Stann Creek District - Channel 5 Belize

Modern Technology to Advance Conservation Efforts

Down in Placencia Village, the conservation group Strong Coasts is hosting some exciting technical training on LiDAR technology and Multispectral Imaging. These high-tech tools provide 3D data on terrain, vegetation, and wavelengths beyond what the naked eye can see. At the same time, Strong Coasts is holding sessions on erosion, a topic that hits close to home for the villagers. On Monday night, the community gathered for a presentation on coastal erosion, based on three days of data collected by visiting experts from the U.S. We caught up with Placencia-based Environmental Engineering Professor Maya Trotz to learn more about these activities.

Maya Trotz, Environmental Engineering Professor

“The lidar and multispectral drone helps, they are trying to push the science to find out what information they can get on the ecosystem. Can they tell whether it is a mangrove or palm, from the data. Can they tell how tall something is. Can they tell the density of the mangrove, the health of the mangroves. It is pushing the boundaries for that type of research can support ground shooting activities that with a smaller staff you don’t really get to trample through those ecosystems to document that. Looking at how some of these tools can complement the work that people are doing. With three days of data I asked that a talk be given. We did that last night with one day’s notice. It was a packed crowd. It was supposed to rain; it stormed yesterday, and people came out. We were supposed to squeeze in to a small part of the Point Placencia Restaurant and Bar, but people are really interested. He gave a presentation that was walking through a 101 on erosion and sharing data collected so far. There is a stretch of beach, because of how the waves are coming in, it erodes faster. That is one of the areas the community is really concerned about. It has a lot of sargassum filling there.”

23-Year-Old Carpentry Teacher Murdered in Hope Creek

Police are investigating the death of a twenty-three-year-old teacher in Hope Creek Village. On Monday night, they found Simon Arana Junior’s lifeless body at his home. Initial reports suggest he was socializing when gunshots rang out, leading to his tragic death. News Five’s Britney Gordon reports.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Today, the home of twenty-three-year-old Simon Arana is empty and silent. Just yesterday, he was relaxing here after work. Tragically, it was his last evening at home. Just before 8:30 p.m., police responded to gunshots and found Arana’s lifeless body. He lived alone in a small house in Hope Creek. Neighbors describe him as reserved but friendly and easy-going. The Stann Creek Technical and Vocational Institution, where Arana taught carpentry, was also unusually quiet today. Classes were dismissed early out of respect for him, and a small ceremony was held to recognize his contributions. At the entrance of the campus sits a chair he built, a testament to his hard work and dedication. Police are still investigating and have not yet made any arrests.

Britney Gordon for News Five.

Police Still Investigating Death of Guillermo Martinez

On Friday, we reported on Guillermo Martinez, whose body was discovered floating in the Dangriga River just a week after his release from Belize Central Prison. The circumstances surrounding Martinez’s death remain unclear, as police have yet to determine the cause of death or identify any suspects. Today, ACP Hilberto Romero shared the full police report with us.

ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division

“On Friday the eighth day of November 2024, Dangriga police visited an area in Dangriga where they saw the lifeless body of a male person in the water the body was retrieved and he was identified as Guillermo Martinez of Dangriga. This person had been reported missing days prior and thereafter his body was found. We are awaiting a post-mortem examination to determine his cause of death.”

Reporter

“Were any injuries observed on the body?”

Hilberto Romero

“It is decomposed so we are waiting for the doctor to conduct the post-mortem.”

Teachers Protest for Fair Wages on Independence Day

As the nation celebrated Independence Day, a group of teachers from the Stann Creek District stood in silent demonstration at BTL Park in Dangriga Town. They demanded fair wages amid rising inflation.

They were joined in support by second-year primary education students.

Images of the demonstration show teachers holding placards that said, “Salaries minus increments plus inflation equal SUFFERING,” and “Bread gone up, egg gone up, cheese gone up… teachers’ salaries gone down.”

A participant told News 5, “Despite the government’s consistent declarations of a rapidly growing economy and historical prosperity, the reality for teachers is that they are still suffering having to survive on 2020 salaries in 2024 while inflation increases consistently.”

“The question still remains: When will teachers receive their 2021 and 2022 increments?” the participant added.

Stann Creek Fishermen Ride the Solar Wave

The Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy, Logistics, and E-Governance has rolled out a new initiative aimed at boosting sustainability and supporting the livelihoods of fishermen in Stann Creek. Today, 100 solar kits were distributed to local fishermen in Dangriga Town. This provides them with a reliable, eco-friendly source of energy to improve their operations.

The solar kits, which include high-efficiency solar panels, batteries, and energy-efficient lighting, will enable fishermen to power essential equipment with minimal environmental impact. These kits offer a sustainable alternative to traditional fossil fuels, helping to lower operational costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This initiative, funded by the European Union through the Lait Up Belize Technical Assistance Project, aims to improve economic efficiency, cut energy costs, and enhance safety during nighttime fishing activities with solar-powered lighting. Training and support were provided to ensure that fishermen are able to fully utilise the technology.

The Ministry views this as a significant step forward in empowering local communities and promoting sustainable development in Belize. It is expected that this project will positively impact the fishing industry in Stann Creek while also contributing to larger global efforts to combat climate change.

MoFA Sends Diplomatic Protest Note to Guatemala

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francis Fonseca says the Government of Belize has sent a diplomatic protest note to the government of Guatemala, following a conflict between a group of Belizeans and Guatemalan Armed Forces on the Sarstoon River. The Belize Territorial Volunteers organized a trip to the Sarstoon River over the weekend. During their visit, a team of GAF soldiers rammed their boat into BTV’s vessel. According to Minister Fonseca, the incident has also been reported to the Organization of American States. He gave us further details.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs

“We absolutely, of course, state very clearly that we, our sovereignty and territorial integrity over, a part of the Sarstoon River that is absolutely clear. The median line of the Sarstoon River is long established between Belize and Guatemala. So, anything north of that median line is Belizean waters. So, you know that that’s our very clear position.”

Reporter

“Minister, what do you say to Will Mejia? Who says you all have taken a stance against Israel. That’s all the way over there. And then you have Guatemala’s military violating us here in our backyard. Why not take a more serious diplomatic stance against them, too?”

Francis Fonseca

“But what more serious diplomatic standing can we make? We have agreed, the people of Belize have voted for us to resolve this issue through the International Court of Justice. We are pursuing that path to a peaceful resolution on this matter. You know, no disrespect to Will. I like Will. Will has never been in authority. He has never held power. He has never had responsibility for making decisions. On behalf of the Belizean people. We have that responsibility. I have that responsibility at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And we will exercise that authority with absolute competence, with absolute recognition and respect for the people of this country with their interest. It is not about being emotional and beating your chest and going down there and pretending you are big and bad. It is about doing the right thing in the interest of Belize.”

Badly Decomposed Body Discovered Off Lark Caye

This morning, the badly decomposed body of a male person was discovered along the shores of Lark Caye, just off the coast of the Placencia Peninsula. Information to News Five is that the owner of the island along with several individuals took a trip to the island today. While there a couple men from the group came across the unidentified body. We are told that local authorities were immediately informed of the discovery. As a result, a team of police and coast guard officers visited the scene and transported the body to the mainland. Video captured near a pier in Placencia shows authorities placing the body in the back of a police mobile, before it was carted off. An official police report is yet to be released. We will continue to follow this discovery.

D.O.E. says Dangriga Park Plan Will Undergo Environmental Clearance Process

Last week, the Briceño administration broke ground for the construction of the Dangriga Multipurpose Park. This park is designed to offer several amenities for recreational activities. However, there are concerns that the size of the park will pose a threat to the environment due to possible erosion of the coast. Chief Environmental Officer Anthony Mai says that the proposal will be adequately evaluated.

Anthony Mai, Chief Environmental Officer, D.O.E.

“Yes it does and in fact we’ve been in discussion to ensure that this type of project, in fact this one in particular comes through the environmental clearance process. At this point we were told that the project is being conceptualized. And everything, and so there’s a time when the proposal will come to the D.O.E. for environmental evaluation.”

Reporter

“Even though they already have a design?”

Anthony Mai

“Yes, indeed. So that’s the first step. You need to have the design, but you need to conceptualize what the design will include in terms of operations, right? And so when they have all of that together, they will come to us for environmental clearance.”

Reporter

“You all don’t have anything to do with the erosion aspect to some extent because one of the questions is, you are suffering from erosion, have suffered it from in the past, so how do you create such a huge development there?”

Anthony Mai

“The erosion issues it’s not a singular agency that deals with it. So the Department of Environment have some input to it, the mining unit, et cetera, has some input to it. Coastal Zone Management Authority, collectively we look at these things. In the past we had conducted a study by some support from the Cuban government. We have a good report and recommendation on what is affecting the erosion within that area. In fact, Currently, we have a draft terms of reference that we will finalize soon, where we want to expand the project and the assessment that the Cubans did to understand the erosion that is affecting the Placencia area and all the way down to Monkey River. What they, when we’ve met with the experts from Cuba and what they had recommended to us is that they said, listen, rather than doing this thing piecemeal, let’s do an assessment of the entire coastline. Now, that comes at a cost. And so we are in the process where. We are contemplating if we need to expand the terms of reference to include the entire coastline. And we need to discuss the cost of doing so. Because the current terms of reference that we have for Placencia and for close to the Monkey River, the cost of doing such an assessment is considerably higher. So we are weighing that in relation to having finances to do that versus doing the entire country. But it’s a concern and we are discussing it. There are discussions going on at the moment relation to that.”

Who Broke Into Dangriga Treasury and Removed Safe?

The investigation at the Solid Waste Management Authority that the Prime Minister spoke of earlier in this newscast is not the only one that is underway over missing public funds. We reported this week that thieves removed an entire safe from the Treasury building in Dangriga. It is a matter that the police suspect strongly involves inside coordination, if not involvement. The meticulous way the thieves went about their deed leads investigators to think they knew their surroundings well and knew exactly what to do to go undetected. The thieves disconnected the power that controlled the surveillance equipment before they entered the office. The amount that was in the safe is still not determined, but Prime Minister John Briceño says he’d like for the police to make an arrest.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“In many instances, whenever you have this kind of, um, of crime or burglaries and robberies in any institution or, or business, most of the time, it’s because there’s an inside job that somebody from within tells them, um, What’s going on? Where could go and so forth. So, um, I’m appealing to the police to investigate and try to find the perpetrator. But at the same time, if it is an inside job for us to try to find who are the people that are giving all this information and when we find them that we deal with them, um, using the justice system.”

Reporter

“Are you able to say how much money went missing.”

Prime Minister John Briceño

“No, I, um, I’ve not been informed. Um, as yet, I probably, I’m, I’m thinking that, uh, they’re probably trying to, to find out and to ascertain the exact amount.”

Police Investigate Second Theft at Dangriga Treasury in Five Months

Police are investigating the theft of a safe from the Treasury building in Dangriga. The safe was discovered stolen on Tuesday, making this the second such theft at that office in five months. Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams told reporters that the thieves had to have familiarity with the interior of the building to have known the steps they took, including turning off the power supply that controlled the surveillance cameras. Williams said that the investigating is looking at employees of the Treasury Office as well.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“The safe was stolen. I’m not too sure of the contents in terms of the quantum of money that was in that safe. But again, it clearly shows that this burglary was committed by people who know exactly how the treasury operates and, as a matter of fact, they even went to the extent of turning off the power to the building to disable the camera system from recording before entering the building. So that could only be done by people who understand how inside the treasury building is located and the situation of the cameras on that particular building. So it’s something that the police are looking at. We have to interview people who work there as well to see what they know. At the end of the day, we cannot leave anything out. This is the second or the third time there has been a burglary at that treasury in Dangriga and I think that it is too much. So the police will be probing deep to see if we can identify those persons who are responsible.”