The Guatemalan container illegally built on Belizean territory near
Jalacte was finally removed yesterday. It had been there for three months but
removal took only three hours. Planning began early this week and soldiers were
on the ground at 5 yesterday morning. The work started at 8 am and they were
finished by 11:30. There were close to one hundred Belize Defense Force soldiers
present and a sufficient number of Guatemalan soldiers as well. Brigadier General
Dario Tapia led the operation and he told us how it went.
Keith Swift Reporting,
For three months – this container owned by a Guatemalan businessman stood
illegally and defiantly on Belizean soil. As these pictures show, yesterday
morning a Ministry of Works bulldozer pushed it off Belizean territory and dismantled
the concrete base. Commander of the BDF Brigadier General Dario Tapia personally
oversaw its removal – and for him it was mission accomplished.
Brig. Gen. Dario Tapia, Commander- BDF
“Our intention with regards to the BDF was to go out there as a show
of force. I would tell you only that we had a sizeable amount of troops out
there to ensure that nothing transpired that would harm our operation and in
addition to that, to show Mr. Arellano and the villagers of Santa Cruz that 
they wouldn’t want to cause mischief and that we were there to do business
and I am glad that paid a crucial role in the operation because we had no incidents.”
Keith Swift,
And there were also Guatemalan soldiers. What was their role?
Brig. Gen. Dario Tapia,
“Of course the Guatemalans were there. I think they played a crucial
role with the operation that it ended up coming out peacefully and without incident.
The Guatemalan role was to stop any Guatemalan citizen from entering and interfering
with our operation.”
But one man who wanted to interfere was the man who put it there – Lionel
Arrellanos.
Brig. Gen. Dario Tapia,
“Eventually Mr. Arrellanos showed up. Again because the Guatemalan
Armed Forces were assisting with the blocking of the road, he requested through
the Guatemalan Armed Forces to speak with the members of the OAS. That was communicated
to the BDF who passed it on to the OAS personnel. He was granted an audience
with the OAS on the site and whatever he spoke with them about; the OAS will
have to answer that.”
Commander Tapia expects tensions at the border to now remain intense –
maybe even volatile.
Brig. Gen. Dario Tapia,
“Right after the operation I guess there would be some sort of apprehension
on both sides – even the BDF but we will reinforce the treetop O.P. for
a short period of time to ensure that whatever happens out there, we are able
to contain it. Yes but we have taken the necessary precautions if anything brews
up there. But I think after a certain period of time things will go back to
normal because as you know, there is a lot of trade that goes on between Santa
Cruz and Jalacte.”
But what if it happens again?
Brig. Gen. Dario Tapia,
“I cannot guarantee that it won’t happen again. We’ve
always had to ensure that we are out there but we cannot patrol the entire border
and be out there 24/7/ but I what I could tell the Belizean people is that whenever
incidents like that do occur or situation arises we will report it to the Ministry.
Yes there is a lesson learnt. Next time around from day one we will put
troops there permanently which we eventually did. But with all of these things
you learn lessons and this is what is important. Now if we do not take heed
to that lesson we have learnt then something is wrong.”
Also present were Belize’s lady ombudsman, a representative from
Guatemala’s Human Rights Commission and of course – it was all overseen
by the Organization of American States. It is imported to note that the land
the bulldozer shoved the container onto – actually belongs to Arrellanos.
The container was empty.
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