Important Note: This Internet version of 7 News is a verbatum
transcript of our evening television news script. Many interviews on our newscast
are conducted in Creole. In the interest of clarity for our foreign readers,
we attempt to paraphrase the Creole quotes in English
Matachica Beach Resort at the north end of Ambergris Caye is one of Belize's most exclusive and highly rated hotels. But last night, the property's 57 year old grounds keeper was killed after he was beaten up by a 20 year old.
It's a tragedy at a place most people call paradise - and Monica Bodden went to San Pedro to find out what caused it.
Monica Bodden, Reporting
The lifeless body of 57 year old Gregorio Eustaquio Cornejo was carted away from the morgue this afternoon - in the pan of his family's pick up truck.
His 18 year old son and his nephew sat alongside his coffin as he was taken away to Libertad Village to be buried.
Cornejo was pushed off this pier to his death sometime before 6:30 yesterday evening.
He was attending a staff gathering at Mata Chica resort in San Pedro where he worked for over 5 years.
Details are a little sketchy but according to police - Cornejo was involved in an altercation:
Corporal Dwayne McCulloch - CIB San Pedro "The investigation revealed that about 6:30pm on that said date they were having a staff party at a resort when there was a altercation between two male person, a young man who is 20 years old who approach him and punch him in his face and he fell in the water. He was retrieve from the water shortly afterwards and it was notice that he vomiting substance that appears to be water and he was transported for further medical attention to town and upon his arrival here he was pronounce dead."
Today his wife told us she is still trying to put the pieces together - as to what happened last night.
Candida Cornejo - Wife "According to what I understand there was a staff party and everybody was drinking. There were about to leave when a fight broke out at the end of the pier. And actually in this fight my husband was not involve but at the end he tried to defend one of the friends and because of defending this friend, the one that was fighting hit him in the stomach and when he hit him into the stomach he fell into the water. Since he cannot swim, he actually drowns."
Monica Bodden "You understand what was the cause of the fight?"
Candida Cornejo - Wife "No, I don't know what the cause is. They are all staff, all co-workers."
According to Cornejo - her husband's post-mortem stated he died of drowning.
Candida Cornejo - Wife "Due to the stomach hit that he got. It was a staff party and you expect that everybody was drinking a little. It's not that they were drunk that they forgot one another. But yes they were drinking."
Monica Bodden "What have you heard from the police?"
Candida Cornejo - Wife "Well what the police told me this morning is that one will get charge for murder."
So far one person has been detained by police while 6 others are currently in questioning.
Corporal Dwayne McCulloch - CIB San Pedro "Information received is that the male person who punch the deceased was a visitor."
Monica Bodden "At this time is there anyone detained by police?"
Corporal Dwayne McCulloch - CIB San Pedro "Yes we have someone detained."
Jorge Aldana, Reporter "Will you able to share who that person is?"
Corporal Dwayne McCulloch - CIB San Pedro "Not at this time because we are still conducting our investigations."
Monica Bodden "What charges are you looking at?"
Corporal Dwayne McCulloch - CIB San Pedro "We need to consult with the DPP and she will give us further instructions."
Jorge Aldana, Reporter "You guys treating this as a murder?"
Corporal Dwayne McCulloch - CIB San Pedro "We are still investigating the matter."
The family says they want justice for their love one.
Candida Cornejo - Wife "They have taken from me my best friend and all that I have in all my existence. I don't care what happen whether they get justice or not but I know there is a divine one up in heaven and one day we all have will have one."
Elmer Cornejo, Nephew "He had no problems, he was just having some fun time with his friends and for somebody just to punch him in his stomach and throw him in the water I think it's so unfair. all that we ask is for justice to be done because as my aunt said many at times things happen and nothing is being done, the police only say that we will be investigation and nothing is done at the end of the day. Now I feel what others have felt before and now I want to say that its time for the Government of Belize to enforce their laws and if anything is not being done then it's just saying that the Government really don't care about its people."
For his eighteen year old son as he escorts the body of his father in the pan of this pick up truck -the memories of his father continue to play in his head.
Pedro Garcia, son "I feel sad inside but never the less I am still happy because now he will not complain that you know what 'oh my back and my head' and he died with a big smile on his face which I am very happy for that because he has always teach us especially me I have learnt to always smile every time something is bad, every time something goes wrong he would say you know what 'there's is no problem, everything is ok, we will find a solution' and we would call him the magic man."
Candida Cornejo - Wife "I have a pain that nobody can understand only me alone can feel. I think everybody have a time when they face their own and then they will know how much it takes to bury a person that you love."
Oscar Barela is detained pending charges. It is left to be seen if he will be charged for murder since his punch didn't kill Cornejo; he died when he fell from the force of the blow.
Today a Press Release was sent out by Mata Chica Resort - though not on official letterhead - and it proffers a slightly different version of events. The release states that on yesterday while the resort was having its staff closure reunion - there was an altercation and between an invited guest and one of the resort's employees.
The release states that "The confrontation got out of hand with others joining in and during the commotion the deceased fell into the sea off the dock."
The release goes on to say that they were not aware that he couldn't swim and when it was realized that he didn't come out of the water, he was rescued and given CPR - but he was declared dead on arrival in San Pedro.
"I am Belize" - that's the feel-good anthem for the project called RESTORE Belize - but two months after the project was launched, many have been asking if there is more than just a song.
Turns out, there is. Project organizers have been working steadily on the first Community Safe Zone. It's that area bounded by Central American Boulevard to the west, Caesar ridge road to the east, Neal's Pen Road in the north and Faber's Road in the south.
After meeting with community resource persons in august, the Restore Belize group held its first open community meeting on Sunday august 29th.
Today, Coordinator Mary Vasquez told us more what the term community safe zone means for those actually living in the area.
Mary Vasquez, Coordinator "The first community safe zone; we will be looking at a variety of different interventions. We'll have security interventions that would address specifically the criminal activity in the area and the safety of people in the area but it would also - to me more interestingly - provide for assistance to the families in the area and assistance to the area overall in terms of infrastructure; in terms of keeping children in school; in terms of after-school programs. In terms of assistance to the families individually, we would be helping families to access the social assistance programs, specifically the conditional cash transfer program is coming on stream shortly. And because we are doing a house to house survey right now, through that we would be able to identify the families that are eligible for that program and make them access that assistance. We will have enough information by mid September to plan more in depth and individualize assistance to the families, so by the end of September we would be able to start rolling out specific assistance to individual families meanwhile we are already working with the schools on the improvements that they have requested, and we are already looking at providing assistance to keep children in school."
The community clean up work has begun led by the ministry of works and the CYDP.
That includes the clearing of drains, cutting in public areas, cleaning up of abandoned lots and homes, and painting of St. John Vianney, and Excelsior class rooms.
A house-to-house survey of the 350 to four hundred homes in the area started this week to get an individual profile and individual needs of each family.
Forty-two year old Dalesmon Lewis, who was charged with aggravated assault of an indecent nature of a 7 year old female child, was freed of the charge when the case was struck out Friday in #2 Magistrate's Court for want of prosecution.
Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser struck out the case when the child accompanied by her mother and a social worker, appeared in court and said she didn't want any further court action.
The child said she was set up by a man, who is a friend of her mother, to make the false report against Lewis.
The incident occurred on the night of April 29th, 2010. At the time, the child reported to the police that she in bed asleep when was awakened by Lewis who took her into the living room and fondled her.
The big question that people are asking is "will the Civic Center be demolished?" While we don't know the answer to that question yet, what we do know is that ministry of works engineers have determined that the Civic is unsafe for mass gatherings.
They didn't need Einstein or even a T-square for that one! The place has been run down for the past decade.
Seven News caught up with Mr. Anthony Michael Director of the Sports Council and he told us that the engineers report submitted to him clearly shows that it is not fit to be used for the September Celebrations.
Anthony Michael Director of the Sports Council "Their suggestions is not to have any concert that creates dynamic forces, that means a lot of jumping up, because we have had reports that some people would actually feel the floor being moved. After we finish here you can take a look at some of the pillars and the structures and the strength outside and the base material, basically have been totally rotted out for several reasons; lack of maintenance over the years; salt air, we are right at sea level. So the engineers have looked at that. There are also concerns about the electrical condition. An electrical engineer should be arriving today or tomorrow to look at the electrical problems within the City Center along with the fire department; to look at the safety conditions of the City Center. The key thing in when you are doing buildings including your homes, including streets and drains, including infrastructure in this case the city center, one has to take in consideration that once you build there needs to be allocated some funds for maintenance and I think over the years we have seen where constructions are being done within our country and there are a lack of maintenance that have been applied to that. At the long term it ends up costing tax payers more money. In this case over years for whatever reasons civic center was poorly maintained."
While two of the biggest events of the September Celebrations which were scheduled to take place at the Civic Center this weekend have had to find new venues, it was no secret that the Civic Center has been slowly weakening. Producer and Promoter of the Sound Fest Mr. Tony Wright told us that the change in venue has so far been in his favour:...
Tony Wright, Producer and Promoter of the Sound Fest "The venue will be Birds Isle instead of the civic. We will be having the same show. we'll be having the red carpet, we'll be having television there and the excitement building up in fact just yesterday we got a call from Supa G who was not on the line up and he call and say that he wants to perform on the island so put me on the list in the lineup. So even Supa G we have on board now. It's the same line up. I think it will be much better; it's the place, the air is refreshing. So I think it will be a major show. Everybody is ready, Lucio and the New Generation are ready, Youth Connection is ready and everybody is all excited and ready to go. When I mention it on the radio that the venue will change to Bird's Isle, one lady call and say that she will tell her people to come from Chicago because that is where they wanted to go a long time. Every disappointment is for the better and so I think the change couldn't be better for us. It will be an open air thing and the musicians are all excited about the change, the stage is there and the floor was fixed. Everything seems well for us."
The Queen of the bay pageant has also been moved from the City Center.
Twenty four year old Elisa Chan, an unemployed of 36 Alan Pitts Crescent who allegedly tried to smuggle eighty grams of cannabis into Belize Central Prison in two fry jacks today, was charged with drug trafficking.
When she appeared in the #5 Magistrate's court Chan pleaded not guilty to the charges. Magistrate Albert Hoare offered her a bail of $5,000, which she met and adjourned her case until September 16.
Chan went to Belize Central Prison in Hattieville around 10:20 a.m. According to reports, the cannabis was detected when two foam plates, each with 3 fry jacks, were searched. One fry jack in each foam plate contained cannabis. When the cannabis weighed together amounted to 80 grams. Chan was allegedly taking the foam plates to give an inmate.
As we told you last night, the body of an unidentified man was found floating in the Mopan River at Succotz Village - around 6:30 yesterday evening. The body was pulled to the river bank and police report that it was in an early stage of decomposition. There were no signs of violence and police do not suspect foul play. The man was found wearing a blue jeans pants and no shirt. He is about 5 foot 4 inches tall. If anyone has any information you can contact the San Ignacio Police.
Average life expectancy for a man in Belize is seventy two years old, so it's news whenever anyone, especially a man makes it to a the one hundred year old mark. And so it was for Carlton Fairweather who celebrated his hundredth birthday on Sunday. But when we looked into his story, we found that age ain't nothing but a number...the accomplishments are what define this centenarian. Andrea Polanco has more.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
This was Carlton Fairweather on Sunday as he turned 100. The centenarian is pictured here at his birthday party with his daughter, Kamela Palma, the Belize High Commissioner to the UK.
But more than just having the distinction of celebrating his one one-hundredth birthday, he is one of the few surviving Belizeans who served in Britain during World War II.
As this vintage film from 1942 shows, Fairweather like thousands other West Indians joined the world war 2 effort for England. He volunteered to work in the forestry unit in Scotland. He explains what they did:
Una Marson, Jamaican Broadcaster
"Many of you will know of the good work the British Honduras lumber jack have been doing in this country. This evening we have one of them with us, he is Carlton Fairweather."
Carlton Fairweather "Well, I haven't got much to say except that I represent 900 others who have come over here to help your own forestry and timber workers. We use to get nearly all your timber from overseas from places like British Honduras. But now we have had to sell it and convert it at home and there is where we come in."
In the 'Tree Fellers' documentary produced by Robin MacPherson, some younger Belizeans remember their days as wood cutters in Scotland.
Sam Martines (wood cutter sent to Scotland) "We were chopping the trees down at first cause there were only small trees, fir and spruce we enjoyed it because we used to cut it."
Wood cutter #2 "Some people never seen colour people before in some part of Scotland they never seen a black man before. They thought we came from the jungle. They thought we were all from Africa. They said where do you learn to speak English, I said that is my native tongue."
Those are the types of experiences that Fairweather shared in as well.
And To celebrate this milestone Fairweather received a proclamation from governor General Sir Colville Young and had a birthday party with friends and relatives.
His family reports that at 100 years old, Carlton Fairweather still reads his letters and newspapers without eye glasses.
Email
Print
Matachica Beach Resort at the north end of Ambergris Caye is one of Belize's most exclusive and highly rated hotels. But last night, the property's 57 year old grounds keeper was killed after he was beaten up by a 20 year old.
"The investigation revealed that about 6:30pm on that said date they were having a staff party at a resort when there was a altercation between two male person, a young man who is 20 years old who approach him and punch him in his face and he fell in the water. He was retrieve from the water shortly afterwards and it was notice that he vomiting substance that appears to be water and he was transported for further medical attention to town and upon his arrival here he was pronounce dead."
"No, I don't know what the cause is. They are all staff, all co-workers."
"He had no problems, he was just having some fun time with his friends and for somebody just to punch him in his stomach and throw him in the water I think it's so unfair. all that we ask is for justice to be done because as my aunt said many at times things happen and nothing is being done, the police only say that we will be investigation and nothing is done at the end of the day. Now I feel what others have felt before and now I want to say that its time for the Government of Belize to enforce their laws and if anything is not being done then it's just saying that the Government really don't care about its people."
"I feel sad inside but never the less I am still happy because now he will not complain that you know what 'oh my back and my head' and he died with a big smile on his face which I am very happy for that because he has always teach us especially me I have learnt to always smile every time something is bad, every time something goes wrong he would say you know what 'there's is no problem, everything is ok, we will find a solution' and we would call him the magic man."
"The first community safe zone; we will be looking at a variety of different interventions. We'll have security interventions that would address specifically the criminal activity in the area and the safety of people in the area but it would also - to me more interestingly - provide for assistance to the families in the area and assistance to the area overall in terms of infrastructure; in terms of keeping children in school; in terms of after-school programs. In terms of assistance to the families individually, we would be helping families to access the social assistance programs, specifically the conditional cash transfer program is coming on stream shortly. And because we are doing a house to house survey right now, through that we would be able to identify the families that are eligible for that program and make them access that assistance. We will have enough information by mid September to plan more in depth and individualize assistance to the families, so by the end of September we would be able to start rolling out specific assistance to individual families meanwhile we are already working with the schools on the improvements that they have requested, and we are already looking at providing assistance to keep children in school."
Forty-two year old Dalesmon Lewis, who was charged with aggravated assault of an indecent nature of a 7 year old female child, was freed of the charge when the case was struck out Friday in #2 Magistrate's Court for want of prosecution.
"Their suggestions is not to have any concert that creates dynamic forces, that means a lot of jumping up, because we have had reports that some people would actually feel the floor being moved. After we finish here you can take a look at some of the pillars and the structures and the strength outside and the base material, basically have been totally rotted out for several reasons; lack of maintenance over the years; salt air, we are right at sea level. So the engineers have looked at that. There are also concerns about the electrical condition. An electrical engineer should be arriving today or tomorrow to look at the electrical problems within the City Center along with the fire department; to look at the safety conditions of the City Center. The key thing in when you are doing buildings including your homes, including streets and drains, including infrastructure in this case the city center, one has to take in consideration that once you build there needs to be allocated some funds for maintenance and I think over the years we have seen where constructions are being done within our country and there are a lack of maintenance that have been applied to that. At the long term it ends up costing tax payers more money. In this case over years for whatever reasons civic center was poorly maintained."
"The venue will be Birds Isle instead of the civic. We will be having the same show. we'll be having the red carpet, we'll be having television there and the excitement building up in fact just yesterday we got a call from Supa G who was not on the line up and he call and say that he wants to perform on the island so put me on the list in the lineup. So even Supa G we have on board now. It's the same line up. I think it will be much better; it's the place, the air is refreshing. So I think it will be a major show. Everybody is ready, Lucio and the New Generation are ready, Youth Connection is ready and everybody is all excited and ready to go. When I mention it on the radio that the venue will change to Bird's Isle, one lady call and say that she will tell her people to come from Chicago because that is where they wanted to go a long time. Every disappointment is for the better and so I think the change couldn't be better for us. It will be an open air thing and the musicians are all excited about the change, the stage is there and the floor was fixed. Everything seems well for us."
Twenty four year old Elisa Chan, an unemployed of 36 Alan Pitts Crescent who allegedly tried to smuggle eighty grams of cannabis into Belize Central Prison in two fry jacks today, was charged with drug trafficking.
Average life expectancy for a man in Belize is seventy two years old, so it's news whenever anyone, especially a man makes it to a the one hundred year old mark. And so it was for Carlton Fairweather who celebrated his hundredth birthday on Sunday. But when we looked into his story, we found that age ain't nothing but a number...the accomplishments are what define this centenarian. Andrea Polanco has more.
"Many of you will know of the good work the British Honduras lumber jack have been doing in this country. This evening we have one of them with us, he is Carlton Fairweather."
"Well, I haven't got much to say except that I represent 900 others who have come over here to help your own forestry and timber workers. We use to get nearly all your timber from overseas from places like British Honduras. But now we have had to sell it and convert it at home and there is where we come in."
"Some people never seen colour people before in some part of Scotland they never seen a black man before. They thought we came from the jungle. They thought we were all from Africa. They said where do you learn to speak English, I said that is my native tongue."
