A high level British official is on an official visit in respect of Britain’s defense program with Belize which has been scaled down considerably. Dr Andrew Murrisson, Parliamentary under Secretary of State for International Security Strategy, visited the BATSUB’s Headquarters but fell short of committing increased resources. News Five Isani Cayetano has the story. [...]
Belize is considered a main transit point for drugs that make their way to the United States by land, sea and air. In the fight against drug trafficking, the US has established a major anti-drug operation center in Florida and because of its sensitive nature; it is off limits to the public. Last year alone, [...]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has gone on record to say that it does not support the initiative. Foreign Affairs Minister Sedi Elrington recited the incident in 2000, when four soldiers were taken by the Guatemalans military which claimed they were trespassing on Guatemalan soil. It took great measures to get the soldiers and he [...]
Earlier this week, the Ministry of National Security donated two Mahindra pickup trucks to the Police Department. And today at the B.D.F. compound at Price Barracks in Ladyville, three were handed over to the force. The vehicles now bring the fleet to ten vehicles. Following the brief ceremony, B.D.F. Commander, Brigadier General David Jones told [...]
The Customs Department this afternoon gifted a list of confiscated marine equipment to both the B.D.F. and the Coast Guard. The items were seized last Christmas Eve during an exercise that involved the three agencies. The list ranges from dive suits to scuba compasses, pressure hoses and maintenance kits. Duane Moody was present for the [...]
The B.D.F. and Coast Guard are not the only one who received generous donations. The Ministry of National Security on Monday also donated two Mahindra vehicles to the police department to assist in combating crime in the west and south. Minister of National Security, John Saldivar, handed over the vehicles to the Police Department; one [...]
The Belize Defense Force celebrated the changing of the guard as Commander Dario Tapia handed over the reins of power to Brigadier General David Jones. In Friday’s newscast, we showed you the ceremony, pageantry and protocol inherent in such significant events. But what would a B.D.F. bash be without a display of its military might, [...]
The Belize Defense Force celebrated its thirty-fifth anniversary today in grand style at Price Barracks by welcoming a new Commander. And in addition to welcoming that new Commander, the force also celebrated the graduation of Intake number fifty-six comprising of forty-five new recruits. These recruits will join fellow officers in preserving our territorial integrity at [...]
Before assuming his new post as Brigadier General, Lieutenant Colonel David Jones, gained much public recognition for his expertise as an explosive specialist when grenades first became a real threat on Belize City streets. And with the rank just bestowed, Jones has taken up the reins as Brigadier General Dario Tapia who leaves on retirement. [...]
It was a proud day for the Belize Coast Guard as two significant achievements were celebrated; the seventh anniversary of the service was on November twenty-eighth and the commandant has been promoted to a higher rank. Both occasions were rolled into a grand ceremony this morning. The uniforms were crisp, the band was on point [...]
News circulated about a week ago that the Belize Defence Force soldiers patrolling the border would be armed with taser guns and batons. But before public uproar erupted, Minister John Saldivar clarified that the soldiers would also continue to carry their usual firearms. Today, B.D.F. Commandant, Brigadier General Dario Tapia, explained that the objective is [...]
The Belize Defence Force received a donation from the Ministry of National Security today and it will be most appreciated by the soldiers who have to patrol the remote areas along the border. Many persons may not be aware, but the soldiers who patrol the Machaquilla area, must endure a two day hike to reach [...]
In the wake of the shooting death of Guatemalan national Francisco Quinn Yat inside the Chiquibul National Park recently, requests have been made by Guatemalan officials for members of the joint border patrol to man the border unarmed to avoid further loss of life. While Minister of National Security John Saldivar dismissed the idea of [...]
On Wednesday evening, a Guatemalan logger was killed in a shootout with the Belize Defence Force. It is second such incident this year and it is being vehemently protested by the Guatemalan government, which called a press conference late Thursday evening. The Organization of American States has been brought into the picture and both are [...]
With escalating violence in the region, decriminalizing the transportation of drugs heading to the US has become a hot topic. The idea was first broached by the Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina. He has been lobbying for support because he believes that in the war on drugs, US assistance has not reduced the drug trade [...]
Elrington says that the discussion caught most country representatives off-guard and that the situation was somewhat confusing as some representatives thought it might have been a Central American Integration System (SICA) meeting. But how does Belize fit in? Elrington’s response was that the meeting should not be held without the United States which considers drug [...]
Six grenades were detonated recently. Before you get alarmed, it was an operation designed by the Belize Defense Force to destroy confiscated artillery that was found on the streets. The specifics of the operation aren’t known as the media was not invited to witness or interview the participants. The footage, provided courtesy of the Government [...]
The B.D.F. is now thirty-four years old and today they celebrated in grand style at Price Barracks. The Governor General, Sir Colville Young, Minister of Defence & Immigration, Carlos Perdomo and Chief Justice, Kenneth Benjamin, were all in attendance. But the crowd was mostly made up of family and friends who were there to see [...]
At least three B.D.F. soldiers will not be having a good Christmas. That’s because a decision has been handed down in respect of forty-two weapons, handguns and high-powered weapons that were discovered missing in mid October. The B.D.F. revealed on October twelfth that an arsenal including twenty-two M-sixteen A1 rifles, two M4 commander rifles, eleven [...]
The celebration of Channel Five’s twenty-year anniversary continues. We went back to our archives and found an interesting story, featured in 1992. In this piece that took place in the jungle, the then News Five reporter William Neal joins the Belize Defense Force for a mock war game which occurred near pristine jungle. William Neal, [...]
The seizure of a hundred and eleven bricks of cocaine which resulted in the incarceration of Mexican national Martin Rafael Urias is attributed to a team of law enforcement officers on training near the Belize/Guatemala Border last Thursday. Those officers were deployed to the Belize/Mexico Border where they continued training with the US Customs Border [...]
There are new recruits to boost the numbers of the six year old Belize National Coastguard which is charged with the maritime safety and security of the Jewel. This morning, at the Williamson Complex in Ladyville, the newest intake of sailors officially joined the coastguard. The male and female recruits went through rigorous training to [...]
British Forces Broadcasting Radio signed off permanently in August. It was only one component that saw the end of an era of symbolic British support to Belize. BATSUB has been either shipping off to the UK or donating much of its machinery to the Belize Defense Force (B.D.F.). On Friday, BATSUB made another sizable parting [...]
The Belize National Coast Guard is the gate keeper of our territorial waters but it has limited resources to curb organized crime and other illicit activities that have become more prevalent and daring. As a part of an ongoing fight against transnational crime in the region, the U.S Southern Command and the Central American Regional [...]
The Whylie Report on the investigation into the forty-two weapons that were stolen from the Belize Defence Force reveals a lack of security at the B.D.F. headquarters. The bulk store was not checked for twelve days in breach of established procedure. That is so because of changes in schedule and the person who was responsible [...]
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