Thursday, September 5, 2024

Dear Editor,

To be a patriotic Belizean you must be able to go and plant a Belizean flag at the Sarstoon Island. If you have not done so yet, you should not have anything to say about the activities at that border, especially this time of year. This appears to be the position of the Belize Territorial Volunteers. This ridiculous notion should be abandoned by every citizen of this country. I’m also of the opinion that a visit to Sarstoon Island is a provocation to this volatile situation with Guatemala.

Most Belizeans understand the claim that this country has with Belize and the direction and action that are being taken to find a solution. What point is the BTV making that we don’t already know? We should be thankful to the Guatemalan Armed Forces who continue to show restraint and patience when these visits are made. They could easily make these excursions to the border an international incident by being even more aggressive in using their weapons. If the Belize/ Guatemala border, particularly in southern Belize, is contentious, then it automatically becomes a hostile environment and a war zone; why do civilians believe that they belong or should go in such a zone?

Here is the reality: our neighbor country in the west and south of Belize will always be Guatemala. Moreover, with the huge disparity regarding the population size of these two countries, a military approach to solve this claim is not even an option. Let’s trust the process and give peace a chance, or we could just hand over the Department of Foreign Affairs and National Security to the Belize Territorial Volunteers.

Respectfully,
J. Alvarez