7 News Belize

COLA/BTV Team Up; Calls For GOB To Release Guatemala's Diplomatic Note
posted (September 8, 2015)
Last week Friday, PUP Senator Lisa Shoman revealed some of the language of the Guatemalan response to Belize diplomatic note, where the government complained about an incursion into the Sarstoon. The Guatemalans responded in some salty language - which basically re-asserts the official hardline: they don't recognize the Sarstoon or any of Belize's borders, for that matter. And now, an amalgamation of pressure groups, including COLA and the Belize Territorial Volunteers, are calling for the Government to disclose the full details of that response.

Today, members of COLA met with the leaders of the Belize Territorial Volunteers in Belize City for several hours, and that meeting resulted in a joint position statement. It is detailed in a press release which says, quote, "The BTV…understands that Guatemala further rejected Belize's assertion that it was a mere unarmed group of civilians who visited the Sarstoon River and Island on August 16th, 2015 and scolded the Belize Government stating they acted irresponsibly in not preventing BTV from encroaching on Guatemalan territory." End Quote.

The leaders of the two organization told us today why they've teamed up, and how they will get the Government to listen to them:

Wil Maheia, Leader BTV
"We've always supported COLA. In fact if you go back to the archives you will see when we started this whole border clearing. The machete was unveil at one of the COLA's AGM. So it has been a long lasting relationship and we continue to support each other and this is another way we are supporting in calling for building the base now. This partnership that we are building is with the Belizean people and I want t make it clear that it is across political lines. This is not like a political thing. This is a Belizean thing."

Geovannie Brackett, President - COLA
"What we notice was that there was a specific campaign that needed to be done to address this situation, because back in the days we use to hear "not one blade of grass." However now it's an entire island and an entire river. So when we look at the situation we thought it warranted a campaign. A one that we are happy to say that many people have responded very well. We at COLA will continue with our campaign. We will continue to work with the BTV and continue to support. We are here at this meeting today and the statement that will be issued out is that we at COLA we support it and we definitely continue to make our call that the government makes the diplomatic note that we though was very strong, that it turns out to be just a note. To reveal that and its content and to reveal especially the response by the Guatemalans and then we need to question the Prime Minister since they have responded what will be our response to their response. It is those things and for those reasons that we are here and we continue to make this campaign and we continue to call on the Belizeans to be awaken. We know it's a time of celebration, but it's also a time of sadness for where we stand."

The partners say that they intend to call a press conference next week to discuss how they will move forward.

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