did the driver of the dump truck identified as thirty year old Jason Staine.
But according to the Hattieville Substation’s lead investigator Police
Constable Hersel Garcia at this time the accident remains under investigation
and they cannot say who is responsible.
PC Hersel Garcia, Lead Investigator - Hattieville Police “The investigation is still ongoing at this present moment. It is
young still and I don’t want to reveal anything and interrupt this case.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
But somebody is at fault here.
PC Hersel Garcia, “Definitely somebody is at fault and I’ll leave it at that.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Were both vehicles travelling in the same direction?
PC Hersel Garcia, “The dump truck was travelling from Belize City heading towards Hattieville area and the brown pickup was travelling from Belmopan direction heading towards
Belize City.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
So they were travelling in opposite directions?
PC Hersel Garcia, “Definitely.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
And at some point between mile 10 and 11 they made contact.
PC Hersel Garcia, “Yep at mile 11 they made contact.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
And whatever caused them to collide or crash into each other, you’re saying
it is still under investigation although the police have already received statements
from both individuals involved?
PC Hersel Garcia, “No we have not received anything yet from the driver of the dump
truck.”
The four door Toyota pickup truck received most of its damage to the rear of
the vehicle.
Jacqueline Godwin,
Do we know if speeding is involved?
PC Hersel Garcia, “Well at this present moment I can’t tell but like what I said
the investigation is still going on.”
When we visited police, only Mena had given a statement and they were still
waiting for Staine’s account of what happened. Jacqueline Godwin reporting
for 7News.
As per procedure, both drivers were served with notices of intended
prosecution.
At the end of May government gave permission to survey about 18 acres of Mapp
Caye – which is within the Swallow Caye wildlife Sanctuary. It’s
not a land grab – as the 6 acre plots are compensation to three individuals
for island property they lost under the last government. But it is strictly
against the law which established that sanctuary which say that the sanctuary
comprises, “all that piece or parcel of land and water east of Belize
City in the Belize District in including Swallow Caye and Mapps Cay....”
So then where does that leave the Ministry of Natural Resources which gave
permission to survey? For the pat two days, nowhere. They’ve not issued
a statement as the CEO and the Minister were out of office. But the Minister
came back today and his press officer told us that he convened a meeting with
senior staff to discuss the situation.
A statement issued late this afternoon says that, quote: “it is
regrettable that these surveys were not caught initially by internal checks;
however, we would like to assure the public that these parcels have not been
issued and would not have passed final approval for issuance.” And
while it doesn’t say it in as many words, we take that to mean that the
transaction has been cancelled. Government will now have to find other comparable
property to compensate Sharon and Wayne Fraser and Rurico Alvarado.
And while the Ministry’s release assures that title would not have been
issued – we aren’t so sure, and if it weren’t for someone
in the ministry blowing the whistle, it’s arguable that the error could
have gone undetected. But thankfully it didn’t, and the Ministry’s
release duly acknowledges, “the media and the general public for their
continued vigilance...” While ourselves shying away from faint praise,
we note that there’s no pat on the back for the brave person in the ministry
who leaked out the information. The release also notes that the Ministry has
started an assessment of the integrity of all Protected Areas. It ought
to be interesting as it is alleged that land transactions within protected areas
have been numerous.
Talks between the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital board and its staff
collapsed yesterday and tonight negotiations remain deadlocked –with neither
side budging towards conciliation. Attempts at mediation broke down at the Biltmore
yesterday when the doctors walked out of the room after they heard the board’s
counter-proposal to their 15 point memorandum of understanding. The doctors
say the counter-proposal was unacceptable and the KHMH Board accused the board
of negotiating in bad faith. This all occurred late yesterday evening and while
you heard from both sides – today we put it into perspective.
Dr. Gary Longsworth, KHMH CEO “The BMDU abandoned the mediation process refusing to negotiate on
even one single item of their draft MOU.”
Dr. John Sosa, BMDU President “I don’t think we abandoned the process. We had a meeting last
night with union membership; the membership decided that what we had presented
was what we would go on.”
Dr. Gary Longsworth, “The union representatives presented an ultimatum that the board must
accept every point as written by them.”
Dr. John Sosa, “They came and did some changes afterwards and they presented it and
we thought those changes were not agreement with what the union wanted.”
Ivan Williams, Labour Commissioner “They refused to accept any of the counter proposals. In other words it is either their proposals or nothing and we need compromise.”
Dr. John Sosa, “We thought the points that they had put there, I don’t think,
in fact I believe I shouldn’t say I know, but I believe and all of us
believe they would not go back on it because it included the removal of the
CEO, Chairman of the Board, the Financial Officer, prior to investigating and
while investigating and we don’t think they would have agreed on it. They
took out other points that we thought were important and they kind of modified
it to protect the board and we didn’t see that as being honest.”
Dr. Ricardo Fabro, Chairman – KHMH “This was not about demands and just accepting demands. This was an
arbitration process that is caution, you bring forth your stuff and then we
will propose our thing to get a memorandum of understand which involves both
parties, not just a demand to the board.”
Dr. Peter Allen, CEO – Ministry of Health “The MOU with the points raised by the board agrees in most substantive
areas with those already raised by the union. I know that one in particular additional point placed by the board was to extend the audit beyond just the
finances and into the care for our patients and really the idea for that was
to see how we can take the most positive spin on this whole business and make
sure that KHMH grows and prospers.”
Dr. Ricardo Fabro, “You will notice that they are more than reasonable, we have complied
with most of their demands that at this point in discussion we could possibly
have complied with. Other things need due process and that is why some were
not complied to because due process is a legal issue that we have to look at.”
Dr. Gary Longsworth, “It is clear that the interests of patients are not foremost on the
agenda of the union. The board remains committed to a reasonable process to
resolve this impasse.”
Lydia Blake, President - Nurses Association of Belize “This is something major, this is dealing with the public money, it
shows were Karl Heusner used to buy things at exorbitant prices, it is in black
and white and that doesn’t lie. Somebody is guilty and somebody has to
pay and they should act on it now.”
Keith Swift,
Has the board considered suspending the financial controller concerning what
the Prime Minister said?
Dr. Gary Longsworth, “No because the Prime Minister absent a satisfactory explanation then we should take steps against person or persons responsible for any wrongdoing.”
Keith Swift,
Have you gotten the explanation?
Dr. Gary Longsworth, “What explanation? What is written in the Prime Minister’s release.”
Jose Sanchez, News 5
“But it has been shown that prices have been inflated. Whose responsible
for that? Should it not be the head that should roll?
Dr. Gary Longsworth, “Those inflated prices need further investigation.”
Dr. Ricardo Fabro, “We do agree with the Prime Minister’s comment that things appeared
to have been purchased at inflated prices, we do agree, but we have said that
we are looking into it and none of these points to our present financial director
who was not on board as yet and on another instant was away with his family
on vacation leave. So that removes him away from that.”
Lydia Blake, “My nurses now are telling me that we are prepared to go all the way.”
Dr. John Sosa, “We do not only have the support from the nurses, we also have support
from other ancillary staff and we are doing right now is trying to gather as
much support as we can that in case things come to a head, the doctors in a
sense cannot be penalized because it is the entire hospital and I don’t
think only the hospital, the people on a whole who are dissatisfied about the
way things are being handled.”
Dr. Gary Longsworth, “We are hoping that despite the fact that the arbitration has broken
down that the doctors and the rest of the KHMH staff will keep that in mind
and continue to provide the quality service that the patients deserve.”
The next move will probably be made by Minister of Labour Gabriel Martinez
who can appoint a 5 person tribunal to hear the dispute.
Another Chinese business was been robbed, this one happened last night in
Orange Walk. Ken Lyn reported that at around 11:00 pm while in his establishment,
Tony’s Store, at the corner of Saint Peters and Progress Streets a gunman
strode in and demanded money. The robber fired a single shot which wounded Lyn
on his forearm; the gunman then opened the cash drawer, took out the money,
and fled the scene. Police are investigating.
He’s only a teenager, but Robinson Michael’s track record suggests
that he’s a pro at the con game. The 18 year old has several convictions
for obtaining property by deception, and he got another for the same offense
today in court. He was sentenced to 18 months with the stipulation that it will
run consecutively with the 4 year sentence he is currently serving. Another
18 year old, Kenton Pandy, who was jointly charged with Michael, was found guilty
and also sentenced to 18 months.
On June 5th of last year, Michael and Pandy went to NEMO headquarters in Belmopan
and deceived personnel by telling them that they have 5 containers of supplies
they want to donate to flood victims. NEMO gave them fuel to move the containers
from the Port of Belize to Ladyville. Of course, there were no containers, but
still, the youths went to the NEMO warehouse at Ladyville, and deceived the
warehouse manager and got supplies which they loaded into the van.
They stopped off at Pandy’s house at Mahogany Heights, unloaded some
of the supplies, then divvied up the rest with the owner of the van. When they
returned to NEMO, they were arrested by police. In court, Pandy admitted
that he signed for the supplies but said that Michael was the mastermind. As
to why he offloaded some of the supplies at his house, he said that the van
was overloaded.
Twenty year old Kenroy Young the former Youth Ambassador whose reputation
has been battered by multiple allegations of theft back in court again today
facing charges of burglary and handling stolen goods. He wanted to plead guilty
to the lesser charge of handling, but the prosecution felt the evidence was
too strong, so the magistrate entered a plea of not guilty on both counts. He
was offered bail of $5,000.00 on the condition that he does not come to court
for any similar offence.
Tara Dobson, whose house was allegedly burglarized by Young, reported to police
that her purse containing personal documents and money were stolen. When the
police found Young, they found Dobson’s ATM card on him.
Two days ago, Young had pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods, and was fined
$1,000. In that case he went for a job interview at Maya Island Air and stole
the purse form his would be employer.
69 year old Marie Lewis has been through a lot. Two of her children
have died in traffic accidents and two more were almost killed in 2006 when
gunmen looking for drugs stormed her 91 acre farm at mile 8 on the Western Highway.
And yesterday teams from Anti-Drug Unit descended on that same farm also apparently
in search of drugs. We don’t know if they found any since no one was charged
but Lewis says the officers roughed up her son, thrashed her farmhouse, and released all her pigs. She invited us up to mile 8 see the damage and vent her
frustration.
Marie Lewis, Upset with Police “Five vehicles were up here, took over the whole place and this is
the condition in which they left the house. I don’t know what transpired
behind it but the neighbours are even vex with the policeman the way how they
behaved with my son. I don’t even know what they were looking for. The
lady said five truckload came up here and they were looking for nothing. All
they did was come in the house, they brought dogs, they bring guns, and they
didn’t nothing like that. All they did was raid the mango trees and they
went and full their pockets. I don’t know what they took. I don’t
even know what all is missing from here. My son is afraid to go on the media,
he is afraid to see the police. They are worse than a pit bull to me with the
way how they look.”
Marie Lewis’ son who was roughed up by police was shot in the
2006 incident. Hattieville Police told us this evening that they are aware of
what happened but they had nothing to do with the operation since it was run
by officers from the anti-drug unit.
Their last tour of Mexico had to be cancelled when the swine flu craze
began. But now, the Garifuna Collective, Belize’s most internationally
praised music group, has reloaded and is heading to Canada for a string of shows.
We spoke to them shortly before they left today and found veteran Joshua Arana,
nervous but ready”
Joshua Arana, Garifuna Collective “Emotionally it is very hard for me, very very hard since it is the
first time going back to Canada since Andy made his mark there on the first
leg of the Watina Tour. We are expecting a lot. Actually there is a whole lot on the table. Umalali has a lot to prove. Lloyd here has a lot to prove. We
need to show Belize, we need to show the world that yes Andy Palacio has passed
on, yes he was a great leader, yes he was the Belizean icon but the work does
continue and we are here to continue the work with Umalali and the Garifuna
Collective.”
Sofia Blanco, Umalali “It is very emotional for me because I still miss him even though
it will be two years, the year has passed and since it is the first time for
me in Canada without him and he has gone and left a mark there, I am willing
to take up that challenge in putting ourselves where he was. The changes is that now the women are up front. At first we were like at backstage answering,
doing back vocals and now we are taking the lead which we are willing to kick
some butts. So Lloyd look out, we are coming.”
Lloyd, Garifuna Collective “I just feel like I am just there to play my part in terms of singing
Andy’s songs for his fans so that they will be able to hear his songs
and working with the Umalali women so I feel good to be there and helping out.
That is the way how I feel.”
Sofia Blanco, Umalali “I excited, happy to sing my songs.”
After their Canadian tour, the group will be performing concerts here
in Belize. The group has done concerts in over 20 countries, and aspires for
much more. Their fourth album will be a tribute to Andy Palacio and is scheduled
to be released in 2010. The group will be returning to Belize on July 28th.
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is and held him tight like he was ripping off his mouth or something, you can
see all the red marks on the baby’s arm, and they just tek the cash and
went.”
as thirty four year old Bryan Mena did not look like he received any injuries
nor did the driver of the dump truck identified as thirty year old Jason Staine.
But according to the Hattieville Substation’s lead investigator Police
Constable Hersel Garcia at this time the accident remains under investigation
and they cannot say who is responsible. 
area and the brown pickup was travelling from Belmopan direction heading towards
Belize City.”
it is either their proposals or nothing and we need compromise.”
additional point placed by the board was to extend the audit beyond just the
finances and into the care for our patients and really the idea for that was
to see how we can take the most positive spin on this whole business and make
sure that KHMH grows and prospers.” 
we should take steps against person or persons responsible for any wrongdoing.”
released all her pigs. She invited us up to mile 8 see the damage and vent her
frustration.
on the table. Umalali has a lot to prove. Lloyd here has a lot to prove. We
need to show Belize, we need to show the world that yes Andy Palacio has passed
on, yes he was a great leader, yes he was the Belizean icon but the work does
continue and we are here to continue the work with Umalali and the Garifuna
Collective.”
that now the women are up front. At first we were like at backstage answering,
doing back vocals and now we are taking the lead which we are willing to kick
some butts. So Lloyd look out, we are coming.”
