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That's caused its own controversy, but there's another element of the story. While the Belizeans were on the way the Sarstoon, they came upon several makeshift camps along the coast a short distance away from the mouth of the river. That's clearly in Belizean territory. And, as viewers will remember, that also its the very same vicinity that our Daniel Ortiz went splashing around in the thick mud, chasing fishermen for a chance to speak with them.

Well, Maheia says that because nothing has been done to curb this illegal behaviour, these fishermen have gotten more brazen and they've started to set up camps along the Beach side. That's squatting and according to Maheia, this escalation needs to be curbed immediately:

Reporter

"You have also been noting that some houses have been going up a little up from the Sarstoon Island on the Belize mainland and those are not Belizeans setting up homes there."

Wil Maheia - Leader, BTV

"They're not; they are fishermen who are squatting on the side of the banks of the coast. Even some of those areas up into the Temash, that's a national park but there's no management in the national park, government took away the management from SATIM and they hadn't put anybody there so it's basically a paper park."

Report

"What would you say would be the solution? At some point squatters rights will come into effect, would you say that government has to send immigration officers and relevant officials here to take down those homes."

Wil Maheia - Leader, BTV

"That's what the government should be doing, that's happening along the Colombia forest, near San Vicente as well. Dolores, I got a call two days ago that they are pushing across the border in the village of Dolores, they are putting in pasture now, which is something that never happened there before and there has been no response. There has been no response from the Belizean government but in addition to that I will like to take this time to also ask the Maya Leader's Alliance to jump on board with this issue because if a Belizean moving to a Maya village, they have to go through all the protocols and have to be screened and that kind of stuff. Guatemalans are moving into the Maya villages and none of those protocols, so we cannot be double standard where the Guatemalans don't have to do it but the Belizeans have to do it. I'm calling on the Maya Leaders Alliance and the Alcalde Association to take a stand on this issue as well."

This evening, we spoke with one of the spokespersons from the Maya communities, about Maheia's suggestion that preferential treatment is being given to Guatemalans coming across the border and joining the Mayan Communities without the same level of scrutiny that Belizean would be subjected to. That spokesperson requested an opportunity to better address it tomorrow, due to communication difficulties.