The Sarstoon SI - it looks like the PUP won't challenge it after all - but it still doesn't sit well with many. At a press conference earlier this week, the Prime Minister explained that the S.I. does not restrict ordinary travels in and out of the Sarstoon. He said that the purpose was to stop any civilian from making a political statement which could jeopardize the negotiations for the Sarstoon Peace Keeping Protocol.
Well, the NGO, SATIIM, attempted to go into the river today to conduct a regular patrol of the Sarstoon Temash National Park. We are told that the BDF stopped them from going in, but they reportedly saw two Guatemalan vessels in the river.
Now SATIIM was stopped after making a formal request from National Security CEO George Lovell, seen here in this letter, leaked to the media.
So, did Government change their minds on the class of persons prohibited from entering the Sarstoon, or was there a miscommunication which caused the BDF to stop them, since they should have a legitimate purpose to travel into the Sarstoon. Here's how the Prime Minister answered that question which it was put to him by the press today:
Reporter
"SATIIM was not allowed by the BDF to monitor park activities. SATIIM, which normally carries out monitoring of the very important Sarstoon/Temash reserve was denied entry. Is that so and some rational be put forward?"
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"The rationale would be simple: there is the regulation enforced which prohibits civilians from going to the Sarstoon without lawful authority. Presumably if the SATIIM people were denied access to the Sarstoon by the BDF, it is because they did not in the context of the regulation have the lawful permission."
Reporter
"Sir at the press conference at NEMO Headquarters in Belmopan, you went through a list of those who could be allowed and you gave the impression, at least in my interpretation of your comments, that those who were prohibited from going to Sarstoon would primarily be those who for political reasons endanger your negotiation process - specifically you said the BTV. I left that meeting believing it was the Wil's law."
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"Mr. Wade, I would hope that we are not going to get into any sort of arguments. In fact I know we won't because I won't have it. I won't get into argument with you. You are perfectly correct, that I did say that the preoccupation, the concern is with those that would want to go to the Sarstoon to make some of a political statement. I am telling you that SATIIM, if they were not allowed to go to the Sarstoon, would have been stopped on the basis that they didn't have the lawful permission. I don't know of SATIIM having applied to anyone for the lawful permission."
We tried to reach SATIIM's Director for comment this evening, but we couldn't.
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