And that kind of inaction and indifference to clear and present dangers is what spurred the Cayo Tour Guides Association to hold a protest outside the National Assembly this morning - while the House of Representatives met inside.
The guides say that they're the ones who have to work at the archaeological sites like Caracol and El Pilar, which are targeted by cross-border bandits. The CTGA says that they've submitted recommendations to the Government officials in charge of the tourist sites in the west, and they've been ignored.
The association staged it's first ever protest today, and 7News there. Daniel Ortiz reports:
Daniel Ortiz reporting
On the stairs of the National Assembly, some 47 tour guides from the Cayo Tour Guides Association assembled for a protest. They were assembling for maximum effect and to catch the attention of the Government Officials.
It's the first time that they've organized themselves in this fashion, and they're making two disclaimers, first this is not a protest against Guatemalans, and second, that they have a non-political cause. That cause is to raise awareness to the Government that these Archeological Sites are their offices - offices with very little security. Danny Conorquie's death, they say, highlights the serious security risk.
Jorge De Leon - Tour Guide, CTGA
"We are facing these issues every day. We go to these sites and even though there has been agreements and the BDF should have provided, one of the things we had agreed for was an escort and many of these we get to these places and the escort that should be there is not there because of vehicle problems or maybe not enough fuel or whatever problems they encounter because they need to move or a change of a shift and it's not safe. So the system that we've been using and we have at Caracol obviously is not working. We have made it known to the authorities at the time and it's sad that something has to happen for them to realize that what they had in place was not working. This is my office, this is where I work. I go there every day. You drive to Caracol, there might be a log in the road, whether it was because of a storm or somebody intentionally cut it to stop you and maybe rob you. We don't know."
Joe Awe - President, CTGA
"We did not break off from a larger group to do this. We only got 2 hours permit. This most important thing is that this is the first time we have ever done something like this and we are one of the most organize associations in Cayo."
A level of organization, which the guides hope that NICH, BTB, and the National Security Ministry will respect, and consult with in trying to solve the security issue at the Archeological Reserves.
Joe Awe - President, CTGA
"I think that if you saw the footage on facebook or on all the media that was out there, our guys reacted very professionally, so that is one thing and even the people that sent that video they made a response and said that they were very happy with the tour guides how they reacted in a professional manner and that they felt safe. That is one thing to recognize, so what we want here is we want these demands to be recognized."
They did get that recognition from the Opposition Party which descended from the House Meeting to assure them, that their concerns have been heard, and that they would lend a voice to it in the House Sitting.
Hon. Francis Fonseca - Leader of the Opposition
"We know that this is not a political issue. This is an issue about Belize's territorial integrity, our national sovereignty and all Belizeans must stand united in defending and protecting our national sovereignty. We know that you are on the frontline of this work and you understand this issue better than most of the people sitting in the national assembly."
47 persons were in today's protest of 160 members in their association.
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