7 News Belize

City Is Militant Against Guatemala
posted (April 22, 2016)
So the last we heard officially from the Guatemalan President, he had given his army directions to amass at the Belize border. And the Guatemalan Government's twitter page has been regularly posting pictures of the armed forces on the move, saying they are, quote, "going to protect the sovereignty and protect the population" in the adjacency zone.

In line with that the Guatemalans sent out a lengthy press release this morning disputing what the Belize government put out yesterday. The release refers to the murder of Danny Conorquie and the shooting of Staff Sargent Lambey. It says, quote, "The Government of Belize insinuates in their press release that there have been Guatemalans who killed a member of the Belizean Police Force and who shot at a member of the BDF. If the Government of Belize has proof of that, they should present it and not limit themselves to accusation without proof."

It then goes unto say, quote, "An autopsy done on the minor Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano by the forensic authorities of Belize, indicates that he received 8 gunshots, of which 4 were in the back, another in the right rib below the armpit, another in the neck, and two below the neck, made by an high powered M4 rifle exclusively for military use. The resulting report does not say anything about whether the fallen child discharged a firearm, which would have been cause for the 'legitimate defense' of which the GOB's press release speaks."

It concludes, quote,
"The Government of the Republic of Guatemala laments and fervently rejects the aggressive attitude that the Belize army has maintained against the Guatemalans and reiterates that it has instructed its army to reinforce its protection of the National Sovereignty and the safety of Guatemalans in the Adjacency Zone and the Sarstoon."

Now after that - the Prime Minister did speak with the Guatemalan President and he reportedly committed to de-escalating. But the last official word is that they are rolling out the military, including the Kaibiles and rolling hard, with tanks and the like. It's enough to put any Belizean on edge - and it's the first time the Guatemalans have acted so aggressively. So what do folks in the streets think about it. That's what Emanuel Pech went to find out this evening:..

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7 News Belize