Last night, we gave you extensive coverage of the 37 Belizeans who were taken into custody by the Guatemalan marines and then taken to the port town of Livingston. That action could have become an international incident - for the obvious reasons, and because there was a foreign ambassador on board. Fortunately, it was resolved within 15 hours.
It all unfolded at the end of an expedition by the Northern Territorial Volunteers who went up the Sarstoon River which runs along the southernmost parts of the country from East to West, all the way to the border marker at Gracias A Dios for a mission to install a Belizean plaque on it.
The man who has deal directly with the consequence of the encounter is boat captain, Guillermo "Memo" Avila. He had to sign a document prepared by the Guatemalan Harbour Master which says that he committed the maritime offence of crossing into Guatemalan territorial waters for about 100 yards, and about 5 to 10 minutes. He didn't have to face any penalties for it, because the Guatemalan authorities only gave him a warning for it.
Avila says however, that he traverses these areas daily for his business, "Memo's Boat Services", which runs a shuttle from Punta Gorda to Livingston and back. So, today, he decided that he wanted to address the media himself. He told the press this evening, that at the time when the vessel and the 37 Belizeans ventured into Guatemalan markers while they were traveling up the Sarstoon River, it was not his decision. He says that expedition leader, Giovanni De La Fuente, instructed him to take that route, since he claimed to have visited the border marker before:
Guillermo "Memo" Avila, Boat captain
"Coming to the Sarstoon is always in the middle, whosoever is watching or anybody who is familiar with Sarstoon, you will always come through the middle because there is shoal there and then we came this way... all the way up and right here. When I got to the Sarstoon bar, I told the leader of the expedition who is Mr. De La Fuente, that I've come as far as here and he said that he knows the way anyways. I just want to clear that point one time, because it wasn't my decision to make this left turn, because he said that he knew where they were going, so that's why I took this turn here by his order, because I told him that I only know as far as the bar, but further up I didn't know. We came up this way and about right here we should have gone this way to Gracias A Dios, and I made a left turn here instead of going straight or staying on my right. Immediately, I went about 100 yards and I spin right back."
Also, in our coverage yesterday, you heard a few of the interviewees describe the period of the journey when they were taken over by the Guatemalan military as being scary and dangerous. Well, Avila explained exactly why, in his professional opinion as boat caption, the Guatemalan marines endangered the lives of the 37 Belizeans:
Guillermo "Memo" Avila, Boat captain
"I started to slow down because they wanted us to from our boat to the coast guard and they were going to have our boat towed to Livingston. Since they were insisting, because they were armed and the guy was telling me lets go to the coast guard, because everybody got to come off. I attempted closely once and the wave almost tipped the end of the coast guard boat which is a big iron boat on our boat. I reverse the boat and I said I am not going to attempt that again. If you guys want us to go to Livingston, then we will drive our way to Livingston and when we get to Livingston, we are going to need fuel, because I only have fuel to get from here to Punta Gorda. I don't have enough fuel to go to Livingston then Punta Gorda."
And while this plays out, the focus of the nation right now is on municipal elections tomorrow. But his attorney says that the country has its priorities mixed up. Audrey Matura-Shepherd scolded the public, saying everyone shouldn't be focused on the elections, rather, they should be voicing their outrage that Belizeans were "taken hostage" in their own country:
Audrey Matura-Shepherd - Attorney for Boat Captain
"I really think that sometimes in Belize we sit back and think we can't pressure our government to do the right thing. I don't know if you all have such short memory, but just the other day, Guatemalans came to Belize and killed Danny. How could we forget they came here and they killed our guy? Have you seen the human outcry with positive results? I don't know if the family has been compensated. Months later what do they do? They come out to our waters and dragged away 37 of our own and what are we concerned about - municipal election tomorrow? I am sorry, where are our priorities?"
"This document helps to prove that the Guatemalan authorities knew that they did wrong and they were looking for their propaganda and they are covering their asses with this and they put our guy under duress to do it. It was most unfortunate that our diplomat did not wait for the ambassador to reach, because the embassy had given strict instructions - sign nothing."
As we've told you, the Captain says that he signed this document accepting fault under duress because it was communicated to him in no uncertain terms that if he didn't sign, then the 37 Belizeans would not be allowed to leave.
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