BPP congratulates Territorial volunteers; condemns Guatemalan authorities

Published by BBN Staff at September 18, 2017

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Posted: Monday, September 18, 2017. 1:04 pm CST.

By BBN Staff: The Belize Progressive Party (BPP) issued a release today congratulating the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV) and its organizers and sponsors on the successful completion of the 2nd Annual Sarstoon Island Eco-Challenge over the weekend.

The BPP says that the activity is an outstanding achievement which serves to sensitize and attune the general public as to the importance of the Sarstoon River, in terms of ecology, as well as its significance pertaining to Belize’s territorial sovereignty.

“With the advent of Guatemala exercising undue command and control over the entire Sarstoon River, this effort is highly commendable as brave Belizeans embarked upon the challenge despite the presence of five Guatemalan gunboats awaiting them at the mouth of the Sarstoon River. In keeping with their unbridled disrespect for Belize’s territorial integrity, the Guatemalan military vessels sought to intimidate the paddlers, by disrupting their effort. Despite the attempted disruption, the participants proceeded, meanwhile other brave Belizeans briefly visited the Sarstoon Island,” the BPP explain.

The BPP calls the actions of the Guatemalan military entirely unacceptable and said that they were well within Belizean waters which is illegal.

The party stated that the government has failed the nation by neither attempting to defend nor ensure the safety of its citizens to traverse areas within our sovereign territory, free from external threats.

“Not only is the GOB’s unwillingness to defend Belize’s sovereignty egregious, it is all the more magnified given this time of year, during our national celebrations of the nation’s independence,” it further states.

The BPP condemned the actions of the Guatemalan military for illegally entering Belize’s sovereign territory and harassing Belizean citizens and the inexcusable abrogation of duty, by the GOB, to fail to ensure the safety of its citizens from foreign intervention, particularly within the confines of Belize, it said.

The BPP reminded all Belizeans, both at home and abroad of the significance of this “despicable demonstration of a lack of patriotism by the powers that be, as it demonstrates the lack of will of the GOB to fulfill its obligations.”

The BPP says that it stands firm in its assertion that Belizeans must vote a convincing “NO to the ICJ”, to ensure that not only the Government of Belize, but also the Government of Guatemala, the OAS and the international community understands that Belizeans shall not place our nation’s territorial integrity at the jurisprudence of those at the ICJ.

The release ended by urging all Belizeans stand-up for Belize.

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