The BDF caught a Guatemalan Armed Forces soldier in Belizean territory on Monday – and he remains detained tonight.
But 7News has learned that arrangements are being made for the soldier to be released so that he can return to his country. He was found 250 meters – or a tenth of a mile inside of Belize. A BDF Patrol came upon the soldier and 3 others were in the Rio Blanco area on Monday. And though it is illegal entry, he is going to be set free.
Today, we spoke with the Commander of BDF, and asked why the decision is being made where he won't be charged with immigration offences like any other Guatemalan caught illegally in the country. General David Jones told us that it's a protocol established between the BDF and Guat Armed Forces, in an improved relationship:
General David Jones - Commander, BDF
"We had a patrol out in the Rio Blanco area. Actually it was the day before, encountered 4 persons, an elderly man, 2 minors, and 1 Guatemalan soldier. The patrol in their made the decision to release the elderly guy, and the 2 minors because they didn't want them to sleep out in the jungle with them in the night, but they took the Guatemalan soldier with them into custody. They started to walk yesterday; it took them all day yesterday. They didn't reach in yesterday, and they arrived today. We have the soldier in custody, and between myself and the commanding General of the Guatemalan army, we decided the protocol between us, what we're going to do with him."
Daniel Ortiz
"Are you able to give us an idea at this time what it is the intension? We're made to understand that you may intend to hand him over to his superiors at a later date."
General David Jones
"Well, we actually intend to hand him over today. I have been in contact with the Guatemalan General, and we've arranged for him to be taken back into Guatemala, through the Melchor border. He was only 250 meters, but it's even though it is easy to stray across, he was still in Belize. So, we still took him in custody, and we brought them into Belize; we processed him, and because of the protocol with the Guatemalan military, when our soldiers would stray across sometimes, they do the same thing for us. They would extend them over to the border, and then, inform us, and then they come over. We do the same for them just like in this case, we requested that the soldier come all the way into. So, we brought him in, processed him - the police department was able to process him. I spoke to my counterpart in Guatemala, and we arranged to hand him over today."
Daniel Ortiz
"Does this in anyway affect your relationship with the Guatemalan Armed Forces Commanders?"
General David Jones
"No, not really, even though it was another soldier that we took, it actually improves our relationship because did it in good faith that when their soldiers stray into Belize, inadvertently, we will call their superiors, as long as they acknowledge that yes, they are a soldier, and they did stray into Belize, we call their superiors, inform them of the incident. We also inform to OAS that we have captured a Guatemalan soldier inside of Belize, and then the protocol follows from there where we hand them over the Guatemalans."
Daniel Ortiz
"There are those who remember clearly in the early 2,000, there were Belizean soldiers who captured in an area that is not really Guatemalan, they were processed, charged, and they weren't able to escape until they skipped bail. Why is it we're offering Guatemala this courtesy, when it has happened in the past that they don't give us the same courtesy."
General David Jones
"We're trying to move away from the sort of animosity that we had between each other. Between us and Guatemala, for a couple years back, we have had some tensions between us, especially when we had the shootings in 2012. We had 3 Guatemalans who were killed, all at the hands of Belizean soldiers."
Today, we made checks with senior officers from San Ignacio and Benque Police, which is where he would have been processed as the Commander suggested. Those officers from both formations told us that they've not been briefed of the incident fully, and neither was the Guatemalan soldier taken before them to be charged.
We note that on February 26, 2000, 4 BDF soldiers were taken into custody by the Guatemalan Armed Forces, jailed in Poptun Guatemala, and charged after the Guatemalans claimed that they had strayed into Guatemalan territory. They were arraigned and had to skip bail to get back to Belize.
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