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Since then, the police have been trying to find out its origin, but so far, no one has come forward to claim it, and you'll get no complaints from the BDF. Legally, because the required waiting period is over, it technically belongs to the Government, and the military wants it transferred over to them. There is a bit of paperwork involved with that, and when we met up with the Commander of the BDF, he told us that they are waiting patiently to be able to make use of it:

Brigadier General David Jones - Commander, BDF
"What I've heard is that the helicopter that is in custody no one has claimed it, which means the government has the right to claim it and has been expressed before, that once it has been claimed it will be handed over to the BDF which is welcome news for us. Because actually our pilots are already able to fly. What I've been told, it's not 90 days, it's actually 60 days. So 60 days has long passed and so it's been over a month that the government should have own the aircraft and I believe that is in process. The request for it to be owned by the government has been done and I believe that has been done already. It's just a matter of time now for the government to announce that yes it now belongs to the government and if they carry through with what has been announced, it's going to be handed over to the BDF. So we expect to get it anytime soon."

Daniel Ortiz
"What would you use this helicopter for? Do you have any ideas at this time?"

Brigadier General David Jones - Commander, BDF
"This helicopter is going to be vital for troop movement. From here to along the border, our soldiers that do operations there is going to be very supportive to them. If there is a need for extraction either for casualty of for insertion of troops to conduct operation or for support to take in rations for them - this helicopter will be very vital. Because it will be able to take up to about 5 passengers up to the area that they are going to work and is able to extract our soldiers of they get injured out there and if there is a need to take vital medications or rations or food or any items or equipment to the observation post that they are going to work, this helicopter will be vital. So it's going to be actually a game changer for the Belize Defence Force to have such a platform, because it's going to aid our operations much more smoothly and we are going to be much more effective because of the use of helicopters."

The BDF is hoping for a similar deal in relation to that a US registered Piper PA 34 Seneca twin-engine airplane which landed at the Belize City Municipal Airstrip without the proper permission some 17 days ago. Today, the Brigadier General told us that they still another month and a half before the Government can call it their own. This aircraft, he said, would also become a valued asset for the military:

Brigadier General David Jones - Commander, BDF
"The aircraft was flown over here by our pilots. It's an aircraft that our pilots can fly as well. It's only over at the air wing for safe keeping at the moment. I believe its still under investigation as to what occurred, but the information hasn't been passed to us by the police, so they will be best be able to answer that."

Reporter
"Would the same thing applies in terms of 60 days passing and then you all can claim it?"

Brigadier General David Jones - Commander, BDF
"I believe it would be the same. Since we are informed that it has to be the 60 days. It would be the same for the aircraft. If no one has claimed it within that time, I believe the government has the right to claimed it and if it is claimed, we in the BDF would hope that that would also be handed over to us because it would also be a welcome asset to the Belize Defence Force."

We are told the American owner of that aircraft may be taking legal action to recover his plane from the government.

And, what about those 2 helicopters that the BDF were supposed to be gifted from the Taiwanese Government? Well, the Commander told us that his information is that they have left from that country and should arrive later this month. He told us that there is already a plan for those choppers as well:

Brigadier General David Jones - Commander, BDF
"Those two helicopters that we expect to get from Taiwan I understand they've left Taiwan already. There are a couple days out already and sometime next month we expect those two platforms here in Belize. When those two air craft arrive in Belize, the Taiwanese that are coming along with it will assemble it and they will test fly it and the government is in the process right now of deciding which company - because we looked at 3 options to get our pilots trained to fly it and also get our mechanics trained to repair these helicopters. When that occurs we will have these people in country. Hopefully that decision is made soon. So as soon as the helicopters arrived, we will have a company in place in Belize to start to train our pilots and mechanics on how to repair them."

So, when those arrive, by a stroke of good fortune, the BDF will have 3 helicopters.