GUATEMALA IS GRADUALLY INVADING, ENCROUCHING IN BELIZEAN TERRITORY BECAUSE GOVERNMENT OF BELIZE IS SO SCARED AND ARE COWARDS ALLOWING THEM TO DO SO!
BELIZEANS ARE DETERMINED THAT WE WILL DEFEND BELIZE FROM GUATEMALA’S INVASION NO MATTER WHAT OR HOW, BUT WE WILL STOP THEM!
Guatemalan incursions, occupation and settling within Belize borders, squatters on Belizean territory practicing illegal farming, illegal logging, a total of 45,567 hectares has been extracted, (this area extends up to 10.5 miles in the Chiquibul Reserve in Belize), xate leaf cutting, gold panning, wildlife trafficking, and fishing in Belizean waters in the Sarstoon area, etc. all practices done by an estimated 1500 Guatemalans, have been causing a huge loss of over $60 million dollars to Belize.
The illegal exploitation of our resources by Guatemalans is indeed excessive. Belize needs to stand steadfast to repel and expel Guatemalans from Belizean territory. Why should Belize tolerate such provocations? What do you think would happen if Belizeans occupied Guatemalan territory as Guatemalans are now to Belize? Belize must stand firm and defend its legitimate rights; its sovereignty over its territory. Belize is for Belizeans and it is the sacred duty of GOB to defend our borders from any intruder without fear, intimidation, hindrance or consideration. Moreover, it is precisely because Guatemala maintains an unfounded claim over Belize that we should not tolerate but deter and expel Guatemalans. Out with these transgressors and trespassers. The problem has been that GOB takes matters too lightly and just does parrot talk.
We will never forget when the hero Danny Conorquie was slain in September 2014 by Guatemalans and the abduction of the Northern Territorial Volunteers by the Guatemalan military in February of 2015. BDF Sgt. Richard Lambey was shot by Guatemalan military. The Guatemalan military have taken Sarstoon Island and have over a thousand soldiers in the area. There has been provocation by Guatemala military to the BDF down in Sarstoon on Belizean territory on various occasions. Roger Plett, a Mennonite from Spanish Lookout, was abducted by Guatemalan military. An expedition of reporters of different media houses were told to retreat and move away from Belizean waters in the Sarstoon area, by Guatemalan military. The Sarstoon area, which is in Belizean territory, is under control by Guatemalan military, despite what GOB says. There have been innumerable acts of intrusion, invasion and provocation by Guatemalan military, while timorous GOB backs up like a frightened little puppy with its tail rolled between its legs. Even after all of these happenings GOB sits there doing nothing; absolutely nothing in concrete. That is the mother of all shames!
How can GOB sign the Special Agreement (SA) or compromis in Washington December 2008 without public discussion in Belize? The agreement was then released to the Belizean public after its signing. Belizeans did not have any knowledge of, or input into, that document. Article 2 of the SA requests the ICJ to determine “ANY AND ALL LEGAL CLAIMS, OF GUATEMALA AGAINST BELIZE to land and insular and to any maritime areas pertaining to these territories, to declare the rights therein of both Parties and TO DETERMINE THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN THEIR RESPECTIVE TERRITORIES AND AREAS.” This is at Belize’s disadvantage because only Guatemala knows what they will be claiming. They can claim things we don’t even have knowledge of, which would be treason to Belizeans. Guatemala can even claim the whole of Belize.
I have written in previous articles in the Amandala that undoubtedly Belize does have a precise and unambiguous boundary with Guatemala which has been agreed upon by Guatemala. THEREFORE, GUATEMALA NOR ANYONE ELSE CAN SAY THAT THERE IS NO BOUNDARY BETWEEN BELIZE AND GUATEMALA. SURELY THERE IS! It is an unforgivable, execrable mistake by GOB to say we have “artificial borders” and accept an “adjacency zone”.
Belize and Guatemala should have their referenda simultaneously, yet Belize allowed, upon Guatemala’s request, to have it on separate dates. GOB is always bending down to suit Guatemala’s requests instead of the requests of its Belizean people. GOB is showing weakness, cowardice, fear; this must stop!
Going to ICJ may mean losing Belize as a country. Meanwhile, GOB is worried, talking and signing Protocols, Memorandums of Understanding, Confidence Building Measures or Agreements, Bi-Lateral Agreements and other agreements with fancy names, but of no benefit to Belize. Guatemala is interested in just one thing — the territory of Belize. Guatemala signs agreements but later they repudiate or simply disregard their compromises as they have done throughout history until today. Guatemala is a country with no word, no respect and no heart; they are ruthless with their own citizens.
It is time that Government of Belize bulge their muscles up, stop being cowards and start defending Belize without any fear, hindrance or cowardice. It’s NOT about how many soldiers Guatemala has and how many Belize has? No, we will not falter, we will not panic; numbers don’t scare us. Belize is ours and NO ONE WILL TAKE IT AWAY. Every Belizean must unite as one nation to fight for our common cause against Guatemala’s false pretensions. Belize is for Belizeans, for UDP, PUP, and all other parties in this Jewel. Our territorial integrity and our existence as a nation is paramount and of vital concern for all of us Belizeans. PUP, UDP and all other P’s must join together against our arch enemy, Guatemala. Don’t allow your political party convictions or party affiliations to go before the love of your country, civic and patriotic duty and pride. When Guatemala invades they will invade us all, PUP, UDP or any other P or no P at all, every single one.
We have heard government’s spokesmen on the UDP radio station expressing so many times that they wish the Guatemalan military would hold any PUP Belizean who challenges the Statutory Instrument regarding visits to the Sarstoon. This is so crazy, ridiculous. Are these people for Belize or for Guatemala? Is their party affiliation over this major national issue? This is a very serious and grave matter of national concern. Is it they don’t care for Belize, our land?
Belize should impose a boycott on all imported goods from Guatemala. Belize imports close to $100 million dollars annually from Guatemala, while they import a trifle from us in comparison.
GOB should internationalize our cause; let the world know how Guatemala military is bullying Belize. Deliver a formal official report of the happenings to the UN Security Committee expressing that Guatemala has continually been having incursions, settling, harassing our people, pillaging our natural resources and invading our territory, even by the Guatemalan military. However, on the contrary, GOB fired a Statutory Instrument prohibiting Belizeans from visiting the Sarstoon area while Guatemalan citizens and military freely move around there.
What a good thing they removed the Statutory Instrument. That S.I. was only giving advantage to Guatemalans over Belizeans. That created a most dangerous position allowing Guatemalans to go where Belizeans were not allowed to go in their own territory. GOB is relinquishing its own territory while Guatemala has taken the advantage over the Sarstoon; that is execrable!
Guatemala should be made to understand that by virtue of our independence approved by the United Nations, Belize is a sovereign country with all its territory intact, from Rio Hondo to Sarstoon River, including Sartsoon Island. UN should be called to resolve this unfounded claim instead of the ICJ. GOB should not allow Guatemala to breach or abrogate what they have signed and accorded to. Belize is small but we can show that we are not afraid, we are not scared and Guatemala has to stop their false pretensions and nonsense. Belize should give them NO advantages, privileges or considerations in any way.
On the other hand the Opposition, the PUP, is also not acting with enough power, energy and strength. They are not the binding force they should be to inspire, instill, foster and attract the people to unite as one strong force against Guatemala and its unfounded claim. The Opposition should do mass mobilization of citizens in the form of massive peaceful protests, demonstrations, picketing to show GOB and the world our national unity against Guatemala’s illicit actions and pretensions.
I am very much surprised and appalled that the UDP general membership seems to believe that everything is dandy and working wonderful, that the government is doing well when everyone can see that GOB is very timid and inept when it comes to dealing with the unfounded claim. Belizeans, we have to punch our government on the liver where it hurts and our Opposition too; join, unite in order to save Belize. If we continue politicizing this problem we might end up losing Belize the Jewel of ours. If we continue politicizing the problem we might end up fighting each other instead of joining to defend Belize against Guatemala, the real enemy. Meanwhile, Guatemala will march forward to take over Belize because Belizeans are divided. BUT NO, WE WILL NOT CONTINUE DIVIDED!
Belizeans, do not want division. WE WON’T be the generation who will surrender Belize to Guatemala because we cannot unite. We will NOT allow ourselves to be lured by Guatemala and GOB into going to ICJ to lose our country. We will have the testicular power and brave heart to fight for our land. We have the courage to say NO to Guatemala and NO to ICJ. I am convinced and trust Belizeans will make the right choice. Let us all save Belize TOGETHER UNITED AS ONE PEOPLE!
SAY NO TO GUATEMALA AND NO TO ICJ!!!