Here's what happened: the Coast Guard personnel were on Sarstoon Island doing reconnaissance on Thursday morning when a Guatemalan Naval patrol pulled up to inquire what they were doing in the area. Prior to this, the Guatemalan naval vessel was making some aggressive maneuvers in the river. So, it made things even more testy.

Now, the Belize Guatemala southern border is defined as the deepest channel in the Sarstoon river south of the island, meaning that anyone on the island is squarely in Belize. Armed with that knowledge the Coast Guard Commander told them that they - the Guatemalans - were the ones making an incursion into Belize and they should go back. The Guatemalans retreated, but returned in the afternoon with two vessels and the confrontation played out again. This time, the Captain of the Naval Vessel told his Belizean counterpart that they don't want trouble and the Belizeans should leave. Again, the Belizean patrol held its ground - and told the Guatemalans that they are the ones who should retreat. They did - and the Coast Guard stayed there throughout the night - and left this morning. And tonight a diplomatic protest has been filed in Guatemala by no less than the Minister and CEO of Foreign Affairs who are in that country for international meetings.