2024-07-25 - Channel 5 Belize

Two Ambergris Caye Residents Rescued At Sea After Jet Ski Capsized

An ordinary evening on Ambergris Caye turned into a harrowing ordeal when a man and a woman set off on a jet ski from Secret Beach. A large wave capsized the jet ski, leaving them stranded in open waters as night fell. The situation quickly worsened as strong currents separated them, forcing each to fend for themselves in the dark. The woman swam for hours, eventually finding a shallow area to stand. Meanwhile, the man drifted further into open waters. Fortunately, help arrived. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Two Ambergris Caye residents faced a great deal of misfortune on Wednesday evening out at sea when a large wave capsized their jet ski. Rolando Uh and Lenny Elias left Secret Beach on a jet ski at around four-thirty p.m. Dramatic video footage of the moment Uh was rescued by a joint patrol team, almost six hours after they left the shore, has surfaced on social media. Lieutenant Mark Choc and the joint patrol team deployed from the San Pedro Coast Guard Base after receiving a distress call.

L.T.J.G. Mark Choc, Operations Officer, Belize Coast Guard

“At around twenty-two hundred hours, or ten p.m. yesterday, Wednesday twenty-fourth of July. The Belize Coast Guard Operations Center received a report of a possible distress situation of Secret Beach in San Pedro. The information we received was that a male person Mr. Rolando Oh who is the manager of Secret Beach Water Park along with a female companion Ms. Len Elias departed from Secret Beach around four thirty and they headed northwest from the area.”

The Coast Guard launched a search and rescue operation at around ten p.m. That is five hours after the individuals left Secret Beach on the jet ski. And, according to Lieutenant Choc, that was when they received the distress call.

LTJG Mark Choc

“Moments after the search was launched it was reported that around ten-twenty p.m. it was reported that the female, Ms. Len Elias was located.”

A group of San Pedro residents had launched their own search and rescue efforts. They rescued Elias near Prince Island, four nautical miles north of Secret Beach. She found shallow waters where she waited for help.

LTJG Mark Choc

“Reports was that she was heard screaming by a search team and she was found wearing a life jacket. Apparently, she had been swimming for the past three hours until she reached to a shallow area where she was able to stand.”

Search efforts to locate Uh continued. He was not found until eleven-thirty, one hour later. The joint patrol team found him drifting in open waters about three nautical miles north of Secret Beach.

LTJG Mark Choc

“Mr. Uh was found in the water floating and drifting. So, he was quickly recovered from the water and transported to safe harbor where he received medical evaluation. Based on the medical evaluation, both individuals were found to be in good health. The effects of the elements did not have an effect on them. This was due to the quick and effective response of the search and rescue team.”

According to the locations where both individuals were rescued, they drifted far apart and spent a great deal of time alone, hoping to be rescued. Unlike Elias, Uh did not have a life jacket, which means that he had no aid to assist in keeping him afloat. There are no official details on the amount of time that elapsed between the jet ski capsized and when both individuals were rescued.

LTJG Mark Choc

“Based on the information we received it was reported that both individuals were on the jet ski. However, there was a large wave that knocked them off the jet ski, causing them to lose control of the jet ski.”

Paul Lopez

How lucky are they today to be alive today, having been in the water for so long?

LTJG Mark Choc

“I will be very honest, survival in the water is difficult to achieve. After several hours in water, they could have been severely dehydrated and reach to a point of severe hyperthermia and leads to death. Again, we are thankful for the quick response of the search team. They were able to be located quickly and any prolonged search efforts after that would have more than likely led to something severe and even loss of life. Our main priority during search and rescue missions is to quickly locate the individual. It is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It is a very difficult task but collaborating with different agencies makes our effort a lot more easier like we did last night with the police.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

U.S. Official Says Belize Managing Migration Issue Well

The mass migration of Central American nationals northward over the past several years has increased and taken on new, innovative methods. We’ve heard of the practice that migrants purchase two-way plane tickets to Belize, but upon arrival, they simply move to other countries in their attempt to reach the U.S. Some CARICOM nationals even use the privilege of free movement to travel to Belize, which makes it easier for them to reach the U.S. through Central America. Today, News Five’s Marion Ali sat down with the U.S. State Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Eric Jacobstein, who said that Belize has been making significant strides to tackle the issue.

Eric Jacobstein, Dep. Asst. Sec., Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S State Dept.

“We’re grateful for Belize’s leadership on migration management in the region. Under the Los Angeles Declaration for Migration Protection, what we have right now is a really regional approach to migration, and Belize has stepped up as a key leader on this. In Washington in June of 2023, Belize and the United States co-hosted the ministerial meeting of the Los Angeles Declaration at the World Bank, which Secretary Blinken and your former foreign minister co-led. We recently had a meeting in Guatemala City on the Los Angeles Declaration at which your Foreign Minister Fonseca was present. And so we’re really grateful for Belize’s leadership on a number of fronts especially on lawful pathways through the regularization process, through temporary work programs, Belize has really stepped up in the region. And our feeling is that the United States has expanded lawful pathways more than any administration in decades, but our message is clear: that individuals should not take the dangerous journey north to the southwest border. And that’s why we feel it’s so critical to have lawful pathways, not just the United States, but to countries throughout the region.”

U.S Official: Much Effort Needed to Address Human & Sex Trafficking

Two equally tough issues to deal with are those of human trafficking and sex trafficking, and the U.S. has also been attempting to manage those problems with the help of countries in the region where these offences are prevalent. Jacobstein agreed that these are areas where much work remains to be done, but assured that the U.S. continues to collaborate closely with the Belizean Government to make positive strides to control them.

Eric Jacobstein, Dep. Asst. Sec., Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S State Dept.

“Just yesterday I attended the CARSI-E.S.F. ceremony with Ambassador Kwan, in which new grants were provided to individuals, and I know that there’s been really great work done in the past by organizations that focus on human trafficking. So we’ll continue to provide targeted assistance to deal with these issues and work to provide technical assistance as necessary to support the Belizean Government because we know that the will is there and we’ll look forward to finding ways to continue to collaborate in this space.”

Marion Ali

“I think sex trafficking falls on the human trafficking and all the challenges that pose, in itself. We have. Or tourism destinations and people tell us that tourists visiting Belize ask for certain things that pose – add to these problems that we face, that we have currently. Is there anything that the U.S. is working on to assist Belize specifically to address these kinds of problems that we face as it relates to sex trafficking?”

Eric Jacobstein

“This is horrendous, obviously efforts by these predators to prey on individuals is something that we condemn across the board, and as I was saying, we work closely with the government. I just met with the C.E.O. of the ministry focused on human rights and we talked about the trafficking issues and we talked about, What we do together, but what we need more we need to do together. To collaborate in this space. Again, no specific announcements today, but we continue to do all we can to support the Belizean Government and really dealing with the scourge, not only in Belize but across the hemisphere.”

U.S. Official Says Calm is Essential for Belize & Guatemala

We also asked Jacobstein to weigh in on the Belize-Guatemala dispute. The differendum is two centuries old, and all other attempts, including the Confidence-Building Measures in the early 2000’s amounted to naught in solving our dispute. The U.S. has maintained diplomatic ties with both our countries, and today, Jacobstein opined that it is important that Belize and Guatemala remain calm as we await a definitive I.C.J. ruling in the future.

Eric Jacobstein, Dep. Asst. Sec., Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S State Dept.

“We appreciate the fact that there continues to be a commitment to abide by the ruling of the I.C.J. And so for us, while both countries await the ruling by the I.C.J., calm is just essential. It’s essential to ensure there are no tensions, ensure there continues to be dialogue between the countries. And we’re, hardened by the relationship between President Revelo, Prime Minister Briceño and encourage a continued strong relationship between the countries, a continued easing of any tensions.”

Loans Officer Mirna Rivera Fined $5,000 for Killing Man

Loans Officer Mirna Rivera was today fined five thousand dollars for causing the death of eighty-seven-year-old Joseph Bevans Senior. Rivera was ordered to pay the deceased’s estate, or in this case, Bevans’ stepson, John Flowers. The usual fine was waived. Rivera, who was charged with manslaughter by negligence, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless conduct. The twenty-nine-year-old Ladyville resident learned her fate after the case had been pending for over two years. The fatal accident occurred on April thirtieth, 2022, at the corner of Central American Boulevard and Nargusta Street. Rivera was driving a White Marina Mercury S.U.V. when she negligently caused the death of Bevans. Justice Derick Sylvester handed down the non-custodial sentence this morning in the presence of Rivera’s attorney, Emerson Banner. Crown Counsel Glenfield Dennison represented the prosecution from the D.P.P.’s office.

CARICOM’s Role in Addressing Haiti’s Challenges

Earlier we heard from the U.S. State Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Eric Jacobstein. While we engaged with him today on regional topics, we discussed the matter of Haitians who use Belize and Central America to get to the United States. He explained that there needs to be focus given to the challenges in that Caribbean country and that CARICOM and Belize play an important role in that process.

Eric Jacobstein, Dep. Asst. Sec., Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S State Dept.

“That’s precisely why we believe we need to get at the root causes of the challenges in Haiti. And so we’re grateful for the Kenyan government’s leadership on the Haitian on the multinational security support mission and, grateful also for the government of Belize’s commitment in this space and really look forward to working together. We think CARICOM has a key role to play and Belize especially, and so this is one of the topics I discussed with Foreign Minister Fonseca yesterday and we continue to be grateful for the collaboration with the Belizean Government on Haiti.”

U.S Official: U.S is Concerned About Cuba’s Human Rights Issues

The call by other countries to lift the blockade on the Cuban Government also dates back a few decades. More recently, that call has gotten more pronounced, but while the U.S. has not lifted the ban, it has taken measures to be more accommodating in order to benefit Cubans. Today, Jacobstein summarized what the U.S. Government has done in the past couple years to help Cubans.

Eric Jacobstein, Dep. Asst. Sec., Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S State Dept.

“President Biden’s approach to Cuba has been one to hold individuals accountable for human rights abuses while continuing to support the Cuban people. So in May of 2022, President Biden announced a series of measures to support the Cuban people, and that included, for example, allowing getting rid of caps on remittances; allowing remittances to be sent not only by family members but by others. It also allowed additional travel to cities beyond Havana from the United States. And most recently in May of this year, we implemented the final measure that was announced two years ago and that was a series of measures essentially to support the Cuban private sector. The Cuban private sector now accounts for about thirty percent of the economy. And these are individuals who are really struggling in a failed communist system to make ends meet. And these are individuals really entrepreneurial, and what we did was announce a series of measures including allowing United States banks to allow these Cuban independent entrepreneurs to open bank accounts. Obviously banks would have to make that decision on their own, but we continue to take steps to support the Cuban people. At the end of the day, our policy foremost is focused on human rights, and we continue to make that clear in every engagement with the Cuban government.”

U.S Official on SOE: It’s Critical to Protect, and to Ensure Due Process

Belize’s ninety-day State of Emergency matches a previous S.O.E. implemented under a previous government, but the measure has been received with a degree of criticism. Some have likened the action to El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, who in 2023 imposed a new siege on his country’s gangs. He did that by mobilising seven thousand troops and warning that he would not let up on the war on the criminal groups. Belize has not gone so far to bring out the B.D.F. on the streets, as has been done in the past, but some people are of the view that a ninety-day lock-down for some of the country’s most dangerous gang members is a band-aid approach. Today, Jacobstein shared his view that due process is important, as is citizen security.

Eric Jacobstein, Dep. Asst. Sec., Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S State Dept.

“Our view is that every country, every government has an obligation to protect its citizens, and security is essential. Especially as governments deal with high levels of crime and insecurity. At the same time, due process is also critical. And so our belief, and I’ve said this with regard to El Salvador, with regard to other countries in the region, our belief is that states of exception should indeed be exceptional. And so that while it’s critical to protect citizens, it’s also critical to ensure that there’s due process for all and that anything that is done in the citizen security space abides by the rule of law. Understand that the need to protect citizens, but state’s exception should indeed be exceptional.”

Murder Count on the Rise; Belize District Is the Most Dangerous

The nation’s murder count for 2024 as of June stands at fifty-seven murders, according to statistics from the Belize Crime Observatory. That is an average of ten murders a month. Of the murder victims, fifty were males and seven were females. Data also shows that the highest count of murder victims for the first half of the year were between the ages of thirty and forty-nine-years-old. Additionally, eighty-seven percent of those homicides were committed with a firearm, with more than fifty percent taking place in the Belize District. These numbers represent an increase in murders when compared to the first six months in 2023 which saw thirteen fewer homicides. The most murderous month of 2024 so far was back in March. Fourteen persons were killed that month. The Belize and Cayo Districts are on track to become the most murderous districts in Belize in 2024. Notably, the Orange Walk District has seen a decrease in homicide reports when compared to the first six months of 2023. On the other hand, the Belize Crime Observatory has recorded a decrease in major crime incidents between the months of April to June 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023. Major crimes include murder, rape, robbery, burglary, theft, and unlawful sexual intercourse. Two hundred and thirty-nine major crime incidents have been reported during the second quarter of 2024, in comparison to two hundred and eighty in the same period last year. The decrease is largely due to the significant drop in burglaries, theft, and rape this year. Again, the Belize District accounted for the most major crimes reported in the second quarter of 2024.

Mayor Says Human Trafficking Training Was Important

On Wednesday, RET International completed training with persons in the transportation industry on human trafficking. It was a programme that the University of Belize has signed on to as one of its e-courses. A significant number of the participants hailed from Belize City, the biggest municipality in terms of population. Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner says the training was key in helping individuals spot the activity around them.

Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City

“Human trafficking is not only relegated to Belize. It’s all across the world. It’s a million, billion-dollar industry. And having this first step and this starting point, we really should begin to see some returns. RET has done a wonderful job in putting together this project, especially the training arm of it on just having the starter awareness on recognizing that human trafficking is a sophisticated sort of operation. And so having people aware – your bus drivers, your taxi drivers your enforcement officers being aware through this manual, you could begin to put some measure of dent in that activity. This sort of project really reemphasized and bring forth the awareness campaign to – you can participate in being able to highlight human trafficking. It may go right past you. You might see a young person attach onto to someone, a stranger, and you – it might just pass you look. Having this manual now and having the training done by RET individuals, you will be able to now quickly recognize that sort of activity.”