Eight Belizean fishermen are being held by the Guatemalan Navy tonight. The Belizean Embassy in Guatemala has learned that they were arrested when they were found getting out of their vessel at the Punta Manabique Beach in Izabal, Guatemala. This is believed to have happened sometime in the last 24 hours.
Now as these maps show, that is the northernmost tip of Guatemalan territory jutting out into the Amatique Bay - which is in the Gulf of Honduras. It's diagonally across from Punta Gorda and juts out north of the Sarstoon boundary.
The Guatemalan Navy reports that seven of the eight had Belizean fishing licenses, but no boat registration nor "zarpe" which is a Guatemalan port authorization document. All eight are now in the hands of Guatemalan Immigration and they have been transported to Guatemala City for processing.
The Belize Embassy in Guatemala has been in contact with the eight to confirm their wellbeing. The Government of Belize says in a release that it "has engaged Guatemalan and OAS representatives in this matter."
Now, if the details as outlined in a late evening government press release are accurate, and these fishers were illegally in Guatemalan territory - it will be a cause, again, for national concern, since as we have show you very many times, Guatemalan fishers freely use and abuse the Belize side of the Sarstoon without penalty or persecution. We'll keep following this story very closely.
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