A three-month sewing training programme is expected to benefit underprivileged girls and women in rural Toledo. The training programme was launched on Monday in Pueblo Viejo Village, Toledo District, by the government of Belize and the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) under the name “Sewing Training to Underprivileged Adolescent Girls and Women.”
This initiative focuses on exploring entrepreneurship and enhancing financial stability among the participating women, and is part of the project “Enhancing Economic Empowerment of Women in Belize in the COVID-19 Post-Pandemic Era.”
The project aims to empower disadvantaged women with sewing skills. It will be managed by the Tumul Uj Pueblo Mopan Women’s Group.
At the launch, Oscar Requena, Minister of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Local Government, and Labour, said, “What this project seeks to do is really to provide trading for our women, to improve their entrepreneurial skills, to improve their sewing skills, to improve their collaborative efforts of working together. And to be able to pass on those traditional and cultural skills that our women have.”
Lily Li-Wen Hsu, Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to Belize, commended the women participating in the programme, “such programme will build up self-confidence, and form a network of mutual support that helps the participants fulfill their potential.”
The long-drawn-out series of events involving former coast guard sailor Keyren Tzib came to an end earlier today when she was sentenced to almost five years in prison after being found guilty of the attempted murder of her colleague. The incident during which Tzib fired an M-4 carbine, injuring Petty Officer Kurt Hyde took place on Easter Monday 2015. In the wake of the shooting, she was charged with three offenses, including attempted murder, dangerous harm and use of deadly means of harm. A psychiatric evaluation was also conducted to determine her state of mind at the time of the incident. Since then, Tzib has been back and forth to court over this matter. When she appeared before Justice Candace Nanton this morning, it was her attorney’s hope that a non-custodial sentence would have been handed down. However, after carefully analyzing the facts and taking into consideration Tzib’s mental state, the starting point for mitigating and aggravating factors began at thirteen years. For the length of time that the case meandered through the justice system, six years were deducted from the possible sentence. An additional two years were subtracted, given Tzib’s mental state in relation to her guilt. For the time that Tzib spent on pretrial detention, two months were also taken away, leaving a prison term of four years and ten months. Following today’s judgment, attorney Arthur Saldivar spoke on his client’s behalf, indicating that the sentence will be appealed.
Arthur Saldivar
Arthur Saldivar, Attorney-at-law
“The offense for which Ms. Tzib had been charged and convicted of was attempted murder and in our jurisdiction, generally, the range of sentences has been eight to fifteen years. So one would appreciate that there was a significant reduction, although it was being urged on the court that a non-custodial sentence would have been most appropriate. We did not get that, but we got a significant reduction from the eight to four years, ten months. What was taken into consideration in respect of that was the mental state of the offender. The fact that she was not previously convicted, was a person of good character and it was also taken into consideration the fact that there was considerable delay. This offense took place in 2015, the trial happened some nine years later, in 2024. But there were also matters that I think should have been taken into consideration but were not and we will be addressing that on appeal.”
Reporter
“So the status is that she will be appealing. What will she be appealing, the conviction?”
Arthur Saldivar
“Both the conviction and the sentence. It’s a very sad situation that has occurred here and in relation to what happened with Ms. Tzib, this was a young lady who had no idea the person who raped her was going to be on a boat with her prior to this incident happening. She was already suffering from the trauma, being violated in that way. So one would imagine suffering serious mental illness as a result of being violated by a person, in the most horrible way any woman can be violated and being in possession of a weapon and that person also violated by being in possession of a weapon himself, how that would have caused an already impaired mind to react. So my heart goes out because I have a mother and I have sisters and certainly, I can understand a person in her position not being in control of the full faculties because of the trauma she experienced, reacting the way she did.”
Earlier today, twenty-eight-year-old Leanne Davis has been found guilty of manslaughter in the stabbing death of her sister-in-law during an unfortunate incident that took place in April 2021. In her ruling this morning, Justice Candace Nanton found that there was extreme provocation in Davis’ case, hence the reason she was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter. Davis, then a twenty-five-year-old mother of two, got into an altercation with Venecia Staine, a resident of Gracie Rock Village. According to a witness, who was fifteen years old at the time, the deadly incident happened when Davis reportedly bumped into Staine and an argument ensued. During the heated exchange, Staine was stabbed as many as six times, including a fatal wound inflicted in the area of her right breast. Davis was remanded on a charge of murder. The trial got underway a little over a month ago. In her defense, Davis, from the dock, told the court that she was provoked. Sentencing for Davis has been deferred to July twenty-ninth. She has been remanded back to the Belize Central Prison.
One year ago, twenty-nine-year-old Adrian Pook was shot dead in his yard by a gunman laying wait under the back steps of his home. The shooter was handed over to the police by Pook’s family after they detained him at the scene. Today, that man pleaded guilty to that crime. He is twenty-year-old Kriston Francis. This morning, Francis, represented in court by attorney Arthur Saldivar signed the plea bargain documents and took ownership for his actions. Saldivar urged upon the court to take into consideration the fact that his client expressed remorse and was only eighteen at the time of the murder, which was his first offense. Saldivar said that Francis has been waiting for the opportunity to apologize to the parents of the deceased and has taken full responsibility for his actions. Francis will be sentenced on July sixteenth and must undergo a psychiatric evaluation before appearing in court. Justice Derick Sylvester also ordered a social inquiry report, and a victim impact statement to be delivered before sentencing.
Last month, we reported on Belize City resident Jemine Thurton, who scammed the popular Celebrity restaurant out of Three thousand dollars through fraudulent online transfers. Today, another restaurant Scam was exposed, but this time, in Belmopan. The unnamed resident allegedly conducted fraudulent bank transfers with Formosa, Wingstop and Chon Saan Palace, summing up to over six thousand dollars in food and drinks. The Chon Saan incident was resolved after the perpetrator’s father, a well-known businessman, cleared up his daughter’s outstanding bill. Lee Mark Chang, owner of Chon Saan Palace, says that that this has been an issue the restaurant industry has been grappling with for years.
Lee Mark Chang
Lee Mark Chang, Owner, Chon Saan Palace
“We have been touched before and we have omitted that type of payment outright. So there’s no more payment in terms of online transfers or stuff like that cause it does takes a couple of days if you transfer from one bank to the next bank, in order to see it, usually if you do from Belize bank to Belize bank account, then it’s almost immediate, but to avoid a headache, we have omitted all of that. I’ve learned recently that one of our branches has also been a victim of this and, but it has been a minimal and I’ve been made to understand that it has been paid back already.”
Isani Cayetano
“What is the process being used to defraud these restaurants? Do you know what system or how they go about doing this online?”
Lee Mark Chang
“There’s many of it and some of it maybe I should not speak about, but the photoshopping is the. Another one is when you get a hold of someone’s credit card, probably through theft or robbery. And there was once an incident where the person brought, actually brought the credit card to the restaurant, and they purchased food and alcoholic drinks. And in about half an hour, the police came with the owner, asking to see the surveillance. We showed them, and of course the person went again and used the same card at another restaurant location and he was told he was apprehended, the group of them were apprehended because of the stolen card. So they use it and then they go to swipe it at business establishments.”
Isani Cayetano
“I understand that perhaps in the B.P.O. sectors where perhaps these service agents get a hold of personal credit card information for customers that in some instances they do use those confidential information to transact business?”
Lee Mark Chang
“We have had our fair share of this stolen credit card information, yes. But it has been very minimal. It has winded down a lot right now. Of course, whenever a credit card transaction comes in through credit card and we suspect it, we usually call first to make sure that we have a ID number to fix on a person then we deliver the food. If not, we would just cancel the order and make sure that the credit card company refunds it.”
Isani Cayetano
“This has been going on for quite some time, but it doesn’t seem to be reported nearly enough. The only one that we recall fairly recently was the incident with Celebrity restaurant. Why isn’t this kind of crime being reported to police or legal action to prosecute these individuals are taken?”
Lee Mark Chang
“I believe that because the law is not stiff enough or probably there’s not enough regulation or law enforcement to deal with these type of white collar crimes. But I have done my share in terms of trying to minimize or try to catch the persons using these stolen credit cards and we have been mostly successful.”
Governor General Froyla Tzalam has issued a Writ of Election for holding a by-election for the Toledo East Electoral Division. The writ notes that the day appointed for the nomination of candidates is Tuesday, July second. As Prime Minister John Briceño has announced, the by-election will take place on Wednesday, July seventeenth. The Representation of the People Act states that “the persons entitled to vote at the election of a divisional representative must be persons whose names appear on the register for that division, as existing on the Nomination Day. According to the Elections and Boundaries Department, the cut-off-date for persons wishing to be registered as electors and who wish to vote in the upcoming by-election was Monday June tenth. That time has already passed. The department says that the cut-off-date allows the officers to conduct their due diligence on all applications received, which includes the publication of supplementary list and holding of revision court as required by law. Persons applying to be registered as electors after the cut-off-date of will not be eligible to vote in the Toledo East Electoral Division by-election.
As we have reported, the People’s United Party elected Osmond Martinez as its candidate in Toledo East during a recent party convention. He is set to go up against the People’s National Party’s Wil Maheia and the United Democratic Party’s Dennis “Desho” Williams. We heard from Williams for the first time today when he made an appearance on Open Your Eyes. Williams spoke about the challenges that residents are facing in the constituency and a few of his plans to address those issues. Here is a bit of what he had to say this morning.
Dennis “Desho” Williams
Dennis “Desho” Williams, U.D.P. Standard Bearer, Toledo East
“I enjoy the satisfaction I get from just assisting people and many of my colleagues told me mein you like to help out, why not take it up. It was a long, hard, though decision because it is not my kind of thing to be in the forefront. I am more of a street soldier for the party and working hard. But I decided to take it up. It is extremely challenging because the size of the constituency alone is extremely difficult. My furthest village is seventy-two miles north, that is Monkey River, then you have sixty miles south. One of the biggest issues in the rural areas is the maya land rights issue. That is the one of the main sticking points and as you go that is one of the questions they ask. And, my response to them is that well I spoke to my party leader Honorable Shyne and he says that we are a law abiding country and if the court rules something then we have to abide by it you know. I am no expert. I just go by what the court says. It does not really affect me, like us living in town. It affects them and their future because they are complaining about the one kilometer outside of their village. They say that is not enough. I spoke to like I said Shyne, he has a lot of connection, we would benefit greatly from a call center in P.G., there is none. We have graduates from U.B., Highschool that has great command of the English language. But they have to leave, and some go to Harvest Caye, some to Belmopan to seek employment and one of the cries I hear from them is that it is difficult to further their education if they have to leave home to find work. So, a simple thing like a call center with five hundred jobs would create a lot of employment and we don’t need central government to do that. When it comes to tourism that is not something we can do right now, but we have the full package when t comes to Toledo, we have the reef, we have the Cayes, the Maya temples, falls, cave tubing, we have everything. But, the B.T.B. has done nothing to create employment there.”
A hundred law enforcement officers from the Belize Police Department have received approval to acquire land from the Government of Belize as a token of appreciation from the Ministry of Home Affairs. In a brief ceremony held on Monday, Minister Kareem Musa recognized the men and women in uniform for the commitment and dedication to citizen security in their respective communities.
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“To you one hundred officers, it’s not only a mere incentive but more of a grand gesture of thanks and appreciation. Thank you for the long hours, for the extra mile that you go, for the exercise of discernment for those situations you didn’t cover in training academy, for being good officers of the law. It is my hope that this piece of our jewel opens more doors for you and your families, be that having the collateral to build a new house, going back to school or simply just a place you can, with a piece of mind, call home. Congratulations and, once again, thank you for your service.”
The consumption of marijuana in small doses has been decriminalized in Belize since 2017. However, in the United States, it is still not federally legalized. The disparity has caused American banks to resist conducting transactions with cultivators of the drug. On Monday, at Belize’s second Annual Anti-Money Laundering Conference, which is jointly hosted with the Embassy of the Unites States, Minister of New Growth Industries, Kareem Musa was asked if marijuana will continue to impose on Belize-U.S. banking relations. Here is his response.
Reporter
“In relation to this particular conference, you have been a proponent of new growth industries and specifically the legalized cultivation of marijuana. Are you anticipating or are you hoping that the outcome of this conference will be a mechanism whereby the commercial banks who have been very cagey about receiving any sort of deposits from marijuana cultivators would be in a position that they could receive the deposits of farmers who have been cultivating marijuana without it being viewed by American authorities as being the illicit proceeds of an illegal activity?”
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of New Growth Industries
“Yeah, I believe significant strides have been made on the cannabis front especially in the United States where most of our correspondent banks sit. There was a recent reclassification of cannabis from the schedule one to a schedule three drug and so that will allow for greater banking possibilities within the United States, and it’s expected that will translate to greater banking opportunities for Belize as well. As I mentioned, we do have correspondent banking relations. We want to preserve that by all means. And so I don’t see it again as before. I don’t see it being a big issue because so long as it’s a cash industry per se. But we do want to move away from it being a cash industry in the future. And so with these new classifications, it will help the banking of it.”
In last week’s installment of Kolcha Tuesday we brought you stories of La Llorona. In tonight’s installment, we will take a closer look at another Belizean folklore character, Tata Duende. Its origin is believed to be from the Yucatec Maya culture. But like La Llorona, Tata Duende’s story takes on different forms in different cultures. Some people believe he is this fearful creature that kidnaps children and steals their thumbs. Others are of the belief that Tata Duende is a spiritual entity that protects the forest and is meant to be respected. His story is one of both discipline and conservation. News Five’s Paul Lopez filed the following report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Stories of Tata Duende evoke a palpable sense of fear among listeners. In the Maya culture, however, this supernatural being, described by many as a gnome, is believed to be a spirit that protects the jungle. In Yucatec Maya, Tata Duende translates to Nukuch Tat. Andy Chuc is a cultural activist from northern Belize.
On the Phone: Andy Chuc
On the Phone: Andy Chuc, Cultural Activist
“The word tata in Maya means grandfather or father and duende comes from the contraction of the term dueno- de which in English means owner of, so dueno- de transforms to duende. Now in Yucatec Maya the tata Duende is not seen as a terror figure or a horror figure that would take children to the bush and take away their thumb. In Yucatec maya they are described as protectors.”
Kevin Mendez grew up in San Antonio Village in Orange Walk District. Growing up, he was told numerous stories of Tata Duende. He believes that it truly exists. One way to recognize Tata Duende’s presence is through a loud and eerie whistle that the entity makes. Mendez even has a painting of Tata Duende in his home as a reminder of his childhood experiences.
Kevin Mendez
Kevin Mendez, San Antonio Resident
“If you were a child that is misbehaving you were told the Tata Duende would come for you. So it was to say you got to behave as a child and listen to your parents. Also, it comes from a sense of saying Tata Duende is a guardian of the forest and the animals. I do believe this to be true, like I told you I have heard the whistle and there was this particular time I was working at a rehab center in Orange Walk and in the space of the rehab center there was a stable. On the stable most of the nights we would hear the uproar of the horses and many times the caretaker would say come look at this. Many times, when you would see the mien of the horse there was this very like it had a nicely done braid. It really just sticks out, extraordinary, like which human would come in the middle of the night and do this to a horse.”
Tata Duende is believed to have a liking for horses and braiding their mane. Eleonor Carillo is a cultural activist and storyteller. She grew up in San Jose Nuevo Palmar, a short distance from where Mendez grew up. She recounted the story of a teenage boy who went into Orange Walk Town at night to meet a young lady without his parents’ consent. On his way back home, while walking through a farm, the horses and cattle became restless, causing him to run in the other direction.
Eleonor Carillo
Eleonor Carillo, Palmar Village Resident
“So when he looked around, he looked back the light that that showed in the background over the town he saw tata Duende, the sombrero, the features against the light of the town. And so, he just started running towards the village. The horses and the cattle started stampeding after him. He was running and running, and he didn’t know how fast he was running. But he was running the fastest he had ever run in his life. But he says he really saw this Tata Duende on top of the horse that was waving his arms, knocking the neck of the horse so that the horse could run faster, and he ran faster and faster and he did not stop until he reached the door of his house and he started knocking on it and calling his mom and his dad. We always fear what we don’t know just like we are afraid of death because we don’t know what happens after death. Well Tata Duende is an entity that has been here ever since.”
Andy Chuc explains that Tata Duende is primarily a spiritual entity. Most of the elders he has spoken with described Tata Duende as spirit to whom rituals are dedicated to gain protection in the forest. But over time, it has taken on human features and is described as a bearded, dwarfed, elderly man with missing thumbs, backward feet, and wearing a tall hat. Aurelio Sho says he saw Tata Duende while working in Blue Creek Village in Toledo District. As he tells it, one evening, he ventured into a dormitory alone to operate the switch for a water pump.
Aurelio Sho
Aurelio Sho, Blue Creek Village Resident
“A lot of people say that they don’t believe or it is not true. But you wont believe until you actually experience it or see this or have an encounter. I went all the way to the back, the building was like a hundred feet, so rooms this way and rooms that way, but just the last room I said let me pull the curtain this side and when I looked on the bunk bed this man was on top swinging his foot. So my goodness, you don’t see his face, you would never see his face like you see mine. He had his hat down like that but you could see his foot the hang, like if you the sit down on top of the top bunk and just swinging your feet. But, I am telling you dah like the spirit the hold me, like an invisible wall, and invisible energy holding me. I the run and you feel like you are doing it in slow motion. Until I popped out then I regained myself. That is Tata Duende.”
Lee McLoughlin, the creator of Belize’s first animated movie “Tecuani and the Duende”, has listened to dozens of Tata Duende stories throughout the years. Those stories are what inspired him to produce the animated movie.
Lee McLoughlin
Lee McLoughlin, Creator, Tecuani and the Duende
“I think that I had no right to disbelief what people were telling me. If that was their experience and they told me what they saw, I had no right to say that was not what they saw. I would feel very lucky to tell one of these stories although some of them did seem pretty scary, like you could see by the emotion in people voices that it is something that affected them on a deep emotional level. A friend of mine she saw Tata Duende in the next person yard on the back of a horse and when he turned around, she froze. This is like one of the most vivid memories of her childhood.”
