Minister of Defence, John Saldivar started his tour of the Belize National Coast Guard facilities this week. Saldivar, accompanied by his CEO Lieutenant Colonel Felix Enriquez and Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral John Borland, visited a site near the Port of Big Creek, where a new headquarters will be built. They also visited Hunting Caye, site of the stillborn forward operating base. Construction on the base came to a halt after public outcry erupted over it being built by a Guatemalan company. That forced the government to take control of the project and put an end to the US funding for it. Admiral Borland gave the media an update on the state of the base, as well as the Minister's country tour...
Admiral John Borland - Commandant, Belize Coast Guard
"Presently we are engaged in the tour of the southern sector of the Belize Coast Guard, where the Minister of Defence, Hon. John Saldivar and his CEO and his ministry staff are conducting a tour starting in the south. They will continue with this tour visiting the northern and central sectors. But for now we are in the southern sector."
"This morning we left Big Creek and we went all the way out to Ranguana and we arrived at this location. His purpose here is to look at the conditions under which the men are living and conducting operations. As you know he is particularly interested in the completion of the forward operating base we see currently under construction over my shoulders behind me."
"You will also see the building that we are currently located in. It's been there now since the inception of the Coast Guard. It's been renovated, but obviously it's not build to the standards that the remainder of the coast guard facilities are. So that is in its last legs and will be demolished once the new facility is completed."
"The new facility is being built to accommodate 16 officers and sailors included and there is also a pier facility out here as you saw where we docked the boats when we came in - where two boats can be docked at any one time and also a refueling facility. So when it's all completed this will be a self-contained, self-sustained operation where the troops can live out here and change over approximately every 4 weeks or every month."
The base on Hunting Caye is expected to be completed by mid April. Saldivar will be travelling to Coast Guard facilities in North and Central Belize throughout the next few weeks.
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