Belize Times June 3, 2012

Sunday, June 3, 2012

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THE BELIZE TIMES

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SUNDAY June 3, 2012

Issue No. 4798

Reconnected Ashcroft offers $40m for BTL shares and twenty pieces of silver.

The BELIZE TIMES understands that the main topic was what would be the Barrow Administration’s accommodation package for Ashcroft if he is to help them make the stalled superbond renegotiation a success.

This package, we are Continued on page 4

measly

education subsidy Belize City, May 30, 2012 Opposition Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca told the BELIZE TIMES that he finds the education subsidy granted to Opposition representatives for their constituents unacceptable and he expects the Minister of Education Patrick Faber to reconsider.

A letter sent to Opposition members last month by the Minister’s Secretary informs that the Ministry has allotted funds for each Opposition member to submit the names of students who will get assistance. While the gesture seems nice, the number of students that will be accepted for assistance is a pitContinued on page 4

PUP Town Council brings development to Dangriga

Hon. Rodwell Ferguson, Hon. Mike Espat, Hon. Oscar Requeña, PUP Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca, Hon. Ivan Ramos & Mayor Gilbert Swazo

Dangriga Town, May 25, 2012 Hope that soon Dangriga Town will once more become a buoyant town has returned to the “culture capital”. Residents of Dangriga Town

Continued on page 13

Not Guilty!

See page 9

Opposition calls out GOB on

Michael Ashcroft & Prime Minister Dean Barrow have commenced talks on BTL’s ownership

Jury frees four of 2009 double murder

Brionne Swift

Frank Edwards

BELIZE CITY, Wed. May 30, 2012

By Roy Davis Four men charged with double murder were acquitted of the charges today in the Court of Justice Herbert Lord.

The jury of 9 women and 3 men deliberated for about 4

Gabriel Salazar

Victor Garnett

hours and 37 minutes before it arrived at its verdict which was unanimous.

The four are Brionnie Swift, 31; Victor Garnett, 25; Frank Edwards Jr. 25, and Gabriel Salazar, 25. They were charged with Continued on page 8

Guats attack Senior Police at Western Border

Guatemalan mob surrounds Sr. Sptd. Moody

Benque Viejo del Carmen, May 29, 2012 It has been four days since a volatile situation at the Western Border almost ended in bloodshed between Guatemalan and Belizean law enforcement authorities and the public is yet to hear a Minister of GovernContinued on page 22

TOP MODEL

Belize City, May 30, 2012 Talks between Lord Michael Aschroft and Prime Minister Dean Barrow continued in Miami, U.S., last week while the PM was “officially” there to accompany his ill wife. This time the negotiations included a third wheel, a former PUP Minister who defected to the UDP for a diplomatic post

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Godwin Hulse can’t serve two masters

06 15

UDP Welcomes the dead

23

BSI SALE APPROVED

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THE BELIZE TIMES

THE WORST STREET IN BELIZE CITY

This week’s worst street in Belize City is Orange Street in the heart of downtown Belize City. The street is filled with craters and floods easily because of bad drainage.

Just two years ago the UDP City Council spent $70,000.00 to pave this same stretch of street. Today the street is a total disaster.

If you want to suggest a worst street of the week email us the information or photos at editortimes@yahoo.com

Oceana goes forward with legal challenge of oil exploration contracts BELIZE CITY, Tuesday, May 29th, 2012

By Alton Humes Oceana in Belize is continuing its fight against offshore oil exploration pursued by the Government of Belize under Prime Minister Dean Barrow.

Oceana has launched a lawsuit against the Ministry of Natural Resources, challenging the validity of six Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) covering Belize’s offshore areas. The present snag is now whether or not its planned coclaimants, Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA) and The Belize Coalition to Save our Natural Heritage, will be added to the lawsuit.

Arguments for the co-claimants were originally scheduled to be heard on May 23rd at the Supreme Court, but it was decided by Oceana Vice-President Audrey Matura-Shepherd and their attorney, Godfrey Smith, to file new papers nam-

ing the two grassroots organizations as potential co-claimants. And foreseeing the Government’s plans to discredit both potential co-claimants, the Court decided to adjourn the matter to June 7th in order to give all sides necessary time to file their papers and prepare arguments. June 7th is also the eve of World Oceans Day, June 8th.

As for the second legal proceedings against the Governor-General of Belize and the Chief Elections Officer for their rejection of 8,000 signatures which were part of Oceana’s petition calling for a referendum on offshore oil exploration, that remains scheduled before Justice Michelle Arana, also at the Supreme Court, for June 20th, 2012.

The BELIZE TIMES will continue to follow these cases whenever they go before the court.

Budget check: it’s been 86 days since the March 7th elections and 61 days since the end of the last financial year, April 1st, and still no budget!

Sunday, June 3, 2012

More Questions than Answers Dear Editor, We are supposed to operate in a society of openness, but this is definitely not the case of our government. We live in a world where technology places knowledge and information at our finger tips for those of us who have access to the thing called computers, and televisions. Whilst these instruments have some very negatives programmes there are many educational programmes which if used properly can boost our educational and development capabilities. Our current government is as guilty as some of those programmes, of doing more harm than good.

Instead of using some of those mediums to educate they use them to continue misinformation instead of information, instead of finding solutions, they sow fear, suffering, passiveness and basically an attitude of wait and see. But whilst we wait and see, our human resources are being destroyed, our natural resources raffled out to foreign companies who are protected by lawyers and cronies. Our social and spiritual way of life is no longer respected. Don’t ask me, ask our church leaders.

Why are our church leaders so silent about all the wrong facing our society? Are they afraid of King Dean cutting off their school subsidies or are they forgetting to follow the true example of Jesus Christ which was to speak out against any and all forms of oppression.

He spoke out for the poor and oppressed. He preached equality for all not for some.

He blessed the children and loved them and saw them as the future generation of the world. He looked after the sick and lowly, the homeless and even forgave the greatest criminals upon His crucifixion. Whilst I do not want to appear to pick a fight with our church leaders, instead of focusing your efforts on UNIBAM, you also need to, like Bob Marley said, get up and stand up. Encourage your members that it is not wrong to speak out in order

to correct injustices which are plaguing this society. As a poor, southside born and grown up resident, we were taught to respect people, especially our older citizens but that respect was also taught to be shown to all.

We were taught to love and share, not to grab-grab-grab which now has become the order of the day.

The time might be right for our leaders, be they political, spiritual, or business, to take some sort of collective action against all the many evils currently destroying us as a people. Suggested actions like the one carried out by the Bus operators a while back, or a general strike countrywide. Actions of that nature will not go down lightly with our current government, but it’s time we the people use our powers, in our churches, our schools, our hospitals, our workplaces, our farmers and our workers.

Changes require our involvement, our action, togetherness, and sacrifice otherwise if we continue to go down the path we are going, we will continue to have more questions than we can answer. Solutions needed not continuous problems.

Thanks for publishing, The Advocate

THE BELIZE TIMES EDITOR

Alberto Vellos OFFICE MANAGER

Fay Castillo McKay PRINTING/PERSONNEL SUPERVISOR

Doreth Bevans LAYOUT/GRAPHIC ARTIST

Chris Williams STAFF REPORTER

Alton Humes TYPIST

Rachel Arana OFFICE ASSISTANT

Roberto Peyrefitte Printed & Published By The Belize Times Ltd. #3 Queen Street P.O. BOX 506 Belize City, Belize Tel: 671-8385 Email: belizetimesad@yahoo.com editortimes@yahoo.com

Sunday, June 3, 2012

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Another weekend of bloodshed Belize City,Tuesday, May 29, 2012 Truce or no truce - call it what you want, the harsh reality is that the murder rate continues unabated from week to week. The KHMH morgue is never free of mutilated and bullet-riddled bodies that are carted off at the hands of determined criminals who refuse to stop the bloodshed.

Over the weekend, there were three more murders across Belize, not to mention three more shootings. The first happened sometime around 4:00 on Sunday morning as two brothers and a cousin, having gotten enough of a night of pubbing to Old School music at the Tropicana Lounge at the Tourism Village proper made their way to their grey Mercedez Benz car parked a short distance from the night spot. As car dealer, Anthony Mayen, 42, his brother Kirk and cousin, Darrel Mayen, got inside the car, they were ambushed by two men who sprayed the vehicle with bullets, hitting Anthony eight times and Darrel once. Anthony died shortly after with bullet wounds to his chest, abdomen, armpit and arm. Darrel was struck in the right shoulder and his injury is not life-threatening.

The second Belize City homicide occurred shortly after seven on Sunday night on the south side of the old capital and claimed the life of Eldon “Cry Cry” Lewis, 37, originally of Dangriga Town, and a sanitation worker with the Belize Waste Control.

Lewis was shot as he sat on a bench at a house through an alley off Mayflower Street, commonly known as Ghost Town.

Lewis is not known to be a gang member, but the area where he was is one of Belize City’s hot spots and gang communities.

Reports are that he had gone to purchase marijuana when his killer walked up to him and shot him at close range. His murder bears similar resemblance to that of Mayen’s in that Lewis too was hit multiple times, 13 to be exact. He had eight bullets

PUP Leader visits mother of Daniel Matura

Daniel Matura

Belize City, May 25, 2012 On Friday, May 25th, 2012 at 11am, PUP Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca visited Marva Mendoza, the mother of Daniel Matura who is the latest child victim of the senseless gang violence which continues to grip Belize City.

At 11 years of age, Daniel was a student at the Sister Clara Mohammed Muslim Primary School, located only a few yards from his mother’s home. He was killed on Monday May 21st as he came home from a nearby store.

Hon. Francis expressed his deep sympathy on behalf of the PUP to the mother and her family and expressed to her his commitment to do everything possible to support all efforts to end the violence in our city. On behalf of the Party, he also offered the family a small contribution to assist the family during this difficult time. Ms. Mendoza expressed her gratitude for the support on behalf of herself and her four remaining children.

Valentino Coc

Eldon Lewis

Anthony Mayen

alone in his abdomen, three in the chest and two in the head.

Lewis’ common-law wife had just had his fifth child three months ago. His practice was to go home in the evening and leave to hang out through Mayflower Street where he was shot. The motive of his killing has not yet been established, but police have not ruled out whether it is linked to the Mayen execution hours ear-

lier that same Sunday.

The third murder happened in Belmopan, specifically, Salvapan and claimed the life of an 18 year old youth. Valentino Coc left home to go play a game of football.

He never returned because inside a yard on Suriname Street, someone attacked him with a machete and according to his relatives, it was premeditated. They say so because the youth was at home when

someone convinced him to go with them to play football. But what first started out to a friendly game ended in a bloodbath when one of the youths with whom Coc had had a dispute, hacked him in the face, head and arms. Belmopan police are looking for two suspects, who are believed to be from the group that Coc was with.

One of them was reportedly his friend, the other he did not know.

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Opposition calls out GOB on

measly education subsidy

Continued from page 1

tance.

The letter states that Opposition members can only submit 25 students for the $300 subsidy and 25 students for the $75 subsidy. Students can only be 1st or 2nd formers.

“That is unacceptable,” remarked Opposition Leader Hon. Fonseca, “apart from it being unfair considering the large number of student constituents residing in the divisions with elected PUP representatives, the limited assistance given to students is an indication of the Government’s meagre support for education in Belize”.

Hon. Fonseca, who was a former Minister of Education, said the number of students is a drastic reduction to the number of students that Opposition members have aided in the past.

It is particularly much less when compared to the amount the United Democratic Party representatives, including Faber, were able to help when Hon. Fonseca was Education Minister.

This issue was discussed at length today, as the members of the People’s United Party Parliamentary Caucus, which includes members of the House of Representatives and Senate, met at the PUP’s headquarters, Independence Hall. It was seen by members of the Caucus as a way of “hurting” PUP representatives, but in reality it is the many students who will now not be able to access education assistance who will be negatively affected.

Hon. Fonseca also expressed shock that no assistance will be granted to tertiary school students.

Statistics show that access to education is the lowest in the tertiary institution bracket, with about 3%-4% of our youth population attending school at that level.

As an excuse for not being able to afford support for tertiary school students, the letter stated, “funds for tertiary are lacking at this time because of the burdensome payment to the University of Belize of 4.5 Million dollars”.

Just weeks to the March 7th elections, the UDP had allotted almost $3 million to its political representatives, both elected and unelected, so that they buy voters in a last minute attempt to win the elections. The Barrow Administration has also spent over $1 million dollars to fund its failing gang truce programme.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Reconnected

Continued from page 1

told, includes the sale of no less than 20% shares of Belize Telemedia Limited for $40 million and the settlement of all existing litigation between the Barrow Administration and Ashcroft-related companies.

There was no resistance to Ashcroft’s demands and just like that all indications are that the once great enemy of Belize who had Prime Minister Barrow foaming from the mouth as he threatened to move mountains to prevent the British billionaire from laying hands on another Belizean company, has danced his way back and is being reconnected to the Government-held telecom company.

Only seven months ago, the Prime Minister gambled political

support to amend the constitution in order for Ashcroft to once and for all lose any financial interest in BTL. This, said Barrow, would allow the Government of Belize to maintain majority control and bring about benefits for Belizeans such as lower phone rates and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP).

Today neither has Ashcroft disappeared nor have customers seen a drop in rates and much less are they getting access to VOIP. It was all a gimmick. What is the reality is that not only will Ashcroft soon hold significant interests in BTL, but he is being drawn in

by Prime Minister Barrow himself. On the other hand, customers have been refused reduced internet and phone rates, and are being blocked from accessing VOIP services.

It is inconceivable and inexplicable how this all came to past, and while Belizeans have many questions and

have every right to answers, the man who should be providing them, Prime Minister Dean Barrow, is avoiding the issue. For all we know, every time the PM flies to Miami, it is to resume secret deal making with his greatest benefactor.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

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Stop the Foreclosure Madness!

Big respect to the hundreds of Belizeans who supported this year’s Cancer walk held last Saturday. Cancer is a serious health issue among our population and it needs urgent attention. While we hope its increased awareness would result in healthier lifestyle practices and most of all vigilance, another Cancer that is being grossly overlooked is the one affecting our Economy.

This economic cancer has been slowly eating away at Belizean homeowners and the private sector to the extent that for the first time homeowners and businesses, whether small, medium or large, are in trouble and are facing a possible wipe out, with no kind of intervention from the government of the day.

This economic cancer has affected Belizeans from top to bottom, as the government turns a blind eye. Every week you can see the many newspaper pages and long lists of homes that are now for sale or being auctioned. And then if you take a drive throughout the country, you’ll notice the many FOR SALE signs that are put up in almost every neighborhood. The Barrow Administration’s policy over the past four and a half year seems to be to “let ‘em burn baby, let ‘em burn”.

During the last four years of the UDP, the economy came under assault from our very own Government. The Land Ministry was shut down, private companies were attacked and their owners were literally kicked out of the country. When they went to the Court for help, the Barrow Administration snubbed the Court and said they are bigger than the Court. This all chased away possible investors, which meant our economy began shrinking. On the local scene, Belizeans couldn’t do a thing about the downturn and home-owners and businesses could not organize to express their plight. In Belize under the UDP, if you get infected with the foreclosure sickness, you basically are on your own and you better tough it out as no Chamber or no Better Business Bureau will come to rescue you.

The only ones that make money during the economic cancer are the law-firms. The Prime Minister’s law firm, for example, makes money as the lawyers are used by the banks to make sure they always win whether you pay or can’t pay. A conspirator would say maybe that’s why the Prime Minister chooses not to do anything about the economic cancer. We would say that’s not just a conspiracy, jack. The boys in Belmopan run the biggest business in town with oil and taxes upon taxes. Through the Central Bank they can fix these problems, if they really want to. They decide when interest rates are too steep, and when it must go down.

So the question must be: why hasn’t the Barrow Administration sat down and worked out better terms to rescue Belizean homeowners and business owners who are ailing from the economic cancer? Why haven’t they done something about the mortgage holders who are in trouble and asking for help? You want to tell us nobody in Cabinet cares about this? Wasn’t that what Barrow said he was doing over at SSB and then promised to do at DFC or was it just election talk?

The Opposition People’s United Party believes that this is an urgent matter. The foreclosure crisis is affecting Belizeans every day, and the Government must do something about it. The rest of 2012 must be seen as a special period to help home owners, to wipe out compound interest and bring interest rates down. It is not a matter of our people not paying. They can’t afford to pay in the crisis we’re facing.

Belize is too small for our people to be deserted in the middle of a crisis. The real problem is our broker, Dean Barrow. His law firm works for the Banks and as long as there are foreclosures, the law firm benefits. Is everyone in the UDP Cabinet a wimp that no one can stand against this barefaced chanciness? What we need is a mutiny in the camp, a rebel with a cause…we are calling out Santino, Godwin, Sedi…anyone who can stop the madness.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

BSI workers approve transfer of majority shares to American Company BELIZE CITY, Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

By Alton Humes It is now official, or at least more public than before, American Sugar Refining (ASR), the multinational corporation that also owns refining and naming interests in the British refiners Tate and Lyle are now close to being the new owners of the Belize Sugar Industries Limited (BSI). A meeting held yesterday May 29th, 2012 by the BSI Employees Holdings Trust, yielded a near-unanimous vote of 99% set up a new share capital that will see ASR gain control of up to 80% to 85% of the company.

Although the original 44 million workers’ shares of the BSI Employees Holdings Trust (BEHT) will be untouched, with the dilution of the shares, ASR will invest US$60 to $62 million, or between BZC$120 to BZC$124 million dollars in equity, for servicing of debt obligations to the ING Bank and First Caribbean International Bank, amongst others, as well as infusing needed capital for additional improvements. In addition to all of that, ASR will pay long-owed dividends dating as far back as 2006, and valued at $5.2 million, to the workers over a stretch of 18 months.

With this deal relatively and firmly ensconced in place, or so it would appear, the long-standing nightmare to find a buyer who would not only save the formerly embattled company from debt default and employee redundancy, but also remove the spectre of a corporation that seemed ‘unsellable’, seems to be almost over. But what will this international giant really be getting for their dollar, and more important to ask, how will Belizeans on a whole benefit from this deal, from farmers to factory workers?

According Belizario Carballo Jr., the Chief Financial Officer of the BSI Holdings Group, the workers made an “excellent choice” saying ‘yes’. As he put it, “it’s really a proposal that is not just good for employees and

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good for BSI, but it’s also good for the industry because it’s good for cane farmers as well because it’s a proposal that includes, not just settling the debt of BSI and giving BSI a new beginning, a fresh beginning.”

Carballo explained to the BELIZE TIMES via phone that the initial investment of US$60 to $62 million will be supplemented by another US$30 million (BZ$60 million) that will also infuse capital that will, as he put it to us, “grow the business”.

But even with the workers saying yes this time, it obviously wasn’t like that before. Deals were coming and going like downtown traffic, and even the cane farmers, through the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) tried to get deals to buy in. But ASR got someone’s attention, and according to ASR Representative Jonathan Bamberger they sees more in Belize than could even be imagined, saying “We see good land for growing cane, a mill here which has good bones, has good potential and good ability to be expanded, has good management and its only constraint was the lack of financial resources.”

Well before ASR was even considered for a deal to buy into the company, BSI was selling sugar to interests that were linked to ASR, and were also receiving some capital from them to get by in their darker days. Therefore, the whole deal (shareholder votes or not) was the proverbial no-brainer.

But while BSI and ASR are all too happy to begin anew in their relationship, we asked Carballo about what the cane farmers were told, and how things will be with the renewed company going forward. He hastened to assure the BELIZE TIMES that the working relationship will remain the same and that presentations were made to the BSCFA and other cane farmers a few weeks prior. In fact, he added that since ASR will be growing sugarcane here, they also plan to share their expertise with cane farmers so that there will “be a healthy and growing business” all around.

All fine and good, to be sure, but it does seem that only time will really tell how this deal will come together, even as the ‘deal deadline’ of June 30th draws ever closer. This story continues to develop, and the BELIZE TIMES will continue to follow it.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Sunday, June 3, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

Humor

in UDP Politics!

The following matters were discussed in Cabinet - Faber introduced a plan called “The Takeover” and asked Cabinet to consider it in case something would happen to the current Prime Minister. He explained that there would be a Prime Minister of the North, South, East and West. He would be PM of the East, Godwin Hulse would be PM of the West, Gapi of the North, and since no UDPs are from the South, he would be PM of the South too. Just then Gapi got up and said he almost didn’t agree, until he heard he would be a PM too.

Faber whispered, “gotcha!”

- A proposal to ban Ministers from smoking in Office was sent to a Committee to study its cause and effects, its advantages and disadvantages, and if it infringes on rights of the Minister(s) in question. This caused the CabSec to take out a bottle from his pocket and say to himself “that is why I choose to drink”.

- Boots introduced a proposal to make Ashcroft the “coPrime Minister” in the absence of the Prime Minister, in the absence of Deputy PM Gapi and in the absence of the Acting PM Faber. When asked whether anyone had any questions, Sedi asked if he could be the “Artificial PM”.

- Santi was supposed to give a report on the ongoing negotiations with Ashcroft, but he hadn’t reached after his bicycle supposedly got a flat at Mile 11.

- Mark King was asked why is it he drives a heavily tinted vehicle with no license plates. In response, King removed his

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dark shades and said if “I am to be the gang minister”, I might as well behave “gangsterous”.

In other related matters: The mayor of Belize City is proposing a new tax on dogs.

Pitbulls will be taxed $60 a year; Mixed breeds taxed $30 a year and all other dogs $15. Potlickers will be a whopping $100. …………………

At the Tropicana, one popular DJ was overheard saying that he can’t wait for the ex-mayor to finish her restaurant in the sea. When asked why, he responded, “Well, I want to play there”. …………………

Vernon Cuthkelvin was seen going in and out of Michael Young’s Law Firm. When asked to explain the purpose of his visits, Cuthkelvin replied, “anybody who could talk about bribery in the face of bribery when it was all about bribery is my kind of lawyer”. …………………

Cabinet has asked Erwin Contreras to investigate the matter of the missing red Mitsubishi at the border as it looks like a vehicle recently driven in Belize Rural North. Castro jumped up and said, “da noh me” …………………

During a recent inspection of hospitals, the dignitaries noticed the strange behavior of the Health Minister Pablo Marin. At every stop, Marin walked to the electricity meters, inspected it and flipped on the fan and light switches. When at the last stop Marin put on a heavy suit and began climbing a light post on the hospital grounds, someone finally decided to ask him what was going on, he responded, “I’m just doing my real job”.

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Not Guilty!

Continued from page 1 the murders of James Swan, 25, a.k.a James Edwards and Swan’s brother-inlaw Elias Edwards Gutierrez, 26.

Only Salazar was not freed because he is on remand for another charge of murder.

James Swan and Gutierrez were killed on Thursday evening, January 29, 2009 in the Bacalar Chico area of Ambergris Caye. Their bodies were buried in a grave 4 feet deep and 4 feet wide and covered with coconut leaves.

Dr. Mario Estradabran, who did the post-mortem examination on the bodies, testified that Swan died from traumatic shock due to gunshot injuries to his head while Gutierrez died from multiple organ failure due to injuries to his abdomen caused by a blunt instrument.

The evidence was purely circumstantial. There was no direct evidence.

The chief witness for the prosecution was Eric Swan, the brother-in-law of James Swan and the brother-in-law of Gutierrez.

Eric testified that at around 1pm on January 29, 2009, he, his brother and brother-in-law went fishing for conch and lobster in the Bacalar Chico area.

He said they dived for about 3 hours then they went ashore to the beach for coconut water because they became thirsty and they had forgotten to bring water.

Eric said that when they arrived at the beach they were approached by 6 men and 3 of them were his cousins.

He testified that the men were armed with machine guns, shot guns and 9 millimetre pistols and they told him that they had been waiting for 14 days and they wanted their share.

Although it did not come out in Court as evidence, Police believed that the murders were drug related and it reportedly involved 6 to 8 bales of cocaine.

Eric said three of the men took his brother and brother-in-law to Rocky Point, an area a short distance from where he was, while the other three held him hostage. He said shortly afterwards he heard what sounded like gunshots.

Eric said when he asked the trio, upon their return, about his brother, they told him that his brother was tied up and everything would be okay if he did the right thing. Eric testified that he was held hostage for about 24 hours then two of the men, Garnett and Salazar, accompanied him in his boat to San Pedro to get his mother.

But when they arrived at San Pedro someone said Police and Garnett and Salazar told him to drive off but he was unable to do so because he was in shallow waters, said Eric. He further testified that Garnett and Salazar jumped out of the boat and the Police began firing shots. Eric said he was shot in his buttocks and right foot.

But Ivan Tun, who testified for the defense, said that on January 29, 2009, he was the captain of the boat that took Eric Swan, James Swan and Elias Gutierrez to Bacalar Chico. He said James and Elias disembarked while he and Eric stayed in the boat for a while before they drove out to open sea and then they heard gunshots.

Tun is the person who reported to the Police how Swan and Gutierrez were missing and gave the Police statements on 1st and 4th of January,

THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, June 3, 2012

18 yr. old charged for Jeremy McNab’s murder BELIZE CITY, Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

By Alton Humes There has been late word to the BELIZE TIMES via the Belize Police Department that the main suspect wanted in the murder of popular and well-known businessman Jeremy McNab has been arrested and charged.

According to Police sources, 18-year-old Anthony Carballo Jr., a resident of #59 Tigris Street, has been arrested and charged for the murder of the 48-year-old businessman, which occurred on Thursday, May 17th, 2012.

On that tragic night, McNab

Anthony Carballo Jr.

and two assistants were at his business, Mobile Hardware and Grocery, located at the corner of Cemetery Road and Curassow Street, when it is believed that Carballo and another youth entered the store unmasked and struck up a ‘conversation’ with McNab that ended when either Carballo or the other youth opened fire upon him, riddling him with several bullets to the chest. The pair then escaped with his personal firearm in tow.

Police are still seeking another suspect in connection to this incident, and their investigations continue at this time.

Ladyville man accused of sexually assaulting sleeping neighbor BELIZE CITY, Wed., May 30, 2012

By Roy Davis A laborer of Perez Road, Ladyville, who allegedly broke into the house of his 32 year old female neighbor to sexually assault her, was charged with burglary when he appeared today in the #2 Magistrate’s Court.

He is Winfield Mortis, 44.

Mortis was also charged with damage to property and aggravated assault of an indecent nature.

2009.

Garnett gave a statement from the dock in which he said that at the time of the incident he was in Belize City with his family and common-law wife.

But Assistant Superintendent of Police Dennis Arnold testified that on February 3, 2009, when he took Garnett to Bacalar Chico to search for the bodies, Garnett admitted in a statement that he was at the scene at the time of the incident but he did not take part in the murders.

Swift also gave an unsworn statement. He said that at the time of the incident he was at his mother’s house in San Pedro.

Salazar testified and said that at the time of the incident he was at the house of his mother and father in San Pedro. But his parents were not at home because they were at work, he said.

Edwards testified and said that at the time of the incident he was at home in San Pedro with his mother.

His mother Esmeralda Edwards testified and corroborated his alibi testimony.

Swift and Edwards were represented by attorney Dickie Bradley.

Salazar, Edwards and Garnett were represented by attorney Simeon Sampson.

Senior Crown Counsel Cecil Ramirez represented the prosecution.

Justice Lord presided over the trial which lasted almost three weeks.

Mortis, who pleaded not guilty to burglary and damage to property but guilty to aggravated assault, told Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser that he did not go into the house and that the screen wire was already damaged because there was a hole in it. He admitted however, that he touched the woman, but he said it was on her shoulder.

The prosecutor objected to bail on the grounds of a strong case because the accused was positively identified by the complainant who said she has known him for 5 years. The prosecutor also objected to bail on the grounds that if granted the accused might interfere with the complainant.

Mortis did not give the court a good reason why he should be granted bail. He said he is a friend of the complainant and at the time of the incident he was working in the yard.

When Senior Magistrate Fraser told him she will deny him bail until

the facts of the case are sorted out, Mortis asked her to give him prison time instead of remanding him to prison. She, however, explained to him that she has already entered pleas of not guilty for burglary and damage to property.

She remanded him into custody until July 2.

The incident occurred around 1:47 a.m. on May 7.

The complainant reported to the police that she was asleep in her bed when she was awakened by a strong breeze coming from her bedroom window. She said when she looked she saw a hand through the window and the hand touched her in a private area of her body.

She told police that when she looked further she saw that the culprit was Mortis. She said she hollered at Mortis and he ran. The charge of damage to property was for the window’s screen wire valued at $25.

Thieving vandals cause mayhem at Sacred Heart Primary BELIZE CITY, Tuesday, May 29th, 2012

By Alton Humes A group of vandals set their sights on eight classrooms comprising the Standard 4 and 5 bloc of the Sacred Heart Primary School in the heart of the Cayo District.

But instead of the usual brand of mayhem they tend to inflict – mostly stealing, ransacking the place and destroying various material parents and teachers spend their hard-earned dollars on – they went a step lower and left their excrement smeared all over the desks and chairs, as well as on the floors of the classrooms.

So, is it a bad old grudge, general mischief, or something even worse? That isn’t known at present, but according to the school’s Principal, Bernadine Martinez, these same

vandals have been at it for over three months. Despite being able to recover each time, this particular instance forced the students, numbering around 200, to be sent home, and the teachers to clean up and bring in the Health Department to make sure no diseases would affect the school. What makes things even more disturbing is that the principal believes that, thanks to a standing shift change between two security guards who are supposed to protect the school, but instead, “[The vandals] study the movements of the security and I believe they come here in the evening, late evenings”.

But it won’t be just diseases that this school will have to worry about; instead, it will be a scarred psyche striking at the heart of this institution that may never seem to heal.

Police in Cayo continue to investigate who could be responsible for this barbaric assault.

This Week’s Sunday, June 3, 2012

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BELIZETIMES SUNDAY JUNE 3, 2012 THE BELIZE TIMES see full color at www.belizetimes.bz or Facebook/ Belize Times

TOP MODEL Make-Up

tips

By Tania Tanesha (E-mail: mua.tania@ gmail.com, Cell: (501) 604-0736) “Makeup Haul” is a term used to describe buying a load of makeup. You makeup lovers should be familiar with this because if you didn’t know, makeup expires after a while.

Some of my clients buy super expensive makeup that lasts for years; that favorite MAC lipstick or that juicy Sephora lipgloss; or that awesome eyeliner you’ve been saving. I hate to break it to you, but prolonging to replace your makeup can actually be harmful to you and your skin.

Harmful makeup Every bit of makeup you own can, eventually, become a breeding ground for tons of bacteria and germs. Bacteria can be transmitted from your skin and onto your makeup every time you use it. Eye makeup, especially, can be very harmful if not replaced often. Now, because the dead skin cells end up in our makeup, re-using and saving these products cause more bacteria to grow, thus transferring the bacteria back onto your skin, eyes, and lips, causing breakouts and the spread of infections, viruses and other serious ailments. This is why I also, and always, advise my friends and clients to NEVER SHARE MAKEUP! No matter how much you love your bestie, it’s not hygienic to share makeup.

Rules of replacement If your makeup doesn’t have an expiration date, then refer to the guide below: • Mascara: 3 to 6 months if used daily. Special occasions only: about 12 months. Mascara easily gets contaminated with bacteria.

• Foundation: 1 year. If liquid foundation starts to change color or if it starts to smell funny, trash it!

• Powder: 18 months - 2 years. This might finish before its time anyway.

• Eyeshadow: Pressed powered shadow can last 2-3 years; cream shadows only last about 1 year • Eyeliner and lipliner: Up to two years. Make sure to keep sharpening these products to discourage the growth of bacteria.

• Lipstick: 2 years max. If it has a smell; starts to discolor, or dry up, it’s time for a new one.

• Lipgloss: 18 months to 2 years.

Be careful what you buy Be alert when shopping for makeup.

Some stores sell expired makeup at largely discounted prices. If the product doesn’t have an expiration date, examine the product before buying. If you notice a liquid foundation that seems separated and discolored, do not buy. Dry lipsticks are past their time. Just follow the tips above.

I know it’s tough to throw your makeup out but do your skin that favor, it’ll love you back. Just like food, makeup expires and it’s important to follow my guide so you can always be good to your skin and can totally put your best face forward.

Jessica Career Plan: Doctor Sign: Leo Favourite Food: Ceviche Likes: Sleeping, singing, cooking, texting • Lives in Belize City • Fav. Quote: “Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans” • • • •

CATWALK FASHIONS What’s Hip...What’s Hot...What’s Now! Phone: 203-2936 / 620-7481 #148 Cor. Queen & North Front Streets Belize City, Belize

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, June 3, 2012

National women’s football champs

BELIZE'S #1 SPORTS PAGE

Sugar City Girlz are football champs Dangriga, Saturday, May 26, 2012 The Sugar City Girlz were crowned the 2012 national women’s football champions on Saturday after they won on goal aggregate against the Dangriga Pumas at the Carl Ramos Stadium.

The Pumas tried desperately to win Game 2, and while they did win with a score of 4-2, it wasn’t enough to overcome the 4-1 loss they had suffered in Game 1. This gave the Sugar City Girls the victory.

Nathalie Macias looked to put Sugar City

Gisel Baeza scored Sugar City’s 2nd goal

Primary school softball competition

Buttonwood Bay girls & boys enter semifinals undefeated Belize City, May 25, 2012 The undefeated Buttonwood Bay Nazarene School girls and boys won all their games in the Belize City softball regular competition to enter the semifinals undefeated.

The Buttonwood Bay girls secured their berth in the playoffs by a 5-4 win over the Muslim Community School girls on Thursday. Muslim School’s Jadda Sacasa and Raeesa Ahmad came home in the top of the 1st inning but Buttonwood’s Almira Augustine, Kayla Flowers and Shenelle Magandi came home in the bottom of the 1st to lead 3-2. D’Andra Mcfadzean’s pitching allowed Nicoly Shield and Nickesha Ramirez to score 2 runs for the Muslim girls in the top of the 2nd inning, but the Buttonwood girls led 5-4 after Almira and Kayla came home in the bottom of the 2nd and Kiana Magandi added another run in the bottom of the 3rd.

The Buttonwood boys secured their berth in the playoffs by their 3rd win: 14-1 over the St Mary’s School boys last Thursday. Jorge Martinez scored St Mary’s only run in the 4th inning, but Buttonwood’s Brian Molina and Orlando Enriquez scored 3 runs each, Corry Anderson and Effran Augustine scored 2 each, while pitcher Brian Pavon, Kenard White, David Ortiz, Erwin Lopez and Jawin Pnady each came home once.

Dangriga’s Pumas won Game 2, 4-2

Women’s Volleyball Division 1 championships

Moen Stars vs. Lady Jaguars in women volleyball finals

Adler Romero races to a safe base

Other matches:

Tariq Lamb scores

Wesley Upper girls vs.

Holy Redeemer RC School – 11-4 St Martin De Porres boys vs.

Calvary Temple School – 17-2 St Martin’s boys vs. St Luke’s Methodist – 14-4 St Luke’s boys vs. Calvary T emple – 13-4 Holy Redeemer boys vs.

Wesley Upper – 4-3 Unity Presbyterian girls vs.

Salvation Army – 1-8

Krystal Bevans serves

on the scoreboard early when she centered the ball into the goal area and goalie Sherean Vasquez mishandled the ball, but she recovered before any damage was done. The visitors’ defense kept out Nykemah Kuylen’s first attempt at goal, but they could not contain her second try as she gave the Pumas a 1-zip lead in the 20th minute.

Seasoned striker Dorita Ramos made it look easy when she outran the Suga City defense to score the Pumas 2nd goal in the 30th minute of play. Dorita was having a blast as she broke free again in the right flank and her right foot shot escaped McCulloch and found the far corner of the net to make it a 3-zip ball game.

The Suga City Girls counterattacked with Nathalie Macias centering the ball to Noriely Terry, who just could not connect for the finish. The pressure of the visitors’ offensive paid off when they won a corner kick and Tamarah Baptist’s pass to center found Sheyla Pena whose right away kick sent the ball into the net for Pumas to lead 3-1 at the half time break.

The Pumas were ever conscious that they needed to win by 4 goals or more, and Ashanti Velasquez looked to reduce their goal aggregate deficit but missed. Nykemah Kuylen also looked to increase their score but Jessica McCulloch intervened. Then Kuylen outran the defense and beat McCulloch to make it a 4-1 to tie the goal aggregate at 5 goals apiece.

Kuylen’s next try ended up hitting the crossbar while Sugar city’s star striker Gisel Baeza also unleashed a high riser. McCulloch stopped the Pumas’ next try, until finally Gisel Baeza got away for a one on one with Sherean Vasquez and won with a bullet of a shot into the net for the Pumas’ 4-2 final score.

Trophies will be presented at a later date after the third place series is concluded. In Game 1 of the 3rd place match, the Gentle Touch girls from Esperanza blasted the Millennium Girls of Belize City 8-0. The series continues in Esperanza Village on Saturday, June 2.

Belize City, May 25, 2012 The Moen Stars will challenge the defending national women’s champions, Lady Jaguars, in the Belize District Volleyball Association’s Division 1 championship finals.

The Moen Stars advanced by winning their playoffs series of the tournament at the Belize Elementary School auditorium over the weekend.

The 16-time women’s champs, the Moen Stars, dominated the SQ Stars 3-0 in Game 1 on Thursday and Game 2 on Saturday. Moen Stars’ offensive hammered kills on plays set by Kayla Dawson and Emma Hoare, who also blocked and received to win the first set 25-8. The SQ Stars won many rallies, before the Moen Stars won

Continued on page 11

Sunday, June 3, 2012

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THE BELIZE TIMES

BELIZE'S #1 SPORTS PAGE

Men’s Volleyball Division 1 championships

Home Protector Rebels claw at Jaguars in volleyball finals

Rebels’ Orel Leslie spikes

Interoffice basketball

Tuff E’Nuff wins back to back Interoffice games

Belize City, May 25, 2011 The Tuff E’Nuff Tours basketballers posted back to back wins over last year’s semifinalists, Alamilla’s Furniture, and defending sub-champions, Conscious Youth Development Program, in the 2012 Belize City interoffice basketball competition at Bird’s Isle on Friday and Sunday.

In Game 1 on Friday night, Tuff e’Nuff outlasted Alamilla’s Furniture 53-51 in the opening game. Alamilla’s led 10-7 in the 1st quarter and 25-12 at the end of the 2nd quarter. They maintained their lead past the 3rd quarter, 38-32, Tuff e’Nuff’s Keith “Superman” Acosta, Tyrone “Joker” Edwards, Jamal Kelly and Stephen

“Muerte” Williams turned the game around to get the 53-51 game win.

In Game 6 on Sunday afternoon, Tuff e’Nuff went into overtime to upset CYDP 75-68. CYDP’s Bernard Felix scored and Marcel Orosco scored 40 points together, but it wasn’t enough to give CYDP a win, even after the led at the half.

Tuff e’Nuff took over the lead 51-50 in the third quarter and forced the game into overtime, where they slowed down CYDP to gain the 75-68 victory.

Women’s Volleyball Division 1 championships

Moen Stars vs.

Lady Jaguars in women volleyball finals Continued from page 10 25-18 in the 2nd set. Nayala Tun reinforced the SQ Star’s defense in the 3rd set, but the Moen women won 25-18.

Game 2 on Saturday was all Moen Stars, as they dominated the first set: 25-11. Karina Bernard and Xiomara Quan reinforced the SQ Stars in the second set, which they almost won, but Melissa Ramirez and Vivianni Avila took the court to help the Moen Stars win 25-21. Kayla Dawson replaced Kelsey Balderamos for the start of the third set, but Kelsey and Melissa soon entered the fray to relieve Emma and Precelia Hoare, and they dominated the 3rd set 25-6.

Krystal Bevans & Leandra Betson go up for a block

Belize City, May 25, 2012 The Rebels men will challenge the Jaguars men in the Belize District Volleyball Association’s Division 1 championship finals.

The Rebels eliminated the defending national champions, the Scorpions, in four sets in both matches to advance to the finals.

Orel Leslie, Tariq Campbell, Elton Moore and Jason Cabral led the Rebels’ offensive hammering kills at the net on plays set by Kleon Coleman and Kahlid Encalada. Coleman got in his share of hits while Encalada sometimes tricked the ball over the net for the Rebels to take the first two sets 25-23 and 25-22.

Germaine Audinett, Arvid Arnold and Ean and Jamal Galvez

led the Scorpions’ counterattacks hammering home points on plays set by Oscar Arnold and Anwar Zetina to win the third set 25-20, but Elton Anderson and Victor Hernandez had reinforced the Rebels as they won the fourth set 25-19.

The Scorpions tried for a comeback in Game 2 on Saturday and indeed with the help of Anthony Wagner hitting at the net, they won the first set 25-22. But the Rebels would have none of it, they had to go to extra points to win the second set 26-24 and they dominated the next two sets 25-14 and 25-23 to win their berth in the finals.

CYDP, Telemedia & Police win Interoffice games

Belize City, May 26, 2011 CYDP, Police, Youth for the Future, Police and Belize Temedia enjoy wins in the 2012 Belize City interoffice basketball competition at Bird’s Isle on Friday and Sunday.

In Game 3 on Saturday, the defending subchamps CYDP won 69-52 over the Police team.

The Police led 14-12 in the 1st quarter and 26-25 lead at the half.

CYDP’s Bernard Felix and Matthew Young added 9 points each, and Marcel Orosco and Ernest Broaster added 6 points each to extend C.Y.D.P’s lead to 48-39 at the end of the 3rd quarter. Earl Johnson scored 8 points for the Police, and Orlando Bowen added 4 points, but Jermaine Tillett’s 5pts and 6 rebounds put CYDP over top 69-52 at the final buzzer.

In Game 4, Youth for the Future locked up Kolbe Foundation 64-50. YFF led 16-12 in the 1st quarter as Fenton Noralez led with 12 points and Kenroy Usher added 10 points. Juvencio Serano was knocking down treys as he led Kolbe with 16 points, but Jamir Enriquez’s 8 points kept the YFF ahead 41-31 in the 3rd quarter. Lester Cadle added 14 points for Kolbe and Richard O’brien had 8 points in their loss.

In Game 2 on Friday night Maria Chang won 72-66 over Telemedia Digicell. Ronald Rivers hit 4 long treys as he led Maria Chang’s total scoring with 24 points, 4 rebounds but the game was a 14-14 tie in the 1st quarter. In the second quarter, Maria Chang pushed for the lead and got it at the whistle 39-32 at the half. Maria Chang remained on top in the 3rd quarter at 56-47, and kept their dominance all through the 4th quarter which ended 72-66.

Other games: Telemedia vs. Kolbe Foundation - 61-32 Top scorer: Ashley Hemsley, 11 points Police vs. Maria Chang - 53-49 Top scorer: Chester Noralez, 14 points; Winston “Air Jun” Pratt, 17 points

Tuff E’nuff’s Jamal Kelly scored 15 points

Lupito Acosta on the drive

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Sunday, June 3, 2012

Sunday, June 3, 2012

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THE BELIZE TIMES

PUP Town Council brings development to Dangriga New Mayor says residents MUST benefit from local projects Continued from page 1

Hon. Fonseca & Mayor Swazo

are more hopeful than ever because on March 7th they elected a hard working Council, and more importantly a strong Mayor who will work for them and defend them at all costs.

The residents were assured of this

just last week, Thursday, May 24th, when the newly elected PUP Dangriga Town Council in collaboration with the Social Investment Fund (SIF) broke ground for the construction of a new Municipal Market in Dangriga Town.

Mayor Major Gilbert Swazo, who was the keynote speaker, made it absolutely clear that he expected the residents of Dangriga to benefit fully from this important project particularly when it came to employment.

He stated that the Dangriga Town Council would be holding SIF and Contractor Kenard Smart to their commitment that at minimum, 60% of the workforce for the project would be residents of Dangriga.

This issue has been a concern for Mayor Swazo and the PUP Council which inherited the agreement between SIF and Smart. Residents are concerned that because Smart’s company is based in Corozal, workers from northern Belize will benefit. Such was the case with a previous contract be-

Mayor Swazo addresses residents of Dangriga

Mayor Swazo joined by Minister Santiago Castillo & SIF representative to break ground for new market

tween Smart and the Government, and even though residents protested, the then UDP Council refused to defend them.

The Market project is estimated to cost some $1. 2M and will take some 18 months to complete.

Present for this important occasion were PUP leader Hon. Francis Fonseca, Dangriga Area Representative Hon.

Ivan Ramos, Stann Creek West Representative Hon. Rodwell Ferguson, Toledo East Representative, Hon. Mike Espat, and Toledo West Representative Hon. Oscar RequeĂąa.

PUP supporters came out in full force to support their Mayor and town council, and to greet the Party Leader and the other Area Representatives present.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, June 3, 2012

PUP Leader meets with Western Caucus in Belmopan City of Belmopan, May 24 2012 On Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012 People’s United Party Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca at the invitation of Western Caucus Chairman Hon. Joseph Mahmud and DPL Hon. Julius Espat travelled to Belmopan to meet with the PUP Western Caucus to discuss current events, challenges, and the way forward.

Hon. Francis was also joined by Deputy Party Leader from the South, Hon. Mike Espat, as well as our two elected Belmopan City Councillors Valderiano Nal and Carlos Alas.

The PL thanked the members of the Caucus for their support and commended them for the important progress they made in the last elections.

“Our responsibility and challenge is to now build on this progress. We

must move forward with a strong sense of unity and a clear sense of purpose and direction,” said the Party leader.

DPL Hon. Julius Espat and Chairman Mahmud expressed their full commitment to the work ahead and DPL Hon. Mike Espat shared his experience with the group and expressed his support for the work of the Caucus.

PUP Leader Hon. Fonseca and PUP Western Caucus held a fruitful meeting Following this there was an open, frank, and engaging discussion which ended with all expressing their commitment to the Caucus and the challenging work ahead.

OW Town Council & vendors collaborate to upgrade Central Park Orange Walk Town, May 28, 2012 For several years the Central Park on Queen Victoria Avenue in Orange Walk Town has deteriorated in neglect even though it serves as the venue for many important occasions, including the official Independence Day ceremony. The only attention the park received under the previous United Democratic Party town council was being splattered with red and white paint, as if it were a rundown political fort. The newly-elected People’s United Party Town Council under Mayor Kevin Bernard has different plans and in collaboration with the vendors in the area, the park will see the type of restoration which town residents deserve.

The Council and vendors have discussed how to restore the historic park. The thirteen vendors who occupy spaces adjacent to the park where they carry out trade daily have agreed to pay a monthly sum that will go toward the park’s rehabilitation, until a proper area is found for them to carry out their business.

The Council first proposed that sum to be $50, but reconsidered and proposed a lesser amount, a dollar a day or $30 monthly. Most vendors have in mind the Council’s goal and they are supportive of the plans. Some have expressed concern, but Mayor Bernard reminded them that the Council seeks

cooperation and not to displace them.

“I am aware that the vendors may not have been paying before but we need to put order in our town and we cannot allow people to just come into our town to make business and then not contribute anything for the maintenance of the area because we need to maintain the area and it costs us money . So we have to make sure that we collect some type of stipend from these individuals utilizing prime space in our town and so we decide that all vehicle vendors that fall under the group will have to make that payment. There is another space that will allocated to three or four other vendors that are already out there.

In fact they have agreed without any hesitation to come in and make payments and some has already made that payment they have no problem with that.

“There are over 17 thousand residents in Orange Walk that would really want to see us bring back Central Park for their kids for their family to have a good time, to have a peaceful time. So I am sure that a few will be upset but many Orange Walkeños will be much more happier once we put order in this town and return the Central park to the place it once was a family area,” commented Mayor Bernard.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Godwin Hulse can’t serve two masters Hulse had been walking a thin line all along but pretended not to. This certainly answers how by refusing to vote against the 9th Amendment back in October of last year, Hulse, as a Senator appointed by the Chamber of Commerce, helped the Barrow Administration in passing it, even though the Chamber had strenuously opposed the proposed change to the constitution.

Masquerading as a reformist, Hulse was all along a true UDP loyalist and as PM Barrow later put it, he is “redder than red”. But Hulse appears to have an insidious compulsion for serving two masters, and this time he apparently wants to take Belizeans workers for a ride.

Belize City, May 28, 2012 Prime Minister Dean Barrow did Belizeans a huge favour when he labelled Godwin Hulse “a long time UDP” to rationalise his appointment as UDP Senator with Ministerial privilege. For many years Hulse pretended to be a politically impartial Senator representing the business community and appeared to be a true advocate of government reform.

His political appointment exposed him however, and underneath his cloak was a devious man who simply aided and abetted the UDP Government through his position of Business Senator, while his calls for reform were merely a front to preserve relevance among those who would turn to him.

Disband the Gangs Now

By Stanley Lemus The dictionary defines the meaning of the word gang as: “A group of persons working to unlawful or antisocial ends”. Examples of gangs: a gang of drug dealers, he is a member of the gang; or he was shot and killed by a member of a ritual gang.

Coming straight from our Laws which now forms part of our Constitution of Belize – Part 1, Section 1 – states Suppression of Criminal Gangs. (a) 1. In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires, “criminal gang” means an organization or association or combination of persons which is formed for, or which acquires, the purpose of committing or facilitating the commission of any of the offenses set out in section 5(2) of this Act; and any such organization or association or combination of persons shall be treated as a gang whether or not it has other objects or purposes.

2.-(1) Subject to subsection (3) below, a person is guilty of an offense is he knowingly:(a) belongs or professes to belong to a criminal gang; (b) solicits or invites support for a criminal gang; or (c) arranges or assists in the arrangement of, or addresses, any meeting of three or more persons (whether or not it is a meeting to which the public are admitted) knowing that the meeting is: Membership, etc.,of criminal gangs.

Section 7 – goes on to state (i) to support a criminal gang; or, (ii) to further the activities of a criminal gang.

Looking at our Laws, especially the above one, it is crystal clear that the buck must stop at the Prime Minister and his gang of Ministers. Recent events suggest that our Prime Minister may be guilty of breaking the above Laws.

1. Our Prime Minister has met with not three persons, but many known gang leaders, some now deceased. Coming out of his constituen-

cy, it is also alleged, that the late gang member Pinky was responsible for distribution of goodies, used to coerce voters to vote in his favour.

2. By virtue of paying salaries to this group or criminals, as the leader of this country, he has now helped to legitimize the gangs. There is also the other aspect of having a Minister with a portfolio with responsibility for gangs.

Mr. Prime Minister, Minister of Gangs and all other members of your gang, you are only two and half months into your second term of office, but sirs it’s time for you to go. And by the way Madam DPP, what have you to say regarding what seems like a serious infraction of our Laws. Why is our Bar Association so silent on this issue, the Churches, and other NGOs. Unless these groups known as gangs are disbanded, we the law-abiding citizens will continue to live in fear.

Some years ago, church leaders in Latin America were locked up and jailed for preaching, advocating, protesting and fighting systems and governments against all forms of fear and injustices.

Their message was called by those who wanted to see the status quo continue “Liberation Theologians”. Church leaders in Belize, you all need to become “Liberation Theologians”. Come out for the truth, speak out without fear or favour. Your existence or survival, as well as ours, is at stake. We call on the Bar Association, all other civic patriotic and nationalistic Belizean, to rise up, calling for the impeachment of our Prime Minister. Mr. Barrow, do the right thing, disband the gangs, stop using our tax paying dollars to ensure the survival of these gangs.

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The BELIZE TIMES understands that Hulse, who is the Barrow Administration’s Minister of Labour, is still an appointed Director on the Belize Sugar Industries Board. If true, this poses a serious conflict of interest, which sugar workers ought to investigate. Why is this dangerous? As the Minister of Labour, Hulse administers the law as it relates to workers. But how can we trust that he would administer the laws fairly and impartially in a case involving a cane farmer or sugar worker, when he is also a director for the sugar company?

We know that Hulse enjoys the sweets that come as a BSI Director, but he can’t hide behind a cloak no more.

He can’t serve two masters.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

In my perspective…

Law and Order: a Critical Need

By Rayford Young I was visiting Belize in late April 2012 and I have never witnessed the City as tense as it was, and for good reason. Two of the most notorious gang leaders were murdered.

I was on my veranda one afternoon and all of a sudden I saw people starting to gather at the corner of Raccoon and Dolphin streets where I lived, so I asked one of the onlookers what was happening. He told me that the funeral parade for Pinky will be passing by soon. So I went inside the house and got my camera. What a momentous time to be in Belize City. Sure enough as I looked down the street there was the limousine coming with the body of Pinky. So I had my camera all set to go and sure enough I got some very good pictures of the funeral parade. I noticed something very strange in one of the pictures. The driver of the limousine that Pinky’s body was in was drinking a beer. Hmmmm, I thought - drinking and driving was against the law.

Wait a minute, everyone in the funeral parade was also drinking as they marched along. Then there were the cops and the security guards escorting the parade. How could they allow this to be? Maybe I lived in the USA too long and don’t understand Belize type of freedom – where one can drive and march in a funeral procession while drinking alcohol and smoking a funny-looking cigarette. It was truly remarkable to see this. I asked someone about this and he said they were just celebrating and mourning his death - it’s the way funerals are done in Belize.

In my younger years I used to drink and I know you would have to use the rest room a lot. Where will these people relieve themselves?

Well, I saw the answer to my question when a young man just pulled out of the parade and relieved himself on the side of the street, in a drain. I always wondered what those drains were for, now I know. It just seems that we have no law and order in the

City. We are free to do “whatever” regardless of the consequences.

Then there are the bicycles and motor bikes all over the city. You have to be so careful when driving not to hit someone on these cycles. They are everywhere and suddenly appear on either side of your vehicle. I don’t know if I can totally blame the bike riders as there are no signs or lanes for cycling in the City. Hey, I love freedom but in a developing Democracy you do need some law and order or you’ll just have chaos and disorder.

Most mornings I go across the street to purchase Belize morning breakfast - chicken tacos. Many of the school children stop to buy their tacos and a drink. Most mornings I would have to stand in line and wait my turn to place my order which is usually 5 tacos no hot pepper please.

Mostly it’s the adults that stand in line. The younger kids usually ride up to the food preparer and shout out their order even if the preparer is busy or serving someone. They don’t even see us it seems. Kids do this time and time again. Whatever happened to getting in line and waiting your turn? No respect or concern for the other people, including the elderly that have been standing there for a long time.

Maybe I’m from the old school that teaches you to wait your turn, you don’t drink in public, you respect others - especially the elderly. But it seems to me that the younger generation has none of these basic values or principles. It’s all about me and my needs, what I want now, don’t tell what I can or cannot do.

Perhaps this is the result of broken families or lack of a father figure. Or they see people like Pinky and Arthur Young getting all the press coverage and want to be “famous” like them. Or maybe they see our politicians go into office poor and four years later they have a mansion and an SUV. What should our kids do in a Country that lacks good paying jobs, where you have to depend on politicians for food and housing? What a terrible future lies ahead for our kids when we glorify gang members and thugs, where murder is as common as my daily taco breakfast. We have got to do better. We need positive, decent role models - not gang thugs to impress the young mind. We must show our young people that there’s a better way. We need law and order.

Rayford Young is a BelizeanAmerican, who currently lives in Michigan, U.S.A. Send comments to rayfordyoung@comcast.net

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Sunday, June 3, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

By Omar Silva Cancer is a terrible disease that has no preference for its victims, and Belizeans know it too well that we are vulnerable to this illness, especially because just about every one of us has a relative or a friend who is afflicted with or has lost the battle to cancer.

There are many ordinary Belizeans with no prominent stature or public recognition who are suffering from this awful sickness and are dying silently each day. Our country’s small budget does not provide for an adequate facility with medical specialists and state of the art equipment to provide this service to our patients at a free or affordable cost. These ordinary Belizeans cannot afford to seek medical attention abroad.

Since the third quarter of 2011, the nation learned about Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s wife, Mrs. Kim Simplis Barrow’s breast cancer diagnosis and her treatment and condition has been a recurrent on the news almost weekly.

In my opinion, every Belizean sincerely identifies with this frustrating situation and the distressing period for the Prime Minister but the people of Belize are also hinged and are affected indirectly to the consequences of this case in particular. We could understand that all loving husbands or wives would love to be by their spouse’s side during difficult periods like these because it is morally right, and it is a monumental boost to the treatment process, and we could certainly understand Prime Minister’s show of love to his wife with his frequent and continuous travelling to Miami to be by her side during this time.

No doubt, Prime Minister Dean Barrow has demonstrated that as a man, his love for his wife is monumental and above all, but is his continuous absence from the helm of his government causing an adverse effect or continued stagnation in the affairs of the people?

Prime Minister Dean Barrow has travelled back and forth from Belize to Miami for at least a dozen times since his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, and each time it has been for a week. Apart from the exorbitant cost of travelling and accommodation, not to mention medical bills purportedly to the public purse, the Prime Minister has been absent from the helm of government for a time frame of almost three months when combined.

I am almost certain that the Prime Minister Barrow is conscientious enough to conclude how his absence is causing some gravity of neglect and affecting his ability to govern to the best of his ability because no doubt there has been negative effects and snags in the day to day running of government, especially since our affairs can no longer be put on hold nor can they be solved by remote control or good intentions.

We all know that Prime Minister Dean Barrow is the heart, soul and the brain of his government and no other elected Minister at this time could supplement Barrow’s role, especially at a time like this when the country is already dragging its feet in crisis mode economically. If we were to examine each time Prime Minister is absent we note that he often chooses one of two ministers to act.

One would ‘eck’ himself for a day or two, then that one would hand over that illusionary power to another for the remaining period. But what is strikingly noteworthy is that nothing of substance gets done for that entire week, nada.

We all know how some insidious individuals in the public service system work… when the cat is out the mice come out to play.

It is evidently clear that Prime Minister Dean Barrow cannot ‘take leave’ or resign his post temporarily from the reins of government to dedicate more quality time by his wife’s side until her treatment is completed. But the problem is that in his absence, there is no substitute in his Cabinet. Having recognized the terrible frustrating predicament of Prime Minister Dean Barrow, we must continue to pray for the speedy recovery of his wife because the country is falling further into neglect. The situation is desperate and urgently needs a Prime Minister at the helm.

It is not the intention of this writer to be cynic but while the actions and attitude of Prime Minister Dean Barrow towards his wife in these difficult times seem upright decent and honest, it is also right to say that the nation’s economy, and its people are ailing and is urgently in need strategic planning and attention to bring it back on stream to an economic recovery.

It is strikingly evident that that overall, neglect has placed our economy between the devil and the deep blue sea and it is of no comfort to know that the road to hell is paved with ‘good intentions’.

THE WORLD IS READING

THE BELIZE TIMES www.belizetimes.bz

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THE BELIZE TIMES

A Wonderful Woman

By Mrs. Gertrude Velasquez We celebrated Mothers in May. May is short for Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus. That is why we celebrate the month for Mothers.

I have a special message for a most wonderful woman, Mrs. Jane Usher. She is considered as the Matriarch of Holy Redeemer Credit Union.

Miss Jane is a woman of substance. I think everyone should know that Mrs. Jane Usher is dealing or managing that credit union for fifty seven years. Can you do that? She is a respectful woman, understanding, patient, kind and always interested in your problems.

When you sit and talk with her she never shoos you away.

When I was younger I went there for a small loan. She looked at me and asked “how is Boom”, and then we would talk for a short time, while I waited to hear if I will get this loan.

She looked at me and said take this to

Mrs. Jane Usher the teller. I got the loan.

Mrs. Jane you have really done a great job. Keep on going until the Lord says “come”. I pray that whenever that time comes, if I am still here, I can find another Miss Jane. I love you and respect you all the times you dealt with me since 1982.

After 2 burglaries & 2 robberies, Humana People to People closes charity store

The store on King Street has been targeted by criminals four times

BELIZE CITY, Tuesday, May 29th, 2012

By Alton Humes The indignity of being robbed on the streets especially as a regular citizen is awful enough, while businesses stand little chance of staving off burglaries. But add both together, with a well-known not-for-profit business into the mix, and the recipe will be disastrous, even catastrophic.

Humana People-to-People Store, located on King Street, has unfortunately become a lightening-rod target thanks to the small amount of wholesale and retail sales in clothes that go directly to children’s charities throughout the country via its parent organization, Humana.

After the Sovereign’s Day weekend, they were hit not once, but twice in a matter of days, making it the 4th time criminals attack the store.

On Tuesday, May 22nd, shopkeeper Carminia De La Fuente and her assistants opened up the store as per usual, only to find the store’s back door busted down, and 19 wholesale bales as well as over 700 individual retail pieces of clothing gone. The items stolen valued in total at BZC$13,490. The incident in question may have occurred sometime between May 19th, when they locked

up, and May 22nd, when they opened up the store.

But the store’s troubles were not over yet, as on Friday, May 25th, as the store was about to close for the afternoon, De La Fuente and another female attendant were robbed. The two armed, unmasked men, who posed as customers, stole their respective cellular phones, BZC$2,000 worth of jewelry and BZC$400 in cash, to a total value of BZC$3,200 before making good their escape.

Previous to these incidents, the store was robbed a few months ago, and broken into a few weeks ago.

The BELIZE TIMES visited the store and spoke to a shaken De La Fuente today.

Beneath what could best be described as a stoic expression, lurked a clear sense of frustration, especially since she gave up working out of the store in Belmopan to transfer and manage the store here in Belize City. But these incidents have become the last broken straw, and the store will be permanently closed. De La Fuente says she will return to manage the Belmopan outlet, while her associates will either join her or seek work elsewhere.

Police investigations into who carried out the attacks continue at this time.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Sunday, June 3, 2012

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sea Creatures Find and circle all of the sea creatures that are hidden in the puzzle.

The words may be hidden in any direction.

Hola!

Did you know June 8, is celebrated as World Oceans’ Day? In Belize, our coastline is blessed by the Caribbean Sea along with our beautiful Barrier Reef and our super cleaners the mangroves.

On World Oceans’ Day we honour the world’s oceans and celebrate the sea creatures living in the ocean.

We also on this day try to do activities to help clean up our beaches and coastline.

Many of us won’t be able to do this but how about remembering to dump your garbage in a trash can.

Another great way to help is by starting a recycling project to get Styrofoam containers and plastic bottles off our streets and away from drains and canals. This will help to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in our beautiful oceans!

What do you think you could do?

Horsing Around!

CRAB DOLPHIN JELLYFISH LAMPREY LOBSTER MOLLUSKS OCTOPUS

OTTER PENGUIN SEA TURTLE SEAL SHARK SHRIMP

SPONGE SQUID STARFISH STINGRAY WALRUS WHALE

Can you find your way through this sea horse maze in 60 seconds? Give it a try!

Connect The Dots!

Connect the dots to find out who popped up to play!

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THE BELIZE TIMES

What Are You Afraid Of? The human being is a unique creature; a special specie!

Yet there is one thing common to all of us and it is ‘fear’! It doesn’t matter how big or small, how strong or weak, how bold or shy you are, there is something you are afraid of.

I remember as a young boy, around the age of ten moving with my family into a previously rented home. One of our neighbors had an abandoned house next door and someone made the mistake to tell me that it was haunted.

To make matters worse I could see the house clearly from my eight foot high (top bunk) bed. I tell you I was terrified night after night. After many nights of trying to protect myself from ghosts, I ended up with a habit of covering under my bed sheet from head to toe, even if it was extremely hot. This was my way of hiding so that whatsoever was there didn’t see me!

In the same token I have found that many people are afraid of many different things. Some are afraid of height, some afraid of water, we have those who are afraid of insects such as roaches, spiders, and bees, we have others afraid of lizards, snakes, dogs etc. Sometimes our fears may be based on past negative experiences or the testimony of someone! For crying out loud, I even met someone afraid of chickens! Some of these things we are afraid of would cause us to freeze in our tracks simply standing there helpless!

Well in Belize today we have all developed a healthy fear of gun violence. I have heard people not wanting to go shopping or worse, not even willing to stand on their very own verandahs, because of this fear!

My hope today is to ask you to add one more fear to your current ‘active’ list of fears! My encouragement to you today is not to fear only the notorious gang leader or the “GSU”, but rather to be terrified of the one who loves you so much that He did not spare His Son, but sent Him to suffer and be humiliated so that you and I can have eternal life.

In (Matthew 10:28) He warns us of something very critical! Allow me to paraphrase: ‘Do not be afraid of the roach, who only looks bad, smells bad, and is all gooey and crawly, neither be afraid of the snake, who is poisonous and super strong and capable of paralyzing you and then crushing your whole body into something digestible for himself. In fact do not even be afraid of the gunman who can take your precious life in a split second, RATHER, be afraid of Me. The others can only kill and destroy your body, they cannot touch your soul but I can destroy both your body and soul in hell!’

I am worried of the many things we fear more than God! We fear bankruptcy more than God, we fear prestigious people more than God and somehow we don’t take into consideration that sooner or later, whether by natural means or by the barrel of a gun or some other weapon, or maybe even by traffic accident, regardless of the means, we all have to face the end ‘death’. We all have to die! I encourage you to place on top of your fear list the fear of the Creator. Let’s make the necessary steps to ensure we give to Him that which He is requiring of us as human beings and that is nothing less than ‘our lives’!

Until Next week God bless

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Sunday, June 3, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

THINK ABOUT IT NO PROTECTION The citizens of Belize City are at the mercy of criminals. Gunmen and robbers can strike anytime, anyplace.

Every week the murderers are shooting persons they don’t like. These murders take place in the day, at night, in front of many witnesses, and in one case inside a crowded barber shop, and in another case they shot a policeman inside a police station in the Belama area.

The murderers are not afraid of broad-daylight. They are not afraid that there are several witnesses. So brazen are these killers that they come shooting without bothering to wear masks.

The residents of Belize City have very little protection. They try to stay off the streets and lock up in their houses.

Nobody sees any increased police presence. There are no extra patrols taking place. The police don’t even have the amounts of vehicles needed to maintain a proper police presence.

We are in deep doo-doo.

Come this week the question is who will not live to see next week.

Things dread, especially under the red.

WITNESS IN DANGER When one or more murderers three weeks ago rushed into a barber shop on West Canal side, the wellknown Jason Canto was the target, apparently. He got hit in the chest.

Jason was in the company of a businessman. That businessman had his license pistol. He came out the barber shop and fired at the fleeing killer.

And caught him. According to the police version.

Incredibly, the Police released the name of the businessman and the two main television stations have been calling his name and showing his picture.

The only evidence against the murderer of Jason Canto is the businessman who saw him and shot him.

How irresponsible can the Police be?

How do they expect citizens to cooperate with them when they so carelessly put our lives in danger? Mortal danger. And put the lives of our families in danger as well.

And don’t the television news people know better by now than to expose witnesses to these cold blooded killers in our midst?

NO CABINET – NO PARLIAMENT Check this out!

Since the March 7th general elections there has not been a single business meeting of the House of Representative.

Not a single sensible discussion has come out of Cabinet since March.

There is no national budget indicating how taxpayers’ monies are to be spent.

The financial year 2011 to 31 March 2012 ended and no reporting to the nation.

It appears like if there is no government and the country di run itself.

JEREMY MCNAB’S KILLER CAUGHT Last Thursday, 24th May at the Wesley Church on Albert Street, the family paid their last respects to Jeremy McNab, who was murdered the previous weekend at his hardware and grocery store on Currassow Street.

The church was packed to capacity and

family and friends heard good remarks and remembrances for a man who had made his contribution to the country.

McNab was a well-loved businessman and community activist for the poor. He started selling one dollar hot dog to school children over the past two years in an effort to assist families fighting to survive.

On Wednesday, 30th May police announced that they captured the person who murdered McNab. He is an eighteen year old and the word is that McNab was murdered in a robbery gone wrong.

We hope the police have done and are doing a thorough investigation as we are getting tired of cases coming to court three years after the events only to hear that the accused walked free.

Our condolences to the wife, children and families of Jeremy.

ANTHONY MAYEN KILLED Popular businessman, the wellknown Anthony Mayen lost his life early Sunday morning. He and his two brothers Darrell and Kirk had just left Tropicana Lounge when they were faced with death. As Anthony reached the vehicle the bullets came raining down. One to the right hand, one to the side of his back, two in the right side, one to the chest and three more to the belly. Strong as the rasta man was this was just too much. He died before even reaching the hospital.

The news was a shock to many in the City. Anthony a strapping brownskinned with the longest dreadlocks in town was a friendly and pleasant person. He is the son of one of Belize’s famous footballers – Christobal Mayen and his wife Julie Mayen, both now residing in New York. Julie who had been visiting Belize City had just left for New York the previous week. She now returns to bury her third child. Many years ago she suffered the pain when a small plane on the Belize City Airstrip plunged in the waters close to shore at a then popular bathing spot and killed her child. Then not so long ago a second son died in a traffic accident.

And now the relentless uncontrollable violence of Belize City has claimed the popular Anthony.

It is clearly an execution – a hit carried out by hired killers on behalf of someone with some foolish “beef” or envy or a business deal gone sour.

None of which justifies murdering this man.

We hope the cops get their man.

We hope that the DPP will start requesting the death penalty in these murders for hire, pre-meditated killings.

Our hearts go out to Julie, Stobal and the family for a wound that will never heal. Nothing is as final and irreversible as death. And nothing is more painful when death comes dressed up as murder.

ANOTHER BATTLE OF ST. GEORGE’S CAYE St. George’s Caye is famous for the place where the Baymen claimed to have repelled a military invasion by dozens of Spanish war ships back in 1798. Every 10th September misguided Belizeans are encouraged by a colonial loving segment of our society to celebrate a bogus battle.

St. George’s Caye is now under another invasion. The enemy this time is real. There is no one to protect Belize.

Who is this new enemy that has come to harm us? The Lion Fish.

Dozens of Lion Fish are seen eating through our defenses without any resistance from us.

For those who don’t know what’s going on, the Lion Fish is a deadly killer that will destroy the fishing habitat and ultimately destroy our fishing population.

Nothing is being done to hunt down and kill the Lion Fish that is presenting such a threat to our livelihood.

ANOTHER MINOR MOLESTED A thirteen year old visited the Queen Street Police Station in the company of her mother to make one of those all too familiar complaints – that she was sexually molested. And the all too familiar predator - a close family member.

What caused this revelation was the predator’s determined effort to molest a younger sister, aged 9. He had sex with the thirteen year old on many occasions and it is the thirteen year old who tried to protect her younger sister.

The mother and her daughter after waiting more than an hour at the police station were told to return in the afternoon. They were told to return another day as the person who had already started the interview had to leave early.

The concern is that the minor, already traumatized and ashamed to be publicly walking in and out of the police station yard and having to give details of her nightmare, must be treated with more sensitivity and not be returned over and over to the police. In fact at the end of that first day she was still required to return another day.

We are sure that no counseling is ever provided to these unfortunate children who are victimized by sexual predators who are invariably family members or close friends. And then three to four years after making their report, they get victimized by poor investigation which leads to no one been punished for the crime.

WOODLICE Last week it rained. It rained long and hard. This week Tuesday again it rained hard. By hard we mean like the heavens had opened up and water was pouring down on Belize City.

In between these bouts of rain guess what was happening. The tiny little rain flies were flying around. They have two wings that are bigger than their bodies. When they get in to your house some circle your electric bulbs and they let go their wings before starting their search for wood.

Rain flies are woodlice. They shed their wings and they start hiding and boring their way into wood. Those who live in wood houses live the plague of woodlice. Unchecked woodlice can eat down a whole house. The only thing worse than woodlice are the crack heads and house thieves who are plagues in the City.

Two months ago a wooden house – upstairs and downstairs at the corner of South Street and East Canal in Belize City was stolen. This is what is going on in Belize City in broad daylight.

Archie Lee’s big three storey building on central American Boulevard suffered a similar fate. The only reason the whole building was not stolen bit by bit is because it is cement. It was completely gutted by thieves. Windows, burglar bars, doors, light fixtures, internal decorations – everything that can be removed was removed. Last month during the day the brazen-face thieves could be seen with mall hammering out and breaking out the side of the

21 main entrance to steal the iron curtain.

Within two and a half days a ten feet wide, heavy metal curtain was gone.

HALLOW POINT Persons with firearm license for 9 mm caliber pistols can purchase both solid and hallow point bullets. The hallow point bullets are extremely lethal.

They rip through flesh and bodies and create huge holes in human beings and tear up internal organs.

Hallow point should not be sold in Belize. Regular bullets are deadly and dangerous enough.

Only GSU should have hallow point…LOL SINGLE LADIES American television shows dominate our lives. Our young people are fascinated and influenced by the glitzy and glamorous and even fabulous presentations. The young men are handsome, the women are always beautiful and sexy and their surroundings are fabulous cars and impressive homes and mansions.

There is a level of idiocy to many of these shows. The Kardashians (a bunch of bubble head rich sisters).

Basketball Wives (a group of abandoned quarrelsome women). Mob Wives (neglected Mafia/Gangster wives). The Game (lots of cheating and lots of sex).

Latest on the scene is Single Ladies. Three African American men and one white woman who spend all their time going from man to man. There is no morality. There is no safe sex.

These shows/series are not things should be shown to a small society like Belize. Our young men and women are attracted to these impressively produced shows. These shows are not reality shows. Even the so-called reality shows are shallow and stupid.

If we are to save the young generation (who says they want to be saved) we have to provide alternatives to the North American market.

Oh and by the way, based on these shows drinking alcohol by the women is an integral part of their life style.

GAGA GAGGED Lady Gaga, the American singer quoted by Caleb Orosco, spokesperson for UNIBAM as providing inspiration for his homosexual lifestyle, ran into trouble last week. Lady Gaga got gagged.

She was to perform in Indonesia to an audience of fifty thousand for which all tickets were said to have been sold out. The performance couldn’t take place. Widespread opposition led to its cancellation. Reason is that it would corrupt the impressionable minds of young people in that country.

Indonesia has the largest population of Muslims of any country in the world. Muslims are more than ninety percent of the two hundred and seventy million people. Indonesia is also a democracy.

Lady Gaga’s popular song is entitled “Born This Way”.

THE WICKED WON’T LAST LONG “Let his days be few and brief, and let others step up to replace him.”

- Psalm 109, Verse 8

Visit Us Online at: www.belizetimes.bz

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Average hurricane season in 2012, is NEMO ready?

Belize City, Wednesday, May 30, 2012 Post-Tropical Cyclone Beryl, churning northeastward to east-northeastward toward North Carolina, will not come anywhere near Belize, but it surely has officially opened the hurricane season for 2012.

The season is being forecast to be relatively tame. Forecasters seem to agree mostly that there is a probability of 12 named storms of which seven possibly will develop into hurricanes.

Out of the seven hurricanes, three of these are predicted to be “major” hurricanes in scope with winds sustaining 111 mph or more. This would

place them at a minimum at Category 3 status on the Saffir Simpson scale.

Most the landfall models are predicting fairly close or normal landfall of storms along the United States coastline. The Gulf of Mexico coastline and the coastline of Florida are being given an elevated chance of landfall over the East Coast in 2012.

But even with this outlook, it does not take Belize out of potential danger and it leaves one to wonder, with the disaster caused by category 1 Hurricane Richard still in recent memory, how prepared the National Emergency Management Organization is, and its other sub-agents, i.e., the City

Emergency management teams, district and village ones.

A clear indication that things are not shaping up in time for the fastapproaching June first opening is the fact that not much money is being spent to repair as many shelters or acquire emergency supplies as in previous years. Another tell-tale sign is the fact that CEMO Belize City doesn’t even appear to be able to purchase plywood to secure the glass windows at the Charles Bartlet Hyde buildig, which it normally used in the past to use as its command centre. In fact, the situation seems so dire that CEMO has decided to seek lodging in

the event of a hurricane inside one of the media house buildings. It is sad that 31 years after Belize achieved independence the old capital’s City Emergency Management Organization cannot stand on its own and operate from a neutral location in a hurricane.

Visit Us Online at: www.belizetimes.bz

Guats attack Senior Police at Western Border Continued from page 1 ment say what corrective measures and strategies will being put in place to prevent another confrontation at that busy port of entry.

Everyone has been deafeningly silent, perhaps saving face over the embarrassing incident, which exposed just how very vulnerable Belizean law enforcement authorities are if and when they come under aggression by our neighbours.

The people at the Belize Border Management Agency have no way of defending life and property if they were to come under violent attack.

The only officer who was forceful in keeping the peace, while diplomatically dealing with the issue, Sr. Supt.

Ralph Moody, was also very much outnumbered had he come under attack. Equally vulnerable are the people at the office of the Organization of American States, which sits right between the two borders at the Adjacency Zone.

Last Friday, May 25th, sometime around 11am, Customs officials at the Border Management Agency office noticed that a red L-200 Mitsubishi pick-up truck that had been parked on the OIRSA compound on Belizean soil had no license plates. This rose suspicion among the local authorities who then notified the Officer Commanding the Benque Viejo Police Station, Sr. Supt. Moody. But Sr. Supt Moody would face very tense moments when he had to single-handedly ward off an aggressive mob of about 100 Guatemalans, including armed Guatemalan Police Constables and an armed civilian who also attempted to disarm Moody. A Guatemalan woman became angry when Sr. Supt Moody decided to impound the suspicious vehicle. The woman, who goes by the name “Ana”, claimed that she owned the vehicle, yet could not produce documents to prove her claim. In fact, the papers she pulled out only showed that the real owner was nowhere in the area and also that the VIN characters had been altered, suggesting that the vehicle was stolen. A VIN on the chassis bore the characters: MMB-

JNKB408D096595, but this did not match the VIN on the documents that “Ana” produced. Those characters are: MMBNG45K58D096595. A Police press release sent out yesterday stated that the VIN on the chassis appeared to be altered and that a sticker on the engine with a VIN appeared to be false. Coupled with that, its Mexican license plates were removed by its occupants before they abandoned it on May 22nd.

After Sr. Supt Moody got embroiled in a contentious verbal exchange with a Guatemalan gunwielding civilian who called himself “Loquillo”, the vehicle was kept in custody in Belize for the necessary investigations to proceed, but not before Loquillo parked his van to block the police from towing away the pickup truck. During the chaos, the civilian cocked two guns and tried his best to intimidate the officer with it, and even tried to steal Sr. Supt. Moody’s own service weapon!! All this happening on Belizean territory!

Guatemalans, influenced by unguided temper, exaggerated the incident when they informed their own Guatemalan police in Melchor, who then responded in like fashion. A police press release issued on Monday evening stated that ... “a mobile came with six officers (constables) and inquired about the situation where they were informed. The officer in charge of the PNC, Soto De Leon arrived and was invited along with the lady Ana to a Customs office where they discussed the situation concerning the vehicle. The other PNC officers who were armed with rifles went back by the OIRSA building. Ana produced documents for the vehicle in the name of Victor Hugo Rosado Luna and another document authorizing Rolando Cruz Ramos to drive the vehicle. Belizean authorities explained to Ana that they needed to verify whether the vehicle was stolen or not and that Ramos and Luna needed to claim the vehicle and that she could not represent them as there is nothing to show that she is the owner. Soto De Leon concurred with

what the authorities explained to Ana and informed her that the authorities were doing the proper thing.”

After the almost one-hour long meeting with the parties concerned, it was revealed that Luna, who is Ana’s father-in-law, gave her the vehicle as a gift and that Ramos drove it through Belize from the Corozal border. If the pick-up’s rightful owner shows up to claim it, they will be given the key to it, provided that it was not stolen.

The incident last Friday, which happened at a time when the Belize/ Guatemala land dispute still looms

over our sovereignty, could have been avoided from escalating to the verbal confrontation and aggression on Sr. Superintendent Moody had there been adequate security at the Border Management compound to complement the Customs, Immigration and other civilians who are stationed there. Such was not the case, and according to one eyewitness account, it was not until about an hour after things had mushroomed into a loud verbal exchange that a group of BDF soldiers were deployed in an attempt to diffuse the matter.

The suspicious pickup truck

Sunday, June 3, 2012

23

THE BELIZE TIMES

Still no charges for drug chemicals importer, Vernon Cuthkelvin Belize City May 28, 2012 Information to the BELIZE TIMES is that U.S. officials are very unhappy with the Barrow Administration’s handling of the latest known drug case in Belize.

U.S. officials donate millions of dollars and equipment so that Belize can fight illicit trade and activities, while calling on the Government to address the absence of proper laws that prohibits and penalises the importation of precursor chemicals.

This absence of adequate laws and the Barrow Administration’s feet-dragging is what

UDP

welcomes the dead

KHMH morgue space & fee increased Belize City, May 30, 2012 As if accepting and embracing the high number of dead bodies carted off due to the increased crime rate, the Barrow Administration today unveiled a refurbished morgue that can hold twelve more bodies than it used to.

The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital morgue area was filled with a sick sense of joy and fulfilment this morning as hospital officials revealed the “upgraded” morgue. Instead of 9 bodies, the morgue unit can now hold 21 bodies.

The murder rate has increased under the Barrow Administration. Instead of working to reduce murder incidences, the upgraded morgue indicates that UDP officials embrace the dead bodies of our sons and innocent children. Months ago, UDP officials announced the opening of a new cemetery to make more space for the dead underground.

Hospital officials revealed that the Government invested about $150,000 to upgrade the KHMH morgue.

Of course, in true UDPstyle, hospital officials also announced that the morgue fee will also increase by 100%, from $25 to $50.

Vernon Cuthkelvin

saved UDP crony Vernon Cuthkelvin by the skin of his teeth.

Cuthkelvin, who claims to be in the business of selling fertilizers, was busted importing containers that contained almost half a million dollars’ worth of precursor chemicals that is

used in the manufacture of methylamphetamine (cystal meth).

Cuthkelvin claimed that the chemicals were fertilizers for his company, Belize Garden Consortium. Customs officials didn’t believe him and when they conducted forensic tests, they discovered that Cuthkelvin was not telling the truth.

Inside the container, officials found enough drug-related chemicals to produce some 400 metric tonnes of crystal meth which is valued at about ten billion dollars in the U.S. market.

In his defense, Cuthkelvin claimed that the wrong goods must have been sent to him by the Chinese supplier. Customs officials, we are told, are sceptical and were prepared to file charges against Cuthkelvin for

making a fraudulent declaration. The total fine sought was $2.3m calculated by taking the estimated market value of the item, plus the cost of freight multiplied by three. But UDP officials in Government have intervened and are protecting Cuthkelvin, so that no charges are levied on him.

It appears the UDP’s known operative, Vernon Cuthkelvin, will not face legal punishment for the six containers he imported under the guise that the contents were fertilizers. Cuthkelvin has been allowed to roam free.

Of interest is that the Customs Department falls right under the Minister of Finance’s portfolio which is held by Prime Minister Dean Barrow. Was PM Barrow the one who stopped Custom’s official from laying charges on Vernon Cuthkelvin?

Inquiries minds and U.S. officials would like to know.

Ryan Swift & common-law wife charged for assaulting City Council messenger BELIZE CITY, Wed. May 30, 2012

By Roy Davis A common-law couple, Ryan Swift, 49 and Honduran national Lauren Vanessa Rosales, 27, were both charged with wounding when they appeared today in the #2 Magistrates Court.

They pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Swift, a businessman of 35 Nargusta Street, was offered a bail of $2,000.

But Rosales, who admitted in Court that she entered Belize illegally from Guatemala, was denied bail because she was deemed a flight risk.

Ryan Swift

Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser remanded her into custody until June 14.

The remand was despite pleas from Swift who said he just fell in

love and he did not ask Rosales how she came to Belize. Swift asked the Court for 2 weeks to straighten out her immigration status in Belize.

The complainant, Errol White, 55, a.k.a. “Pepes”, a messenger for Belize City Council, reported to the Police that he was at Swift’s home when a misunderstanding ensured.

White and Swift are cousins.

White said during the misunderstanding, Swift and Rosales assaulted him. He told police that Swift used a shovel while Rosales stoned him with a pint bottle that struck his forehead and caused a wound.

Because she admitted her illegal status in Court, Rosales may very well face charges related to immigration offences.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, June 3, 2012