So, everything, except public information release on the project, was moving in fast-forward. That particularly incensed the members of the Belize Tourism Industry Association, and the residents of San Pedro, who attended the DOE's consultation session today. It quickly turned into a public lynching of the Government's technocrats who were trying to explain their rationale for allowing the project. They made it plain to the officials, seismic testing is not welcome in Belize. Our colleagues from the Ambergris Today newspaper were there for the entire public consultation, and with their assistance, we provide you with excerpts from the 2 hour-long session:

Participant
"Said there's no exploitation license so why do you want to do this test if there is no offshore drilling. What's in the future? If I remember well I think it's 2012, I signed so my signature is in that which Oceana was gathering over 30,000 signatures that we don't want any of this. So why do you want to test if you don't have anything planned for the future?"

Government Representative
"The purpose of the survey is to collect data in an area which we don't have data. If the government wants to take a positive decision and in the future ban offshore exploration, they have to be doing it from the basis of something so they will help come to us. We are like I said, these are our business partners and how it works is that they pay for the survey, they provide the funding and in the future..."

Participant
"Now last night exactly what it is 1.8 million dollars was spent on doing this testing and we have to pay them back before any money in drilling will be paid to Belize, but before that have we all forgotten that nobody wants the drilling? And yes it does affect the dolphins, sharks and every mammal life. My father is an oil and gas geologist, yes it does, and it hurts animals."

Government Representative
"As I was explaining like I said, the government is not paying for this survey from its budget, the way these surveys work is they are called multi-client surveys I think as I have researched them. How it works is TGS pays for the survey and what they do is in the future, if the government makes a positive decision to want to do offshore exploration and drilling, they sent the data to interested companies who would apply to the country for a license and get back the revenues. They get back the cost from the surveys as they cost 1.8 million US. So that's how they make their money in the future. The country gets data."

Participant
"So why would they spend that money if they knew they weren't going to get it back? The government is saying they have no plans to drill so why would this company partnered with them if they knew they weren't going to get their money back?"

Government Representative
"Because they have a revenue cost from surveys like this and they may have in the future which can be years. They have a budget for these sorts of surveys."

Participant
"They have a budget to jus sell it off in the future."

Government Representative
"-- this is not an expression how they don't apply for licenses. The companies that are interested."

Government Representative
"It's important we can hear what you're asking but it's also important to give us a chance to respond whether you are satisfied with the response that's another issue, but the point is that we respond. Our job is to provide information."

Participant
"Why does the consultation now after the fact, because we got into an uproar and we decided to attack. Oceana and everybody got together like 'what the hell are you all doing?' this is wrong, we had the right to know that this was going to happen way before it was supposed to happen. and there is no way that you can tell me this wasn't planned way ahead of time because cabinet just passed it and the boat has been here since last week, so everybody in the tourism industry had a right to have this consultation months before that boat got here and months before it got to cabinet."

Participant
"-- if they're going to find it, I don't really care and I don't think the people of Belize care either. We just want to know how to move forward and how we're going to stop it because I know Mr. Manuel Heredia did not sign and let them do that because he would not do that to San Pedro."

As you saw, Manuel Heredia Jr., was sitting in the session as the Government's representative. That put him in a precarious situation because he is the Area Representative for San Pedro and Caye Caulker, and the Ministry of Tourism, one of the ministries which be directly affected by this. Those who attended today instructed him to direct the Prime Minister to shutdown Northern Explorer's seismic survey - like yesterday. Here's that portion of the consultation, followed by his sheepish return to report that Government had given the suspension order:

Hon. Manuel Heredia, Minister of Tourism
"Without facts it's very hard to make decisions, but anything that will be done that will affect our barrier reef or the lively hood of our stakeholders, I will be the first one to jump I can guarantee it."

Participant
"Everybody in this room right now, what to stand up for us, in your community, your people...?"

Hon. Manuel Heredia, Minister of Tourism
"I said it before that whatever the outcome of this consultation is, I will forward that to the Prime Minister. If nobody wants it then that is what I will tell him. What else can I do...?"

Participant
"You didn't consult the community that elected you, the number one island in San Pedro and in Belize."

Participant
"Honorable Heredia just mentioned that he's going to make a call to the higher heads. Give us a time or a deadline because we need to know today because we also have actions that we can do. Around 2 o'clock we will have an answer."

Participant
"You have that position to take."

Hon. Manuel Heredia, Minister of Tourism
"We have said that we will put this thing on hold."

This evening, after the uproar on San Pedro, the Government released a statement which says, quote, "Based on multiple concerns raised by concerned citizens regarding the seismic survey currently being conducted in the deep offshore of Belize as well as the fact that extensive consultation with a wider group of stakeholders did not occur prior the commencement of the survey, the Government of Belize (GOB) has decided that it will suspend seismic operations until such consultations can be conducted."

We checked vesselfinder.com about half hour before the start of news, and it shows that the Northern Explorer has shutdown all operations, and it is making its way out of Belizean waters.

And while the government has announced a suspension of the seismic surveys, it's still in hot water. Even before the announcement of the suspension, the Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage sent a press release calling on government to release essential information about the seismic survey research in order to have a more meaningful dialogue. In the release, the Coalition asks that both ships conducting the seismic surveys immediately return to port. And that the government must better define the moratorium on offshore oil exploration and activity, as well as the permanent ban around Belize's World Heritage Sites and Protected Areas. The Coalition also reiterates the importance of public consultation and advocates for a national referendum to decide the future of oil exploration in Belize.