Yesterday 7News travelled to Punta Gorda to hear first hand the account of five men who were detained by the Guatemalan Army when they went across to
Santa Cruz, Guatemala. The narrative they shared is quite stunning: they were targeted for arrest, and then roughed up, abused and threatened with
death – made to run four miles with army rifles trained on them. The ordeal culminated in a guilty plea at a San Luis Petén courtroom and a fine for
what they say is a bogus charge or disorderly conduct. Today, Punta Gorda politician and border activist Wil Maheia told us it is a shocking story –
and one that sends ominous signals to Belmopan:…
Jules Vasquez
"Having heard their story which is a quite surprising story."
Wil Maheia - PNP, Border Activist
"Shocking! Let me tell you Jules and you ask anybody in Punta Gorda - these guys are respectable guys. One of them I'll even vouch for the UDP
councillor knowing I'm a PNP. He's a decent young man and the other guy that was with him, Mr. Martinez and Mr Romero - they are decent young men. I
could tell you that nobody in Punta Gorda Town could say they have ever seen these guys drunk and disorderly. I mean it's unfortunately they targeted
these guys. I am even wondering if they stood out; because they are two black guys who stood out and were probably the only guys that stood out in the
amount of people that were visiting at the time. The military being the Guatemalan military, always wanting to show itself decided - well we will just
have some fun this weekend. Basically that is how they operate. Belize is a signatory to those war conventions and when the military arrest a person
from another country or capture in this case in my opinion, kidnapped. They should treat them according to the human rights laws. At no time should
they cock a gun or put a gun to their head. These guys did not kill anybody, they did no commit any crime. So again, this is an area where our
government should send a letter to the Guatemalan government and to the UN protesting the treatment of Belizeans by Guatemalan military. It's clear,
it's right there in the convention. You cannot treat human beings like that - forcing them to run 4 miles with gun at their heads a lot of the time.
It's shocking, when you hear the stories from these guys, it's really really shocking and I am calling on the government, it's not too late to send a
message to Guatemala - they got to start behaving themselves."
Jules Vasquez
"Do you think there is a stepping up in aggression on the part of the Guatemalans?"
Wil Maheia
"There's definitely a stepping up on the part of the Guatemalans. Recently the coconut trees we planted, I was told by people living in the area that
it wasn't just Guatemalans civilians who rooted the coconut trees - but actually Guatemalan military personnel who came on Belize's soil and up rooted
those coconut trees. I think this continue to happen because we are like nonchalant about the border. Guatemala continues to intimidate us, we continue
to show weakness. Since that coast guard incident, I have been to the border several times myself; recently as last Sunday. I have not seen the Belize
military. So when something like this happens internationally in any other country in the world, the country would step up it's military presence at
the border. What did we do? We stepped down instead of increasing our military presence at Sarstoon island. We decrease and now there is no presence at
Sarstoon island. So it's like giving into them. At the end of they day this is Belize and we are Belizeans and at no time should we be afraid to
venture into any part of the country. Right now I know that the Belizean tour operators out of Punta Gorda don't want to send their boat up the
Sarstoon. So economically we are losing because they are afraid and I don't think we should be afraid."
On weekends, about five busses travel from Belize to Santa Cruz – so the traffic between Belize and that village is thriving and robust. No official
letter of complaint has been sent from Belmopan to Guatemala about the apparently wrongful arrest.
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