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BDF Commander, General David Jones also made it clear that the agitation by the Territorial Volunteers endangers his soldiers who are posted at the Cadenas Conservation Post. The only way to get to Cadenas is through the Sarstoon River, which the Guatemalans consider theirs. Well, as we also showed you last week, Wil Maheia, responded that he would make attempts to follow the BDF change overs which happens roughly every other Tuesday. Today was supposed to be the first such mission, and our news team of Daniel Ortiz and Codie Norales left out at 1:00 am for Punta Gorda Town to see for ourselves how this would work. It didn't, but something else did work out. Daniel Ortiz reports:

Daniel Ortiz reporting
As we understand it from expedition planner Wil Maheia, the agenda for today was to shadow the Belize Defence Force as they left Punta Gorda Town to change over the soldiers who had been on duty for 2 weeks AT CADENAS.

So, we arrived in PG before 4:30 a.m., to see the BDF leave off at around 5:15 a.m. without the Territorial Volunteers. But military time is not Volunteers time - they were stuck caught waiting for stragglers, and so Maheia quickly changed the mission.

Instead of shadowing, the maneuver became a test of the Guatemalan Navy's response to Belizeans in the Mouth of the Sarstoon River, given the political upheaval in their Government, and the recent activities of the volunteers in Sarstoon.

Today's expeditioners spent about 45 minutes traveling from PG Town to the Sarstoon River mouth. When it was determined that there was no sign that the Guatemalan Navy had come out to blockade the area, the two boat captains directed their vessels to Sarstoon Island. There Maheia and others defiantly erected a Belize Flag, which was tied to one of the mangrove roots on the Island.

Today's participants had what can only be called an Everest moment beside the flag to note its importance - and of course feed social media. After all, they had been prevented from doing so on the last trip there. It did give us an opportunity to get up close and put a foot on it, even if it was only to stand on the mangrove roots.

There was a sense of danger, since in the near distance the Guatemalan Navy was based at the Mouth of the Sarstoon. At any moment, they could have pulled up to Sarstoon Island and caused all kinds of havoc for this civilian mission. There was also a gun boat in the distance that could have moved in and blocked us before we could get into Belize's territorial waters.

So, in a sense, those on board were acting like mischievous children, pushing to see just how much they could get away with before a spanking was handed out. Maheia and fellow participants see it differently.

Daniel Ortiz
"The decision to go and put the Belizean flag on Sarstoon, that, would say is inflammatory - it's provocative. How would you answer to that?"

Wil Maheia - Leader, Belize Territorial Volunteers
"I would say that this is Belize. It's our country. Every square inch of this 8,867 square miles belongs to us and I believe that nobody should deny us the right to plant a flag to show our patriotism for this country, in nay part of this country that we so choose. If we want to go to Ranguana, if we want to go to the Blue Hole or if we want to go to north or south - we as Belizeans have the right to do that and that's what we wanted to demonstrate to the people of Belize that we as Belizeans should have the right to put a flag wherever we want to in this beautiful country of ours."

Daniel Ortiz
"Do you accept that there was a risk of being detained when we were doing that and that we have our own views, the Guatemalans would certainly have arrested us?"

Wil Maheia - Leader, Belize Territorial Volunteers
"Yes, it is a very real risk. But as Belizeans we must stand strong, we must stand proud, we must stand Belizean. So while it was a risk, the risk was well worth it."

Daniel Ortiz
"Mr. Wil, while you assert that it is well worth it, there will be those who say 'you see Wil, he is a crazy man, that is crazy man thing he is doing' because they will take the negative view that you are provoking a confrontation on the Sarstoon River. How do you answer to those people who say that something is obviously wrong with you that you would not heed the warnings of our government?"

Wil Maheia - Leader, Belize Territorial Volunteers
"I would say that there is no way shape of form that we as the Territorial Volunteers are provoking anybody by doing something peacefully. Once again we took our boats there. Nobody was armed with any kind of ammunition. We went there as peaceful Belizean citizens."

Audrey Matura-Shepherd - Participant, Return Trip
"I dont think it's tempting faith. I know there will be a lot of critics. Let me tell you, those nasty critics who just go on personal attacks, they are singing for their supper unfortunately. They have not stop and think about what the implications are and you find that in the political parties, they will toe the political line."

Wil Maheia - Leader, Belize Territorial Volunteers
"I am a proud Belizean and I believe everybody who have been on a territorial volunteer patrol are proud Belizeans and I believe that everybody is willing to stand up and even die for this country if that's what it would come down to, but at the end of the day, if we don't stand up for what we believe in, then why should we remain Belizean citizens?"

About 2 hours later, we got to see for ourselves just how the Guatemalan Navy is now acting toward the Belize Defence Force. At around 9:30, our cameras caught the BDF vessel speeding out of the Sarstoon River with the soldiers who had just been relieved. Hot on their tail was a Guat Navy boat which following at high speed. It was just as General David Jones had described, the Guatemalan Navy had become more aggressive toward them as well, following any military vessel of theirs to and from the Cadenas Conservation Post, for a total of about 4 hours on the river.

Wil Maheia - Leader, Belize Territorial Volunteers
"As a Belizean, to watch my military being escorted by the Guatemalan military, that was a blow to us. I mean for us the Territorial Volunteers, it was a blessing in disguise that the BDF basically tricked us and left early, because the Guatemalan military obviously escorted them up the river. So it gave us an opportunity to put our flags on the Sarstoon Island without interruption from the Guatemalan military. But waiting there and monitoring the illegal fishing that's taking place and then seeing our military being escorted by the Guatemalan military was damaging to me as a Belizean. I felt insulted that we had to have our military being escorted by the Guatemalan military and they escorted them way into Belizean waters."

Audrey Matura-Shepherd - Participant, Return Trip
"It's just safe passage they gave us. That is how it is operating and it is unfortunate because quietly we've been ceding and ceding and I think that if the government doesn't want to take the bull by the horn and do the right thing and if the BDF was made impotent because of the civilian bosses they have, then we the people who are not afraid need to go and occupy and use the area. It is unfortunate that we don't see our Belizean fishermen out there using the water as a daily way of life. But we did see the Guatemalans, which is a whole other issue."

It is expected that as soon as the Guatemalans discover the Belizean flag on Sarstoon Island, they will take it down, that's if it hasn't happened as yet. And, we'll have a little more from Southern Belize later on in tonight's news as Daniel Ortiz goes crawling around in the mud while chasing after suspected Guatemalans illegally fishing in Belizean territorial waters.