7NB - Bus Passengers Kill Grenade Bandit

From my archive of press clippings:

7 News Belize

Bus Passengers Kill Grenade Bandit

posted (April 12, 2010)

Snippet(s):

"..... news of a frightening grenade attack onboard a passenger bus. It happened around 7 last night onboard a D&E bus bound for Benque Viejo Town. There were two bandits both believed to be Guatemalan. One was armed with a gun and the other with a hand grenade. In a stunning move, passengers kicked the grenade man out of the bus and ended up killing the other assailant."

Read the whole article here.

CT - International adoptions grow more difficult. Higher standards and costs play a role.

From my archive of press clippings:

Chicago Tribune

International adoptions grow more difficult

Higher standards and costs play a role


By Bonnie Miller Rubin, Tribune reporter


February 15, 2010


For years, Americans hoping to build families through adoption looked overseas because the path was more predictable and less complicated than domestic adoption.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Three of the most popular countries — China, Guatemala and Russia — have scaled back, tightened rules or temporarily halted adoptions as they struggle to establish more transparency and accountability.

Countries also have raised the eligibility bar, excluding more prospective parents based on income, marital status and even — in the case of China — body mass index.

Finally, even if a couple manage to slice through all the bureaucracy, there's the price — which can hit $40,000 in some countries, double what it was 10 years ago and a deal breaker for many families."

&

"A major shift came in 2008 with the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption.

The treaty — signed by 70 countries, including the United States — has been widely supported by accredited agencies as an important step in eliminating concerns of baby-selling and coercion. Such allegations were common in Guatemala and Vietnam."

_____
brubin@tribune.com

7NB - Illegal Chinese Nationals Deported to Guatemala

From my archive of press clippings:

7 News Belize


Illegal Chinese Nationals Deported to Guatemala

posted (April 16, 2009)


For three weeks we’ve been telling you about the nine Chinese nationals who came into Belize without visas, and have been detained at the Hattieville Prison. Well, tonight, finally, we can report that they’re gone. After two weeks when they should have gone, but somehow never did, they were loaded up at the Hattieville Prison today and sent, not to the airport, but to the western border.

Read the whole article here.

AO - Bus "agitation at the Western Border"

From my archive of press clippings:

Amandala Online

Bus "agitation at the Western Border"


Posted: 27/03/2009 - 09:48 AM

Author: Adele Ramos

For several years it has been common practice for Central American tourist buses to traverse the roads between Guatemala, Belize and Mexico, with buses making stops in Belize, picking up tourists and taking them to other stops on their route.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"(T)he Department of Transport implemented a sudden blockade, barring the buses from crossing both northern and western borders to pick up tourists here in Belize.

Chief Transport Officer, Candelaria Saldivar, told Amandala today that Linea Dorado (which operates in Guatemala and Mexico), San Juan Express (a Guatemalan line) and ADO bus services (originating out of Mexico) had been picking up passengers in Belize at San Ignacio, Belize City (at the Belize Water Taxi Terminal), Orange Walk and Corozal, when only operators with permits issued by the department can legally do so."

&

"The issue that the DOT is taking with the buses is that they have been picking up passengers in Belize even though they don’t have valid road service permits, and they have been doing so for several years, claiming that they don’t need a permit to come because of a Mundo Maya agreement, which Saldivar says the Belize Government does not have a copy of.

However, there are concerns that even if there were such an agreement, it is not reciprocal, because Belize does not get the same privileges in Guatemala and Mexico as buses from those countries have in Belize. "

AO - Busted Guat xateros were working for Belizean!

Amandala Online

Busted Guat xateros were working for Belizean!

Posted: 08/04/2009 - 10:10 AM Author: Adele Ramos

Belizean authorities have busted a band of 16 Guatemalan xatéros who were suspected to have harvested over 70,000 leaves in late March from areas in Belize where xaté harvesting is prohibited under law. While stories of Guatemalan xatéros plundering Belizean natural resources are not new, Forest Department’s Acting Chief, Marcelo Windsor, told our newspaper that this is the first time that they have had to penalize a Belizean to whom the department had given a license to harvest xaté from the forest.

Read the whole article here.

AO - Guat milperos, xateros, loggers punk Belize

From my archive of press clippings:

Amandala Online


Guat milperos, xateros, loggers punk Belize

Posted: 24/03/2009 - 01:28 PM

Author: Adele Ramos

Guats not afraid, say Belizean law enforcement authorities “go soft” on them

Belize’s largest and most precious forest - the Chiquibul Forest – continues to be a stamping ground for Guatemalans who persist in their illegal encroachments on Belizean territory, to log precious woods such as cedar, mahogany, Santa Maria and Nargusta; cut xate palm, and even build homes, in defiance of Belize’s sovereignty and right to its territorial integrity.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"The 2005 OAS agreement that Belize and Guatemala signed sets out specific procedures for the removal of people settling inside the zone. The agreements speak of relocating Guatemalans moving into Belize illegally after October 2000, and not before, with the exception of Santa Rosa, which was known to have existed before 2000."

"Even though the illegal settlement of Guatemalans in Belize is an undying issue, a much larger problem looms – the mass hacking of Belize’s pristine forests inside the Chiquibul National Park.

Rafael Manzanero, Program Director of the Chiquibul Maya Mountain Program and Executive Director of Friends for Conservation and Development, informed us today that Guatemalan milpa farmers have continued to make massive clearings on the Belize side of the border in the national park, where no one – not even Belizeans – should hunt, log, or exploit any of the natural resources, except for research purposes where permission is granted."

"More than trashing what is prized as Belize’s most beautiful forest, illegal encroachers – some of them reputed to be highly trained ex-military from the Kaibil special forces - are blamed for looting archaeological sites, and leaving their signatures on trees – such as the Kaibil sticker.

Xateros are mostly men (about 60%), but boys as young as 11 years of age have been intercepted as a part of their group.

Even though it is not exploited for commercial purposes in Belize, the xate industry in Guatemala is lucrative, netting an estimated US$140 million annually in export earnings, as the decorative palm is in high demand in the USA and Europe, especially for decorations around Christmas, Valentine’s, Easter and Mother’s Day."

&

"Whereas the over 400,000 acres that make up the Chiquibul Forest is underdeveloped, with very little access roads, the picture is very different on the Guatemalan side of the border, where there is a massive network of roads leading to villages only a stone’s throw from the border with Belize – the most notable cases being Santa Cruz near Jalacte, and La Rajoya, further north, visible with the naked eye from the Belize side of the border. "

AO - Cabinet decides to restrict foreign tourist buses from Mexico and Guatemala

Amandala Online

Cabinet decides to restrict foreign tourist buses from Mexico and Guatemala


Posted: 02/04/2009 - 09:41 PM

Author: Adele Ramos

Tourist buses originating from neighboring republics of Mexico and Guatemala have for several years had unbridled access to Belize and total freedom to pick up and drop off passengers anywhere they chose, even as Belizean drivers and tour guides are restricted in what they can do across the border. The Government of Belize says that all that will soon come to an end.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"On Tuesday, March 31st, Cabinet made a firm decision that the relationships with our neighbors have to be reciprocal – meaning that whatever restrictions Guatemala and Mexico are imposing on Belize, have to be in turn imposed by Belize on their operators once they cross into our territory."

"Direct in-transit buses, which are destined to another Central American country but which pass through Belize, will have to carry a “manifest list,” which will be checked at both the northern and western border points to keep track of who comes in and who leaves with that bus. These buses should not drop off or pick up passengers anywhere in Belize."

"Belize has evidently stepped back from that hard-line stance in that it is allowing foreign operators to continue business as usual for another three weeks, even though formal word has yet to come from officials in Guatemala and Mexico on whether they will accede to Cabinet’s new protocols."

&

"According to the CEO, there are very clear improvements with the new system: (1) local tour guides will now have to be used on the foreign buses and a minimum payment system will be put into effect to ensure local guides are not underpaid; (2) foreign buses will not be allowed to stop at any other point apart from the Water Taxi Terminal in Belize (whereas they have been stopping anywhere they wish to pick up and drop off tourists); and (3) permits will be issued to operators and the Transport Department will be vigilant in ensuring that foreign operators obey the new regulations."

SFCN - Caribbean leaders reaffirm integrity of Guyana and Belize sovereignty

South Florida Caribbean News

Caribbean leaders reaffirm integrity of Guyana and Belize sovereignty


Tuesday, March 17, 2009


BELIZE CITY, Belize - The border issues between Guyana and Venezuela and Belize and Guatemala were discussed in Belmopan by Caribbean Heads of Government during the just-concluded 12th Inter-Sessional.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Heads of Government reaffirmed their unequivocal support for the safeguarding of Guyana’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and its right to develop its resources in the entirety of its territory."

"Heads of Government reaffirmed their unequivocal support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Belize."

AO - Guats send Belize diplomatic note on Jalacte

From my archive of press clippings:

Amandala Online

Guats send Belize diplomatic note on Jalacte

Posted: 10/02/2009 - 01:08 PM


Author: Adele Ramos

How long will a bodega (warehouse), illegally erected on Belizean soil back in December 2008 by Guatemalan businessman Leonel Arellanos, continue to stand? Prime Minister Dean Barrow said several weeks ago that the structure simply has to go – but will it ever be removed?

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Amandala confirmed today that the bodega is still perched, intact, atop a hill at Jalacte, Toledo, guarded dutifully by armed Belizean Defence Force soldiers. Arellanos and his allies in his home village, Santa Cruz, Guatemala, have allegedly issued threats of violence against both Belize and Guatemala security forces, and so the matter remains highly sensitive, Belize Foreign Affairs officials say."

&

"BDF Commander Dario Tapia told Amandala this morning that the bodega is still under BDF guard, and that Arellanos has not had access to the area.

Apart from the incursion at Jalacte, there continue to be repeated incursions by illegal farmers and xateros on Belizean soil – hard to contain, Tapia told us, because the army cannot patrol the border 24/7."

CNN - Halted foreign adoptions leave would-be parents in limbo

From my archive of press clippings:

CNN

Halted foreign adoptions leave would-be parents in limbo

updated 4:17 a.m. EDT, Wed May 28, 2008

From Samira J. Simone, Harris Whitbeck and Zain Verjee

CNN (CNN) -- The crib in Ellen Darcy's Boston home has sat empty for more than a year. And in suburban Washington, Laura Teresinski has prepared a nursery for a baby that may never arrive. Guatemala has announced it will conduct a case-by-case review of every pending foreign adoption case.

Read the whole article here.

AO - Guats pouring into Belize - 33 caught, deported!

Amandala Online



Guats pouring into Belize – 33 caught, deported!


Posted: 13/01/2009 - 12:59 PM

Author: Adele Ramos


The dangerously porous nature of the Belize-Guatemala border along with the continued infiltration of Guatemalans into Belizean territory continues to be a matter of major national concern, particularly at Jalacte, Toledo, which has come to be known as an informal “port-of-entry” for Guatemalans coming into Belize—some of them for work, but others feared to be coming for not-so-legitimate purposes.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Official sources tell our newspaper that an “intelligence driven” operation in the South last week resulted in a major bust of 33 illegal aliens—mostly Guatemalans—as they were being bused into Belizean territory, without proper documentation. Multiple sources tell us that the Guatemalans were not charged, but deported back to their country."

&

"Amandala was able to confirm with police sources that 33 illegal immigrants, who we are told came through Jalacte, Toledo, were processed in Independence last week. There were two Salvadorans who were charged for illegal entry, but the remaining people, all Guatemalans, were deported after being given an OTL – Order to Leave."

Google - Guatemala annuls 15 adoption cases

From my archive of press clippings:

Google

Guatemala annuls 15 adoption cases

May 21, 2008

By RODRIGO ESTRADA

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemala's attorney general said Wednesday he has annulled 15 pending adoptions to U.S. couples after finding evidence of fraud or other irregularities.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Attorney General Baudilio Portillo suspended all of Guatemala's 2,286 pending adoption cases in early May to investigate them.

The 15 annulled cases represent nearly 10 percent of the 160 cases that have been reviewed thus far.

Another 2,126 must still be investigated.

The 145 cases that were not annulled were allowed to move forward."

&

"The babies whose cases have been annulled will be put in foster homes until a judge locates their parents. If their parents aren't found, they will be put up for adoption again."

ADG - Hague regulations slow international adoptions

From my archive of press clippings:

Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Hague regulations slow international adoptions

BY NOEL E. OMAN

Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008

Donna Baslee of Bella Vista knows firsthand how difficult and complex it is to adopt foreign-born children.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Nationally, international adoptions fell to 17, 438 in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 from 19, 613 in fiscal year 2007, a drop of 11 percent, according to the Office of Children’s Issues at the U. S. State Department.

It was the lowest number of adoptions in nearly a decade and far below the peak of 22, 884 adoptions reached in 2004.

International adoptions likely will continue to decline. Guatemala had the highest number of intercountry adoptions with the United States in 2008, replacing China, which had held the top spot for a number of years. But the United States said in September that it would no longer process adoptions from Guatemala because the adoptions can’t comply with the Hague Adoption Convention standards, which the United States began enforcing April 1.

The Hague Adoption Convention is an international agreement among participating countries on best adoption procedures.

It has two main goals: to ensure that the best interest of children are considered in every intercountry adoption and to prevent the abduction, exploitation, sale and trafficking of children.

Guatemala has agreed to participate in the Hague Adoption Convention, but U. S. officials say the nation has yet to set up procedures and a central office to handle intercountry adoptions."

AO - Guatemalan xatéros and loggers rape Columbia River Forest Reserve

From my archive of press clippings:

AmandalaOnline

Guatemalan xatéros and loggers rape Columbia River Forest Reserve

Posted: 06/06/2008 - 11:43 AM Author: - Amandala exclusive -

The Ya’axche’ Conservation Trust, a community-oriented NGO in southern Belize, has forwarded to Amandala the report of a multi-agency patrol conducted in May in the Colombia River Forest Reserve, which, we believe, is of national importance.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Guatemalan xatéros and illegal loggers, for many decades, through successive Belizean political administrations, have largely had a free hand in decimating our forests and looting our national heritage near the border between Belize and Guatemala.

Today, police told us that in the reserve on Friday, May 23, 2008, they discovered three Guatemalan men, Concepcion Mendez Ramirez, 25, and brothers Isidora, 38, and Carlos Gomez, 28, with 50 bundles of xaté leaves. The men were charged with unlawful possession of forest produce and appeared in Punta Gorda Magistrate’s Court, in front of Magistrate Roberto Ordonez. They all pleaded guilty to the offence and were fined $500 each. They were unable to pay and are currently serving 6 months in jail."

&

"(T)he remnants of a Mayan pot found at a xatéro camp demonstrates that, as has been seen in the Chiquibul, the cultural heritage of Belize is being slowly dug up and exported. It will never be known what else has already been removed by the highly active Guatemalans from the Southern Maya Mountains, as the area’s archaeological significance has been explored only on the outskirts.

The high level of illegal human activity in the area appears to be having a devastating impact on the local populations of wildlife. All of the patrol members agreed that almost no wildlife was seen in the area, compared to what should have been very high levels. This observation is supported by sightings of shotgun cartridges, the carrying of a slingshot by one of the xatéros, remains of birds and kinkajous (nightwalker) that had been killed and eaten in the area."

ABC - U.S. Adoptions Fueled by Guatemalan Kidnappings. Demand for Guatemalan Children Is So High, Baby Snatching Is Rampant.

From my archive of press clippings:

ABC News

U.S. Adoptions Fueled by Guatemalan Kidnappings. Demand for Guatemalan Children Is So High, Baby Snatching Is Rampant.

By HAROLDO MARTINEZ and RUSSELL GOLDMAN GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala

May 13, 2008 — Two years ago, Raquel Par boarded a bus in her hometown of Tecpan, Guatemala, with her baby daughter for the 90-minute ride to the country's capital.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Children are big business in Guatemala, where international adoption is estimated to be a $100 million industry, making orphans the country's second-most lucrative export after bananas.

With tens of thousands of dollars to be made on the sale of each child, and with little government regulation, a fertile black market has developed to sell children all over the world, especially the United States.

Children are routinely kidnapped and parents regularly coerced to sell their children, say government officials and human rights activists.

One in every 100 Guatemalan children is adopted by an American family, the highest per capita adoption rate in the world, and 95 percent of all Guatemalan children who are adopted go to the U.S.

The U.S. State Department says approximately 29,400 Guatemalan children have been adopted by Americans since 1990, and local sources peg the average cost at $30,000 per child."

"American families adopted 4,728 Guatemalan children last year, according to the State Department, second only to the number of orphans coming from China."

&

"(T)he U.S. only recently ratified the Hague Adoption Convention, despite being a longtime signatory. As a result, Americans will only be permitted to adopt through agencies accredited by a national organization and registered with the State Department. Prior to the U.S. implementing the treaty early this year, there was no national organization which vetted or tracked the agencies, which find Guatemalan orphans for American families."