CARICOM concerned about Belize-Guatemala incident

PRESS STATEMENT ON INCIDENT BETWEEN BELIZE AND GUATEMALA AT SARSTOON

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) expresses its grave concern over the incident which took place at the Sarstoon River, the southern boundary of Belize with the Republic of Guatemala, between Belizean Security Forces and Guatemalan Armed Forces (GAF) on 12 March 2016. The GAF entered Belizean internal waters and acted in an intimidating manner towards the Belizean forces at their Forward Operating Base on Belize’s mainland at the mouth of the Sarstoon River. The GAF claimed that the River belonged to them, although the mid-channel of the River was the settled and agreed border between the Republic of Guatemala and the United Kingdom long before Belize’s independence in 1981.  Since Independence Belize has always continued to assert its sovereignty over the area.

Although the incident ended peacefully following contact at the highest level between military and political leaders on both sides, CARICOM notes with grave concern the tension caused as a result of the incident.

The Caribbean Community restates the importance it places on respect for international law and the sanctity of treaties and deeply regrets any actions of the GAF which violate the sovereignty of Belize and attempt to change the status quo prior to the submission of the Guatemalan claim to Belizean territory to the International Court of Justice in accordance with the Special Agreement ratified by both parties.

The Community reiterates its strong and unequivocal support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Belize and calls on the government of Guatemala to agree to Confidence Building Measures, in conjunction with the Organization of American States, to ensure peace and stability along the southern border of Belize with the Republic of Guatemala.

UPDATE; Valdemar Alpuche Junior drowns in the water in Corozal body recovered

Today the police filed a report about a drowning in Corozal town Belize.  According to the Corozal Police at around 3:20 PM on Sunday March 20th, 2016 they were called that in the area of  South End area of the Corozal Bay, across from Caribbean Tires, a male was drowned in the water with a sky.

When police arrived at the scene,  they were told that Valdemar Alpuche Junior, better known as Bambito, was with his daughter and three other males, were all aboard in a single jet ski when they hit a wave causing the jet ski to flip and throw all five people off. The three men were reported to be wearing life jackets but Alpuche and his daughter were not and were reported to have gone under. The daughter was eventually found and rushed to the Corozal Community Hospital where she is being reported to be in a stable condition but as for her father, they are unable to find his body and are presuming that he drowned. We will have more information as we receive it from Corozal Police.

Corozal Police and the search rescue had recovered the body of Valdemar Alpuche Jr., a Customs Officer, from the sea about an hour after he went under water on Sunday March 20, 2016.

witnesses saw, that around three twenty on Sunday afternoon Apluche was on a jet ski with his daughter, a minor, at the southern end of the Corozal Bay near Caribbean Tires when they were knocked off by a strong wave.

His daughter was the only one who had on a life jacket. Apluche didn’t and he went under water. Swift response  from onlookers saved the life of the young girl who was rushed to the Corozal Community Hospital and is reported to be out of danger.

According to police REPORT, Lewelyn Kelly tried to give assistances to Alpuche but he too experienced problems and had to be rescued from the water.

Norwegian's port in Belize to have ziplines, freefall jump

FORT LAUDERDALE — Norwegian Cruise Line divulged details of its upgraded Harvest Caye private port, scheduled to open in Belize in mid-November.

The port will have a pier where Norwegian ships can tie up, a seven-acre sand beach, a marina that will serve as a departure point for excursions, and a 130-foot-tall lighthouse structure that will anchor a pair of ziplines, a freefall jump attraction and several observation platforms.

“We think this is going to be a very, very popular feature," Norwegian President Andy Stuart said in a presentation at the Seatrade Cruise Global conference here.

In addition to the beach, there will be a 15,000-square-foot pool with a swim-up bar, cascading waterfall and canopy style cabanas available for rent.

 A Landshark Bar & Grill will open at Harvest Caye.

There will also be 11 deluxe air-conditioned beachfront cabanas that will have hammocks, private bathrooms, indoor and outdoor showers and other premium features. Pricing has not been decided, Stuart said.

A ropes course, popular on the latest Norwegian ships, will be built on a platform in a lagoon. There will also be a two-story Landshark Bar & Grill as part of Norwegian’s partnership with Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville.

There will be water sports equipment rentals but no water scooters, in keeping with efforts to polish the port’s ecological credentials. 

An aviary will feature six pairs of toucans, the Belize national bird. There also will be a butterfly garden and boa constrictor viewing and education center. 

Norwegian said it expects four ships a week to call at Harvest Caye in peak season, in place of current stops in Belize and elsewhere. The budget for the project is included in the $400 million devoted to the Norwegian Edge initiative, but isn’t broken out separately, Stuart said.

Colin Murphy, senior vice president for destination and strategic development at Norwegian, said the cruise lines and its concession companies are expected to have 400 to 500 permanent employees at Harvest Caye.

Visit a Vertical Underwater Cave in Belize

In 1971, famed undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau helped turn Belize into a diver’s paradise when he tagged the Great Blue Hole sinkhole as one of world's top ten diving spots. You'll know it if you see it: a brilliant dark blue pupil 1,000 feet across surrounded by an iris of lighter blue-green, sitting in the middle of the Belize Barrier Reef 43 miles off of the country's tropical coast.

How did such a perfect circle end up beneath the crystal-clear water? Blame not one, but four collapses. The Great Blue Hole began its life above water during glacial periods as a dry cavern system full of rock columns and stalactites. It sat on what was once Lighthouse Reef Atoll, a limestone plateau.

Until it fell in, that is: According to Frank Gordon Kirkwood, an environmental chemist and Blue Hole expert, four separate geological events occurred between 10,000 and 150,000 years ago. Each time, the ocean level rose, flooding each cavern and causing it to collapse. At the end, he tells Smithsonian.com, “the roof of the huge round cavern collapsed and the sea level finally rose the rest of the 400 feet to its current level.” Now, it’s considered a vertical cave—and it even looks good from space.

That formation process gave the Great Blue Hole its unique color, says Kirkwood. The sinkhole is about 400 feet deep, surrounded by ten-foot-deep water on top of the now-underwater atoll. The deep water looks dark blue, circled by shallower light blue-green water with a sandy bottom spiked with coral. A stalactite gallery sits under 135 feet of water, above several deeper caverns.

Most divers head for the Hole because of its unique underwater landscape, but it's also home to a large and surprisingly robust group of aquatic life forms. The hole is a bit anomalous—the water is mostly shallow and open sea is at least a mile and a half away. Regardless, the sinkhole is filled with large shoals of yellow snapper and Bermuda chub, Caribbean reef sharks (“impressively sized,” according to Kirkwood), hammerhead sharks, spotted eagle rays, French angelfish, midnight parrotfish and hawksbill sea turtles. 

Though the Great Blue Hole is a must-see destination for many scuba divers, those without a highly technical level of training might leave disappointed. There’s usually only enough oxygen to stay down for about eight minutes exploring the stalactite gallery before starting the ascent back up—a challenge for any but the most experienced divers.

But those on the lookout for other sinkholes are in luck: Belize, and indeed much of Central America, is packed with cenotes, as they are known. Though the Great Blue Hole is the only submarine sinkhole in Belize, other sinkholes without an underground cave system exist in the country, like the Blue Hole near Belmopan and another collapsed sinkhole in the Chiquibul National Park in mainland Belize. Others, like Cara Blanca, were sacred Maya sites.

Belize may hold other sinkholes, but something else sets the Great Blue Hole apart: This one might hold the key to the ruin of Maya civilization in the area. In 2014, researchers took samples of sediment from both the Great Blue Hole and a lagoon in central Belize. The samples dated back to the decline of the area's Maya population in around 800 to 1000 A.D. Answers lie in what the researchers didn’t find. A relatively low occurrence of titanium—presence of the mineral is indicative of heavy rainfalls—suggests that during these years, droughts were longer and worse, destroying water supplies and killing crops. If the Maya didn’t die from starvation or disease, they must have been forced to bail on their cities for some other reason.

Does the hole hold other clues to an ancient civilization's downfall? Perhaps. But the world’s largest natural formation of its kind would intrigue adventurers even without the connection to Maya culture. Beheld from above or explored from within, something about that mysterious round formation beckons to explorers, divers and marine life alike.

CARICOM reiterates support for Belize in border dispute

The 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has reiterated its support for Belize in its ongoing border dispute with Guatemala following last weekend’s incident involving members of the Belize Defense Force (BDF) and the Guatemalan Navy near the mouth of the Sarstoon River.

“The Caribbean Community expresses its grave concern over the incident which took place at the Sarstoon River, the southern boundary of Belize with the Republic of Guatemala, between Belizean Security Forces and Guatemalan Armed Forces (GAF) on 12 March 2016,” CARICOM said in a statement.

It said that “the GAF entered Belizean internal waters and acted in an intimidating manner towards the Belizean forces at their Forward Operating Base on Belize’s mainland at the mouth of the Sarstoon River. “The GAF claimed that the River belonged to them, although the mid-channel of the River was the settled and agreed border between the Republic of Guatemala and the United Kingdom long before Belize’s independence in 1981.  Since Independence Belize has always continued to assert its sovereignty over the area,” CARICOM said.

Earlier this week, National Security Minister, John Saldivar, said he was hopeful of a diplomatic solution would be found and the matter was raised during talks in Washington between Belizean and Guatemalan foreign ministers Wilfred Elrington and Carlos Raul Morales at the Organization of American States (OAS).

“A military solution is not good for any of us,” Saldivar said, adding “the heightened security concerns in the area really do worry us but we are at this point exploring the diplomatic avenues to try to get it resolved”.

Belize is reported to have sent a protest note to Guatemala over the incident but the Guatemalans replied disagreeing with Belmopan’s version of the incident.

In its response, the Guatemalans noted that “on March eleventh, a BDF boat, without following the protocol of security usually implemented on the Sarstoon River, came into Guatemalan internal waters on the mentioned river and navigated by the south of the mentioned river.

“On March twelfth, contact was established via radio with the BDF to indicate to them that they have to abide by protocols of security habitually followed on the Sarstoon River. They were informed that when they traversed the river they had damaged a gill net, property of a Guatemalan resident.”

The Guatemalan authorities said that communication was met with insults from the BDF and “at no time was there any provocation from the Guatemalan authorities toward those on the Belizean boat who were asked to continue to use the security protocols normally used in respect of the Sarstoon River.

“For this reason, the Ministry considers that it is a lie to say that the Guatemalan officials behaved in a manner that is threatening and hostile, when the only issue that was sought was to ask the crew on the Belizean boat to follow the security protocols normally implemented on the Sarstoon.”

In its statement, CARICOM said “although the incident ended peacefully following contact at the highest level between military and political leaders on both sides, CARICOM notes with grave concern the tension caused as a result of the incident.

“The Caribbean Community restates the importance it places on respect for international law and the sanctity of treaties and deeply regrets any actions of the GAF which violate the sovereignty of Belize and attempt to change the status quo prior to the submission of the Guatemalan claim to Belizean territory to the International Court of Justice in accordance with the Special Agreement ratified by both parties.”

The 15-member grouping, which includes Belize, added that it was reiterating “ its strong and unequivocal support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Belize and calls on the government of Guatemala to agree to Confidence Building Measures, in conjunction with the Organization of American States, to ensure peace and stability along the southern border of Belize with the Republic of Guatemala”.

Guatemala and Belize have had a long running border dispute with Guatemala claiming the whole or part of Belize since 1940.

Evaluated include San Andrés as a permanent destination 'Rally Curacao to Belize '

Deputy Minister of Tourism, Sandra Howard, San Andres received the 57 sailors who arrived seven nationalities in the 25 participating yachts 'Rally Curacao to Belize'.

The senior official presented a plaque of appreciation to Susanne Chappell, president of Ocean Cruising Club (OCC), an association of sailors recreation with 3,000 members and headquarters in England, whom he thanked him for his intention to include San Andrés in future tours Caribbean.

The arrival of the international rally to the island had the support of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, the Ministry of Departmental Tourism, Migration Colombia, DIAN, the OCCRE, the Harbor, the Navy, the Yacht Club and entrepreneurs local, which facilitated the processes needed to realize this experience.

The sailors will remain until Friday in San Andres and Providencia then leave for, where local authorities also prepare them welcome.

The rally started last January 2 Curacao and visit ports of Aruba, Panama, Guatemala, Cuba and Colombia, until you reach your destination.

Howard deputy minister announced that the board cruise San Andrés will be strengthened to create the appropriate conditions of services and infrastructure required nautical tourism world-class, since this rally has put the island territory on the radar of the big events of this nature.

Belize to get $20million dollars nationwide 4G LTE network BY SEAN KINNEY

Carrier DigiCell, along with Huawei, plans to bring 4G LTE live by December

The small Central American country Belize will soon be covered by a 4G LTE network being deployed by DigiCell, a subsidiary of Belize Telemedia Limited.

Belize Telemedia Limited and DigiCell are both owned and controlled by the government of Belize. Privately-owned SMART is the only other mobile operator in Belize.

The LTE network will support download speeds of up to 100 megabits per second, according to BTL, which pegs its investment at $20 million.

Huawei is the sole vendor for this project. BTL executive committee chairman Anwar Barrow said Huawei “will bring significant experience and expertise to the project—not only during the implementation phase, but even after the initial LTE installation. They are charged with ensuring that the LTE service will work optimally, and that our BTL team members are fully trained to manage the new network on an ongoing basis.”

He Ming, president of Huawei Technologies USA, said this project is indicative of the company’s emphasis on taking a customer-centric approach that goes beyond selling equipment to include “Huawei providing the latest training to the BTL team so they can ensure the ongoing quality of the network and the voice and data services delivered to their customers.”

“Huawei’s goal in this long-term partnership with BTL for managed services, fixed broadband and LTE is to make DigiCell the fastest, most reliable network possible for all Belizeans,” Ming said.

Talking about the deployment, Barrow said this would be a comprehensive LTE deployment not limited to certain high-value areas.

“BTL has made the very conscious decision to install LTE throughout the entire country wherever we have current mobile coverage – and not simply do a partial installation in select places.  It is an important differentiator between us and our competitor, as we believe that it is critical that as many Belizeans as possible have access to this cutting edge high speed mobile technology.”

Barrow said the deployment would include building 60 new cell sites.

Two Belizeans arrested in Ribera del Rio Chetumal, Quintana Roo for drug trafficking

In Chetumal, two smugglers Belizeans were arrested by elements of the State Police during his travels routine in Ribera del Rio Hondo, when they were in possession of several bales of clothing from the Free Zone of Belize, which were delivered to the Subdelegación the Attorney General's Office (PGR) in Chetumal.The agents disclosed that during his travels surveillance in Ribera del Rio Hondo, found that two people who were traveling aboard a Toyota van, red, with plates of the neighboring state of Belize, behaved suspiciously.
In this situation they asked them to stop the march of the unit to perform a review; however, they tried to flee, but were arrested kilometers later by a raid by the police elements who immediately practiced them a review. Inside the van, police officers located three bales of clothing from the free zone, which could not prove their legal entry into the country, so they were secured and taken to the base of the Ministry of Public Security ( SSP). On the site, the two subjects were identified as Christopher Cano 36, Cesar Campos Gonzalez, 32, both originally from Belize, who were delivered for the office of the Attorney General's Office (PGR) in Chetumal. (SOURCE: ANSWER)

OPTIMIZE YOUTH PARTICIPATION, REGIONAL MEETING URGED

CARICOM Youth Ambassadors Vice-Dean, Belizean Ms Tarun Butcher is urging optimum participation of young people in the activities of the Caribbean Community. Ms Tarun was addressing Regional Ministers of Youth and Culture, Ministry officials, representatives of regional and international organisations and CARICOM Youth Ambassadors at the opening of the 29th Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) in Guyana, Thursday.
“The youth want to participate now,” she said. “If not now then when, and if not us then who?” she asked the participants.
Ms Tarun said there was need to foster the philosophy that young people are assets to the Community rather than problems to be solved. She said Caribbean youth have been contributing in areas such as societal change, innovation and technological development despite being affected by issues such as poverty, social inequality and marginalization.
The Opening Ceremony was also addressed by Chairman of the COHSOD and Minister of Sports and Youth Development in St. Lucia, Mr. Shawn Edward. He said the theme of this COHSOD, "Leveraging CARICOM's Human and Cultural Assets for the Sustainable Development of the Community" struck at the very heart of the responsibility of Ministers with responsibility for Youth and Culture.
The Minister said there needs to be a shift in the thinking and valuing of areas of the school curriculum, and that critical thinking and innovative disposition must be more recognized for there to be success in the knowledge economy and society.
The research has demonstrated quite conclusively the links between exposure to arts - for example music and drama - and enhanced outcomes in other areas, the Minister said.
Minister in Guyana’s Ministry of Education Ms. Nicolette O. Henry told the ceremony that Guyana has begun to draft a national cultural policy. She said the framework intends to mainstream culture and examine it from three areas over the next five years: culture and the environment, culture in education and culture and citizenship.

Press Release - Hon. Dean Barrow Appointed as a Member of the Privy Council

Press Release - Hon. Dean Barrow Appointed as a Member of the Privy Council

Belmopan. March 3, 2016. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has announced that Prime Minister of Belize Hon. Dean Barrow has been appointed as a Member of the Privy Council. With this, the Prime Minister can now legitimately be referred to as the Right Honourable Dean Barrow.

The announcement was published on the website of the Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on March 1, 2016.

This comes after the Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow’s appointment to his third term as the Prime Minister of Belize. Rt. Hon. Barrow was first elected Prime Minister in 2008, followed by his consecutive wins in 2012 and 2015.

End.

BTL To Launch "Full Nationwide" 4G LTE In Belize With Huawei

BELIZE CITY, Belize, March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL), under the banner of its DigiCell Mobile brand, and its telecommunications vendor-partner Huawei Technologies, today announced the roll-out of its nationwide 4G LTE network, expected for launch in December of this year.

The installation of DigiCell's brand new 4G LTE mobile network throughout Belize will position BTL to be the first and only telecommunications provider to have this high speed mobile service throughout the country – and at speeds and quality that will ultimately be superior to that of any provider within the country, or elsewhere throughout the Caribbean & Central American region.

The term "4G LTE" refers to the Fourth Generation, Long Term Evolution mobile technology that allows for data speed bursts surpassing 100 Megabytes per second (Mbps), alongside reduced latency and improved stability and capacity. 

Huawei Technologies, also present at the today's press conference, has been selected as the vendor for the LTE network.  Huawei is a global leader in mobile technology with over 240 4G LTE deployments worldwide.  Overall, Huawei wireless networks are used by more than 500 mobile operators worldwide, serving more than 2 billion customers.

"BTL has made the very conscious decision to install LTE throughout the entire country wherever we have current mobile coverage – and not simply do a partial installation in select places.  It is an important differentiator between us and our competitor, as we believe that it is critical that as many Belizeans as possible have access to this cutting edge high speed mobile technology," noted Anwar Barrow, Chairman of the BTL Executive Committee.  "Furthermore, in our next phase of mobile deployment we will be adding more than 60 additional cell sites throughout the country, ensuring that DigiCell will have unmatched reach and capacity in Belize.

"We are also very pleased to work with a company of the stature and competence of Huawei Technologies.  They will bring significant experience and expertise to the project – not only during the implementation phase, but even after the initial LTE installation.  They are charged with ensuring that the LTE service will work optimally, and that our BTL team members are fully trained to manage the new network on an ongoing basis," Barrow continued.

The investment in a new nationwide 4G LTE network and related components is expected to top BZE $40 million (US $20 million). The investment is part of a broader strategic effort of the company to modernize both its mobile and landline plant to radically improve broadband connectivity and quality across the country.

"Huawei's goal in this long-term partnership with BTL for managed services, fixed broadband and LTE is to make DigiCell the fastest, most reliable network possible for all Belizeans," said He Ming, President of Huawei Technologies USA. "Our customer-centric approach also includes Huawei providing the latest training to the BTL team so they can ensure the ongoing quality of the network and the voice and data services delivered to their customers."

About BTL

Belize Telemedia Ltd. (BTL) is the leading telecommunications provider in Belize.  The company provides mobile, PSTN, and broadband services to both the residential and commercial markets, with full reach throughout the country.  The company is committed to the development of the Belizean community, and the expansion of its product offerings to ensure that the country ofBelize becomes a regional leader in telecommunications – as measured by quality of service - by the year 2020.  The company employs 600 persons.  It is a limited liability company, with 63 percent of shares held by the Government of Belize on behalf of the Belizean people.  The remaining shares are held by domestic institutional investors and individuals.  

The company trades in the mobile marketplace under the brand name 'DigiCell'.

www.belizetelemedia.net
www.digicell.bz

About Huawei

Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. Our aim is to enrich life and improve efficiency through a better connected world, acting as a responsible corporate citizen, innovative enabler for the information society, and collaborative contributor to the industry. Driven by customer-centric innovation and open partnerships, Huawei has established an end-to-end ICT solutions portfolio that gives customers competitive advantages in telecom and enterprise networks, devices and cloud computing. Huawei's 170,000 employees worldwide are committed to creating maximum value for telecom operators, enterprises and consumers. Our innovative ICT solutions, products and services are used in more than 170 countries and regions, serving over one-third of the world's population. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees.
For more information, please visit Huawei online at www.huawei.com or follow us on:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/Huawei
http://www.twitter.com/Huawei
http://www.facebook.com/Huawei
http://www.google.com/+Huawei
http://www.youtube.com/Huawei

PUP REJECTS GUATEMALAN CLAIM TO SARSTOON

PUP REJECTS GUATEMALAN CLAIM TO SARSTOON

On Saturday 27 February 2016, the Foreign Minister of Guatemala, Carlos Raul Morales, claimed, in Guatemalan media, that all of the Sarstoon River is Guatemalan territory. That is false and provocative. Based on reliable reports, it is clear that on the 27 February 2016 a Guatemalan military vessel entered Belizean territorial waters. This was an egregious violation of Belizean sovereignty and a breach of international law. The People’s United Party categorically rejects the specious claim by Foreign Minister Morales, and strongly condemns the provocative and illegal act by the Guatemalan Navy.

The PUP calls on the Government of Belize to immediately deliver a strongly worded Diplomatic Note to Guatemala rejecting the spurious claim by Foreign Minister Morales, and to recall our Belizean Ambassador to Guatemala for urgent consultations. We further call for an urgent ministerial meeting between Belize and Guatemala at the Organization of American States to adopt measures that reduce tensions whilst fully respecting Belize’s territorial integrity.

The PUP strongly asserts that Belize is sovereign over all its territory, as defined by the Belize Constitution, and that Belizeans have the right to travel to any and all parts of Belize. We call on the Government to exercise sovereignty over all Belizean territory, and, when required, to provide an appropriate level of protection to all Belizeans within Belize.

In commenting on the developments over the weekend, Hon John Briceño stated that: “Guatemala has embarked on a dangerous and confrontational course; we reject it. Now, more than ever, we need a bipartisan approach to what is clearly a threat to Belizean sovereignty. The PUP is ready to play a leading role in a new national effort to defend our national interests.”

On the 25 February 2016, the PUP National Executive approved the appointment of a Belize Guatemala Advisory Committee comprising: Hon. Said Musa, Chairman, Assad Shoman, Godfrey Smith, Eamon Courtenay and Lisa Shoman.

• 
  

  

  
  

Belize Weather Outlook

24hr Forecast Cloudy at times this afternoon, tonight and tomorrow morning. Showers will be isolated this afternoon, increasing slightly over the coast tonight and  over most areas tomorrow morning. 83°F Updated: 3:00 PM  PARTLY CLOUDY Humidity(%): 75 Wind(kts): E'N  06 Pressure(hPa): 1014.7 Sunrise: 6:09 AM (THURS.) Sunset: 6:00 PM WEDNESDAY 2ND MARCH 2016
Time:	12:00 PM

---

General Situation:

RELATIVELY MOIST CONDITIONS PREVAIL...

---

24hr Forecast:

CLOUDY AT TIMES THIS AFTERNOON, TONIGHT AND TOMORROW MORNING. SHOWERS WILL BE ISOLATED THIS AFTENOON, THEN INCREASE SLIGHTLY ALONG THE COAST TONIGHT AND OVER MOST AREAS TOMORROW MORNING.

Winds:	EAST - NORTHEAST 5-15 KNOTS
Sea State:	LIGHT CHOP - CHOPPY

---

Advisories/ Alerts/ Watches/ Warnings:

*NONE*

---

Outlook:

A FEW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT MOST AREAS OF THE COUNTRY BETWEEN  THURS AFTERNOON AND FRI MIDDAY.

---

Temperatures:

Highs (today)

Lows (tonight)

	Coast	30°C	86°F		Coast	23°C	73°F
	Inland	32°C	89°F		Inland	19°C	66°F
	Hills	24°C	76°F		Hills	16°C	60°F

---

Tides:		Low:	11:52 PM	High:	3:50 PM
		Low:	10:45 AM (THURS)	High:	5:33 AM (THURS)

Sunset:	6:00 PM	Moonset:	12:10 PM
Sunrise:	6:09 AM (THURS)	Moonrise:	1:25 AM (THURS)

---

Forecaster:

Francisca Wellington

Caribbean leaders plan to approach the ICC and BCCI and explore alternative options to improve the governance of West Indies cricket

The lawyers advising delegates of the 41 member states of football's Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) on the need for change might just as well have been Caribbean Community (CARICOM) governments addressing the directors of the West Indies Cricket Board on the same theme.

Several principals of CONCACAF, one of the six confederations within FIFA, were involved in the scandals leading to the demise of the latter's long-serving president, Sepp Blatter, and Friday's election in Zurich that chose his successor. According to a Reuters report, after being cautioned by its lawyers of "the serious consequences if it failed to change its structure", CONCACAF voted on the eve of Friday's ballot to introduce sweeping reforms.

The WICB has flatly refused to do the same, rejecting the conclusion of three separate, independent committees over the past nine years that reviewed its composition, structure and governance of the sport.

It finally led to the intervention of CARICOM governments and the inevitable confrontation that came to a head at their leaders' annual conference in Belize last week, at which they decided to terminate discussions on the issue with the WICB.

The lingering feel-good factor of the Under-19s' triumph in their recent World Cup in Bangladesh, and the optimism prior to the World T20, given the format is West Indies' strongest suit, do not moderate the concern of the possible impact the enmity between two such prominent organisations can have on West Indies cricket, already in a prolonged state of decline.

The first of the review committees was appointed in 2007 and headed by former Jamaica prime minister PJ Patterson, the second in 2012, chaired by St Kitts-Nevis Queen's Counsel Charles Wilkin. Both were commissioned by the WICB itself. The third, jointly appointed by CARICOM and the WICB and directed by University of the West Indies Cave Hill principal Dr Eudine Barriteau, was presented last November.

Stating that "the status quo is unacceptable", Patterson complained that he had wasted a year of his life preparing his report. Wilkin immediately resigned from the WICB's governance committee, charging that the directors "wanted to preserve at all costs their positions on the board".

CONCACAF lawyers listed among its forewarnings "the risk of possible disbandment if change was not enacted". It mirrored the Barriteau report's main point that the WICB "should beimmediately dissolved and all current members resign while an interim board is selected… to install a new governance framework".

"If the heads represent the entire population of the region, I don't know how any organisation that represents just a few persons can, in fact, negate the position of the heads"

KEITH MITCHELL, GRENADA PM

WICB president Dave Cameron, in office since 2014, hit back at the thought with indignation. "International sporting organisations, such as the IOC, FIFA and the ICC, are concerned about governance as it relates to their structures and accountability and their autonomy," he noted. "It means that the organisation and its leadership must be selected free of interference from governments and its decisions must not be influenced by governments." In that regard, it is also FIFA's unequivocal position.

The WICB slated the Barriteau committee's main recommendations as "unnecessary and intrusive, limited in scope and not supported by the facts". Frustrated by such intransigence, in spite of the unchecked decline of the regional game, the constant disputes between the board and leading players, and growing public disenchantment, CARICOM leaders discussed their next move at their Belize meeting.

According to the official communique, they endorsed the submissions of the Barriteau report and "affirmed that they must be implemented".

The Trinidad and Tobago prime minister, Keith Rowley, said there was "nothing further to be gained by discussing and subjecting the recommendations of the report to further toing and froing".

Dismissing the WICB's claim that it is "a body corporate outside of the reach of any interest of heads of government in the region", CARICOM said it intended to inform the ICC and the BCCI and to "put them on notice" of their position.

"In short, the time has come for serious action in trying to save West Indies cricket," Rowley declared.

The Grenada prime minister, Keith Mitchell, chairman of the CARICOM sub-committee on cricket, was adamant that the leaders were not "joking around". They would "explore all available options in seeking the desired outcome of improved governance of West Indies cricket".

"If the heads represent the entire population of the region, I don't know how any organisation that represents just a few persons can, in fact, negate the position of the heads," he asserted.

Barbados' prime minister, Freundel Stuart, was less confrontational. CARICOM was not attempting to take over West Indies cricket, he said, even hinting that some, rather than all, his colleagues agreed it was "a waste of time trying to engage" the WICB. Yet, he stressed, the WICB's "standards of corporate governance" had undermined the integrity and compromised the standards of our game "to which we in the Caribbean have grown accustomed".

Throughout the impasse, the prominent protagonists have been Mitchell and Cameron. Their disagreement finally extended to the background of the U-19 World Cup success. Cameron claimed that the preparation of the champion team was part of a comprehensive WICB programme. Mitchell countered that the performance was the "outcome of serious work being done at the country level with the young players throughout the region, where the governments of individual countries have invested millions of dollars in facilities and these young people emerged".

It did not deter the WICB president from calling on businesses and governments to "consolidate their efforts and invest in the rebuilding of the overall cricket programme", specifically for government support in building academies within its Professional Cricket League franchises.

Given CARICOM's Belize decision and the strong words of Rowley and Mitchell a few days earlier, it was not clear whether Cameron was unaware of the irony of his plea or simply speaking with tongue firmly in cheek.

Is Belize Officially On the Mainstream Tourism Radar?

Once-sleepy Belize has witnessed at-times explosive visitor growth, changing this previously small-scale travel destination into one increasingly on the radar for a wider scope of travelers.

In 2015 Belize hosted 341,125 overnight visitors, a 6.2 percent increase over 2014 and the highest total in the country’s history according data from Belize Tourism Board (BTB) officials. Sixty-three percent of the visitors originated in the United States, Belize’s largest market.

BTB officials attribute the country’s strong 2015 arrivals growth to the addition of new service into Belize’s Philip Goldson International Airport (PGIA). Southwest Airlines and COPA Airlines launched new flights to Belize in October and December of 2015 respectively, boosting overnight visitor totals.

The new flights created a late-year arrivals surge, say BTB officials. After an “unsteady” first and second quarter, Belize posted seven consecutive months of arrival increases. The highest increases occurred during the last four months of 2015.

“September to December of 2015 showed record improvements, with overnight arrivals increasing every month in comparison to last year’s figures,” said BTB officials in a statement. “November’s 33 percent increase is the largest ever recorded for this month, which rarely goes above a 10 percent increase.”

Traditionally an exceptionally popular cruise destination, Belize experienced a slight decline in 2015. The country recorded 957,975 passengers last year, a one percent decrease from the 968,131 hosted in 2014.

Nevertheless, the figure still places Belize among the 10 most-visited Caribbean cruise destinations according to Caribbean Tourism Organization statistics.

In addition Belize’s cruise ship calls are expected to increase significantly upon completion of Harvest Caye, Norwegian Cruise Line’s $100 million dedicated cruise port located off Belize’s southern coast. The facility, located near the small fishing village of Placencia, is scheduled to open in November.