Belize Times April 29, 2012

Sunday, April 29, 2012

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THE BELIZE TIMES

SCAN HERE

Barrow has Blood ON his hands www.facebook/Belize Times

SUNDAY April 29, 2012

Issue No. 4793

Government executes Arthur Young!

17 highly-paid Ministers – NO SOLUTIONS TO CRIME! Boots Martinez

Patrick Faber

John Saldivar

Mark King

Herman Longsworth

See page 9

Mental Health experts to Mayor Bradley: Are you Crazy?

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 The last time we heard from the Belize City Mayor, he was presenting what he called a 100day Plan of Action. In that proposal, he suggested that City Hall would be working along with the Kolbe Foundation to put up the homeless and mentally ill into “protective custody” at the Hat-

Continued on page 6

Wild, wild… north??

Rivalry among teenagers leads to fatal shooting of 17 year old BELIZE CITY, Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

By Alton Humes The latest case of brutal, wanton murder occurred, of all places, in Corozal Town, which

Continued on page 26

Aidan Perez

Continued on page 4

See page 13

Blood stain on road side, upon exiting Vista del Mar

lor’s Alley gang leader/CYDP employee, Arthur Young.

TOP MODEL

Arthur Young

Belize City, April 24, 2012 A blood covered roadside, strange sequence of events, weak and inadequate explanations from the Police Commissioner and Minister of National Security and witness accounts revealing that excessive force was used by security authorities are all stirring up major controversy and suspicion over the killing of known Tay-

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

06 Businesses brace for tougher times 15

CONTROVERSIAL APPOINTMENT OF APPEAL’s COURT JUDGE

Fishermen protest conch season closure

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Mental Health Association opposes Mayor Bradley’s prison plan for the homeless Dear Editor Kindly publish the following as a letter or press release in the interest of public information.

Last year John Woods of the Kolbe foundation put forward a proposal to place homeless people/vagrants/mentally ill etc into “protective custody”.

The rationale was that this would be a humane way to rid the streets of such people and that their enrolment in this programme could be voluntary or through use of the existing (18th Century) vagrancy laws.

Naturally, Kolbe would not perform this service free but would expect to be paid a per head fee by the Government. Several prominent citizens including the Mayor of Belize City were enlisted to lobby for this project and it was thoroughly debated by concerned organisations before being presented to Cabinet. A majority of professionals in the Ministries of Health, Human Development and the Magistracy as well as NGOs such as the Mental Health Organisation also made strong representation on the basis of which Cabinet decided not to move forward with this proposal.

Now that Belize City has a new Mayor who is not familiar with this history, the proposal has surfaced again and therefore it might be useful to summarise why the proposal was rejected.

1. Some support is already offered to the homeless and mentally ill but it is insufficient for all the needs. The Salvation Army and the Parks Centre run

shelters but cannot expand because of financial constraints. It would be better to channel more aid to these institutions than to pay Kolbe to incarcerate people who have committed no crime.

A Resource Centre for the homeless and mentally ill is currently being built with funds from the Social Investment Fund on land owned by the Belize City Council and will be completed in June or July of this year. This Centre will be offering counselling and training opportunities along with a hot meal and hygiene facilities. Additional Government financial support for this Centre would ensure its sustainability.

2. Very few people voluntarily choose to be incarcerated. When the occupants of the homeless shelter on Church Street were temporarily placed at Golden Haven in Hattieville after the shelter burned down, most of them walked back to Belize City. They preferred to live in the streets than in a shelter outside of the City. Therefore anyone housed at Kolbe under this initiative would have to be physically prevented from leaving.

3. Many Magistrates are antagonistic to applying vagrancy laws that authorise picking up people who have committed no crime except for being homeless.

4. This proposal runs counter to many of the Human Rights treaties that Belize has signed on to. It would also contradict the Mental Health policy approved by Cabinet, a policy that has the backing of local and international stakeholders. The change would definitely leave Belize open to Human Rights litigation on behalf of the persons affected.

5. The sentence given to such people could not be lengthy (generally three months) meaning that on release they would soon come before the Courts again because they would not have the social support they need to live in the community.

Not only would this place an undue burden on already overworked Courts but the proposal has no basis in accepted treatment guidelines.

People with mental illnesses (including substance abuse problems) suffer from a chronic disease and must learn to deal with their situation in a similar fashion to people with diabetes or hypertension. They cannot be “cured” by being cleaned up and counselled although changes in lifestyle and compliance with medication may help them control their symptoms. They cannot learn how to deal with life in a community setting from a prison or semi-prison situation. Their families cannot be supported and assisted in how to help their loved ones while they are locked up in a prison situation.

6. Currently Belize is one of 12 countries singled out by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for “Best Practice” in our treatment of mentally ill persons within a community setting. An action such as that contemplated by Kolbe would obviously compromise our position.

International assistance for Mental Health might be negatively affected.

In summary, incarcerating this population is an extremely expensive alternative. It costs much more per person for detention rather than support. Using a portion of the money that would be expended instead to provide more night shelters and social support would be more effective. It would also be legally sound, respect the rights of all individuals and conform to our international treaty obligations. There are a few people who pose a danger to themselves and others and the law already provides methods for dealing with these cases. However, the vast majority of the homeless require support to help them live productive and dignified lives within their own communities. Let us determine to care for our most vulnerable Belizeans and not just lock them away, out of sight and out of mind.

Jennifer Lovell President Mental Health Association

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Transport Laws Need To Be Enforced Dear Editor, As a daily commuter between Ladyville and Belize City, I wish to draw to the Transport Department’s attention to the following matters that need urgent correction if the general safety and comfort of the passengers come first. Let us not wait for a disaster to occur in order to correct.

Both Haylock’s and Ramos Bus Service are guilty of the following.

(Ladyville – Belize City run) a. Operating in an untimely schedule with little or no regard to the passengers/commuters. b. Excessive and over-crowding of buses. c. Unclean and unsafe buses/ equipment. d. Playing of loud and at times vile and offensive music. e. Busses filling up fuel, with passengers aboard. f. Little or no courtesies shown to passengers by both some drivers and conductors alike.

In addition to the above, the Transport Board must ensure that buses follow the areas given and to only stop in those areas. This rule is being broken in all sorts of manners.

Also, it must be enforced that buses stop only at delegated bus stops, and not randomly or as some actually do, in the middle of highways and streets. Where there are none, bus stops must be installed to ensure safety, comfort and good service to commuters first. “Serve the people”.

THE BELIZE TIMES EDITOR

Alberto Vellos OFFICE MANAGER

Fay Castillo McKay PRINTING/PERSONNEL SUPERVISOR

The Party is nothing but the vanguard of the people, the active organ of the people, working at all times in the service of the people.”

PUP extends willing hand to tackle crime situation April 23, 2012 The People’s United Party is extremely concerned at the tepid response of the Government and the Minister of National Security to the elevated levels of violence currently occurring in Belize City, which has blanketed the City and surrounding communities with fear, placed citizens under siege, and put at risk the lives of residents. This state of affairs can only be categorized as severe and urgent.

The PUP reminds the Government that the Constitution of Belize guarantees all Belizeans, the protection of the state which has a duty and an obligation to ensure safety and security. The response of Government falls short of providing any hope or calming the fears of residents so they will feel safe and secure in their homes and communities.

The PUP is prepared to work, as a matter of urgency, with Government and civil society partners to chart a way forward which will reflect the multidimensional and holistic approach needed at this time.

Doreth Bevans LAYOUT/GRAPHIC ARTIST

Chris Williams STAFF REPORTER

Alton Humes TYPIST

Rachel Arana OFFICE ASSISTANT

Roberto Peyrefitte Printed & Published By The Belize Times Ltd. #3 Queen Street P.O. BOX 506 Belize City, Belize Tel: 671-8385 Email: belizetimesad@yahoo.com editortimes@yahoo.com

Sunday, April 29, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Barrow has Blood ON his hands

was shot in the back of a pickup truck, why is there such a large splash of blood on the road side? And why is the splash so large, as if Young was shot while placed on the road, from close range and in an area of his body, likely on the head, which would have caused the blood to splash?

There are clearly more questions

Continued from page 1 The controversy is over the suspicion that Police officials may have carried out a Government-sanctioned killing, to quell the gang rivalry in Belize City which had peaked to a deadly climax over the weekend, claiming four lives in 2 days, including that of rival gang leader Shelton “Pinky” Tillett August.

“Pinky” was shot dead on Friday night just outside of a gas station, and somehow, the Police confirmed Arthur Young as the shooter. Reports that the gas stations’ video surveillance captured the incident have not been verified, even though it could be utilised by the Police to validate their claim and allay concerns.

Up to today, Young’s alleged dead body, which lies under heavy security at the Belize City morgue, has not been released or revealed to his family or loved ones. Are the Police and Government covering up something?

What is also not clear is what exactly occurred on Sunday night, when the Police say they carried out an operation to detain Young who they learned was “hiding” in a house in Vista Del Mar, Ladyville.

The detention turned into an execution, as Young was shot dead. The Police’s version is that while transporting Young on the back of a Police pickup truck, he attempted to take away a Police Officer’s weapon. He supposedly did this while he was handcuffed and even though he

Vista del Mar house where Young was found was guarded by multiple armed officers.

Police say that during the struggle, the gun went off and Young was shot fatally.

This kind of story released by the Police has been heard of many times before.

Witness accounts of the Police’s raid at the Vista Del Mar house Young was in tell a more brutal version. They say the Police swarmed the building. Moments later they saw Young being dragged out and beaten up as he was placed inside the back of a pickup truck. The Police caravan then disappeared and shortly after, word went out that Young was dead.

Driving out of Vista Del Mar, the BELIZE TIMES stumbled on a large area of dried blood covering the road. If Young

Sunday, April 29, 2012

than answers in this case and the Police are tight-lipped, only saying that an investigation is on-going.

While that investigation continues, suspicion grows and the streets in the old capital remain as tense as ever.

But would the Police have any reason to carry out such an extra-judicial execution?

Young, who was already notorious and in the Police’s bad books, had made himself even less liked when he gave news interviews a month ago lashing out at the Police’s Gang Suppression Unit for allegedly brutalising his fellow Taylor’s Alley friends. Young even made threats at the Police claiming, “….they are trying to turn us into monsters, [so] they have to watch out, because if we turn into monsters, then there would be a lot of bloodshed, and we don’t want to do that”.

Young was at the time an employee of the Government’s Conscious Youth Development Programme, and his responsibility was to keep his affiliates in Taylor’s Alley in line. Young was also well

liked by senior officials in the ruling party.

He was, for some time, the former UDP Prime Minister Manuel Esquivel’s son in law, and that relationship with the ex PM’s daughter gave birth to grandchildren.

Young also had a cordial relationship with the current Minister of Gangs Mark King, and he boasted of “visits” by Minister King to Taylor’s Alley.

That level of closeness to senior officials didn’t matter following Friday night’s shooting of Pinky Tillett. If Young was a friend of the UDP, Pinky was family.

George Street spans through two UDP strong-hold political constituencies, Mesopotamia and Queen Square. The latter is held by Prime Minister Dean Barrow.

Over the years, “Pinky” developed close ties with area representative Barrow. Prior to the March 7th 2012 elections, “Pinky” was seen driving around “Sista B”, PM Barrow’s sister and closest political confidante. “Pinky” was also in charge or oversaw the pantry programme in Queen Square for PM Barrow. Every week he would collect a large quantity of food pantry and distribute them to specific families, as part of the Government’s programme.

He was also instrumental in the Government’s “gang truce”, which saw the George Street group playing a dominant role in the agreement that gang members would be hired and paid and in return, the streets would see peace.

“Pinky’s” murder on Friday night brought that already fragile gang truce to an immediate collapse, and the Government and Police had to act fast.

Whether targeting Young was justified or a kind of appeasement to calm the rising fury and fire in the old capital will be known in time.

On behalf of People’s United Party Leader and Freetown Area Representative, Hon. Francis Fonseca, and the PUP family, best wishes are extended to all Belizean workers. May you have a HAPPY, BLESSED, PEACEFUL AND PRODUCTIVE LABOUR DAY 2012.

Father of the Nation George Price oversees building of the nation’s capital, City of Belmopan 1967-1970

The Belizean Worker – BELIZE’S GREATEST RESOURCE!!

THE PUP – WORKING FOR BELIZE!!

Sunday, April 29, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

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Barrow’s Plantation Politics On Saturday morning April 21st the buzz over the social net was that George Street boss Sheldon “Pinky” Tillett had been gunned down along with a female companion. This was great cause for alarm in the old capital as its residents held their breaths in anticipation of a bloody weekend. By early evening on Saturday, the city went into a kind of self-imposed curfew, as businesses shut early and residents stayed home until Monday morning. By that time, the count was five murders or nineteen in sixteen days including the highly controversial death of Taylor’s Alley boss, Arthur Young, at the hands of the Police.

All of this mayhem, while the Government continues to endorse and pursue a “truce” with the over-a-dozen “gangs” in Belize City. When one seriously examines this thing Barrow calls a “gang truce”, one can see clearly that the Prime Minister is putting politics over the safety of our people. He had an early election to call and negotiating with the gangs, at the time, became a means to an-end to. We can recall when the Prime Minister complained bitterly that the gangs had pinned him a wall, figuratively speaking, with demands of more money and that they would only negotiate with him.

Barrow, who is normally unyielding, submitted and entertained such treatment, but it was simply because he had to avoid a political disaster.

To say that the truce has worked is a damn lie! Using taxpayers’ money to pay gang members as compensation for not shooting up one another can never work, and as everyone can see, all we have to show for it is a trail of death and destruction and an outright embarrassment to the Barrow Administration.

While the old capital was exploding with gun violence, the newly-appointed Minister of Police John Saldivar was on a tour of Police Stations, checking up on pencil and paper clips. Saldivar, like a deer staring at incoming headlights, must have frozen in panic. Only a few days earlier he was boasting that crime was down and the truce was holding. It is now clear, when one analyzes Saldivar’s rhetoric and his new found power, that he does not realize that he has been set up with a job meant to fail. How can the Minister of Police not fail when the root causes of crime have not been addressed in the past 4 ½ years? And how can Saldivar expect to fix the city’s problems, when six members of Cabinet perpetrated, practiced and are nurturing the worst case of plantation politics on the Southside where too many are unemployed, hooked on drugs, out of school, living in poor housing condition, and brutalized by the GSU. It then became no surprise when these political bosses showed up with taxpayers’ money, food pantry and Christmas ham and the people took it, to their own detriment, along with the UDP’s bait on March 7th.

Saldivar needs to open his eyes. How can Cabinet be cutting the Police budget and increasing payments for gangs? How can he really succeed when only 1/3 of Belizean children make it through the education system? Not even 10% of our adolescent, males and females, end up in tertiary schools, leading to serious brain drain, and allowing our youth to become trapped in gangs and other illicit activities. What we are saying here is nothing new. It’s there in black and white, in the Gayle Report and the Crimes Report done back in the old days.

The People’s United Party Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca has called on the Government to get serious and stop playing politics over the people’s safety. Hon. Francis has called on all Belizeans to become engaged in working towards a solution to the crime situation. Crime is every Belizean’s business and we all have a role to play.

In the meantime the pressure is on Barrow to protect us, to tackle and solve the crime situation but Barrow is part of the problem unless he does something about George Street, which is right in his backyard. For over twenty eight years, Barrow has been the master of plantation politics. Unless this warning is heeded, things will get much worse before they could get better. In the words of Malcolm X, “the chickens have come home to roost”.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Samuel Awich is new Appeals Court Justice Opposition Leader & Bar Assoc. said “nay”…but Barrow still has his way Belize City, April 25, 2012 Prime Minister Dean Barrow has acted against the advice of the Opposition Leader and the Belize Bar Associa-

Mental Health experts to Mayor Bradley: Are you Crazy?

Continued from page 1 tieville compound. This was Darrel Bradley’s rationale for a “humane” way to rid the streets of these people.

But this idea has left quite a few people flustered over the thought of having helpless people on the same compound with inmates and convicted criminals. Among those with a major problem are the very people who stand up for the rights of the mentally ill. The Mental Health Association fired off a blistering two-page letter, signed by its President, Jennifer Lovell, shortly after Bradley’s “bright” proposal. It respectfully counters Bradley’s callous proposition to deal with the homeless and points to where that exercise, if practiced, would be violating the rights of these people.

In essence, anyone who reads the letter is left wondering if Bradley is himself battling with some mental challenge for having made such a proposal.

In her letter, Lovell states that the present vagrancy laws, which would allow for the homeless being “put up”, date back to the 18th century.

In addition, Lovell cited that the idea had been discussed widely in the past and Bradley should first acquaint himself with the result of those discussions.

“Kolbe would not perform this service free but would expect to be paid a per head fee by the Government. Several prominent citizens including the Mayor of Belize City (the past Mayor we presume) were enlisted to lobby for this project and it was thoroughly debated by concerned organisations before being presented to Cabinet. A majority of professionals in the Ministries of Health, Human Development and the Magistracy as well as NGOs such as the Mental Health Organisation also made strong representation on the basis of which Cabinet decided not to move forward with this proposal.

Now that Belize City has a new Mayor who is not familiar with this history, the proposal has surfaced again and therefore it might be useful to summarise why the proposal was rejected,” explained Lovell. The full content of the letter is reproduced in page 2 of this week’s issue.

In closing off the letter, the President of the Mental Health Association, Jennifer Lovell, points out that the vast majority of the homeless require support to help them live productive and dignified lives and that the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality simply would not wash in dealing with these defenceless people.

tion in the appointment of Samuel Lungole Awich as a Justice of the Court of Appeals.

The move has stirred up controversy in the legal fraternity and suspicion in the public over the motive behind the appointment.

Awich had been a Supreme Court Judge since April 2001. During those years, he came under heavy criticism from the Bar Association, for reportedly delaying judgments. It got so bad that in 2009, the Bar called on Awich to remove himself.

None of the demands materialised and Awich remained a Judge. Now Prime Minister Barrow has tapped him for elevation to a higher court. Constitutionally, the appointment is made by the

Governor General, on the advice of the Prime Minister, following consultations with the Opposition Leader.

When consulted about the appointment Hon. Francis Fonseca, Opposition Leader, turned to the Bar Association for guidance. The Bar met with its members last week Thursday April 19th they agreed not to support the appointment.

The Bar’s resolution states that “Awich lacks the judicial wherewithal required of a Justice of Appeal”, and cites that “Justice Awich’s tenure as a Supreme Court Judge has been characterized by his failure to deliver judgments in a timely manner”…and that “[the] Belize Court of Appeal has in a written judgment expressed its disapprobation of the ex-

Justice Samuel Lungole Awich cessive delay in delivery of judgment

by Mr. Justice Awich”.

Hon. Fonseca wrote back the Prime Minister expressing his opposition to the appointment, and in addition to his concerns, he cited those expressed by the Bar. But Barrow isn’t paying any attention to the Opposition or rumblings inside the Bar. Yesterday, he proceeded with the appointment, which was carried out by the Governor General.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

Humor

in UDP Politics!

The following matters were discussed in Cabinet meeting: - That Vernon Cuthkelvin be given some consideration for an “Imagine the Possibilities” Award as the only UDP to have imagined the possibilities. The citation would read: with the value of his “fertilizer”, he is the only man who could have paid off the bond, funded the budget, paid off World Bank and CDB Loans, paid back for the Commercial Center which the UDP and Zenaida Moya pawned, given every Belizean $500, and still would have a lot of cash left.

- Boots asked whether Cabinet would really consider nationalising Cuthkelvin’s “fertilizer” shipment. He offered to lead that plan.

- Cabinet has asked for a Committee to setup a SubCommittee to study how the Cuban who was found operating an oil refinery did it. They contacted the Cuban and asked him to help them build a bigger one. The only problem is that the Cuban wants in on Cuthkelvin’s fertilizer.

- Santi got up and introduced a proposal to make all Ministers vehicles bulletproof and to construct Police Security Booths at their homes. Longsworth raised his hand and asked if the proposal was valid for his 2 to 3 homes.

- Mark King asked that all Cabinet Ministers swear an

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oath to support him and Longsworth should there be a bielection in Lake I and Albert. Finnegan interrupted and asked what was the reason for such panic, King said because a “bird” told him Mark and Cordel were being asked to run as camouflage UDPs. Finnegan burst in laughter and said “noh wanda Zenaida call you crazy. You noh see dem bally da mi really camouflage PUP”. ……………………….

In other related matters: On their way to the first bond hearing, Mark Espat traveled first class, stayed in the presidential suite and called an impromptu meeting. In the meeting, he asked Sammy D and Minister Hulse to hand over their notes so he could review and make corrections. During the meeting, Mark was startled and got nervous. He then pulled out his red pen and circled the paper where Sammy D’s notes had in bold letters “Et tu, Brute”. ……………………….

When asked by Cabinet what all else the Mayor of Belize was thinking of taxing next, they response came back: plastic, fish, taxis and dogs. ……………………….

A special bulletin was sent out by Cabinet to all Ministers to stay the hell out of “dodge city” (Belize City). When asked who authorized the notice both the Gang Minister and Gang Truce Minister raised their hands. ……………………….

The Ministry of National Security has asked the Ministry of Works and Ministry of Science to draft a security plan for Brads. The plan should include security cameras, night vision, infrared, lasers and permanent GSU outposts.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, April 29, 2012

John Chessman faces the music, for alleged Double Murder BELIZE CITY, Wed. April 25, 2012

By Roy Davis The trial of John Chessman, who is charged with 2 counts of murder, began today in the court of Justice Adolph Lucas.

Chessman is charged with the murders of Karen Crawford, 19 and Maurice Cadle, 44, who were shot and killed around 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, 2008 at the home of Emmerson Wade in Bermudian landing.

A jury of 4 men and 8 women is hearing the case.

The first witness to testify was police corporal Rufus Laurie, who at the time was attached to the Police Station

in Ladyville.

Laurie testified that he received a telephone call and he and a team of police officers proceeded to the scene of the crime. He said that upon their arrival he saw Cadle lying face down in the yard with a single gunshot wound to his left temple. Cadle, he said, was in a pool of water.

Laurie testified that he went to the emergency ward at Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital and he saw Crawford with a gunshot wound to the back of her head.

The second witness was Scenes of Crime technician Brian Lopez, who testified that he proceeded to the

20 yr. old denied bail in rape case

Elsworth Hendy

BELIZE CITY, Wed. April 25, 2012

By Roy Davis Elsworth Hendy, 20, a laborer of a Pitter Street address who allegedly had sex with a 13 year old girl against her will, was charged with rape when he appeared in the #2 Magistrate’s Court on Monday, April 23.

No plea was taken because the offence is indictable.

Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser denied him bail because he owes the court a court fine of $205 for a conviction of drug possession for which payment is outstanding. She remanded him into custody until June 1.

The incident occurred around 9 p.m. on Friday, April 20.

The girl, a primary school student, reported to the police that while she was walking on Pitter Street on her way to the shop to buy, Hendy accosted her and forced her into his house where he has sexual intercourse with her against her will.

The girl made the report to the police after she told her mother.

crime scene and he took 30 photographs. Lopez said that only Cadle’s body was in the yard.

Crawford was taken to KHMH before the police arrived at the crime scene.

The third witness was Rose Andrews, Crawford’s mother who testified that she identified the body of her daughter.

According to reports three men went in a white car to Bermudian landing to look for Wade but Wade was not at home so they shot and killed Cadle and Crawford.

A third person was at the house at the time but reports are that he es-

John Chessman caped into the bushes after one of the gunmen pointed a gun at him and the gun misfired.

Chessman is being represented by attorney Trecia Pitts Anderson.

Crown Councel Stevannie Duncan is representing the prosecution.

Attempted arson at Mike’s Club BELIZE CITY, Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

By Alton Humes Mike’s Club, the popular local spot located on Regent Street West in Belize City, was reportedly hit for an attempted arson on Tuesday night, April 24th, 2012, just after 10:00 p.m.

According to club bartender, 54-year-old Mr. Glenford Diamond, two young men climbed up the wooden steps of the club, one with a gallon of mysterious liquid (possibly kerosene), and the other with a Sprite soft drink bottle, likely with same.

Unfortunately for them, just as they had sprinkled the place with their ‘liquids’, and were about to light it up, Diamond who was outside attending to his cat, saw them. The men then told Diamond to ‘get back eenside’ the building, and were attempting to make a clean sweep by shooting and/or injuring him to make sure he stayed silent.

Diamond moved inside and managed to call the Police and Fire Service, who arrived and put out the fire before it was able to cause further damage.

It is unknown exactly why the club was a target, although there is a possibility it could have something to do with the murder of Orlando ‘Bam’

View of fire damage at Mike’s Club Reyes, who collapsed on the steps of the establishment when he had sought refuge after being shot on Orange Street last Friday, April 20th, 2012. Nor is it known whether the club was insured. Police and Fire Service investigations into this incident continues.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

17 highly-paid Ministers – NO SOLUTIONS TO CRIME! Belize City, April 25, 2012 Not even with a Cabinet of 17 Ministers, who are well-paid by tax dollars, can the Barrow Administration come up with a good plan to tackle crime.

Shamefully, the only strategy devised is a so-called “gang truce” which got Ministers intimately engaged with the gangs and involved dangerous gambling with the public’s money. This only benefitted the Ministers politically because these gang members were used during political rallies and events to intimidate the opposition and cheer on the UDP before the elections, and the gangs themselves who benefitted from being paid nearly a million dollars so far, but who are encouraged to remain in gangs.

It gets worst. Today Belizeans are paying humongous monthly salaries of over $30,000 to 5 Ministers who are directly responsible for fighting crime yet none can come up with a viable anti-crime plan of action.

We start with Anthony “Boots the Barbarian” Martinez who is the new Minister of Social Transformation and Gangs. He is deputized by the Minister of State in charge of the Gangs portfolio, Mark King. This cryptic combination of the UDP’s “best” minds is a slap to the face of Belizeans. To think that Boots can lead anything, much less himself, to any kind of positive social transformation is a sick joke. His depu-

ty is no better. Before entering politics Mark King commanded the reputation of a disrespectful child. Belizeans can remember him shamefully walking on the rails of the National Assembly Chambers, showing utter contempt.

Next in line are the Minister and Minister of State of Education, Youth and Sports. Anyone who even simply browsed the 2009 Gayle Report could not have missed the loud denunciation of the education system and the lack of support for our young people. This was three years ago. Faber has been the Minister of Education since 2008, yet there has been no honest attempt at revamping the education curriculum to make it more relevant as the Gayle Report suggests. Longsworth cannot be trusted as the Minister handling the portfolio of Youth and Sports. Not only does he have no training, background or experience in youth work, but he shamefully benefitted financially from one of the youth and sports projects leading to the elections. Longsworth accepted the $2.6 million contract to build a fence surrounding the Marion Jones Sporting Complex, even before the track, bleachers or football field which are much needed for adequate sporting and training. Today, only portions of a fence can be seen from the outside, apparently meant to cover the lackadaisical work carried out inside the complex grounds.

The Ministry of National Security has the most responsibility in crime fighting. Over the last four years, the UDP’s ideas have failed over and over again. There was Carlos Perdomo’s Vision 360 and Operation Jaguar. Douglas Singh appeared more concerned about the “big belly” appearance of Policemen than he was about the bloodspilling on the streets. Then comes along John Saldivar who chooses to follow the footsteps of his predecessors. His attempt to curb crime by militarising the streets of Belize City will fall terribly short of achieving anything substantial, as the problem is socioeconomic, and not only just about insufficient security measures.

But Saldivar won’t understand this.

He appears to believe the lie told by his Prime Minister that his fellow social transformation, gang, education, youth and sports Ministers are working hard and doing wonders for people, and so crime can be totally suppressed with might.

It speaks volumes of the UDP when even with 17 elected officials they are failing the nation miserably.

Yet the dodo birds got another term to sit around and do nothing. The option to recall lazy representatives might be the weapon law-abiding citizens must arm themselves with. When that warfare starts, be warned incompetent UDP Ministers, there will be no truce.

George Street boss gunned down Belize City, April 23, 2012 Friday, April 20th seemed to be a regular night for partygoers and even the street life, that is, until a barrage of gunfire broke the silence of the night at around 11pm. It happened at the Esso Ramon’s Gas Station at Mile 2 on the Northern Highway and when the gun smoke cleared, the bodies of George Street “don”, Shelton “Pinky” Tillett August, 31, and a female companion, Kamille Andrews, 23, a model for L.A. Fashions Boutique, lay dead.

Tillett was hit in the middle and left sides of the chest, right arm and neck, and Andrews was shot in the right rib cage, right breast, left armpit and left arm.

It happened as the pair drove up in a white Ford Ranger pick-up truck.

Tillett exited to make a purchase inside the gas station store and when he returned to the truck, a man wearing a dread hat and a mask came out of a Silver Nissan Pathfinder, produced a short arm and opened fire on the two. Tillett’s friends say that he had just left them a few minutes earlier. They were reportedly having a few drinks, but he got a call and left in a hurry, his destination unknown.

Shelton Tillett, a known street figure, has a long wrap sheet. In 2009 he and known George Street affiliates, Micah Thompson and Charles

Shelton “Pinky” Tillett

Woodye, now also deceased, where charged for the shooting murder of John Paul Saldivar. Saldivar’s body was discovered in a shallow grave on Ambergris Caye, some 17 miles north of San Pedro town itself. The men later sued the Police Department after the DPP indicated in a written memorandum that there was no clear-cut case against them and questioned the reason for their arrests. They had been imprisoned on remand for 11 months awaiting trial, but the prosecution could not come up with the evidence and their attorney, Agnes Gillett argued that the

men were wrongfully detained. They were each granted 25,000 for unlawful imprisonment.

But the murder of Shelton Tillett and his female friend, Kamille Andrews last Friday night was not the first for the day.

It was precipitated by the shooting murder of Orlando Reyes, 19, also known as “Bam”. Reyes and a friend, Angel Dorado, had just gone to a store on Orange Street at around 3pm that afternoon to buy a T-Shirt and were riding contrary to traffic to reach their King Street area when another man on a bike who had just passed them, spun around that rode up to them. He targeted Dorado and Reyes, and then at two other men who were inside a barber shop. Reyes was hit, but still managed to run as far as Mike’s Club on Regent Street West, where he collapsed and died. Dorado, who sought refuge inside a nearby store, escaped unscathed. The other two men who were targeted also escaped.

Visit Us Online at: www.belizetimes.bz

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, April 29, 2012

PUP OW Town Council is ‘committed to the people’ BELIZE CITY, Monday, April 23rd, 2012

By Alton Humes It’s as bad and as worse as money woes could ever get – the Orange Walk Town Council, under the towering leadership of Mayor Kevin Bernard, is dealing with the huge challenge of clearing up the debt from their UDP predecessors.

Under former Mayor Phillip de la Fuente, the Council racked up to $500,000-plus in debt.

The recently elected Council, comprised of Bernard and his 6 councilors – Josue Carballo [Deputy Mayor; responsible for Civil Works and Traffic]; Rozel Arana [responsible for Culture, Tourism and Women’s Affairs); Ladrick Shepard [responsible for Youth, Sports and Youth Enhancement Programs]; Jose Urbina Jr. [responsible for Parks, Playgrounds, Cemeteries, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society]; Ian Cal [responsible for Health, Public Safety, Civic Pride Campaigns and Information Technology] and Neri Ramirez [responsible for Sanitation, Staff Relations, Special Events and Street-side Chopping] – inherited the above aforementioned debt, solely because of the gross mismanagement and utter laxness of the past administration.

According to the Mayor, the troubles date back several years, and include two maxed-out accounts, both with the Atlantic Bank: an Overdraft account of over BZC$111,000 against the ‘Transport’ account, standing at BZC$98,045.93, barely enough to cover expenses and payroll, if anything else. When the Council received a highly unfavorable letter from the Ministry of Finance threatening the closure

Earthquake in Guatemala, shakes Belize too Belize City, April 23, 2012 An earthquake which occurred in Guatemala, just about 40 miles from Belize’s southern communities, shook up many communities as far up to Belize City and Corozal on Sunday night.

The quake was 5.1 in magnitude and had a depth of about 35.5 miles, according to the United States Geological Service.

The quake’s epicenter was located at about 39 miles, westNorthwest of Puerto Barrios, and only about 39 miles south of Punta Gorda.

No damages or loss of lives have been reported.

of the accounts, they immediately met with the bank and, in the case of the other account, met with the Ministry of Finance, and they received reasonable responses on how to service the debts they currently owe.

But the financial pain has now been tripled, quadrupled even, as the Council also owes both Income Tax and Social Security payments dating as far back (for Income taxes at least) as January of 2010, with the combined payment roughly totaled at BZC$70,000 to $80,000, with compounded interest.

Add on top of that a suspicious contract between Mayor de la Fuente and Orange Walk Central standard bearer Denny Grijalva, and that spells more trouble than the Town Council currently needs, and is able to handle.

But de la Fuente wasn’t done there.

In an authorized audit conducted under the auspices of the current Council, it was also discovered that BZC$16,000plus in bogus receipts paid for various reasons (Liquor Licenses, etc.) were illegally collected by a former revenue collecter, Carl Westby, and were never reconciled into the Council’s revenue accounts. In order to combat such gross misappropriations from occurring again, the Council has placed the strictest internal controls possible in place, such as hiring new collectors who must double-log their receipts in the RIFN system, review and desisting of all contracts (since there wasn’t prior consultation with other PUP members), and a plan to have independently audit their finances, starting with 2011

Orange Walk Mayor, His Worship Kevin Bernard to present, with the intention of further digging.

Even with the challenges, the Mayor was encouraged by the prospects of getting the Council on the right track.

With regard to opportunities that will improve the Council’s finances, create opportunities for employment, and improve services for the town, he pointed to two schemes that are starting to pay off dividends for the Council - delinquent drivers who haven’t been paying their fines for driving offenses as well as newer drivers who commit offenses will now be subject to collection by the Council, and there are plans to hold entertainment events such as concerts that will not only bring in badly need revenues, but also, hopefully gain the support of the citizens.

Mayor Bernard made it crystal clear that going forward, accountability (a quality sorely lacking in any UDP administration) is the best solution to improve Orange Walk Town. The Council is making sure that monthly financial reports are available for any citizen, media house, or other interested party to peruse, via their website www. owtc.bz or upon physical inspection at the Council thereby ensuring that the

citizens will always get value for their dollar. There are also much tighter internal controls in place with regard to revenue collection to ensure no money is ever misappropriated without the culprit being caught, and held accountable.

But, above all else, the Mayor remains committed to helping the good people of Orange Walk Town, even in the burden of the rotten economy foisted upon them (and Belizeans overall) through the UDP government.

The Mayor is hopeful for a ‘renewed’ Orange Walk Town, where there is dedication to improve the drains and streets, maintain a fluid budget, debt and all, while keeping efficiency and improving resident dealings with the Council, all while being the same man he’s always been. And for a young man who has a floor-length picture of George Price near to his desk, it’s clear the spirit and dignity of the First Leader breathes in his bones, when he told me: “It’s our commitment to serve the people [of Orange Walk.] ...” And for Belizeans who could use generous serving of such spirit, such admirable ethics couldn’t be more needed or respected.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

11

THE BELIZE TIMES

BELIZE'S #1 SPORTS PAGE

UB Black Jaguars bring back Gold!

UB Jaguars won Gold

UB delegation represents

Guatemala City, April 20, 2011 The University of Belize Black Jaguars won the gold in basketball while UB track and field athletes won 2 bronze medals at the IV Juegos Deportivos Universitarios Centroamericanos (JUDUCA), the Central American University Games held in Guatemala City, Guatemala last week, April 16 – 20.

The UB Black Jaguars defeated Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala 57 - 51 to take the Gold in basketball with an undefeated record after overpowering Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador.

The UB Jaguars advanced to the finals by a 66-41 win over Honduras on Tuesday the 17th, another 71-32 blowout of Nicaragua’s National University on Wednesday 18th, and an 80-22 cakewalk over the University of El Salvador on Thursday, the 19th.

The UB Jaguars team includes Farron Lauriano, Michael Martinez, Winston Pratt, Daniel Nolberto, Travis Lennan, Ryan Zuniga, Alfred Bainton, Uhuru Mckoy, Kent Welch, Lindbergh Graham, Steven Williams, and coach: Darren Bovell.

Other Results UB Black Jaguars’ male teams finished 4th in volleyball UB Black Jaguars’ male teams finished 4th in football Irice Reyes won bronze medal in the Female Long Jump at 4.95 metres Mark Anderson won bronze medal in the 200m, clocking 11:01 seconds

Win or go home!!

Stakes are high in Premier League football GM 2 Belize City, Sunday, April 22, 2012 The stakes are high in game 2 of the 2012 Premier League of Belize football playoffs coming up this weekend. Game 1 of the playoffs ended in draws, for both games, which means a winner must take Game 2, whether it is in overtime or penalties.

The undefeated Police United FC made no impression on FC Belize. Their game ended 2-2 at the MCC Garden on Sunday.

Jerome “Jaro” James burnt Police’s goalie Glenford Chimilio with the 1st goal in the very 1st minute of the game.

The Police counterattacked furiously with Lennox “Criminal” Castillo and Evan Mariano leading the charge but it was central defense Bernard Linares who equalized for the Police in the 23rd minute with a bullet of a shot that FC Belize goalie Elroy Rowley could not get his gloves on. Mariano struck with one of his own in the 30th minute, and the cops led 2-1 up to the half time break.

In the 2nd half, the Police defenders brought down Thomas Castro inside “the 18” and the referee had no choice but to rule penalty, which Chris Gilharry converted to equalize 2-2 in the 60th minute.

In the other game, the Belize

Glen Martinez saves the day

Blazers Jr. Girls zap Hurricanes 14-2 in U-19 softball Orlando Jimenez wins the header

Defence Force and the Placencia Assassins settled for a 0-0 standoff after 90 minutes of regulation play at the Placencia field.

Win or go home schedule: Police vs. FC Belize, Isidoro Beaton Stadium, Belmopan on Saturday night BDF vs. Placencia Assassins, Norman Broaster Stadium, San Ignacio, Saturday night

Belize City, April 21, 2011 Blazers Juniors won 14-2 over the Hurricanes in the first game of a doubleheader at the home of softball at the Roger’s Stadium on Saturday, April 21.

The Blazers’ pitcher Ashley Lucas struck out 3 batters, while her big sister Agnes Lucas came home Continued on page 12

Agnes Lucas runs for the base

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, April 29, 2012

BELIZE'S #1 SPORTS PAGE

Avengers upset Blazers Juniors in U-19 softball Belize City, April 21, 2011 Game 2 U-19 softball games at the Roger’s Stadium on Saturday, April 21 featured the Avengers and the Blazers Juniors.

Avengers’ pitcher Kaylie Macfadzean gave up no runs in the first 2 innings. Lisa Macfadzean and Kelsey robins came home in the bottom of the 1st to give the Avengers a 2-0 lead.

Ashley Rudon scored the Blazers’ first run in the top of the 3rd inning, only to see the Avengers lead 6-1 after Lisa Macfadzean, Astrid Jones, Kaylie Macfadzean and Sherlene Humphreys came home in the bottom of the 3rd.

The Blazers played catch up as Kim Lockwood and Shanelly Ho came home in the 4th inning, and

Georgia Young and Lockwood added 2 runs in the 5th but they were still down 5-6.

The Blazers took over the lead 7-6 after Agnes and Ashley came home in the 6th inning, but the Avengers led again 8-7 when Arneek Baptist and Astrid Jones came home in the bottom of the 6th.

Agnes Lucas’ triple in the top of the 7th brought home Shanelly Ho, Kim Lockwood and Karena Cacho for a 10-8 lead, but the Blazers could not hold off the Avengers attack. Elma Wade, Arneek Baptist and Lisa Macfadzean came home in the bottom of the 7th to win 11-10.

Avengers’ Kaylie Macfadzean

Mirage Lady Rebels take on defending softball champs Belize City, April 22, 2011 The Mirage Lady Rebels are looking to win the 2012 Belize City women’s softball competition organized by the Belize Softball Federation, with 4 wins over the past week, but on Friday, April 27 they will face their nemesis, the defending champs Belize Telemedia, who handed them a 3-2 loss in

Blazers Jr. Girls zap Hurricanes 14-2 in U-19 softball Continued from page 11 with the 1st run in the 1st inning. Hurricanes’ Sherrie Gillett tied the score 1-1 in the bottom of the 1st and Sasha Brown gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead in the 2nd inning, while pitcher Kira Arnold struck out 5 batters allowing no runs in the 2nd inning.

The Hurricanes’ defence fell apart in the 3rd inning as Agnes, Georgia Young, Ashley Lucas, Kimberly Lockwood, Danika Flowers, Shanelly Ho and Ashley Rudon all came home to lead 8-2.

Ashley Lucas came home in the 4th and the game was called by mercy rule, when Agnes, Roslyn Smith, Ashley and Lockwood came home in the 5th inning.

their last encounter.

But if the last four games are any indication of how prepared the Mirage Lady Rebels are, then it’s going to be no walk in the part for the Telemedia girls.

The Lady Rebels crushed the Orchid Blazers 7-0 by mercy rule on Friday night, and also hammered the Hurricanes 19-1 on Monday. The Lady Rebels won 5-0 over the Hurricanes who forfeited their game on Sunday afternoon, and they outlasted the Orchid Blazers who put a brave fight in their 15-12 loss on Monday night, April 23.

SQ Stars & Lady Jaguars win in women’s volleyball Belize City, April 21, 2011 The defending national women’s champs, the Lady Jaguars prevailed over their long standing rivals, the 16-times champs - Moen Stars in a nail biter contest that went to 5 sets on Saturday night at the Belize Elementary School auditorium.

Shantell Arnold, Babsy Cadle, Tichele Solis and Sherylee Thurton led the Lady Jaguars’ offensive, spiking home points at the net, on plays set up by Bobby Dee Usher and Tanesha Encalada. Libero Tisha Solis dug up saves while the hitters blocked to win the 1st set: 25-16.

The Moen Stars’ Shelmadine Cacho, Tahera Ahmad, Sherlene Johnson and Emma Hoare fought back with spike attacks on plays set by Precelia Hoare, Kimberly Dawson and libero Vivianni Avila, and their blocking shut out the jaguars’ offensive to win the 2nd and 3rd sets: 25-15 and 25-20.

The Stars tried to clinch the win in the 4th set, but Alina Scott relieved Tanesha Encalada and the Jaguars won the 5th set 25-19. Stars beefed up their offensive line-up with Marisol Zuniga and Ashli Habet while Tanesha Enclada returned to the court and the Lady Jaguars soon led 10-3, and won the 5th set 15-7.

The SQ Stars enjoyed their first win 3-0 when the Warriors forfeited their scheduled game.

Rebels’ Lanesha Jones pitches

SQ Dragons & Jaguars win in Belize City men’s volleyball Belize City, April 22, 2011 The SQ Dragons upset the defending national men’s volleyball champions, the Scorpions, while the Jaguars clobbered the Rebels in Belize District Volleyball Association’s Division 1 tournament at the Belize Elementary School auditorium over the weekend.

The SQ Dragons star hitter Keith Castillo led the attack, with the help of Alex Evans, Brian Castillo and Fenton James hammering home kills on plays set up by Kevin Thompson and Chris Smith as they took the 1st set: 25-20. With the help of subs: Ernest Broaster, Adrian Garcia and Gustavo Moratoya they also took the 2nd set 2522.

Scorpions’ Germaine Audinett, Ean Galvez, Jamal Galvez and Arvid Arnold counterattacked with the help of Anthony Wagner and Oscar Arnold and libero Sheldon Arnold to win the 3rd set 25-23, but the Dragons went to extra points to win the 4th set and the match: 27-25.

The Jaguars posted their 3rd win in a 3-1 blast of the Rebels.

Karym Coleman, Shane Gentle, Joseph Enriquez and Derrick Morgan led the Jaguars’ attacks hammering kills and blocking at the net, on plays set by Albert Bradley and Jaleel Lino and libero Keegan Ack to win the 1st and 2nd sets: 25-18, 25-18.

Tariq Campbell, Elton Anderson, Orel Leslie, Victor Hernandez led the rebels counterattacks supported by Jared Thompson and Khalid Encalada, and they took the 3rd set 25-20, but the Jaguars had help from Trevor Muschamp and Jaryl Mariano to win the 4th set 25-14.

This Week’s

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BELIZETIMES SUNDAY APRIL 29, 2012 THE BELIZE TIMES see full color at www.belizetimes.bz or Facebook/ Belize Times

Sunday, April 29, 2012

TOP MODEL Make-Up

tips

By Tania Tanesha (E-mail: mua. tania@gmail.com, Cell: (501) 6040736)

Many of my private makeup consultations clients are not fans of buying lip-sticks simply because they find it super hard to find the color that’s right for them. But like most of my fellow beautyholics, I love lipsticks. From MAC to Revlon; these sticks of color have had an interesting evolution.

Also, keep reading to find out how you can repair a broken lipstick.

Interesting history Women of the Indus Valley Civilization, which existed from about 3,000 BC to 1,500 BC, tinted their lips with a red colour.

Not to be outdone, ancient Egyptian women used lipstick too. The famous Cleopatra made lipstick from crushed carmine beetles for the rich pigmented color and ants as a base. For shimmer, some pearlescent material was extracted from fish scales. How organic! The real lipstick that finally came in the solid stick form wasn’t created until sometime around 900A.D. In Medieval Europe, the church banned the use of lip color because it was viewed as an “incarnation of Satan” and was used by only prostitutes. In the 16th Century, lip-colors began to gain popularity thanks to Queen Elizabeth I. The in-look was the stark-white face and bright red lips. In 1880, Sarah Bernhardt, the famous actress, made lipstick popular amongst the American culture and it became more socially acceptable. Finally, in 1915, the lipsticks were sold in their cylinder tubes that we know and love today.

Anthropologists theorize that lips of an aroused woman are similar in appearance to a woman’s labia: full and flushed. What a theory!

Fixing a broken lipstick Step 1: Ensure work area is Clean.

Wear protective gloves.

Step 2: Turn the cylinder of the lipstick all the way up so all the remaining lipstick is visible.

Step 3: Take the broken end of the lipstick and with a lighter or match, run the light over the end so it’s heated. Slightly melt the end where the lipstick broke off as well. BE CAREFUL not to burn yourself and the cylinder of the lipstick.

Step 4: Quickly take the broken piece and attach back to the base of the lipstick.

Hold it in place for about 10 seconds. Use the clean end of the match or a toothpick to clean off the edges.

Step 5: Place lipstick in the fridge for 30 minutes or until completely cooled.

Voila! Lipstick fixed! You’re ready again for the world, lipstick in hand and total female awesomeness in full force. Ladies, let nothing stop you from putting your best face forward.

Melanie

CATWALK FASHIONS What’s Hip...What’s Hot...What’s Now! Phone: 203-2936 / 620-7481 #148 Cor. Queen & North Front Streets Belize City, Belize

14

THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Sunday, April 29, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

Businesses brace for tougher times

Belize City, April 23, 2012 Businesses are bracing for an even tougher economic year. If anyone was hoping for signs of a recovery in the new year, none has come so far in the first quarter of 2012.

In 2009, Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced that the nation’s economy was in recession. Many firsttime business owners didn’t know what that meant until they saw their profits reduce drastically, while expenses remained high. The following year, 2010, things got worse when the Barrow Administration imposed tax measures that included increasing the business tax for the then private electricity company from 1.75% to 6.5%, a $1 excise tax on locally produced crude oil, a 5% social fee on all goods and services imported into Export Processing Zones, and increasing General Sales Tax by 25%, from 10% to 12.5%.

The Chamber of Commerce opposed these measures.

2011 went on to be an extremely difficult economic period for the business sector, possibly the worst in recent history. While business operations were stifled by increasing expenses, the overall economy remained weak: arrivals for tourism which is the nation’s second highest foreign exchange earner dipped; foreign investment was scarce; main industries struggled to operate with some facing closure; and cost of production remained high. Fuel prices shot up constantly and today it is at its highest in recent years, above $12 per gallon.

The result of the economic slowdown in 2011 was devastating. Direct foreign investment withered to $38m from $139 in 2007. Consumer spending contracted which slowed down sales and had many businesses worrying. Well known stores such as Hofius and Wellworth saw sales dip by as much as 15%. The auto industry’s sales nose-dived by about 60%, forcing companies to merge or close.

Today, keeping one’s business running is like being in an obstacle course – the slightest wrong decision can cause a sudden collapse. This has made the private sector very uneasy, and businesses are now seeking new ways of attract new customers. But the task is not made easy when consumers’ pockets are also suffering from the high cost of living.

One business owner we spoke to

said he has had to sustain a discount programme since mid-last year. Every sale simply goes toward meeting his basic expenses to keep the business afloat.

Another company, in the business of printing, could not sustain its operations and had to close down, sending off 10 employees home.

One of the downtown retail store owners commented that if the economy doesn’t improve, his doors will be shut within six months.

But can the economy improve?

Most business owners say it depends on a change of Government’s attitude towards the private sector and the introduction of a viable economic policy.

Until then, the only remaining businesses in Belize may soon become For Rent and For Sale.

Business that have closed under the Barrow Administration: A&R Gas Station Advance Advertising Bargain Bash Belize Unit Trust Corporation British Forces Radio Station Caribbean Tobacco Company Limited Carol’s Pizza Cellmart Central Drug Store El Centro Fabros Fresh Catch Belize Limited HL’s Burgers (5 locations) Jambels JMA Motors La Tavernetta Restaurant Malics New Holland Ooh La La Old Belize Limited Odis Home & Garden Supplies Perky Parrot Peyrefitte Brothers Limited Royal Motors Scoops Ice Cream Shad’s Boutique Surprise Cafe The View The Wood Depot

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Sunday, April 29, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

Is Shyne

breaking the law??

Moshe Ben Levi (Shyne)

Gregory Bennett

Belize City, April 24, 2012 Shyne aka Moshe Ben Levi – the Prime Minister Barrow-appointed Jewish/Musical Ambassador who flashes a diplomatic passport at the expense of Belize’s integrity wants a United States Visa. But he won’t get it. No, not because Jules Vasquez’s unpredicted and bizarre 3-day campaign blitz made him “shyne” less and look more like a lunatic than ever before. Simply put: because Uncle Sam’s homeland security doesn’t entertain, much less, encourage misfits and criminals.

Shyne will not get his visa. He will be ‘punished’ and forced to stay “home”, where he should be. But that’s the problem. Even though his deportation papers declared “Place of birth: Belize”, home for Shyne is now Israel, where he’s never going to legally ‘grow up’ because he’s way past bar mitzvah age (bar mitzvah is a must by commandment and law). But that may be ok for Shyne – breaking the law is nothing unfamiliar to him. He was convicted of shooting a gun inside a club – that’s illegal. He probably fantasizes of jumping over the Arizona border fence, just to be in America. That would be illegal. Now it appears, under the Barrow Administration Shyne will be enjoying royal freedom illegally.

Under Belize’s criminal code, anyone who has been deported to Belize is served a letter of compliance which mandates the person to report to the Police Station regularly. This is done to monitor the activities of deportees. This is not an option. In fact, not abiding by this mandate can get you imprisoned and we

were reminded of that as recent as last week Friday April 20th when 38 year old Gregory Holis Bennett was sent to jail.

Bennett had been deported from the United States in May 2010. He was ordered to report to the Police Station every Friday, and he did, at least up until January 2011. Like Shyne, Bennett itched to return to the US, and he did, but by doing so he breached the order imposed on him in Belize. Bennett was caught again in the US, and was re-deported to Belize on April 19th. Now that he is back, he was charged and pleaded guilty to failing to report to Police for 67 consecutive weeks.

That landed him a 7-month jail sentence.

Shyne was deported to Belize on October 28, 2009. It is still not known if he was ever served with a letter of compliance, as those before and after him have.

And if he was, he is guilty of not abiding by it. Since declaring that Israel is his new home, Shyne has been away for weeks and months, without reporting to authorities as every deportee should.

How is it that Shyne could enjoy special treatment? Does the fact that he is the Prime Minister’s son make him any better than any of us? Already the Prime Minister has showed preference for his son over every other deserving and genuine Belizean artist with the appointment of “Musical Ambassador”.

This is a shameful act no hardworking artist should forgive the Prime Minister for.

Bennett is spending his first week in prison for the serious legal infraction. Shyne, on the other hand, is relaxing inside some lavish penthouse in Belize or Israel.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Gilroy Usher Sr. to lead anti–crime rally next Wednesday

Belize City, April 25, 2012 As a result of the continued increase in crime in Belize over the last five years especially murders that have claimed the lives of over 400 Belizeans including many innocent persons, Gilroy Usher, Sr. concerned citizen and businessman has planned a demonstration and rally in Belize City for next week Wednesday morning May 2nd to demand that Government take serious action to address the root

causes of the escalating crime in the country especially in the old capital which is the commercial center of the country.

The demonstration and rally will be non-political. Therefore those who participate in the events are being asked to wear any color clothing except blue or red that represents the two major political parties.

Persons, who have lost their loved ones to violence in the street, are asked to bring large pictures of their murdered relatives to the events.

A special invitation to participate in the demonstration and rally against crime in the country is also extended to all concerned citizens and organization, who are tired of the escalating violence in Belize and want the government to take serious steps to address the lack of jobs, which is the root causes of most of the crime in the country particularly in Belize City.

Teens Belize

calls for action against crime wave April 24, 2012 The Teens Belize Organization is very alarmed at the high crime wave that the nation of Belize is currently facing and we are strongly calling on the Government to take every measure necessary to protect its citizens.

We are pledging our full support to a concerted effort of the Government, and all other bodies to bring an amicable solution to the table.

We also urge all Belizeans, at home and abroad, to join us in prayer during this most difficult time. (Press Release)

Book Week 2012 at the Bliss

Wide selection of books on display BELIZE CITY, Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

By Alton Humes Belizeans, it’s Book Week 2012, and for those out there with an undying love of books, you’d best get yourself over to the Bliss Center on Southern Foreshore.

The recently created event, or-

ganized by the Belize Book Industry Association, is being held not only to spread awareness of the love of reading at every level, and to all members of the society, but also to allow Belizean books to hold the ‘spotlight’ with their foreign competitors.

Event organis-

ers have placed local and non-local books on sale. Readers can also exchange books, by bringing a book and leaving with one they find interesting.

The week will end soon, so like we say - if you really love books, get over to the Bliss before it’s all over; you’ll be really glad you did.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Injustice?

BELIZE CITY, Wed. April 25, 2012

By Roy Davis A man and two women who were unfortunate to have been in a house at 4049 T Street when the police searched it and found two firearms and 3 rounds of ammunition were found guilty of three offences two weeks ago in the #1 Magistrate’s Court.

They are Kent Rose, 37; Emily Garcia, 20 and Stacey Humes, 19.

They were found guilty of kept a prohibited firearm, kept prohibited ammunition and kept a firearm without a gun license.

Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith sentenced them to 5 years for each offence with the stipulation that the sentences are to run concurrently so they will only serve 5 years. But 5 years is a long time, especially if you are innocent as was strenuously claimed by Rose, Garcia and Humes.

The prohibited firearm was a .357 Magnum pistol. The prohibited ammunition was 3 rounds of .357 calibre and the firearm was a .9 millimetre pistol.

They were found in the attic of the house around 4:40 a.m. on August 17, 2011 when members of the police’s Gang Suppression Unit, acting on information they received, went to the house and conducted a search.

According to the accused and their family, the firearms and ammunition did not belong to any of the three convicted persons, but were unable to convince Chief Magistrate Smith that they did not have any knowledge that the firearms and ammunitions were in the house when they testified from the dock.

The Firearms Act is heavy-handed on cases like these. Anyone gets mandatory imprisonment if they cannot prove that they were not aware that firearms and ammunition were in the premises where they were. Neither of the three in this case was represented by an attorney.

According to the law, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty but it seems to be the other way around in cases involving firearm and ammunition offences. For starters persons who are charged with firearm and ammunition offences are precluded from getting bail at the Magistrate Court. They have to apply for bail at the Supreme Court. So they are punished even if they are innocent because they are remanded to prison and they have to wait until 12 working days before they can apply. The only reprieve comes at the hands of the Director of Public Prosecution who can recommend that the 12-day period be waived, and an application for bail can be heard immediately.

Members of the family, especially the Humes family, say do not believe justice was served on their loved one.

They told the BELIZE TIMES that they are going to appeal and they will get an attorney to represent them this time.

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When Justice is Deaf, Dumb and Blind Godfrey Smith

Prime Minister Dean Barrow is particularly fond of saying that while he cannot vouchsafe the incorruptibility of his ministers, he himself can never be accused of any corruption. That he genuinely believes this can only mean that his pocket guide contains a rather narrow definition.

The working man’s understanding of corruption involves a public official receiving some valuable consideration in exchange for allowing himself to be influenced in the performance of his public duties. There are, however, subtle acts of corruption far more menacing to democracy and the rule of law than the familiar kickbacks-forcontracts. The latter capture headlines; the former lie hidden, insidiously poisoning public sector institutions.

Knowingly and deliberately promoting a judge with a bad track record of adjudicating to a higher court that requires intellectual skills and acumen that judge does not possess is as deceitful an act as knowingly appointing a dishonest person to be a judge. The intent (and effect) in both cases is the same: the undermining of the rule of law.

The appointment of judges to Belize’s Court of Appeal is made by the GovernorGeneral acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister given after consultation with the Leader of the Opposition. In practical terms, this means that the Governor General appoints whoever the PM advises him to, after the PM has given the Opposition Leader the opportunity to express his views on a proposed appointment.

On April 11th 2012 Mr. Barrow wrote to the Leader of the Opposition, Francis Fonseca, seeking his views on the proposed appointment of Mr. Samuel Lungole Awich, a judge of the Supreme Court, as a justice of the Belize Court of Appeal. Mr. Fonseca, in turn, wrote to the President of the Bar Association seeking its views. Of the Bar members canvassed, only three were in support of the appointment of Justice Awich to the Court of Appeal. In replying that he was unable to support the appointment, Mr. Fonseca cited the views of the Bar. The Bar Association of Belize, frequently divided along political lines, is united in its opposition to Mr. Awich’s appointment to the Court of Appeal. It believes that a judge who barely passes muster as a judge of the Supreme Court, takes years to deliver judgments and lacks important judicial attributes should not be rewarded with a promotion to a higher level in the hierarchy of courts. The chief justice is probably bristling at the thought of Justice Awich sitting in review on appeals from his decisions; the president of the court of appeal no doubt recoiling at this barefaced dilution of his court already weighed down by a backlog of appeals. More importantly, he should ask why.

Mr. Awich’s chronic constipation in passing timely judgments obliged the Court of Appeal to administer a judicial laxative in 2008, describing his delay in the George

Flashpoint

A Case of

THE BELIZE TIMES

Betson case as “shocking and inordinate”. With forensic elegance, the court drizzled sarcasm, as caustic as muriatic acid, over Mr. Awich’s long 70-page judgment which it described “as a monumental effort demonstrating stamina”.

In another case (Albert Neal v Macaw Farms) the Court of Appeal, prompted by that judge’s long delay in delivering judgment, cautioned that such long delays were a “violation of the constitutional rights” of parties, “undermined public confidence in the administration of justice” and “seriously compromised” the effectiveness of the judiciary.

Proving that justice is not only blind but can sometimes be also stone deaf, the judge remained impervious to the withering criticisms coming down from the court of appeal. The Bar in September 2009 tabled and considered a resolution expressing the view that his “failure to deliver outstanding judgments amounts to misbehavior in office” and that he should “forthwith resign from office”. Though the resolution was ultimately shelved, the messy affair played out fully in the local evening news exposing the extent of the Bar’s lack of confidence in Mr. Awich as a judge.

Under the glare of the public and pressure from Chief Justice Conteh, Mr. Awich managed to write a few of his outstanding judgments. Not surprisingly, after so much time, a number of these were appealed on the ground of - delay. The outcome of a case from Belize (Mayan King v Reyes) argued just last week before the Caribbean Court Justice may turn on the excessive delay by Mr. Awich in delivering his judgment.

Mr. Barrow replied to Mr. Fonseca on April 19th stating that he remained “convinced that Justice Awich is eminently suitable for appointment to the Court of Appeal”. Mr. Barrow (to borrow one of his favorite phrases) is either a fool or a knave. As he is keenly aware of the situation regarding that judge, he cannot claim ignorance. His motive for insisting on promoting a struggling judge whose credibility lies in tatters is, at best, suspicious.

On the heels of the PM’s response to the Opposition Leader, the Bar Association passed a resolution opposing Mr. Awich’s elevation to the Court of Appeal, stating that he “lacks the judicial wherewithal required of a justice of appeal” and urging the government to reconsider the appointment.

If appointed, Mr. Awich would be on a two year contract. This puts him at the mercy of the government for the renewal of his contract. Judges are human beings after all and the best of them can, under the uncertainty of contract renewal, be unconsciously prejudiced in the adjudication of cases involving the government without any actual interference by the state. Where this occurs, it corrodes the rule of law.

Recognizing this, the United Nations Convention Against Corruption requires state parties to strengthen the system for the promotion of their public officials, “basing it on principles of efficiency, transparency and objective criteria such as merit, equity and aptitude”.

If Mr. Barrow proceeds with the appointment of Mr. Awich to the Court of Appeal it will be a breach of public trust and an abuse of his high office, a bit more subtle but far more treacherous and corrosive than any of the news-grabbing, pedestrian acts of corruption for which he has sacked his ministers.

This article was reproduced from www.flashpointbelize.com

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Town Council’s missing property?

Belize City, April 16, 2012 Quite a lot of hanky-panky has taken place throughout the UDP’s control (nine years and counting) of the San Pedro Town Council. In the last hours before her departure, Mayor Elsa Paz reported that the Council’s finances were in the deep red, but did little to explain how her inefficient running of the public’s business led to bad administration.

Even though the memories of the incompetent Mayor are fading, and her successor has started off by declaring that he will do business “differently”, it appears Mayor Guerrero’s kind of different won’t make much difference, as he can hardly keep pace with all the foolishness that took place.

For example, Mayor Paz had sold

Emmerson Eagan convicted of murder

Emmerson Eagan BELIZE CITY, Wed. April 25, 2012

By Roy Davis A precedent, it appears, was set in a case in which evidence submitted by an eyewitness, who was killed before she could testify, was allowed and turned out to be instrumental in the conviction of a man accused of murder.

Late Monday evening, April 23, a jury of 5 men and 7 women found Emmerson Eagan, 22, guilty of the murder of Dennis Nembhard, 35, a.k.a. “Colored”, who was shot gunned to death between 7 and 8pm on June 1, 2007.

The jury deliberated for about 2 hours and 22 minutes before it arrived at its verdict.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Cherlyn Lyn Vidal, did not seek the death penalty so Eagan will get the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. The trial judge Justice Adolph Lucas, has set sentencing for Friday, April 27.

Eagan was convicted on the statement given by the only eye witness, Shelmadine Sanchez, 35, a resident of #5 Oleander Street, who was shot and killed on August 14, 2010. Sanchez statement was admitted as evidence after Continued on page 22

Elsa Paz

Sunday, April 29, 2012

ier when visiting inland. But instead of finding a more cost-effective way, she took the Town Council’s money in exchange for the vehicle. She wasn’t even considerate. The vehicle had two years of wear and tear, yet she sold it for the same purchase price she had bought it.

Since the new Mayor has promised to do things differently, we’re guessing he won’t be needing vehicle, her own vehicle to the Town Council. and we’re also guessing that’s why Yea, she actually did that. The Mayor the silver-color Jeep Liberty with San said she needed the vehicle in Belize Pedro license plates has been gathCity, so she could move around eas- ering dust in Belize City. In fact, the vehicle has been tucked away in a private yard in Coney Drive area as if Mayor Guerrero doesn’t or shouldn’t know it exists. We can only wonder whether this is part of some devious plan, but would hope that’s not the case. Mr. Mayor, please reclaim the people’s SP Town Council property needs to be claimed property.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

In my perspective…

It Takes a Village…

By Rayford Young On April 1, 2012 my father died in his sleep in South Bend, Indiana at the young age of 97. Vincent Emmanuel Young was the father of four sons and three daughters. He was a proud man and worked very hard to provide for his family. But he was also a very strict man who believed in disciplining his children. Mr. Young (Manny) worked at the Corozal Sugar Factory for most of his adult life, starting as a laborer then working his way up to become the chief engineer of the factory in Libertad until his retirement in the 90’s.

My three older brothers got the brunt of his discipline. By the time I came along his discipline was on the decline. He had mellowed out quite a bit but was still adamant about certain things in his home.

One of those rules was that none of his children come home later than 9pm. Why 9pm, I don’t know. Back in those days if you asked why, you would certainly get a slap followed by “who are you to question me?”

Saturday nights were a big deal for the Young family. It was the night the family went to Corozal Town to shop.

My mom, who controlled the funds, did a lot of grocery shopping on those evenings and it was something we all looked forward to. It was a big deal. One day in church I decided to take off my shoes, lay down on a back bench during the service and go to sleep. I don’t know who told my father about this, but one Saturday night as we approached the gate that let us out the factory compound to enter the road to Corozal he stopped the car and told me to get out. The whole family was shocked. Why? He told me “don’t you ever sleep in church again and don’t ever take off your shoes in church. The Young family doesn’t do stuff like that”.This was a devastating blow for a kid. So I walked back to the house and stayed there until they returned. A tough lesson for a young kid but one I’ve never forgotten to this day.

By the time the three girls came along he was a softy. He loved those girls and I saw things that I certainly would not consider doing at all like sitting in his lap.

You just didn’t do that back in the day. I never saw my parents hug or kiss - those things were done behind closed doors.

I did consider going to the police to lodge a complaint at one time but the police officer was a friend of the family and all he would do is return me to my parents, and he might even consider giving me a whipping. That’s how they did things back then. Today that level of discipline might be considered abusive and you could be hauled in front of a judge or your child taken away. But did the discipline work? Well, none of our family has ever gone to jail, we have no criminal record; as a matter of fact we all turned out pretty good. My father made sure we all had a good education and we are all pro-

ductive citizens today.

Easter weekend in Belize turned out to be one of the most violent weekends in the City. It was followed by last weekend, April 22, which might turn out to be even more so as we witnessed murder after murder on the streets of Belize. One person caught up in the violence was 23 year old Kamille Shaeria Andrews. She and her companion were gunned down at an ESSO gas station as they were filling up their vehicle.

I met Kamile a few months back when I visited Mrs. Dianne Finnegan, Coordinator of the Youth Apprenticeship Program at ETES at the Education Building on Mahogany Street, to do some video recording of the Youth Apprenticeship Program. Kamile worked there as a secretary. The Apprenticeship Program is sponsored by the government of Belize.

This is a well-run and efficient program which targets young men and women/ single mothers who have dropped out of school and are idle with nothing to do.

Once accepted in the program they go through a two week intense orientation period which prepares them to enter into the job force. This program works with many big and small businesses around Belize City including Belize Diesel, the Princess hotel, BTB, BTL to name a few.

These apprentices are assigned to a business based on their choice of profession, personality and skillset where they would have the best chance for success.

The program pays the apprentice a small stipend each week and after six months if they have demonstrated satisfactory employable skills and interest in the work place the business would hire them.

The success rate is very high and it’s one of the most innovative and rewarding program I’ve ever encountered. This program works because after 6 months these idle youths become tax payers.

Could this be one answer to the crime wave we are witnessing in Belize City? I think so. I also believe the strict way my parents raised us also provided us the stability and foundation we needed to become productive citizens. Too many of our young people today do not have that foundation and they turn to a life of crime and mayhem. They don’t have fathers to mould them, to love them. A lifestyle of entertainment and high living seems real and the best way to succeed.

When it doesn’t work out, they often fall to a life of crime as they have nothing substantial, like education and training, to fall back on. These young people need mentors. They need to see adults living moral lives. They need to see our elected officials and community leaders as men and women with integrity. In some ways I think our generation has let down our children, with this attitude of “what’s in it for me?” Well, we are all paying a very high price for those decisions and good and wonderful people like Kamile paid the price with her life.

So I believe we should expand the Belize Apprenticeship Program so more young people can get off the streets and be trained for employment. Let’s make sure Kamile didn’t die in vain. Let’s commit to doing something productive for our young people. It does take a village.

Rayford Young is a Belizean-American, who currently lives in Michigan, U.S.A. Send comments to rayfordyoung@comcast.net

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22

THE BELIZE TIMES

For 13 year old Rowan Garel, the sky is the limit!

After reaching the summit of Victoria Peak, Ro has bigger ideas for 2012 Belize City, April 19th, 2012 Thirteen-year-old Rowan Garel and his father Joe, announced their “Walk Across Belize” which will take place in July with the goal of doubling the amount raised last year to help support children who are blind.

Rowan, who has been blind since birth, will walk 90 miles in 5 days starting on July 12th and ending on July 16th for the start of BCVI Summer Rowan prepares for Camp 2012. The another adventure duo will start in Benque and stop in a few places along the way putting them in Belize City on Monday evening.

by Rowan and Joe last year, BCVI was “So many people wanted to able to host Summer Camp 2011 as climb with us last year, so this year well as two mini-camps in 2012 to ofwe are doing something that every- fer refresher courses and additional one can join in,” Rowan said. “All you help as the students advanced. This have to do is get a sponsor. Or, if you year, BCVI’s goal is $100,000 as that don’t want to walk, you can just make is the amount that has been lost from a donation.” the reduction in grants for 2012. The Thanks to the over $50,000 raised funds from the “Walk Across Belize”

will go toward not only these Educational Camps, but also toward the year-round daily support that is provided to these children all over Belize.

For more information on this adventure, you can contact us at 636.1130 or check out our blog at walkacrossbelize.blogspot.com

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Emmerson Eagan convicted of murder Continued from page 20 two witnesses, police constable Delmar Moguel and Assistant Registrar General Lovina Daniels, testified that she was dead.

Moguel said he was at Sanchez’s house socializing and drinking and when they ran out of drinks, Sanchez volunteered to go to the a Chinese shop nearby to purchase more drinks. Moguel testified that when Sanchez left to go to the shop he heard about 8 shots and when he went on Oleander Street he saw Sanchez lying on the ground calling out for help. Sanchez appeared to have gunshot wounds to her abdomen, he said.

Sanchez was put in a taxi car and taken to Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Daniels testified and said that it was she who prepared the death certificate for Sanchez.

In her statement Sanchez said Nembhard, a resident of Nut Meg Street, was walking on Oleander Street when she saw Eagan shoot him with a sawed-off shotgun from about 25 feet away. She said Nembhard fell face down to the ground then he got up and ran through an alley, located between Oleander Street and Flamboyant Street.

Nembhard was shot in his lower back. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.

Eagan testified. His testimony was an alibi. He said that at the time of the incident he was playing basketball at a court behind the Police Station on Mahogany Street. He did not call any witness to corroborate his testimony.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

23

THE BELIZE TIMES

The Cat in the Hat

by Dr Seuss

Did you know Monday, April 23, was World Book Day? I like reading and when I was younger I especially liked books by Dr. Seuss.

There is now a movie out about Dr. Seuss’ book the Lorax. This week you can learn to draw the Lorax and have some fun with the Cat in the Hat! “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn the more places you’ll go.�

v u t s r q

u y t p

v

b

z y m

o n o

w

x

o o l

e s e

x

s

u x h j k a o

i

i e g u m m a n

q w f b a

k

n w e d c b

These two elephants haven’t seen each other for ages! Can you help them to meet up by finding the alphabet path across the stepping stones?

www.ActivityVillage.co.uk

24

THE BELIZE TIMES

Belizeans Living In Hate For the past couple days Belize has been undergoing a very grueling time as the streets continue to experience bloodshed. Many of our young men are dying and there are varying rumors as to why this is happening. Rumors ranging from drugs, to political schemes, and of course gang warfare! Belize’s streets seem to have become a place of judgment with each individual, including law enforcers, functioning as their own judge. There are rumors of Government paying members of the underworld to keep the peace and the list goes on and on and on!

I applaud all efforts to bring peace but with the understanding that even with the most noble of attempts, not all efforts are profitable. In the scriptures many times the kings, after having no other alternative, end up seeking out someone that hears from God and getting advice from them, this of course being only after they have exhausted all other possible options. If it is true that we are trying to pay members of gangs to behave then we are at a serious place. I am reminded of a story I heard about a village that was over-infested with snakes.

The leaders decided to pay the villagers for each snake head that was brought in. To their joy, the snakes soon disappeared and the village felt much safer than ever before! Some months later the leaders became puzzled as more snakes than ever began to appear! They soon found out that the villagers became innovative and began to develop snake farms rearing snakes, hence the problem they were trying to solve, although it seemed to be working temporarily, became an even bigger one!

I am completely amazed as I peer into the manual for life and see the story of Cain being jealous of his brother’s offering (Genesis 4:6-12). In this particular scripture, we see no other leader than the creator himself talking, pleading if you will, with a person who was about to commit murder. See if you only hate your brother, in the ‘Kingdom of God’ you are guilty of murder (1 John 3:15)! Well to my amazement after the most powerful person on earth spoke to Cain, warning him of the mess he was looking to step into, Cain chose to continue towards his quest to perform the first murder ever to be committed or recorded on earth. As I have written before that to my surprise, God did not try to stop him physically but rather allowed it to happen. The following verses though, show how a person who knows how to build a nation functions to avoid chaos. God returned immediately after he killed his brother! Now I can hear some minds thinking that God should behave in a different manner and stop things like this before it happens, but I say to you that He doesn’t function that way and prefers to keep His word than to go against it. In (Genesis 1:26) God gave us dominion and that’s His word, which is why He doesn’t stop us from butchering each other although it hurts him. It hurts him because He considers each one of us as the “apple of his eye” (Zechariah 2:8) !

The important thing however is to note what God did immediately after Cain served his brother with death. I can’t help but divert just a bit as I remember having a little ‘friendly argument’ with one of my little brothers when I told him about walls and other objects holding inside themselves, atrocities that happen around them. He basically thought that this religious thing was sending me crazy! I can’t be upset with him for feeling this way but I can prove in various scriptures where God says that inanimate objects can speak or at-least communicate in some manner for example (Luke 19:40)! So according to verse ten of Genesis chapter four, Abel’s blood cried out! This is why in crime scene investigation series on television they are able to solve crimes, because they seek out the blood of slain victims which cries out!

Any way since this is not my topic let us look quickly at what God did to Cain. Instead of getting off scotch free because of imperfections in the law, or lack of cooperating witnesses, God sentenced Cain to a time of punishment. No human rights or crying family members could help him!

He had to fit the penalty for his choice. He had a free will, he had dominion, and chose to walk down a chosen path! Now the same God that did not stop him from committing the murder also did not hesitate to bring order and judgment to him when it was due and necessary.

Let’s take lessons from the Creator himself and learn how to build nations! He has said that things will get worse and worse but bear in mind that within this reality we can still build according to the pattern that he has laid out for us in the manufacturing manual!

Until next week God Bless!

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Sunday, April 29, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

THINK ABOUT IT COPS KILL ARTHUR YOUNG Arthur Young was gunned down by police officers in the early morning of Monday 23 April. And the government is covering up this cold blooded murder.

There are eyewitness evidence to confirm that Arthur Young was found in an abandoned building in Ladyville.

Police immediately started to brutalize him and his screams could be heard by neighbors. Young had arranged through a CYDP official and one of his attorneys to hand himself to police at 7:00am on the same Monday. He was wanted by police for the double murders of Sheldon “Pinky” Tillett and Kamil Foreman Andrews which took place after 11:00pm at a gas station at mile 2 on the Northern Road on Friday night 20th April.

After receiving a horrific beating, Young was seen being dragged out of the building, handcuffed and thrown in the pan of the police pickup.

Three to four hours later his body was at the KHMH Morgue.

At the Morgue there was heavy police presence and no one, not even family members, were allowed to see their loved one. The security was tighter than what most citizens have been receiving.

At a government press conference at 10:00 am on Monday 23 April both the Police Commissioner and the Police Minister read brief and vague statements saying that Young was shot as he was trying to or was struggling to take an officer’s gun. Bulls*^t.

Nobody except UDP fanatics, are swallowing this story.

The Police Commissioner, who in a recent Channel 5 interview had said he will not condone any wrongdoing while being Commissioner promised that there would be an investigation and the results made known. As Jules Vasquez of the UDP-affiliated Channel 7 said in reporting on the Commissioner’s statement, he won’t hold his breath for the Commissioner’s investigation results.

Just a few weeks ago when the GSU unleashed one of their many unlawful attacks against citizens, alleged gang members in Taylor’s Alley; the new Police Minister hastily set up an “outside” investigation which led to minor rebukes of GSU and unprecedented apology by the Ministry against the unlawful and heavy handed GSU behavior.

The outrageous killing of Arthur Young whilst in police custody has provoked no such “independent investigation” by the new Minister or his government.

The Prime Minister attended the press conference and was not his usually verbose and argumentative self.

He uncharacteristically kept quiet and was shown looking sheepish and tinkering with his cell phone.

It is becoming increasing clear that the government is involved in a serious cover up of wrong doing and criminality which can turn out to be as horrible as cold bloodied murder.

The city awaits the result of the socalled investigation.

GANG TRUCE IS HOLDING While the government is very competent in covering up official wrong doing and Police brutality and misdeeds their ability to fight gang crime is another matter.

The mass hysteria of fright, rumormongering and siege mentality that gripped Belize City over the weekend is quite a testimony.

Following the news of the execution of Pinky Tillett on Friday night, night clubs started getting deserted as patrons headed for the safety of their homes. Pinky is the known leader of Belize’s most bloody gang – the George Street Gang, responsible for the deaths of dozens of other rival gang members and innocent by standers.

They operate with impunity and are securely lodged in the Prime Minister’s constituency. It is not known how many are on the payroll of the gang truce and how much it is costing tax payers. But with the cocaine trans-shipment moving away from Belize City, this large gang couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity than to be paid weekly by the government, for doing nothing. The overburdened taxpayers are the ones meeting the payroll of the gangs. What is it – 30 or 40 members? This is a question that should be raised in the National Assembly.

The fact that residents feared the gang retaliation over the weekend more than they trusted the government to keep them safe was highlighted on Saturday afternoon. Despite an early press release of heavy police presence and blah!blah! blah! a young man from a rival gang was shot some 21 times in broad daylight on Caesar Ridge Road.

That was the icing on the cake.

Saturday night was ghost town night as City business all closed for fear of indiscriminate shootings and retaliations. It didn‘t happened. Not yet. For that we are grateful.

But the situation is dread. The new Police Minister described the conditions over the weekend as a crisis. With round-the-clock police check blocks and so-called additional booths on the ground promised by the government, the question is – if the truce is holding why are we all living in so much fear and semi-Martial Law? 500 PERSONS IN JAIL WITHOUT TRIAL Over 500 citizens are locked away in prison without a trial. This shocking information arose during the course of a Channel 5 interview with prison boss John Woods and Superintendent Taheera Ahmad.

The prison presently has a population of 1300 inmates of which 30 are women.

The prison budget is $7.5 million dollars to operate annually.

One report of the finances of the Prison states that for each day a person is held in prison the cost to the taxpayers is $13.50. At over 500 persons on remand this amounts to some $7000 each day.

But apart from the cost, the sheer

numbers of persons in prison awaiting trial is a vexing issue in any democracy and civilized society. The grievous fact that such numbers i.e. over 500, are for persons Awaiting Trial is a shocking indictment of what is going wrong in Belize.

It represents the lack of justice for poor people and it represents a cruel government that is imprisoning its citizens without the benefit of a trial.

One recent headline in the Amandala newspaper described the law causing this havoc as crazy.

500 persons in jail awaiting trial is a situation like our crime rate, it is going to attract further negative statistics and more bad name on our already negative image.

AWICH FOR COURT OF APPEAL Justice Samuel Lungowle Awich is being appointed by the Government to be the new Judge on the Court of Appeal.

The Bar Association and the Constitutional Opposition have asked the Prime Minister not to appoint the Hon. Awich to the Court of Appeal, but no one should be surprised that their views mean nothing and the appointment will proceed.

Hon. Awich will be appointed for two years, which raises suspicion on the government. One of the worst things to be done to Judges is for them to be appointed on short term contracts. It offends the principle of the independence of the Judiciary.

This is the way things are on Animal Farm in April 2012, by a government which “won” the general elections. The people of Belize tried to get rid of the government, but they scraped in by the skin of their teeth after much bribery and election malpractices and traitorism.

Oink! Oink!!

SLAVES IN BELIZE There were four slave rebellions in Belize City.

They occurred in 1765, 1768, 1773 and 1820.

The biggest of these four slave revolts was the one in 1773. It lasted from May until October/November.

The Archives in Belmopan show that the two leaders were Will and Sharper.

Despite rewards being offered for their capture they were never caught.

There is much important information on the slave situation in Belize. It

25 can be found in the excellent book – Formation of a Colonial Society by O. Nigel Bolland. A few copies are available at The Image factory Book Store on North Front Street, lower flat of Musa & Balderamos Law Firm.

Read and learn about your country’s history.

IT’S SHAKESPEARE BIRTHDAY William Shakespeare is alive and well. His plays are being performed to the delight of thousands in the UK and USA and several other countries.

There are new biographies of him.

There are critical studies of his written works. There are new editions of his remarkable writings. He produced thousands of wonderful words of wisdom, insights and knowledge; his extraordinary similes and clichés live on forever.

His writings have brought joy, sheer reading delight that only his readers and legion of fans can fully appreciate. Oh, the power and the beauty of words.

Not bad for a man born on 23 April 1564.

FROM THE BIBLE “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth for thy love is better than wine.

“I am black but beautiful, o ye daughter of Jerusalem.

“How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse!

How much better is thy love than wine!

Thy lips, o my spouse, drop as the honeycomb; Honey and milk are under thy tongue.”

“How beautiful are they feet with shoes, O prince’s daughter The joints of thy thighs are like jewels…

Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor Thy belly is like a heap of wheat set about with lilies.

Thy breasts are like two young roes that are twins Thy neck is like a tower of ivory Thine eyes like the flashpools in Heshbon” “For love is strong as death; Jealousy is cruel as the grave “Many waters cannot quench love Neither can the floods drown it. Extracts from the Book Song of Solomon in the Holy Bible

26

THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Fishermen protest

Conch Season closure BELIZE CITY, Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

By Alton Humes Monday, April 23rd was the ‘official’ closure of the Conch Season, as mandated by the Government of Belize after months of secretive meetings between them (specifically MinisterSenator Hon. Lisel Alamilla and the Fisheries Department, along with their ‘experts’). While the BELIZE TIMES was able to get the opinion of fishermen working for Northern here in Belize City in a previous story, this past weekend the fishermen from fishing villages in the north sounded their displeasure in what may all but be a done deal.

This past Sunday, April 22nd, fishermen-members aligned with the later organization spoke out at a meeting held in the village of Sartaneja, and out of sharing and voicing their concerns, it was realized that their unity would be better emphasized if they formed an association, which, according to Northern Fisherman’s Co-operative member Mr. Adrian Perez, will “unite fishermen from Copper Bank, Chunox and Sarteneja to organize a fisherman committee to fight [for] the rights of all fishermen, no matter from which cooperative [they come]”.

One of the official reasons for the closure, given by the Government,

Wild, wild… north??

Continued from page 1

doesn’t quite have the same reputation for criminal activity as Belize City or the City of Belmopan.

The victim, 17-year-old Aidan Perez, was one of two young men who were shot around 8:30 on Monday night, April 23rd, 2012.

Perez had come downstairs from his family home on Mahogany Street just off College Road in Corozal Town when he heard that there was a commotion outside.

That commotion involved his cousin, Kareem Jones, who got in an argument with some young men from a nearby village. But Perez appeared at the wrong place and time, because a gun was pulled out and shots were fired. Young Aiden felt the force of three to four gunshot wounds to his body, including a fatal one to his heart. His cousin, Kareem, was shot in the leg and groin area. Making matters even worse, Aidan was essentially left to die on the cold ground where no one at the house was even aware he had been shot until his father found him.

The gunman has been identified as Ivan Tun, the brother of the young man involved in the altercation with Kareem. Witnesses say Tun rode up on a bicycle with gun in hand. He wore no mask.

Police are currently seeking out Ivan Tun for arrest, but he has been in hiding since the incident. Investigations continue at this time.

Fisherman Adrian Perez speaks out at meeting (Photo courtesy CTV-3 News)

is that the Queen or Pink Conch has been internationally deemed an ‘Endangered Species’. This had most fishermen gathered at the meeting shaking their heads in utter disbelief. Another fisherman, Adrian Perez referred to the Government’s reason as no less than “a lie”, declaring, “I do not think that the conch is in danger; it is not [an] endangered species.”

Perez told the gathering that since “the conch reproduction is very high in the country, you can see the production that Fisheries is managing; it increased the production, so it means that

the conch is reproducing, it is not in danger…..” He made it clear his belief that the harvest of the delicacy isn’t the problem, but the meager payment they are getting for their back-breaking work is.

Most of the fishermen who spoke at the lecturn poured out their outrage and fears about what the closure will do to their pockets, their families and their dignity above all. As one fisherman put it, “For the first time in 75 years in the history of Belize, fishing has [been] closed before time and this is a crisis that is going to show a lot down here….”, while another vehemently declared, “They said that the more product we bring in, the more money we’ll get in our second payment for all of us, and that is not happening, because it’s not more but less is being given…..”

This is a sad and unforeseen time for the fishermen, but even as they intend to fight back through this planned association, is it now a case of ‘too little, too late?’ The season is closed, and let there be no bones about that. But if the fishermen of Belize have their way, this will gear up to be, like fishing itself, an exhaustive match-up.

Man shoots self with Police’s gun Stann Creek District, April 23, 2012 A Georgetown Village resident is recuperating at the hospital from

Another suspicious plane crashes in Northern Belize BELIZE CITY, Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

By Alton Humes In the rush of the organized media to stay abreast of all the ‘latest’ homicidal rampages, the latest in a string of mysterious ‘drug planes’ that have crash-landed hither-and-yon throughout the country occurred this past Friday, April 20th, and it occurred once more in northern Belize.

The plane is a converted Cessna® 210-n single-engine with only two seats (for a pilot and a passenger), and modified to carry at least 1,000 pounds of cargo (most likely illicit drugs bound for Mexico, and then the United States and Canada for sale).

But by the time the Police arrived, neither cargo nor pilot was aboard. When they arrived to the field, the mangled and wrecked plane was there, barely a shadow of its glorious self.

Police believe that the field in San Victor Village was the place that the plane planned to refuel, but the pilot couldn’t avoid a huge pothole in the feeder road, which led to the crash. The plane, despite having bogus registration papers which pointed to Ecuador as a point of origin, is believed to have been brought in Mexico.

As for the likely cargo, that’s long gone, either in the sea or already over the Mexican border. Police investigations continue at this time.

Mysterious plane crash landed on farm road in San Victor Village

single gunshot to his left thigh, after he shot himself by mistake with a police officer’s gun.

Miguel Martinez reported to the Police that on April 20th, he arrived at PC#252 Vernel Rubio’s house and went into the officer’s room. At the time Rubio was taking a shower.

Martinez said he saw a silver color gun on the bed and he started to play with it. Upon putting the weapon back on the bed, it discharged, causing the injury.

Police have not indicated whether they will press any charges on Martinez.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Gunmen target SSG affiliates More trouble for “gang truce” As Flowers walked on Caesar Ridge Road at its junction with Gill Street, his killer fired the first shot. Impaired by the bullet, Flowers collapsed to the pavement and the gunman brazenly got out of a black Toyota Camry, walked up to him and emptied the cartridge in him. Flowers had no chance to survive - with five gunshots wounds to the head, three to the abdomen, three to the right hand, three to the center of his chest, Peter Flowers

Belize City, April 24, 2012 The “gang truce” which the Barrow Administration claims is keeping the violent crime level not as bad as last year’s is hanging on a thin thread.

Even after the Ministry of Police stepped up its operations in Belize City, two men have been shot in separate incidences on the same street and only a few yards apart.

One of those victims is Jermaine Garnett, who is reportedly connected to the South Side Gang (SSG). Garnett was shot as he waited in a white Toyota Land Cruiser in front of Freetown Drug Store shortly before 5 pm on Tuesday, April 24th.

Garnet had stopped at that location while his common-law wife made purchases at the drug store.

Garnett’s instincts saved him, as he reportedly became alert when he saw a man ride past his vehicle and then make a u turn towards his vehicle. Garnett saw

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Stats that don’t lie

Jermaine Garnett

when the man reached for a pistol, which made him exit his vehicle and charge at the gunman. The attacker has been identified as Gian Bernard and he fired a shot which struck Garnett under the left armpit.

Bernard lives just two lanes away from where the shooting happened, on Castle Street, and he was remanded to the Hattieville Prison today until June 18th on charges of Attempted Murder, Wounding, and Use of Deadly Means of Harm. He was identified when Police reviewed the drug stores surveillance camera which captured the entire attack.

But Garnett is not the only SSGaffiliate to come under assault.

Peter Flowers, 26, a stevedore heading to work at around 3:30 pm on the afternoon of Saturday, April 21st, had no escape or time to fight back death.

one to the right arm, two to the back, two to the neck, and one to each leg.

It is still not clear whether Flowers walked the straight and narrow or had connections to the underworld, but just by the way he was executed, suggests that he had a “beef” with someone who wanted him dead. Just when the cloud of doubt hovers heavily over the Police Department and some of its members for the killing of Taylor’s Alley don, Arthur Young, late this evening the BELIZE TIMES was made to understand that a policeman is under investigation for Flowers’ murder. Whether it was a hit or personal vengeance will be determined as the investigations progress.

Here’s the real Belize City Council plan: 1.

Garbage Tax

Garbage Tax for residents

Over next 3 years

$120 per year $360.00

2.

A Bike License tax:

The residents $20.00 to license per month

Over one year $240.00 to license per year

Over three years $720.00 to license for 3 years 3.

New Traffic Shakedowns

The residents $80.00 per ticket

More than 3 tickets $240.00 4.

Better Services NONE AVAILABLE 5.

More grass cut NONE AVAILABLE 6.

Cemetery Fees $350.00 per grave space 7.

Taxi & Stand Fees $120.00 per taxi and vendor 8.

Tax on Dogs $40.00 9. SALARY

For Councillors & Mayor $372,000

7 News

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Sunday, April 29, 2012