The Accused, Carlos Jonathan Gibson, 28 - Belize News › thestar › cayostar217.pdf ·...

Sunday, February 21, 2010 - STAR - Tel:- 626-8822 & 626-3788 - Email:[email protected] -

No. 151 SUNDAY, MAY 11, 2008 Price $1.00 No. 217 Sunday, February 21, 2010 Price $1.00

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SAN IGNACIO TOWN, CayoDistrict, Thursday, February18, 2010: Hot on the heels of lastWednesday’s major discovery ofa cache of weapons and ammu-nition of war and the capture ofa 3 ½ year fugitive of the law,San Ignacio police today nettedwhat is considered to be thelargest cocaine haul in recenttimes. It was exactly 10:30 thisThursday morning, February18, when San Ignacio policereceived information of asuspicious white, single cabChevrolet pickup truck, withCorozal license plates C-15397,

crossing the western border intoBenque Viejo heading towardsSan Ignacio Town. A team of Crimes InvestigationBranch Officers, under thecommand of Sergeant #718Reymundo Reyes, headed upthe Western Highway towardsBenque Viejo Town. The team had barely reachedthe San Ignacio Texaco ServiceStation at the top of the hill,when the Chevrolet pickup trucksped by. They set chase behind thespeeding truck as it passed infront of the San Ignacio policestation, over the HawksworthBridge and into Santa Elena

Town. It was eventuallyintercepted in the vicinity ofthe Social Security Branch officein Santa Elena Town on theWestern Highway where it waspulled off the side of the roadand the lone male driver was or-dered out of the vehicle. A cursory searched of theinterior of the truck led to thediscovery of only 3 bottles ofCorona beer on the floor on thepassenger side.

The Accused, Carlos Jonathan Gibson, 28 The driver was identified asCarlos Jonathan Gibson, 28,Belizean Businessman of #14B-Street, Alta Mira Area,Corozal Town. A search of hisperson resulted in the discoveryof a single point 45 prohibitedammunition in the front rightpocket of the pants he waswearing. Gibson was instantly detained,handcuffed and transported,

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- STAR - Tel:- 626-8822 & 626-3788 - Email:[email protected] - Sunday, February 21, 2010

I wish to address the matterof the removal of corporalpunishment from our schools. There are those who claimthat we are removing corporalpunishment from our schoolssimply because of internationalagreements we have signed. Indeed, in 1990 Belize wasamong the first five nationsthat’s ratified the Convention onthe Rights of the Child. Since then, Belize haslagged behind in its legislative,administrative and educationalmeasures to protect childrenfrom all forms of physical ormental violence, in particularcorporal punishment. But let me assure you now,that the main reason why weare advocating the removal ofcorporal punishment from ourschools has less to do with thesigning of any convention oragreement and more to do withwhat we think is in the bestinterest of our children and ournation. There has also been the claimthat corporal punishment hasbeen with us since our colonialpast and that it is a part of ourculture. I am cognizant of thefact that culture does not changeovernight. But I am also awarethat it will never change ifwe do not take concrete stepsto change it. In South Africa,leaders recognized this by alsooutlawing corporal punishmentin their schools after theysucceeded in ending apartheidin which beating children tocontrol them was standardpractice in schools. We firmly believe that tocreate a more democratic, lessauthoritarian society it isnecessary to encourage thedevelopment of self-disciplinedcitizens of high self-esteemrather than passive citizenswho have been intimidated,physically or otherwise, intosubmission. Since corporal punishment isbased on instilling fear in ourchildren it does not buildself-discipline, self-confidenceor self-esteem. It is based onthe belief that if children aremade to suffer for doing wrongthey will not repeat theirinappropriate behavior. Itfocuses on what is wrong withbehavior rather than what ought

to be the right behavior. I am gratified, therefore, thatthe Belize National TeachersUnion finally agrees with theremoval of corporal punishmentfrom our schools. However, Imust respectfully differ withthem on how long it must takefor us to remove it. I have heard their call todelay the removal of corporalpunishment until such timethat ALL the structures andalternatives are in place anduntil EVERYONE is on board.However, there will never comea time when enough structuresand alternatives are in place andeveryone is on board. There will always be newstructures and alternatives andthere will always be those whowill keep asking for more timeand more time. We must providethe necessary motivation for thechange to take place. Perhaps a bit of history mightshed light on my position in thisregard. In 1999 just before the currentHandbook of Policies andProcedures for School Services(otherwise known as theEducation Rules) was signedinto law, the BNTU and othersat the time clamored forretaining corporal punishmentin our schools to allow time foralternatives to be put in place.The argument then was the sameas it is now. It has been ten yearssince that time and save for afew initiatives here and there,no alternatives have been putinto place. Of course, some arequick to lay blame at the feetof the Ministry of Educationfor this, pointing out that it isthe Ministry’s responsibility toso do. Yet when we do take

leadership in the exercise ofour responsibility the mostresistance often comes fromamong the very groups withwhom the Ministry has consist-ently consulted and soughtinput from. Indeed, it is asthough we must ask permissioneach time we seek to exerciseour responsibility. So what arewe to do? When will changecome? I agree with the former SouthAfrican Minister of Education,Professor, Kader Asmal whenhe wrote: “There is no doubt aboutthe need for alternatives forcorporal punishment. If we areto have a positive culture oflearning and teaching in ourschools, the learning environ-ment must be safe, orderly andconducive to learning.” Therefore, as Minister ofEducation, I am mindful of theconcerns raised by the BNTUand others with respect to theremoval of corporal punishment

from schools. I have listened to the BNTU’scall that as we seek to removecorporal punishment fromschools we ensure that alterna-tives are put in place. In thisregard, some time ago I proposedthe establishment of a taskforce made up of Ministry ofEducation officials and educa-tion stakeholders whose taskwould be to identify, recommendand devise a plan for theintroduction of alternativesapproaches for achieving disci-pline in our schools anddeveloping self-disciplinedcitizens. The Ministry ofEducation is currently establish-ing this task force with represen-tation from various stakeholdergroups including the BNTU,National Organization for thePrevention of Child Abuse andNeglect (NOPCAN), NationalCommittee for Families andChildren (NCFC), ManagingAuthorities and Parents. Some time ago I also gave mypledge to the BNTU to workwith them and other stakeholdersto ensure the protection andsafety of teachers and schools ingeneral by amending relevantlaws to provide for stifferpenalties for those, includingdisgruntled parents, who attackteachers or schools. I remaincommitted to this pledge. Therefore, to facilitate thework of the task force, I havedecided that while the billshould proceed as planned, therelevant sections dealingwith the removal of corporalpunishment shall not come intoeffect immediately. This willallow for a period of not morethan six months for the task

(Photo: Mike Hernandez - SIF)






“In contemplating the kind of leadership and experienced background envisionedin the CEO, your name came readily to mind, your extensive and successful workexperience in the citrus industry … is a valuable and necessary qualification.”

This is what Denzil Jenkins, the then Chairman of the Citrus Growers Association, wroteabout Dr. Henry Canton, when the CGA recruited Canton as Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director of its newly acquired processing facilities, Citrus Products of Belize Limited(CPBL), back in 2002.

Jenkins also enthused that Canton had “demonstrated leadership skills in being able tonot only create a shared vision, but to lead its complex implementation process” and hepraised Canton’s “ability to listen to others, to foster teamwork through a participatorymanagement style even as you demand performance from those around you”. Thesewere qualities that Jenkins and the CGA deemed necessary for the new company.

As a sweetener to Canton’s contract, and to avoid any future suggestion of a conflict of interest,the CGA agreed that one of the pre-conditions of the contract offered to Canton was that he beallowed to continue the management of his company (ADS), which was established toprovide a wide variety of much needed services to the industry.

Those were risky times for the citrus industry of Belize. The world citrus markets had taken adownturn. The Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) company Del Oro was up forsale. CDC’s London headquarters had made a policy decision to discontinue certain overseasinvestments, and that affected the citrus industry in Belize.

But it also provided an opportunity at last for the industry to be owned and controlled byBelizeans – even in difficult market conditions. Sceptics in the industry were hesitant aboutmaking an investment in the purchasing of Del Oro. After all, the processing end of theindustry had gone through a staggering array of foreign ownership since the first processingplant, the Citrus Company of British Honduras Limited, was established in the Pomona Valleyin 1913.

That was a subsidiary of a Jamaican company (Trout Hall). The next processing company wasset up a few miles up the Valley Road at Alta Vista. This was a Canadian investment by SaladaFoods. It was later bought by Jamaican and Belizean interests and renamed Belize FoodsProducts. In 1998, the (British) Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) bought overthe Citrus Company of Belize, acquired huge citrus acreages through its Barton Creekpurchase in the Cayo District, and then went on to acquire Belize Food Products, thus creatingDel Oro Belize Limited. By the turn of the 21st century, the processing end of the citrusindustry was predominantly foreign owned – until CDC’s momentous decision to divest.

To the credit of the Citrus Growers Association, they finally decided to take the bull by thehorns and formed the Belize Citrus Growers’ Association Investment Company Limited(BCGAICL). This move was to set the stage for the acquisition of Del Oro, which was concludedin 2002. Del Oro became Citrus Products of Belize Limited (CPBL), with majority shareholdersbeing the Citrus Growers Association. The entire industry had come home.

And the man chosen to move it forward was Dr. Henry Canton. Under Canton, the citrusindustry has expanded, consolidated, diversified, and established its presence on the worldcitrus market, not only as a primary producer of concentrate, but as a potential leader in theincreasingly expanding natural juices market.

Now Mr. Jenkins and his few disgruntled friends are doing their best to remove Dr. Canton andhis team from the management of the Citrus Company of Belize Ltd. (CPBL).

There is more to this story than meets the eye.

CGA Praises Canton






Belize and the other Englishspeaking Caribbean countriesare all experiencing a significantincrease in their crime andunemployment rates. The time is now right forthese countries to conduct acomprehensive study in orderto examine the impact thatchronic unemployment has oncrime. I have looked at some studiesconducted over the years in mostof the large urban cities in the

United States of America andthey have all revealed that thereis a direct relationship betweencrime and unemployment. There are too many idle,unemployed and displacedyoung persons in Belize. Currently in Belize manyof these young persons areassociated with violent gangsand are engaged in criminal andanti-social activities that ismaking our country unsafe anddiscouraging people from othercountries to come to Belize astourist to spend money andboost the economy. The last time I was in BelizeI saw a gentleman dressed ina policeman’s uniform on amotorcycle. He had neitherregulation number on hisshoulder nor name tag on thebreast pocket of his shirt. I was told by a person that heis a Tourism Police, a new thingthat they started in Belize. ThisPolice Officer was chasing a

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suspect around the main bridgein Dangriga town and he pulledout a loaded 38 revolver to shootat the suspect. Luckily, he did notfire the gun at the time becausehe probably would have shot aninnocent civilian pedestrianpassing by and we would havehad no way of identifying thisPoliceman. This might be the right time forall Police Officers to have theirname attached to their uniformsin addition to their numberedshoulder badges. This also seems like the righttime for Government ministersalong with the Businesses andIndustry sector to sit around thetable and convene an EconomicDevelopment summit to plan forthe next ten years. This will be to the benefit ofthe government and the privatesector. When citizens of acountry become employed theywill possess the means ofpurchasing their commoditiesfrom the businesses andindustries and pay their taxesto the government to increaserevenues. I am not living in Belizepermanently and it is hard forme as a Belizean to comprehendhow our Ministers can go to bedat night only to wake up andhear that a member of theirpolitical constituency have losta love one. Also, for thebusiness owners to hear thatanother business was robbed atgunpoint and the owner of thebusiness was shot and killed.How long must we all wait untilwe ourselves become victims ofthis on-going madness. The government of Belizeshould consider bringing backthe Traffic Department into themain stream Police Departmentbecause it will help to generatemore income for the economyand reduce the crime rates. In conjunction with the Traf-fic Department, the police TollStations on our highways toconduct searches for drugs,weapons, ammunition, wantedcriminals, illegal immigrants,stolen goods and other contra-band items. The revenues fromthe tolls would pay for themaintenance of the highwaysand salaries for Traffic PoliceOfficers. When I attended thePolice Academy years ago the

two most difficult areas of law Ihad difficulty with were trafficand immigration. I still cannot understand howthe decision was made to removethese two departments from thePolice Force and convert theminto civilian institutions. It iseasier to control Police Officersthan civilians because thesebranches of law enforcementrequires disciplined personnel.There is nothing wrong withadmitting that a mistake wasmade and acknowledge thatsomething is not working. Ad-mitting one’s mistake is all a partof the development agenda. Many of our young peoplewho are unemployed could seekemployment as Traffic Officerswhile the business and industrysector will be able to transporttheir commodities and cargoessafely throughout the entirecountry. Belize, like other countries,is confronted with manychallenges but crime andunemployment are the twomajor thorns they must addressquickly. Belizeans are becoming veryimpatient and intolerant. Whenour people have had enoughof something they will takeaction. Pretty soon they willbegin to ask themselves: Is thisUDP Government doing theirbest to address these twoimportant issues. If they come toa negative conclusion they willnot hesitate to put back thegovernment in the hands ofthe People’s United Party oranother political party. Remember, that these killingsand crimes have Belizeansventing their emotions and somepeople are not rational thinkerswhen expressing their emotions.Many nights before I go to bed,I sit in the United States andwonder if our leaders in Belizeever listen to the advice thatthe people living abroad areoffering or they just do not givea darn about what we think.Politicians and lawmakersshould remember that althoughwe are living abroad, we haveclose relatives and dear friendsin Belize and most, it not every,Belizean has a family memberliving in the United States. Let us now conduct thisEconomic Development Summitto provide employment to ourunemployed citizens and reducethese killings and robberies.

BY: Wellington Ramos



http://belize.usembassy.gov

mailto:[email protected]





Submitted by: Arlette GomezEducation Information OfficerMinistry of Education The Ministry of Educationacknowledges the letter datedFebruary 15, 2010 from theBelize National Teachers Union(BNTU) to Hon. Dean Barrow,Prime Minister, and copied to theHon. Patrick Faber, Minister ofEducation, calling for a delayin the third reading of theEducation and Training Bill toallow time for:‘the Ministry ofEducation in consultations withEducation partners; includingmanaging authorities andBNTU, be charged with theresponsibility of putting inplace, necessary structures andmechanism to address the issueof “School Safety” and “SchoolDiscipline,” including CorporalPunishment, in our educationinstitutions, prior to removal ofCorporal Punishment from theEducation Rules 2000 and asbeing proposed in the presentEducation and Training Bill,2009.’ The Ministry of Education andin particular the Minister ofEducation is mindful of theconcerns raised by the BNTUand others with respect to theremoval of Corporal Punishmentfrom schools. In this regard,the Minister had proposed theestablishment of a workinggroup made up of Ministry ofEducation officials and educa-tion stakeholders whose taskwould be to identify, recommendand devise a plan for theintroduction of alternatives tocorporal punishment for achiev-ing discipline in our schools anddeveloping self-disciplinedcitizens. The Ministry ofEducation is currently establish-ing this working group byseeking representation fromvarious stakeholder groupsincluding the BNTU, ManagingAuthorities and Parents. TheMinister of Education had alsogiven his pledge to the BNTUto work with them and otherstakeholders to amend relevantlaws to ensure the protection andsafety of teachers and others inschools from attack by parentsand others by amending relevantlaws to provide for stifferpenalties for those who attackteachers or schools. To facilitate the work of the

working group, the Minister ofEducation has decided that whilethe bill should proceed asplanned, that provision will bemade in the bill for the relevantsection dealing with the removalof corporal punishment fromschools not to come into effectimmediately upon the passage ofthe bill. This will allow for aperiod of not more than six (6)months for such plans for theintroduction of alternatives tocorporal punishment in schools

to be developed by the workinggroup and for implementation ofsuch plans to commence. It isanticipated that at the completionof such plans the relevantsections of the bill having to dowith the removal of corporalpunishment shall come intoeffect thus providing not only theframework but the incentive foralternatives to be implemented. The Ministry of Educationbelieves that in order to createa more democratic, less authori-

tarian society it is necessary toencourage the development ofself-disciplined citizens of highself-esteem rather than passivecitizens who have been beateninto submission. In this endeavor the Ministryof Education calls on allstakeholders to come togetherto ensure that we developsuch citizens and such amore democratic and lessauthoritarian society. The Minister and the Ministryof Education are desirousof continuing its very openand engaging dialogue withstakeholders while ensuringthat continuous progress is madein seeking to implement changefor the betterment of oureducation system and for thebetterment of Belize.

Education Minister, Hon. Patrick Faberwith Primary School Students in St. Ann’s Village

(Photo: Mike Hernandez - SIF)

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BELMOPAN CITY, Monday,February 15, 2010: A delegation of governmentofficials from Belize met withgovernment officials from twoseparate offices in Chetumal onWednesday, February 10th toexchange ideas on a wide rangeof security-related issues. The delegation from Belize

was led by Chief ExecutiveOfficer from the Ministry ofNational Security, Allen Whylie,and included senior officialsfrom the Police Department, theNational Forensics Services, theAttorney General’s Ministry, andthe Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the first encounter,the Belize delegation met

BELMOPAN City, Thursday,February 18, 2010: The Embassy of Mexicoinforms that on February 17,government officials from Sportand Youth agencies of Belize andQuintana Roo met for the firsttime in order to exchange ideasand experiences, to strengthencooperation and to propose jointinitiatives for Belizean andMexican young people. This first ever Meeting onYouth and Sports Belize-Quintana Roo was held inChetumal, Mexico. Governmentofficials from both countries at-tended. The event was led byMr. Marco Antonio Lozano,President of the Youth andSport Commission of QuintanaRoo, Mr. Luke Ramos, ActingDirector of Youth for the Future,Mr. Carlos Slusher, NationalSport Council Coordinator ofBelize, and H.E. Luis ManuelLopez-Moreno, Ambassador of

with a delegation led by theQuintana Roo Attorney General,Bello Rodriguez, and includedthe Mexican Ambassador toBelize, Luis Lopez, and seniorofficials from the State AttorneyGeneral’s office, the PoliceCommand, and the CrimesInvestigations Unit. The meeting discussed ways

by which government officialsfrom both sides could jointlyimprove their system ofintercommunication, includingidentifying contact points withinthe government structure andestablishing a standard protocolfor the exchange of information. Both heads of delegationreiterated their support forongoing bilateral efforts aimedat arriving at the final draft of aproposed mutual legal assistancetreaty between the two nations.The treaty once signed willallow both nations to havelegal recourse to prosecutecriminals who flee across theborder. Attorney General BelloRodriguez offered to receivepolice officers from Belize tohave them undergo capacityenhancement training at thepolice training academy inChetumal. He also renewedhis invitation to the Authoritiesin Belize for the trainingin Chetumal of students ofinvestigative forensic sciences. During the second encounter,the delegation from Belize metwith the Under Secretary forPublic Security of QuintanaRoo, Diddier Vazquez, andofficials from his office todiscuss the subject of policecommunications. The Belizean delegationreceived a briefing on theoperations of a communicationscenter and techniques inelectronic surveillance andintelligence gathering. At the end of the visit both sidescommitted to use their bestefforts to sustain and enhance thedialogue and collaborationprocess.

Mexico. The representatives of theYouth and Sport Commission ofQuintana Roo explained to theirBelizean counterparts theStudent Sport Program inQuintana Roo, the recoveringand promotion of sport facilities,training and support for talentedyoung people, communityempowering programs, as wellas the “Young Power” cardwhich provides discount andfacilitate access to culturalactivities for young people. Officials from Belize’s Youthfor the Future (YFF) presentedthe structure and sections of thisgovernment initiative, the YouthNational Service and the 4-Hprogram. They also explained toMexican representatives the dif-ferent activities available foryoung people in Belize like theNational Youth Week, the youthcouncils and forums, the AIDSprogram and the promotion of

technology, employment andentrepreneurship. Additionally,Mr. Slusher explained the sportprograms in Belize, as wellas the different nationalchampionships in several sports. Officials from both countrieswill promote bilateral agree-ments for cooperation on Youthand Sport between Mexico andBelize. They also agreed to holdanother meeting on March 30 inorder to exchange technicalinformation on their differentprograms. Additionally, thegroup will visit sporting andyouth facilities in both countries.

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This is a story we wish wedidn’t have to write but ithappened and it happened inBelize but it could havehappened anywhere in the world. The heroine and ultimatevictim of the tale is Lola, awell-known, much-respectedinternational artist eking out aliving by painting in the smallvillage of Seine Bight on thePlacencia Peninsula. She isBelizean by birth, grew up andwas educated in Belize City andchose to live and work in SeineBight. We met Lola a few years agoand hit it off from the get-go.Last year we attended her one-woman show in the GovernmentHouse in Belize City. We boughta couple paintings, shared withLola the happiness of openingnight and shortly thereafterreturned home to Canada. Sometime in the spring of 2009we received very upsetting newsfrom her agent, the very sameagent who had taken our moneyfor Lola’s paintings and after theshow was over packed andshipped them to us. The emailmessage was to the point: Lolawas very sick and needed to raisesome money for surgery.Because she had to have themoney right away, Lola and heragent came up with the idea ofasking her patrons to support herby advancing her some moneywhich would be redeemable inthe future for the equivalentamount in Lola’s art. It seemed like a good idea tous. It was an opportunity to helpsomeone with an urgent needwhile at the same time allowingthe artist to repay the money inpaintings at a later date. In otherwords, it was a business deal; itwasn’t charity. We immediately sentBZ$1,000 by western union. Weare not rich by any means but wefigured we could meet Lola’simmediate medical needs andover a period of time redeemour investment in her with herpaintings. Our mistake was that the agentadvised us to send the moneydirectly to the agent, as Lola wasnot well enough to deal withfinancial matters at that time.Why not? The agent was the onewe dealt with at the art show. Theagent appeared to have Lola’stotal trust.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly Many patrons responded andthe money began to flow in. Lolaand her agent set up a ledgeridentifying the benefactor andthe amount received, and inreturn sent the benefactoa giftcertificate redeemable for Lola’sart for that amount. A very goodplan, except for one thing: theagent was a thief, or so it hasbeen alleged; she has not beencharged or convicted of anycrime as yet but it appears asthough she was not passing onto Lola and recording in Lola’sledger all the money that shereceived. Our 500 dollars U.S.,for example, was never receivedby Lola but the agent did send usvia email a gift certificate forLola’s art to the tune ofBZ$1,000. The agent expressed Lola’sgreat appreciation for theassistance and subsequentlyapprised us of Lola’s condition. As the months passed, theagent kept us up-to-date and thenfinally advised us that Lola hadfailed to raise the money forsurgery (short by US$500!) butthe monies raised were being putto good use for treatments andmedicine. And that, as they say, was that,until we returned to Belize forour 11th annual vacation and,after a pleasant stay at theAguada in Santa Elena, movedon to Placencia Village. At the annual Placencia Villageart show, we looked for andfound Lola who had a boothdisplaying her paintings. Wewere so looking forward toseeing her and her work. We were proud sponsors ofLola and were eager to show herthe gift certificate we hadreceived and to make arrange-ments at a later date to visit herstudio in Seine Bight and pickout a painting or two we hadcoming to us. I’m paraphrasing the dialoguethat followed but it wentsomething like this: Lola, picking up the coupon wehad printed off our computer“What’s this?” Me, laughing, “It’s thecoupon you sent recognizingthat we sent you $1000bzd.” Lola, not laughing, “I have norecord of this. Who sent youthe coupon?” Me, suddenly getting a little bitanxious, “Your agent.”

Lola, “I recognize the couponbut I have no record of any suchtransaction.” Me, starting to get very, veryangry, “Oh, great, so it was ascam? We send you the moneyin good faith and you say youdidn’t receive it? I’ve got thecoupon but you have no recordof it?” Angry, embarrassed, humili-ated, I stalked off. As I stompeddown the sidewalk, I thought ofthe shakedown we had to shakeoff a few years ago somewherein Belize. Stories from friendsabout misplaced trust andbetrayal flooded over me. Irecalled the words of a friendwho said “Every time I reachout someone’s there to slap medown.” After we took a few hours tocool down, we went back toLola’s booth. Upon reflection,we could not accept thelikelihood, the remotest possibil-ity that Lola would ever stoop solow. She would never allow hergood name to be jeopardized bysuch a petty con. She was visiblyshaking as I approached her; shewas so upset. “I can only thinkof one thing” she said. “I havebeen betrayed! I have beenbetrayed by my own agent!” We had agreed before we wentback to Lola’s booth to offer Lolaa compromise. “We know youplayed no part in this fraud butwe hadn’t planned on donating$1000bzd either, so let’scompromise and divvy upour losses.” Lola said “Okay” but her heartwasn’t into it, we could tell. Onthe other hand, she was in themiddle of an art sale and had toconcentrate on what was goingon. She said, “I’ll pick you up onMonday and we’ll go to my stu-dio and settle up.” She picked us up on Mondayand we headed out to her studioin Seine Bight. On our way, shesaid, “I’ve got to tell yousomething” and I thought, ‘oh,boy, here we go’. Then Lola said, “I couldn’tsleep last night. I tossed andturned. You reached out to mein my time of need and now,through no fault of your own, ormine, for that matter, we’renegotiating a settlement? Noway! You guys believed in me,and I believed in my agent andmy agent betrayed all of us butI can’t live with myself unlessyou accept full value for yourgift certifate. That’s it. Nodebate. No ifs ands or buts.” Lola’s gallery in Seine Bight

was full of beautiful paintings.We spent a full morning lookingover her art, talking about it,exclaiming over it. What a talentshe has and what a pleasure it isfor us to share it and bring it backto Canada so that others canappreciate what she does. So, that’s the story, a Belizeanstory on universal themes ofgreed, betrayal, anger andredemption. Who is the “Good”? It isundoubtedly Lola. She had thestrength of character, thefull-blooded integrity, to takesomething upon herself that shecould have sloughed off onanother. She is also the onlyvictim of the alleged fraud, so faras we know at this point in time. Who is the “Bad”? Why, thealleged agent, of course, theagent who insinuated herself intoLola’s life to gain the total trustof the artist and then parlayedthat trust into a position whereshe could con others. Howpathetic is that? How low can yougo? The “Ugly”? The Ugly is thesituation we find ourselves in alltoo often when those who can’ttake the time to do it honestly andwho cannot accept that thegolden ring is beyond their graspmust resort to betrayal, theft, andany kind of skullduggery to getwhat they think they have tohave, to get what they think theydeserve without any effort and byany means, by hook or by crook.Isn’t it sad when the Belizeannotion of ‘Big’N Up’ reflects theuniversal notion of ‘If I can’thave it, you are not going to getit; and if you try to get it, I’mgoing to bring you down.’ Let’s face it. We got stung forBZ$1000 because we trusted thewrong person. As a result, for ascary moment in time, we lost ourtrust in others. Then Lola, thestruggling artist (and believe us,all artists are struggling rightnow), came along and said, “I’lltake the sting. You take backyour trust”. Thanks to Lola and herincredible integrity and sense ofself, we have taken back ourtrust. We are going to be evermore vigilant, as we shouldalways be, but we are not goingto let frauds and cheats suck thelove and compassion out of us. So, we are back in the saddleagain, moving from town to townin Belize, our favourite vacationland. And, we are feeling justfine, thank you very much.Brian and Evelyn BabineauCanadian Travelers






Please Turn To Page 13






The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment invites tenders for the provision of cleaning and janitorial services of its office premisessituate at Cohune Walk, Belmopan.

1. The tender shall be for a period of two (2) years (12th April 2010 to 31st March 2012) 2. The successful tender will be expected to provide the following services:-

1. Daily cleaning and dusting of all floors, walls, ceilings, stairways, entrance and exit access.2. Clean and sanitize all bathrooms daily.3. Clean all kitchens and kitchenettes and all appliances, kitchen equipment crockery, cutlery and all other kitchen items.4. Sweep, mop and polish office floors.5. Clean and deodorize office carpets.6. Dust and polish office furniture, fixtures and telephones.7. Clean and polish glass doors, panels and windows.8. Remove cobwebs from building.9. Empty and clean waste paper baskets and all garbage containers.10. Maintain all waste paper baskets and all garbage containers with garbage bags.11. Clean all vertical blinds and windows.12. Upkeep of all plants.13. Unclog, clean and wash drains.14. Provide a cleaner for three (3) hours daily to clean bathroom, emergency spills or leakages Provide and pay for all tools, equipment, transportation, permits, taxes supervisors, labour and all other necessary services to complete the above described works.15. Provide all cleaning materials, deodorizers, cleaning agents, chemical equipment and any other materials or tools necessary for the

cleaning maintenance of the building and its compound.16. The Contractor shall open the building and the main entrance to all Departments at 7:00am Monday through Friday.

All submissions must include the following: 1. Number of employees required to provide the service. 2. Cost indicated by hour, week and year. 3. Description of cleaning products to be used (materials, deodorizers, cleaning agents, chemicals).

Submission of tender must be made in a sealed envelope to:Chief Executive OfficerMinistry of Natural Resources and the EnvironmentMarket SquareBelmopan, Belize

The envelope must be marked “Tender for the Janitorial and Maintenance Services at the Ministry of Natural Resources and theEnvironment, at Cohune Walk, Belmopan”. The deadline for the submission of tenders is Friday 5th March 2010 at 4:00 pm. Any tender received after this deadline will not be considered. Costs incurred for visiting the facilities to be maintained and the preparation of the tender bid are the sole responsibility of the tender.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment does not bind itself to accept the lowest tender and reserves the right to accept or rejectany tender, and to annul the process and reject all tenders, at any time prior to award of contract, without incurring any liability to the affectedprospective contractor or any obligation to assign any reason for the rejection of any tender.

TENDER FOR THE JANITORIAL AND MAINTENANCE SERVICES

SANTA ELENA TOWN,Cayo, Tuesday, February 16,2010: We were among the first toarrive on the scene of a trafficaccident, last Friday morning,

where a Toyota Land Cruiser raninto the A&S Glass Shop inSanta Elena Town. On the scene we spoke with thedriver Roger Bowen who toldus, among other things, that he

was an employee of Pro-Belize. This past Tuesday afternoonwe received a call from theDirector of Pro Belize ServiceCorp. who told us that, despitewhat Bowen said to us, he isNOT AN EMPLOYEE of ProBelize. The Director informed that

Bowen lives in the buildinghousing Pro Belize’s office onVictoria Street in San IgnacioTown and that on the morningof the accident, Bowen illegallytook possession of the key to thevehicle and without authoritymoved it from where it wasparked ultimately crashing thevehicle. Recognizing that “Badpublicity is not good”, theDirector informed that headvised Bowen to contact us andrequest for the record to be setstraight. A few hours later, Bowenvisited our office requesting forthe information to be corrected. It is in this light that,regardless of what Bowen toldus last Friday morning at thescene of the traffic accident, HEIS NOT EMPLOYED BYPRO BELIZE!

BENQUE VIEJO TOWN,Sunday February 7, 2010: Benque Viejo Police continuesthe weekly reporting ofmarijuana discoveries suspectedto be coming from across theborder in Melchor De Mencos,Peten, Guatemala. It was shortly after 3 o’clockon Sunday afternoon, February7, when a team of patrollingpolicemen boarded a Valenciacommuter bus, heading towards

San Ignacio Town, betweenmiles 71 and 72 on the WesternHighway, near the westernvillage of San Jose Succotz. A search of the bus led to thediscovery of a blue, NIKE brand,knapsack under a seat. When the bag was opened it tocontain suspected marijuana.Police were unable to accertainthe owner of the merchandise. The marijuana, all five poundsof it. now sit inside the police

exhibit room labeled as foundproperty.

The weed

MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT, BELMOPAN






Tuesday, February 16, 2010: Today’s demonstration by some members of the Citrus Growers’ Association (CGA), who no longer represent all citrus growers, is just one moreround in the escalating confrontation between some producers and the processors of citrus products.

This was an orchestrated move by those who wish to control both the growing and the processing aspects of the industry. They have managed tomanipulate and control some of the honest members of the CGA and the Board of Directors of what is fast becoming a dysfunctional CGA; and toenlist the support of their political fellow-travellers.

These are the same people who have already profited from the earlier virtual collapse of the citrus industry; the same people who profitted byselling off unproductive farms to Belize Food Products under their management for millions of dollars.

Just a few years ago, the Citrus Growers Association was an organization to be reckoned with under the dynamic leadership of Mrs. BridgetCullerton. She earned the respect and the admiration of her Board of Directors, and all citrus farmers for her vision and business acumen, in starkcontrast to the current management of the Association. It was Mrs. Cullerton who encouraged the CGA to seize the moment and to invest in theprocessing side of the industry. Some were faint-hearted. The world market for citrus was at its lowest for 30 years; and the local industry wasgrossly mismanaged.

Like Mrs. Cullerton, Dr. Henry Canton, the Managing Director of the Citrus Company of Belize Limited (CPBL) – although they did not always agree– had the vision to improve and modernize the citrus industry. He was given the opportunity to put his vision into action when he was hand-pickedby a responsible team in the CGA at the time, to rescue this major industry from abysmal mismanagement and imminent collapse. He and hiscapable team have done just that; and more.

Enter Banks Holdings of Barbados and Blue Waters of Trinidad and Tobago. They are serious investors who are excited at the prospects for thefuture of the industry under Canton’s leadership. They have stimulated growth and diversification in the industry by investing millions of dollars inCPBL.

Now, because of a scarcity of ideas and the absence of financial know-how, the new managers of the CGA and their Board, spurred on by theirpersonal rivalries and conflicts, are looking too deeply into the mouth of the gift horse to be able to see the bigger picture. They have inappropriatelyused some of their first disbursed dividends of $4 million dollars from the CGA investment in CPBL to help bail them out of bankruptcy. They havejammed the courts with vexatious and frivolous lawsuits. The current Chairman of the CGA/ICL still has lawsuits pending against the CGAmanagement Committee and Mrs. Cullerton. They try to block any progressive development that would benefit citrus farmers, the industry, and thecountry.

On the other hand, the company, CPBL, continues to make more investments to improve and modernize the processing plants and expand theirmarkets. This week, alone, CPBL exported its first shipment of 550 thousand pounds of cattle feed to the Dominican Republic – feed made from citruswaste. This represents another investment of $12 million dollars.

The investors are not sitting idly by expecting to suck dividends from the Company; instead they continue to ensure that money is pumped into theindustry for long term returns.

Today is a sad day for Belize and the citrus farmers as well as the citrus industry, where decent farmers are misguided and used to fuel the bitternessand anger of others, and turn their perhaps legitimate misunderstanding into potential belligerence and hostility.

It is a sad day for the country’s future prospects in other industries, when a few unscrupulous persons for their own personal gain, attempt towhittle away what little is left of investor confidence.

It has become obvious that the gathering of some citrus farmers, employees and others in front of the citrus factory today is part of a larger schemeby a few to once again try to frustrate foreign investors (this time those in the CPBL); to usurp the CGA and to set the stage for an eventual hostiletakeover of the industry for their personal profit.

The losers in such a likely scenario in the citrus industry will primarily be the small and medium citrus farmers who have been innocently andunwittingly drawn into the battle of egos.

These small and medium citrus farmers are not interested in the politics of control of the citrus industry being waged around them. They areinterested in getting reasonable returns from their groves. They have suffered long enough from industry mismanagement, tumbling citrus prices,and the other vagaries that have plagued the industry during its hundred-year history. Under CPBL and Henry Canton, they are now seeing arevitalization of the industry and a gradual return to better prices for their fruits. They are also seeing tangible investments in the future of theindustry.

Bottom line is that the citrus farmers want their Citrus Growers Association to focus on the issues they have been neglecting. Some of these issuesare

· provide more and improved services to them;· find ways to increase the production of citrus;· recover monies owed to the Citrus Growers’ Workers Credit Union;· reduce the financial burden on small and medium-sized farmers;· and, get the Government to provide citrus farmers with duty free fuel as they do for the sugar farmers.

The most important lesson of today’s protest, and one which should not be lost on any section of the population, is that the Citrus Growers’Association has a fundamental responsibility to citrus farmers which they do not discharge by staging demonstrations and deluding their membersthat such actions are in their best interests. They can only truly and effectively discharge their obligations to their members by cooperation – notconfrontation. Have faith in the justice system in this country – with all its flaws, justice prevails in the end. Work with the processors and foreigninvestors to achieve the greatest returns in the greater interest of the citrus industry and the farmers themselves. Resist the intrigues of those whoseagenda is not the same as those of the citrus growers, but who do business in your name and at your expense, but for their own benefit.

**********

COMMENTARY






BY: Claudio Mai, Inspectorof Police, OC, Benque ViejoPolice Sub-FormationBENQUE VIEJO TOWN,Monday, February 15, 2010: On Saturday, February 13,2010 between 8:00 am and 4:00pm the Benque Viejo andSuccotz Cadets, under theleadership of CommunityPolicing Officer P.C # 140Joshua Mckoy and P.C 1165

Jermaine Young held a footballmarathon at the MarshalleckStadium in Benque Viejo Town. The four participating cadetteams came from Belize DefenceForce, Bullet Tree, Santa Familiaand a combined Benque/Succotzteam. After a full day of fiercecompetition trophies wereawarded as follows: First prize trophy was

captured by Belize DefenceForce Cadets. Second placetrophy went to Bullet Treecadets and third spot andtrophy was captured byBenque/Succotz selection. The organizers of the eventextends appreciation to all theparticipating players for theenthusiasm and disciplinedisplayed during the games. A special thank you is

also extended to the STARNewspaper for donating thetrophies. The event was fund-raiser forThe Benque/ Succotz Cadets toassist in purchasing uniformsfor the upcoming NationalSports Camp to be held inIndependence Village, StannCreek District between from8th to 10th April 2010. The vote of thanks wasdelivered by Police Corporal#166 Elroy Carcamo in hiscapacity as National YouthCadet Corp Coordinator. Trophies were presented tothe winning teams by PoliceInspector Claudio Mai in hiscapacity as the OfficerCommanding the Benque ViejoPolice Sub-Formation On a final note, the BenqueViejo/Succotz Cadets extends apersonal thank you to allparticipating players and toeveryone who attended theevent. The group stands readyto participate in similar fundraising events organized by theother cadet in the area.

The Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Belize in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, Government of Belize, informs thegeneral public that Mission Miracle International (the social and humanitarian programme promoted by the Government of Venezuela) has beenreactivated.

All those persons with eye cataracts or Pterigium who are interested in receiving surgery under this programme must receive medical consultationby the Venezuelan team of doctors. This includes all those who previously received medical consultation from the team of doctors last year in April.Each person is asked to attend the consultation that will be held in their area at the following dates, times and venues:

Applicants from the Belize District and the Cayes should report to the Belize City Centre between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm onWednesday, February 24, 2010.

Applicants from the Stann Creek and Toledo Districts should report to the Helpage Building, Dangriga between the hours of 9:00 am and5:00 pm on Thursday, February 25, 2010.

Applicants from San Ignacio and Benque starting from Unitedville should report to the Centre for Employment Training – San Ignaciobetween the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm on Friday, February 26, 2010.

Applicants from the Orange Walk District should report to the Northern Regional Hospital between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm onSaturday, February 27, 2010.

Applicants from the Corozal District should report to the Corozal Community Hospital between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm on Sunday,February 28, 2010.

Applicants from Belmopan and surrounding areas up to Blackman Eddy Village should report to the Venezuelan Institute for Culture andCooperation at the corner of Floriana and Orchid Garden Avenue in Belmopan between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm on Monday,March 1, 2010.

All are reminded that persons approved for travel to Venezuela must have the following:· Applicants must be a BELIZEAN and must present a valid form of identification when they go for their consultation in their respective

area.· 1 luggage item per patient to include clothes and personal items including toothpaste, deodorant, soap, sanitary napkins, shampoo,

conditioner, toilet paper, bath towel, comb etc.· A small bag, purse or backpack is optional.· Female patients are being asked NOT to carry make-up as they will not be encouraged to use it after the operation in order to better

facilitate the healing process.· Once the patient’s operation has been completed, they will be brought back to Belize free of charge.

For further information, please contact representatives of your Town/City Council, Ministry of Health or the Embassy of Venezuela.

Monday: Draft Beer -$2.50Tuesday: Local Rum -$2.50

Wednesday: Margaritas -$6.95Thursday: Piña Colada -$6.95

Friday: Micheladas -$3.50Tel: 501-824-2730 E-mail: [email protected]

Web: Rolsons.com

Mon. to Fri. 5 to 7 P.MHAPPY HOUR







Continued From Page 9






SANTA ELENA TOWN, CayoDistrict, Friday, February 19,2010: The search continues fortwo persons believed to beresponsible for the attack on ataxi driver and his femalepassenger. It was shortly after 9:30 amon Tuesday, February 16, 2010when Otoniel Martinez, 42,naturalized Belizean Taxi driver,left his home village of CristoRey, with a lone femalepassenger, on one his hourlytrips to San Ignacio Town. The female passenger, EldaPech, 28, Belizean waitress,also residing in Cristo Reyvillage was seated in the frontpassenger seat of the ToyotaMin-van with Cayo licenseplates CY-C-3548 on the tripto San Ignacio when uponreaching about mid-way on thethree mile journey, in the areaof Monkey Falls Hill, they cameupon two male Creole personson the side of the road. One of the male personswaved and Martinez stopped andpicked them up. They were eachcarrying a long object wrappedin white plastic sacks and eachwith a knapsack on their back.One of them reportedly sat

immediately behind the passen-ger and the other took to the verylast seat at the back of the van. Upon reaching the junction of

the Cristo Rey Road and LindaVista Street, the man seatedimmediately behind the passen-ger, with a machete, stabbed thedriver in the right shoulder andinstructed him to take to theLinda Vista Street and tocontinue until he is told to stop,telling the driver that he had aranch in the area and that hewanted him to take them to theranch. Martinez drove his vanup to a dumpsite in the areawhere the machete man told himto stop. The driver was instructed,

in Spanish, to come out of thevehicle. He complied with theinstructions and the macheteman also got out of the vehiclemeeting the driver in front of thevan and reportedly pushed himwith the machete. The otherperson also with a machete ex-ited the van, approached the pas-senger and demanded that shehand over all her jewelry. Thefemale passenger reportedlyhanded over her $1200 goldchain and medal. While thefemale passenger was relieved ofher chain a struggle reportedlybegan between the driver and thefirst machete man. The driver reportedly fell tothe ground and the man beganlashing him with the machete.The driver got up and began toput up a fight with the macheteman. This was when themachete man reportedly shoutedfor assistance from his partner.When the partner went to hisassistance, the female passengerreportedly took the opportunityto escape barefooted. Shevisited the police station whereshe filed a report. After struggling withthe driver for a while the twoattackers fled the scene afterwhich the bleeding driverboarded his vehicle and drovehimself to the San IgnacioHospital where the police foundhim with the stab wound to theright shoulder and a chop woundto the left foot along withabrasions to the left arm and leftfoot. Statements were recordedfrom both victims as the policecontinue to look for at leastone suspect believed to beresponsible for this and at leasttwo other reported criminal actsin recent weeks.

Otoniel Martinez, 42,at the San Ignacio Community Hospital

The Victim’s Toyota Mini-Van Taxi






ARIES:March 22 to April 20

There will be a strong desire toconquer challenges of the materialworld and chart new highs inspiritual growth. You may have toaccept a few harsh truths whereinterpersonal relationships areconcerned. In case of a long termrelationship, understand the longterm ramifications before youcommit. Lucky Numbers : 06,43, 60.

TAURUS:April 21 to May 21

The week involves juggling offinancial liabilities and answering tosome metaphysical or spiritualquestions. New contacts and break-throughs may come about in workrelated matters. You will need totake care of your health and avoidgetting into an argumentative mode.Lucky Numbers: 02, 24, 87.

GEMINI:May 22 to June 21

You will contemplate many offbeatcourses of action when it comes towork and feel adventurous enoughto travel and explore some new andcreative avenues for work. A longpending matter will be settledbecause of your consistent efforts.Lucky Numbers: 03, 16, 35.

CANCER:June 22 to July 23

Things have been edgy, but withthe coming week, they begin tolook up. There will be a break-through if you have been lookingfor employment. Steer clear ofgetting involved in any moneyrelated arguments as your financialsituation will automatically improvesoon. Lucky Numbers: 08, 52,71.

LEO:July 24 to August 21

Pending projects acquire momen-tum in the coming week. There areindications of financial gains and anenhancement in your public image.You might redecorate your officeor home. Personal relationshipsmight be a bit tricky as you mayhave difficulty in figuring out whatis on your spouse’s mind. LuckyNumbers: 05, 64, 95.

VIRGO:August 22 to September

21 You will be on cloud nine profes-sionally. There will be a temptationto make money. But, explore youroptions carefully. Change in yourfinancial situation is a possibility. Itwill pay to take charge of yourwork situation firmly. Travel islikely. There could be a reason for

celebration at home. LuckyNumbers: 12, 27, 48.

LIBRA:September 22 to October

23 There is calm and a certainty thatdrives your life now. You are morewilling to invest time and efforts inspiritual pursuits and mediation.Finances will be good. Relation-ships need to be handled with a calmand rational mind – if you are notoverly keen, try not to come acrossas cold or indifferent. LuckyNumbers: 18, 66, 90.

SCORPIO:October 24 to November

21Your mood remains quite upbeat atwork as encouraging signs continueto outweigh the dampeners. Asuccessful new endeavour couldlead to increased confidence in yourabilities. However, you need to becareful about expenses that seem tobe spiralling upward. Lucky Num-bers: 32, 57, 92.

SAGITTARIUS:November 22 to

December 21 It will be week of ironies. Whileyou try and iron out differences withcertain people, you will be temptedto launch an offensive with regardto others. Any confrontation orstand-off will promptly start up astorm that you definitely should toavoid. Lucky Numbers: 09, 54, 78.

CAPRICORN:December 22 to

January 20 Professional links will beexplored. You may reach out toyour subordinates and mentor them.Your opinions will be valued.However, you need to take carethat every individual is entitled totheir choices. Do not try to changethem unless they are themselvesforthcoming. Lucky Numbers:07, 28, 50.

AQUARIUS:January 21 toFebruary 19

The new moon in your sign is likelyto make you a bit more withdrawnand introspective. You could becontemplating newer ways toachieve the ambitious targetsthat you have set for yourselfwith regard to your career.Health may suffer on account ofstomach related problems. LuckyNumbers: 19, 33, 65.

PISCES:February 20 to March 21

You will achieve a lot of successat work but don’t allow it to go toyour head. There will be clarityof thought and vision in this phasethat allows you to go furtherthan what you expected. Make surethat you do not mix up beingconfident with being harsh andsteamroll over other people’ssensitivities.Lucky Numbers: 15, 21, 76.






In accordance with Section 8.24 of the Environmental Compliance Plan (ECP) of April 5,2002, the Belize Electric Company Limited (BECOL) advises that it will host Public InformationSessions on the Macal River Upstream Storage Facility, also known as the Chalillo HydroProject.

The first session will take place on February 25, 2010 in Cristo Rey Village at the VillageCommunity Center, at 7:00 p.m. On February 26, 2010, the session will take place in SanIgnacio Town at the Cultural Center at 7:00 p.m.

The sessions will focus on the project description; the critical issues identified in theEnvironmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the assessment of their impacts and the mitigationmeasures outlined in the Environmental Compliance Plan (ECP).

For more information please contact BECOL at 824-3016.

Chalillo Unit2 ½ Miles Northern HighwayBelize City, Belize

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SESSIONS

BENQUE VIEJO TOWN,Sunday February 14, 2010: As marijuana continues to besmuggled into Belize acrossthe western border fromMelchor De Mencos, Peten,Guatemala, into Benque Viejo,Cayo, Belize, law enforcementofficers continue the regularreporting of drug traffickingarrests with the product usuallydestined for villages in the StannCreek District, Belize. Another of those days wasSunday, February 14, 2010,when a joint Police/BelizeDefense Force Army patrolalong the banks of the Mopanriver in Benque Viejo, detaineda man carrying a suspiciouspagakage on the crossbar of abicycle. When opened the greenplastic bag was found to containsuspected marijuana. The man, the bicycle and thepackage were transported to theBenque Viejo Police Stationwhere the detainee gave hisname as Noe Javier “Chino”

Noe Javier “Chino” Garcia, 22Garcia, 22, laborer, residing inBella Vista Village, Stann CreekDistrict. The suspected marijuanaweighed in at 236.3 grams. Garcia was subsequentlyarrested and charged for drugtrafficking. He was arraigned in SanIgnacio Magistrate Court, beforeMagistrate Anna RachelMontejo, on Monday, February14, 2010 where he pleaded guiltyto the charge. He was ordered to pay $605.00fine inclusive $5.00 cost ofcourt.






SANTA ELENA TOWN, CayoDistrict, Wednesday, February17, 2010: San Ignacio police areinvestigating a shooting incidentwhich has left a SantaElena businesswoman with twogunshot wounds to the foot. Reports reaching us indicatethat five armed male personsentered the Sierra FriendsBar located in the Bradley’sBank area of Santa Elena Townat around 10:45 p.m. onMonday, February 15, 2010. Arnold Cano, 18, Belizeanhigh school student, wasalone inside the bar when fivearmed men reportedly enteredand attacked him. His mother, Narcisia“Nancy” Orellano, 53, report-edly heard the commotion andwhen she entered the bar fromthe family dwelling quarterslocated on the same property,she was confronted by the groupof armed men one of whompointed a gun to her head. Shereportedly saw her son crushedunder a table behind the counterand this was when she reportedlytold the attackers that they couldtake whatever they want andleave.

The one with the gun held toher head reportedly lowered itand squeezed off two shots, thefirst of which struck Ms.Orellano in the ankle of the rightfoot and the other furtherupwards in the region of herthigh leaving the victim withentry and exit wounds on herright foot. The assailant reportedlyproceeded to take down itemsfrom the shelves and placethem into knapsacks theycarried. After the attackers left, theinjured Ms. Orellano wastransported by her son, first to

the San Ignacio police stationwhere she filed an initial report.She was subsequentlytransported to the San IgancioCommunity Hospital and later toLa Loma Luz Hospital for anxray. She is currently recouperatingat home where we found her onThrusday evening. Despite being injured and

We AMS To Please

robbed, she explained that sheholds no personal hard feelingsagainst those who would wantto cause her and her businessharm. All she is asking is for thoseengaged in these kinds ofactivities to simply have somecompassion on hard workingpersons like herself who are justsimply trying to make an honestliving for their families. An inventory of the bar stocklater revelead that the assailantsmade off with several bottlesof whisky, one cartoon ofcigarrette, a case of chickensausage, several cups of noodlesoup and an assortment of softdrinks all to a total value of$1,300.

Narcisia “Nancy” Orellano, 53

We are located off Joseph Andrews Drive,near the Falcon Field in San Ignacio Town.

Call us at 824-2076 or 670-2329 E-mail: [email protected]







Tel: 626-8822or

626- 3788

[email protected]: Alberto August

Editor: Nyani Azueta-AugustCirculation: Errol Gonzalez

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along with the vehicle, to the SanIgnacio Police Station for amore thorough search. After almost 4 hours ofremoving the rear bumper, tailgate and pan liner, the search,headed by Sgt. Reyes, andwitnessed by the driver, resultedin the extraction of 18 compactpackages of pure cocaine, tightlywrapped with grey duct tape,neatly stacked between two floorcorrugate panels in the back ofthe truck. By its very design, policesuspect that the vehicle wasspecifically customized for

the purpose of moving illegalmerchandise. The packages were weighed inthe presence of the detainee fora total of 20,725 grams. A review of the Belizepassport in his name, found inhis possession, revealed thatthe accused, Carlos JonathanGibson, made numerous tripsacross the western borderbetween Belize and Guatemalawith the latest Belize departurestamp being Wednesday,February 17, returning onThursday, February 18. Investigators suspect that theillegal cargo might have been

Continued From Front Page loaded in Santa Elena, Flores,Peten, Guatemala. As we go to press this Fridaymorning, San Ignacio police

force to devise such plans forthe introduction of alternativeapproaches to discipline inschools and for implementationof such plans to commence. Atthe completion of such plans therelevant sections of the Acthaving to do with the removalof corporal punishment shallcome into effect. This willprovide not only the frameworkbut the necessary incentive forALL OF US to ensure thatalternatives are implementedtherefore avoiding a repeat of thelast ten years. Finding an alternative tocorporal punishment is not anacademic exercise, nor is it justsomething that must be donebecause the law demands it; it is

ultimately what must be done forthe sake of our children - itdemands the commitment andpassion of educators who caredeeply for our children and whowant what is undoubtedly bestfor them. I therefore call on the BelizeNational Teachers Union, allteachers and all otherstakeholders to work togetherwith us in doing what isundoubtedly best for ourchildren. Even in the face of manychallenges, I remain confidentthat together we can all be thechange we need. Change we must and changewe can. May God continue to Bless usall.

were still framing chargesagainst the accused drugtrafficker. He is scheduled toappear before San Ignacio’sMagistrate, Anna RachelMontejo later today.

Continued From Page 2






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