As we noted, his account differs completely from Belize's official position, and to settle it definitively, the OAS will conduct an independent investigation. The Government of Belize has also invited in the Americans, the Mexicans and whoever else wants to assist in the investigation.
And they say one telling detail is that Julio Alvarado was found by the BDF in the Chiquibul before:..
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"One thing we didn't say is that that minor had already been encountered by the BDF in a previous incident in Belize, but he was not armed and all the BDF did was escort him back to Guatemala. We don't engaged children in any hostile manner. That is a core operating principle of the BDF. In the circumstances of that particular incident, the BDF didn't know who the hell they were engaging. It was just a matter of firing back and taking cover. It turned out that the end of it all, that that very minor, who they had met and treated so absolutely properly - out of fundamental concern for his welfare and had taken back to Guatemala when the first occurrence took place, that he had taken fire and died."
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