7 News Belize

Plett, Ayala vs. Sylvestre, Lovell
posted (May 19, 2016)
So, we know which side the opposition leader is on, but who do you think is right and who's wrong? For the past three nights we've featured this story extensively - and both sides have gotten ample airtime to put their story out.

Tonight, in a sort of extended mega-mix we have the claims, counter-claims and clarifications from both sides - so you can be the judge. Here goes:...

Roger Plett, Farmer Detained by Guatemalans
"There was 10 military persons and about 5 people in civilian clothing, they came running out of the forest and the military surrounded the tractor."

H.E Lawrence Sylvester - CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"We were given every assurance that there was no Belizean detained and that the Guatemalan armed forces were not on any patrol near the area adjacent to the Mennonite property on that day."

Roger Plett, Farmer Detained by Guatemalans
"So the lighter skin guy in charge, he told the military to tie my hands behind my back. The guy took his black rope off his shoulder and tied my arms behind my back."

George Lovell - CEO, Ministry of National Security
"I was given word that the military had no patrol in that area."

H.E Lawrence Sylvester - CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"I am certain that our colleague, Sergio Benites, the director of the OAS office must have been quite exasperated with the amount of times that I kept calling to ask him and to ask my colleagues on the other side to verify the information."

George Lovell - CEO, Ministry of National Security
"We are trying to establish precisely who were the people who apparently or allegedly held Roger and his other associate against their will over in Guatemala."

Roger Plett, Farmer Detained by Guatemalans
"I ask the guy, why do you have me tied up? Why are you taking me? And the guy told me, someone has to take the fault for this, someone has to be the blame for the fire."

H.E Lawrence Sylvester - CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"We did learn of how frustrated the agency which has civilian agency which has a concession to manage the protected area on the Guatemalan side of the border was at the forest fires spreading to their side allegedly started on the Belize side of the border."

Roger Plett, Farmer Detained by Guatemalans
"He said, don't worry we will release you once the bull dozer comes on this side and does the work that we want it to do. When I reach back I found out that they still had the bulldozer driver working for them on their side."

George Lovell - CEO, Ministry of National Security
"Even when one was reportedly over there on his own accord still assisted. We insisted that foreign affairs check to see that that person was not held there against his will and that he was in fact release."

Manuel Ayala - Detained by Belizean Police
"The following day we were by the garage working when my boss called me and said 'Manuel, they have Rogelio,' which is co-worker, the military has him. I call Rogelio and I said to him what happened. He replied and says that the military has him hold up. I ask him how many of them and he said 14. Shortly after that I received a call from Rogelio which say that they wanted to talk to me. I wonder who was this and so I answer the phone and the guy said be generous and bring your equipment here to help us out the fire. After that I received a call from Cpl. Young. He said this is Cpl. Young, are you Manuel and I said yes. He said that we are going to your location to see the area."

H.E Lawrence Sylvester - CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"The police who went out there on Friday were responding to a distress call."

Manuel Ayala - Detained by Belizean Police
"Mr. Gamboa said 'we were close by the border line' and he said like this 'guys, this is a serious situation, Belize is at high level of dispute at the moment, we don't want any confrontation that will be sorry for what could happen.' Everyone gathered there and then we decided to draw back."

H.E Lawrence Sylvester - CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"They were not investigating the allege detention of Plett, because no report had come to the police by that time."

Roger Plett, Farmer Detained by Guatemalans
"When we went in to the police station to give the report, I started telling him my story and after a while the guy was taking my story - he went out of the room. I waited a good while there and when he came back in, it's like he didn't wanted to hear my story anymore and he had first had put on my statement "Guatemalan military men", but he changed all of that and he changed it to men in camouflage uniform."

George Lovell - CEO, Ministry of National Security
"The police should not tell the individual what should be in the statement and should not put in any statement anything that the individual had not say."

H.E Lawrence Sylvester - CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"I directed Ambassador Guerra, who serves in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and assist on some of the consular and the matters, the cooperation with Guatemala to seek out and find the individuals in Spanish Lookout and arrange for a prompt debriefing."

Roger Plett, Farmer Detained by Guatemalans
"Later when they took me into the room where they had a meeting with Ambassador Guerra and a couple people from the OAS, Mr. Rosado they had in there too. They had me tell the story to them again and they were checking to see if I would say the same story that I had given them in the statement."

H.E Lawrence Sylvester - CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"I found that the individuals were rather elusive in making themselves available for this debriefing."

Roger Plett, Farmer Detained by Guatemalans
"So from there I told them that you guys are cowards, you guys are scared of the Guatemalans, that is why you want to sweep this under the rug as it never happens."

H.E Lawrence Sylvester - CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"The unusual delay from the Mennonite in making themselves available or in reporting it to the police, there are police in Spanish Lookout, George Ville, San Ignacio."

Roger Plett, Farmer Detained by Guatemalans
"On Friday we were told that the police, the CIB would be there Saturday from 8am-12midnight. So Saturday morning when we reached there after 9am, they said to us that nobody was there from the CIB and Mr. Rosado was not there either to take our statements, so we would either have to come back later that day or come back on Monday."

Manuel Ayala - Detained by Belizean Police
"After we made the statement and everything was okay, I was waiting to come out and they say you are not going. I ask why. They say "mischievous act." I said what."

George Lovell - CEO, Ministry of National Security
"The police somewhat does not fully support the kind of position that Roger and his team is giving."

Roger Plett, Farmer Detained by Guatemalans
"I would expect them to go to the area and they will clearly see the bulldozer tracks. There are still pieces of my tractor on the Guatemalan side. So if they would go there, they would find those pieces there."

George Lovell - CEO, Ministry of National Security
"I have the report right in front of me, which is suggesting certain things that are not consistent with what you have said to me. I am saying that having heard what you are saying and having seen this report - I am go back there and look them in the eye and say to them that this is what was said to me at this press brief. This is what you are saying, please confirm or deny these things so that I can get to the bottom of this."

Roger Plett, Farmer Detained by Guatemalans
"I will not come within half a mile of the borderline, because I do not know what those people would do if they catch me a second time."

George Lovell - CEO, Ministry of National Security
"It's not a matter that we wish to happen to any of our citizens and it is not a matter that we would hope and I hope that it would never occur again."

CEO Lovell today told us that the police maintain that they went on the ground and produced photographs to prove it. He says that's neither here nor there since police cannot go across the border and make an arrest, so it remains a matter, principally, for foreign affairs. And, also, he says the cops are sticking by their report - that there is some mischief being made between Manuel Ayala and the bulldozer operator Rogelio Barrientos.

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