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BDF General: We Won’t Make Military Mistakes By Buckling Under Public Pressure
Thu, September 3, 2015
So, as you saw, the pressure groups aren't letting up on the Sarstoon Island issue any time soon, and so we had to ask BDF General David Jones if the military commanders, and by extension, the National Security Ministry, are taking note.

He said that, as of right now, whether or not the Government builds the base on Sarstoon Island or somewhere nearby will be determined by logistics and not by public pressure:

General David Jones, BDF Commander
"The forward operating base in the area of the Sarstoon, the island itself is not really practical to have a base there. There will be too many challenges to have the base on the island. We have checked two areas; one at the mouth of the Sarstoon and about 2km from the mouth of the Sarstoon that has some land that some construction may be able to happen. It will be up to a civil engineer and we are expect that it will be open to tender, but any civil engineer who is willing to go and take on the challenge to construct the base, we will welcome it. Any day they would like to go out into the area, we will go along with them and if they conclude that yes the base can be constructed anywhere in that area, then we will pursue with the construction."

Daniel Ortiz
"Now sir, I am sure that at some point if the national ministry decides that they will choose to build the base somewhere else apart from on Sarstoon Island, there will be those critics who suggests that that is somehow a concession - a cessation of our sovereignty on that island. Is that valid in any kind of way?"

General David Jones, BDF Commander
"It will be for practical reasons. There are points that you may decide is strategic in where to put your position there. Maybe a point that you say well this is Belizean territory. We don't actually need to sit on it, but for practical reasons, if it doesn't make sense to have a building there, then why put a building there. Even though it is Belizean territory, we can exercise control of it without sitting on it. And that's part of military operation. But for practical reasons, if you can't build a building on a swampy area, then why put it? We've seen two other areas that is more practical and that's the position that we will take to construct the building on some place practical. Not because of the civilian pressure that is out there, we will make military mistakes."

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