On the adjournment of Thursday’s special sitting of the House of Representatives, Opposition Leader Shyne Barrow rose to demand an apology from the People’s United Party for comments made by Doctor Osmond Martinez regarding the Belize Defense Force. Doctor Martinez raised the ire of the U.D.P. when he alleged that while growing up in his home village, members of the B.D.F. were responsible for sexually assaulting the women in that community. Here’s what he had to say in responding to Barrow’s criticism.
On the phone: Dr. Osmond Martinez
On the phone: Dr. Osmond Martinez, P.U.P. Standard Bearer, Toledo East
“When it comes to that position of the honorable Leader of the Opposition, I want to be clear that I am, I dare the honorable Leader of the Opposition to prove me wrong. And if he cannot prove me wrong, and I have said it already on another station, if he cannot prove me wrong within twenty-four hours, twenty-four hours have now gone since yesterday, then I am demanding a public apology from the Leader of the Opposition and the United Democratic Party to the affected population. Additionally, or on a different note, I want to be clear on one point, when it comes to the B.D.F., the Belize Defense Force as an institution, I have a lot of respect for them. I have very good friends in there and there are some officers that work extremely hard, very honest people and they have given everything to the country, to our beautiful country Belize.”
Chon Saan Palace is celebrating fifty years of service to Belize. The restaurant was founded in 1974 by Armando Chang, the patriarch of the Chang family who migrated to Belize from China in 1961. He worked at Canton Restaurant for a few years before venturing into building the restaurant and brand that is known across the country. So, how has Chon Saan Palace been able to survive this long? Its current owner, Lee Mark Chang says the Belizean culture has shaped the restaurant over the years into what it is today. News Five’s Paul Lopez joined Lee Mark Chang for lunch inside the restaurant. Here is what he found out in today’s installment of Kolcha Tuesday.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
1974 may seem like a long time ago in Belize’s history. It is the first year that the country held general elections after being renamed from British Honduras the year before. It is also the year that one Chinese family opened the doors to a restaurant that is now known across the country. On July fourteenth, Chon Saan Palace celebrated its fiftieth anniversary.
Lee Mark Chang
Lee Mark Chang, Owner, Chon Saan Palace
“Hard work and determination. Make sure your kitchen serves only the freshest of food, cook to order and make sure your customers are satisfied.”
Lee Mark Chang, the owner of Chon Saan Palace, took over from his father, Armando Chang, who established their first location on Freetown Road. Prior to that, Armando Chang was employed at Canton Restaurant on New Road where he cooked and bussed tables. In 1991, the family established a new Chon Saan Palace location on Kelly Street. Lee Mark Chang has been at the helm of the business for the last three decades.
Lee Mark Chang
“I don’t think my parents ever envision us lasting sixty years. It is a milestone, and they are very happy that I have been able to continue their work. Starting has always been hard. It is always hard for a business and as my father explained previously, getting beers, meat, vegetables, was very hard because of scarcity back in the days.”
Today, we sat down with the former President of the Senate for lunch inside his restaurant. The table was set with eight different dishes that the restaurant serves. Chon Saan Palace’s Asian inspired menu is a fusion of the Chang family’s Chinese heritage, and the flavors Belizeans know and love. In essence, Belize’s culinary culture has shaped Chon Saan into the successful restaurant it is today.
Lee Mark Chang
“I believe it is the Belizean culture that has shaped Chon Saan, because we have adapted their pallet and taste the veggies, what is available in Belize. I would say, ninety-five, maybe ninety-seven percent of our meats and vegetables are locally produced. A good example is the chow mein, you don’t find chow mein anywhere in this world like the Belizean chow mein. For example, the cabbage, carrots and onion in it, it is not common, as far as I know. In the states, the chow mein is made up of bak choy and whatever meats you order. As far I can recall there is no noodles involved in chow mein in the states, as far as I know. Maybe some do have it. We also generate our own style of cooking, like for example the salt and pepper whole fish where we would fillet the entire fish, debone it and fry the entire fish and present it also.”
The spread, specially curated for the media, provided a culinary experience that took the pallet through five decades of cooking perfection.
Lee Mark Chang
“I think we have the salt and pepper fish, we have the Singapore shrimp. I made a pan-fried tenderloin steak, sweet and sour chicken Chinese style, sweet and sour, jumbo shrimp, mixed vegetables with garlic. I think there is an eight-course meal prepared for you guys today.”
Undoubtedly, as Chang admits, the dish that is most popular among his customers is the restaurant’s fried chicken. It is also one of the most affordable items on the menu. The flavor of Chon Saan’s fried chicken distinguishes itself from the rest. Believe it or not, habanero pepper is one of its main ingredients. A recent spike in the cost of habanero has pushed the restaurant to slightly adjust its prices on certain dishes to maintain standards. Successfully navigating scarcity and inflation has kept this family in business for five decades.
Lee Mark Chang
“We use a lot of habaneros, a lot. We marinade a lot of our fried chicken in habanero. So we have to blend up a lot. So when habanero was three to five dollars a pound and then it went up to five, ten fifteen, and even twenty-five dollars a pound, that is hard. So we have had to raise our price by fifty cents recently so to at least be able to continue with the usage of the same ingredients, same amount, for the fried chicken.”
From one generation to the next, Lee Mark Chang and his son have made a five-year apprentice agreement. When those five years are over, a decision will be taken to pass the business on to a new generation. The promise is to maintain the standard of the brand into the next five decades, in spite of who is at the helm.
Lee Mark Chang
“We have people who come in for birthdays, anniversary, whatever celebration they are doing. A part from that we have people come in on a daily basis. That is what we work on, we work on the entire package. We don’t only target one individual customer or group of customer. It is an everyday restaurant. You can get the cheapest of food or the most expensive food. It all depends on what you want to eat or what is your budget for the day.”
Paul Lopez
“Are there certain values your family holds that also emanates through the way you do business?”
Lee Mark Chang
“Work nuh kill, hard work and determination. That has been beat into my head from a very young age, work nuh kill.”
Urban Sketching is visual art form in which artists draw on location in the cities, town, or villages they live in or travel to. The Urban Sketchers movement is said to have begun in 2007. In Belize, one artist has taken up urban sketching to represent beauty in urban settings that may not be attractive to the untrained eyes. Yaoling Lee is compiling some of her best pieces from Belize City in a book that is set to be released this year entitled “Beautiful Belize City”. She is also passing on her skills to whoever is willing to learn, through six workshops over the course of the coming weeks. News Five’s Paul Lopez met with Lee in the hustle and bustle of downtown Belize City to learn more about her work. Here is that report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Visual artist Yaoling Lee sees beauty in places where many may not find it. Tuesday morning’s hustle and bustle in the heart of downtown Belize City is just that to most people, pedestrians going about their busy day, vehicles meandering through narrow streets, and architectural structures from Belize’s colonial past. But in Yaoling Lee’s world, all this is inspiration for her creative process.
Yaoling Lee
Yaoling Lee, Visual Artist
“What I was doing is the urban sketching in watercolor and I start from sketching, so quick pencil drawing. Then I lay down the wash. What I did is lay down the first wash.”
What Yaoling Lee does is referred to as urban sketching. An urban sketcher captures what they see from direct observation. Yaoling Lee sketches what she sees and feels, while trying not to interfere with what reality presents.
Yaoling Lee
“Since I live here, I live in Belize City and I spend most of my time around here and I drive around often to find a scenery to paint. People ask me how I chose my scenery. It is hard to tell. Sometimes it is only because the house looks just right, the light is just right, sometimes because there is a sparkle light, and sometimes it is only because of the mood, I love it.”
Yaoling Lee’s work requires her to engage in a practice that has seemingly been lost in today’s age. That is the art of taking time to stop and appreciate wonders before our eyes presented through movements, shapes, and colors.
Paul Lopez
“Does colors or the location you select do they any at all depict any at all the character in terms of the culture of communities, Belize City in specific?”
Yaoling Lee
“Oh Yes, the first comes to my mind is those colonial houses. They are so beautiful.”
As Yaoling Lee demonstrated her artistic process, spectators gathered around to observe.
Yaoling Lee
“I need to add a person because I can’t do it now, because it is all wet. It will smear to everywhere. Usually I take time, sometimes I have to stop and continue later. But at least you capture the pencil drawing and that is the first wash. It is coming down so it is not good.”
That sketch, in its final form, looks like this finished piece. It took Yaoling Lee two and a half hours to complete this piece. It is one of the featured paintings in her soon to be released book titled “Beautiful Belize City”. The book features twenty-one of her most outstanding, watercolor, urban sketches. In the book, she shares insights on how she created them. Lee also enlisted twenty-one Belizean writers to add a touch of historical background, information and their unique perspective to each piece.
Yaoling Lee
“I have to say that the title of this book is called beautiful Belize City. This is how I see Belize City although you might have different thinking. So far, nobody tells me Belize City is a beautiful place.”
Paul Lopez
“How do you find the beauty in Belize City, because a lot of people may see it differently?”
Yaoling Lee
“Yeah, maybe like a lot of crimes, gangsters?” Not every single watercolor sketch comes out good. It is a process. So, I keep on painting, keep on sketching, keep on drawing. This book is a selection of some of my best work. I am making this book for myself. While I am doing those sketches, traveling around Belize City, I am curious about Belize City. I don’t know about it much, so I brought in those twenty-two Belizean writers to write about those historical background.”
Yaoling Lee says her work can also be viewed as a benefit to society because what is being recorded in her book can be passed on through generations. Lee will also be hosting six urban sketching workshops across five municipalities over the coming weeks.
Yaoling Lee
“The first one is this Saturday from the Belizean Museum of Arts, House of Culture and all the workshops are free. Of course you just have to come with your art supplies. You don’t need a lot of art supply. Come with pencil, if you have any watercolor, acrylic. But the most important is bring some papers, but at least one side, white, clean. We are going make a sketchbook from scratch.”
On Friday, we reported on the shocking news that Doctor Cecilio Eck, the beloved Belizean pediatrician, was diagnosed with stage four cancer. Eck made the discovery while conducting a test of the new C.T. scan machine at the K.H.M.H. where it revealed multiple lesions throughout his body. Since the announcement, friends and family members of Eck have banded together to create a GoFundMe campaign to help sponsor the cost of his treatment. We spoke with Doctor Eck today, who told us that the outpour of love and support he’s received from the public has been a humbling experience. Here’s more on that.
Dr. Cecilio Eck
Dr. Cecilio Eck, Cancer Patient “To me that one was the most surprising, mind boggling, humbling. I tell people I love what I do. I love my job and I don’t think I could do anything else. And when we needed help and they started to fundraise the amount of people who contributed from the smallest amounts to some huge amounts, from people, you know, that they become a part of your family when they come in and, when you see them grow, the little kids grow from zero to right now they’re bringing their own kids to see me, eighteen, twenty, it is, it was, and still is humbling and mind-boggling that they do it, I, you know, I don’t have any words to express it better than that. it’s just surreal again. I mean, I know Belize and growing up here financially is rough on most of us. And so for them to take the time, the effort to send it a little bit, that little bit turns into an amount that we can use. And I know in the first world it will be a lot, a lot of money to do simple studies, but, I’m going to get their opinion on that. That’s the reason. That’s the reason. And I know that with, even with the insurance I have, it won’t cover it. The, the main thing that I think made me survive Covid, and I’m hopeful that we will survive this ordeal is God. Prayers came from innocent children. One of my cousins, Venecia, started a rosary every night. Hundreds of people joined that. And I didn’t, I was completely out of it, right but, it’s not only the community I serve, but going to church and that church community, or God that has caused me to survive Covid. I went through my notes and at least four times I would have given up on me. Really, this patient look bad, and he brought me back. And so I’m hopeful this time there will be some hope, some light at the end of this, of this ordeal.”
After receiving a shower of support and well wishes, Doctor Cecilio Eck is embarking on his journey for medical treatment. Earlier this month, Eck was diagnosed with stage for cancer and has since garnered enough funds to begin the consultation process. This afternoon, Eck flew to Houston, where he will be meeting with several medical experts to deliberate the next steps of his treatment. We spoke with Doctor Eck before his flight, to hear what the game plan looks like.
Dr. Cecilio Eck
Dr. Cecilio Eck, Cancer Patient
“Well, first thing is to get an opinion. We’re still waiting on the biopsied results to come in, and when those come in, then I’ll send it to remember I studied in Jamaica and all with my classmates went all over the world and some of them are oncologists. Some of them know very good oncologists. And so I have prepared a group of six independent opinions from independent oncologists throughout North America. So I’ll be getting those opinions and then deciding on, you know, which path to take. The person. The reason I’m going today is that I’m fearful that it will affect my mobility because if the tumor and I do have some in my, my hips, and my pelvis bone, if those would grow, then it would be much harder for me to move. And because of that, I need to get to the first world where I could get the opinions and then hear what they think. And I’m going to Houston because my family’s there and the cancer center there is the MD Anderson. So I’m going there and I’m going to hear their opinion and their plan, what they would do. And then I’ll compare it to the others and decide the best pathway.”
Tuesday is K.T.V. night at the Bliss. Tonight, eight contestants will be facing off to determine who will move on to the next stage, two will be heading home. This week, the theme is Gospel and production assistant, Monilee Aspinall promises some of the best vocals the show has ever seen. The show starts at eight p.m. sharp so be on time and prepared to be blown away. Here’s Aspinall with more details on what to expect at tonight’s event.
Britney Gordon
“So talk to me about KTV. It’s happening tonight. What can we expect?”
Monilee Aspinall
Monilee Aspinall, Production Assistant, KTV
“Tonight is a gospel section. I’m super excited. The contestants have been working really hard on their songs. We’re also having the duets, which, they are really working to make sure that they’re perfect. Voices blend and complement each other. I think you guys should definitely come out tonight because not only to see the hard work that they’ve been putting in, but to see the versatility of the contestants and the efforts that they’re putting in, not only from them, but from their families and their supporters on their end. So I’m definitely looking forward to their performances and I think that the in person experience is another world from watching it just online.”
Britney Gordon
“Where can we get tickets?”
Monilee Aspinall
“You can get tickets here at the Channel 5 building on Coney Drive, and you can also get it at the 88 Shopping Center on Central American Boulevard.”
Britney Gordon
“What time?”
Monilee Aspinall
“It starts at eight pm sharp so we’re opening doors at about seven. So definitely get there to secure your seats.”
Britney Gordon
“Would you call this a fun experience for friends and family?”
Monilee Aspinall
“It is a wonderful experience. I think it really highlights, how much work it takes to bring people together, as well as the effort on stage and behind the scenes. We can expect good music. It is fantastic. This is one of our strongest set of contestants this year, so you’re definitely going to be blown away.”
The Ministry of Health and Wellness is investigating reports of a violent incident at the Southern Regional Hospital on the night of July 14, 2024. As News 5 reported, two traffic accident victims were brought to the Southern Regional Hospital, where nurses quickly secured them inside and locked the door to prevent crowding. Despite this, people attempted to force entry, leading to a police call after midnight. The injured were transferred to Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital without a security escort. Staff received threats from those trying to enter the emergency room.
According to the MOHW’s findings, the staff at the Accident and Emergency Unit of Southern Regional Hospital faced violent behaviour from individuals claiming to be friends or relatives of road traffic accident victims who were brought in for medical attention around 10:54 p.m.
Approximately thirty minutes after the victims’ arrival, their friends or relatives forced their way into the triage area and attempted to enter the Emergency Department. In response, the A&E doors were closed to allow staff to provide the necessary care without interruptions.
A female voice was then heard threatening to break down the door if access was not granted, accompanied by loud banging. Security personnel at the hospital attempted to defuse the situation but were unsuccessful, leading to police intervention.
In its release, the minister condemned this aggressive and threatening behaviour, emphasising that such actions hinder medical staff from performing their duties effectively. The Ministry stressed that medical emergencies require staff to have adequate space and privacy to provide life-saving care and that any obstruction or threat to medical personnel is unacceptable.
The public is reminded that it is an offence under the Criminal Code, CAP 101 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2020, to threaten or obstruct a public officer in the execution of their duties.
On Monday, Belize commemorated the 29th anniversary of its diplomatic relations with the Republic of Cuba. In a declaration, Cabinet expressed profound appreciation for the enduring and exceptional relationship shared with Cuba.
Cabinet members expressed their appreciation for the significant contributions of Cuba to Belize, particularly in the fields of healthcare and education, where Cuban doctors and teachers have played vital roles. The Belizean government reiterated its dedication to fostering and deepening these bonds, recognising Cuba as a crucial ally in the Caribbean region.
The government affirms its commitment to the deepening and strengthening of ties with its sister Caribbean nation.
Convicted murderer, Jared Ranguy, was given three life sentences this morning by Hugh Court Justice Nigel Pilgrim. Ranguy pleaded guilty to the murders of his mother, Karen Skeen, his sister, Teena Skeen, and his stepfather, Robert Vellos, in Ladyville in November 2012. In court, the relatives of the deceased persons sobbed as Ranguy admitted that he killed the victims without provocation.
His guilty plea came after having gotten a sentence indication, meaning that he decided to plead guilty without going to a trial.
Justice Nigel Pilgrim ordered that these sentences run concurrently, meaning Ranguy must serve 37 years before being eligible for parole. His nearly 12 years on remand will be deducted, so he will face a parole board after serving an additional 25 years.
In an interview, Krystal Holder Skeen expressed that while Ranguy has not shown true remorse, his sentencing brings them closer to peace. She questioned why Ranguy did not feel the need to offer an oral apology in court.
Attorney Orson Elrington has been ordered to pay a fine of fifteen thousand dollars by the General Legal Council (GLC). Of that amount, five thousand dollars will be paid to Pastor Dozie. Elrington is instructed to pay the fine by August 30th, 2024.
Elrington was also ordered to pay forty-six thousand dollars, five hundred and eighty-eight dollars, to Pastor Dozie on or before the close of business on July 19, 2024. If Elrington does not pay the fine or the amount due to Pastor Dozie on the due dates, he will be suspended from practising law until payment in full is made.
On April 19th, the General Legal Council found attorney Elrington guilty of grave professional misconduct for breaching rules 4, 14, and 22.
The case arose from a complaint by Pastor Dozie, who alleged that Elrington settled a claim without his consent. Dozie provided evidence, including original documents and WhatsApp conversations, while Elrington failed to produce original engagement letters and relied on a paralegal for client communication. The Council found discrepancies in Elrington’s testimony and referred the case to the police for further investigation.
Dozie had retained Elrington in 2023 to file a claim against the Social Security Board for denying his application for a survivor’s grant. Elrington negotiated a settlement of $46,588 but did not pay any portion to Dozie. Elrington claimed Dozie did not provide bank account details, but Dozie confirmed he never approved the settlement terms and did not give banking details.
The Council found inconsistencies in Elrington’s documentation, noting that signatures on the alleged second engagement letter appeared identical to the first, suggesting possible forgery. This raised concerns about Elrington’s credibility and conduct as an attorney.
News Five has reached out to Elrington for comment.
