| Tonight, we have a packed newscast for you. Over the 3-day weekend, there were two double murders in the Cayo District, also, a well-known street figure was slain in the city. But we start tonight with news from the Sarstoon River.
On Saturday, the police stopped the Belize Territorial Volunteers from going on their trip to the Sarstoon River. Our news team was there when the Belizean lawmen blocked them from even leaving the Barranco Pier. We'll show you that later in the news, but first to the reaction from the PUP to the controversial Statutory Instrument which stops any Belizean from going into the Sarstoon for a month.
The Governor General signed that into law on Friday and made it a criminal offence punishable by a two thousand dollar fine or a year in jail. Government said it's only to give them time to find a diplomatic solution for the Sarstoon situation.
But, today, the PUP held a meeting of the National Executive, and decided to defy the Government, and the possibility of being confronted by the Guatemalan army, and go to the Sarstoon.
Opposition Leader John Briceno explained it in press conference called at Independence Hall this afternoon:
Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"As a national executive and members from parliament, we decided that it's important for us to show to the government and to the country that we do not agree with those law and we are going to challenge it, not only by talking and press conferences - whatever. But to go on the ground, to go out there and to go to the Sarstoon River and to challenge the government from stopping us from going there."
"We believe that from the national party council, that quite likely there is going to be other members of the national party council that would want to join us and if that were the case, that we are going to welcome them to join us. The national party council consists of about 300 party members from across the country."
"That's a decision that the government will have to decide whether they want to take out any criminal actions against us. but we are determine to point out that we believe that it is unconstitutional, it is an unjust law and that Belizeans should be allowed to go the Sarstoon - on our side of the Sarstoon. We need to make that abundantly clear."
"I believe that if the government is serious, they can also speak to their counterparts in Guatemala to point out that we are going on a peace visit to the Sartsoon. We are going to assure them that none of us are going to have any kind of weapons or knives or anything - that we are going there on a peaceful visit to assert the sovereignty on our side of the Sarstoon River."
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