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Jan
6
Written by:
Godfrey Smith
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
British
Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Keith Swift: “Does the British Army here
Channel 7:
in Belize shoulder any of
the blame,accept
that it maybe was negligent?”
Lt.
Col. Peter Germain: “… I’ve got to say yes, we
Commander,
BATSUB
are to blame because we
brought, we owned the
grenades."
Rival gangs and teenage
assassins in Belize have introduced a new currency to settle their outstanding debts
and grievances. They lob grenades at
each other in public places and at public events.
While the country has
grown accustomed to gang-related killings, drive-by shootings and an increasing
number of daylight assassinations, exploding grenades has struck terror in the
hearts of citizens; they are now avoiding major grassroots public events.
Last September a
grenade was hurled into a crowd watching the annual Carnival, the biggest
spectator event in the country. It did not explode.
A month later, shrapnel
tore through the wooden walls of a house in the Caesar Ridge and Faber’s Road
area and ripped through the partition of a bedroom where Kenia Wells and her baby
slept. Shrapnel missed them by about two feet.
Kenia
Wells, Civilian: “All of us are afraid, not only me one. I am
afraid bad. My baby said, ‘Mommy gun pop’ but I told her it is not gun baby, it
is not gun.”
Major
James Requena
BDF
bomb expert: “Offensive grenades have at least 200 or 250
broken down parts and when the explosion goes, it goes through metals, trees,
anything, till the velocity finishes. These are designed to kill, nothing else.”
Four months later, a
grenade was hurled onto the flat roof of the home of Comptroller of Customs
Greg Gibson. His daughter had just come
down from the roof. The comptroller had been cracking down on illegal
cigarettes and drugs. A young gang
member was probably paid a few hundred dollars to send a message to the comptroller.
Lt.
Col. Peter Germain: “I apologize most sincerely to the Comptroller
of Customs …It is an awful thing to happen… I know the Belizean people will be
looking incredulous at an organization that they thought was well-organized and
well disciplined and I’d like to assure them that we are and that we’re not
taking things lightly”
On
December 28th 2009, a mother lost her only son, 14 year old Rudolph
Flowers, when a grenade hurled into a backyard at the corner of Hayne Street
and Kraal Road exploded. Two others received injuries.
Major David Jones
BDF Bomb expert: “
There
were fragments embedded in his side, the lower ribcage, six inches under the
armpit. He passed away probably immediately on the spot… the blast from a
grenade can go through your mouth or your nose and then penetrate inside the
body, rupture the lungs, and then cause internal bleeding
…
Had this grenade not landed inside the yard itself, had it
been outside on the street, there would have been more casualties.
”
Ten months ago, Germain
said: “24 grenades went missing in 2004 …
There are two things we need to do. We need to prevent anymore grenades going
missing and … find those grenades that have gone missing.”
But
the 20 or so British-made, British-issued grenades stolen from BATSUB are still
at large in the criminal underworld of Belize.
Germain
said then he hoped to bring a special team experienced in searching for
military hardware in Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan to assist in the search for
the grenades.
There
has been no further word on this. There is
no urgency; just empty, sincere-sounding expressions of regret. In the meantime,
Belizean youth – not British – continue to die from these deadly grenade
attacks.
It
is an unutterably harrowing thought that 4 grenades have already been used
against civilians and that 20 more are at large in a city of 65,000, one
exploding every six months or so in public.
There
is neither expectation nor hope of recovering the grenades. That is as close to
terrorism as Belize is likely to get.
The
importation of military hardware from England is a highly secret and precise operation. It arrives on board a specially designed
transport ship (about five times the size of those that bring containers to
Belize) chartered by the British Ministry of Defence (MOD).
The
ship remains five miles out to sea. Barges from the ship are assembled into
“maxifloats” that dock at the port’s low berth facility.
A
container truck drives onto the maxifloat and is ferried out to the ship where
the container is loaded unto the truck. The maxifloat returns, berths and the
truck bearing the container drives onto Belizean land.
The
hardware is not examined or touched by the Belizean authorities. The typical
turnaround time is 72 hours. The container trucks then move off in a convoy that
includes BATSUB, Belize police and fire personnel.
It
is stored at the ammunition storage facility in Ladyville. The compound is used
by both the BDF and BATSUB. Belize soldiers guard the entire compound. The BDF
and BATSUB control their own bunkers containing their separate hardware.
Lt.
Colonel Germain’s theory that the grenades probably went missing during
simulated war exercises in the field makes sense. If the simulation is to be realistic it is
difficult to imagine that someone is actually listening and tallying exactly
how many grenades are exploded in mock combat in order to reconcile that against
the amount that was issued.
A
similar thing occurred in Kenya in November 2004 when 3,000 rounds of
ammunition and ten grenades went missing from British troops training in the northern
Rift Valley where the British maintain a training unit.
The
cache was taken from a military vehicle which had been left unattended by the
troops during war exercises. The same thing probably occurred in Belize.
The
British MOD has accepted that over the past three years 165 pistols, rifles,
machine guns and 27,000 rounds of ammunition went missing. The MOD refused to say
how many of the weapons were lost or stolen in Britain or from overseas units.
Germain’s
blithe acceptance of blame seemed noble at first. But such noble acceptance as
their might have been gives way to cynicism. He knew that under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed
between the UK and Belize in 1994, the UK cannot be held liable for such acts
of negligence.
It
was a stillborn admission which could never grow into liability.
The
sincerity of BATSUB and the British government must seriously be called into
question. It is quite shameful that the Government of Belize hasn’t done so.
Britain
and Belize know that it is beyond the competence and resources of the Belize
police to conceive and execute a sustained intelligence operation lasting
months if necessary, planting moles to find out where the grenades are.
There
will be no special discretionary budget to pay informants, buy cameras, IT
equipment, phone cards. That culture
does not exist. The operation would probably be known on the streets before it
even began.
The
British have a moral obligation to offer reasonable compensation to the
families who have been traumatized or had members killed by the grenade attacks;
to do their best to find those grenades.
It is a small price to pay for the death and terror that their
negligence has unleashed in a city given over to criminality and chaos.
34 comment(s) so far...
Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Our Government must press the British for assistance! If we say and do nothing they will offer no help and pretend as if it did not happen!
By SAID BARROW on
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
I usually "get you" Godfrey but not this time. Assistance? Maybe. Responsibility? Naw. What next....holding the owners of stolen handguns responsible for crimes committed with them? Having security companies compensate families of persons killed with guns stolen from innocent security guards? Come on.
By Miss Ting on
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Miss Ting, I don't think this is the same as guns being stolen from homeowners and security guards. If a gun owner left his gun unattended and visible in an unlocked car and went in to the store for an hour, you would consider him negligent. If what Godfrey is saying is true, that the grenades were left unattended, that is reckless and BATSUB do have a moral obligation to recover those grenades with urgency. British government should compensate victims as well, but that would set a bad precedent in many other areas where Britain is involved in conflict so that ain't ever going to happen. The victims should however sue BATSUB for negligence. They will lose, but a sharp point will have been made.
By Belize First on
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Not one of my favourites. Too romantic of you. Be real, the Brits could care less about any urban terror being unleashed in Belize City or even what happens in the adjacency zone. Now if we find uranium in Chiquibul, they may take a second look at us.
By Wise one on
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods! If I leave something that belongs to be in my car, leaves the car unattended with the windows down and the door unlocked...no one had a right to touch or move/steal my property. Straight like that! "Carelessness" is not an excuse for theft.
If I had left a vial containing some sort of virus..should I be held responsible for the thief's illness? Hell No!!!
By What??!!! on
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Ambitious and/or Negligent parents and politicians unleashed urban terror....
By I believe on
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Re What?
You would be held responsible for the thief's illness under the Laws of Belize. Same concept as setting a trap for burglars in your yard. You can't be reckless with dangerous things, even if to punish wrongdoers.
By Belize First on
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
The assistance I am referring to is not compensation to v
2115
By SAID BARROW on
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Nice
By Bring it On on
Thursday, January 07, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Check the Channel 7 news last nite, Godfrey...and grace us with an update... The latest :
1. The current new Commander of BATSUB, Lt.Col. Lindsay says they are NOT responsible: " it is not the responsibility of BATSUB as to what happened last week"
2. The Status of Forces Act precludes any liability, and Barrow says that when it comes to Perfidious Albion, " in terms of British statecraft, (He doesn't) know that moral suasion will ever work...
Translation to the dead, their grieving families, and the terrorized Belizean Public : Unu saaaalt.
By CityCrab on
Thursday, January 07, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
I think John Saldivar the faaas wid my computer!
By SAID BARROW on
Thursday, January 07, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Said barrow yuh lucky that that only yuh computah ih di faaas wid.
By Lois SMith on
Thursday, January 07, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
He cyant faaas wid nutting else! Ah wa kick ah inna eh big belly!
By SAID BARROW on
Thursday, January 07, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Mrs ting read and try to understand before u write stupidness in this case the purchaser BATSUB admit publicly they owned them they brought it in it was stolen from them thats the point if u admit to a crime u r guilty an must pay for it got it?
By Mr Big on
Sunday, January 10, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Trying to "read and understand" Mr. Big but your grammar is awful. My position remains the same regardless of what you or anyone says. "What???" may have explained it better though. How the hell did u get an admission of a crime from what BATSUB said? Anyway I done....waiting for the next one Godfrey!
By Ms. Ting on
Monday, January 11, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Godfrey, perhaps we Belizeans should be more concerned about the "moral obligation" our own government (UDP and weak opposition PUP) should have toward us?
Oh, wait, was this article a build-up to something more profound you have to say about the British in Belize? Was this about Ashcroft?? Does he have a "moral obligation" toward Belize? Did I miss the metaphor?
Whateva . . . if the PUP had any sense, they would be inciting "civil disobedience" about now.
By Belizean in Foreign on
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
FI FAI FO FUM, I smell Mark Espat crawling out from under the SCUM!
By SAID BARROW on
Friday, January 15, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Mark Espat is a good PUP. He is only trying to help the opposition. thanks Mark
By Squeaky on
Friday, January 15, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Good for who? Mussi himself and Zinc Farce...ah mean Fence
By SAID BARROW on
Saturday, January 16, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Gadfrey write sontin fi mek wi read Said Barrow comments.
By Said Barrow fan on
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
The PUP flexes its Fat on tv!!!
By SAID BARROW on
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Top Ten reasons why Mark Espat should not be elected leader of the PUP:
1. If he win 2013 Evan X daughter wudda be the First Lady n dat wudda mek Evan di First Fada-in-Law!
2. Wa Arab done get wa run fi ten years, now wa black man di run tings, give wa pania or coolie wa break!
3. He share the same last name as Luke
4. If PUP win Cordel wa be Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Security, Natural Resources,Works, Agriculture, Foreign Affairs, Trade, Education, Sports and last but not least Women's Affairs
5. Amandala wa mek all the money! Hmmm but dat done di happen under Deano....ah tek it back n rather seh...Amandala wa continue mek all di money!
6. PUP headquarters wa move to Partridge Street;
7. Amandala need wa new press n Belize Times have wa good one! Unu connect the dots!
8. As leader, when crap hits the fan, yu cant stand up inna the House and abstain!
9. He wa close down Positive Vibes Radio cuz we only fi listen to Krem
10. Look weh the last short man of Arabic decent do to we!
By SAID BARROW on
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Sorry, in item 10 I meant to say "descent". I did not mean to use the word decent in relation to either of the characters mentioned in the top ten.
By SAID BARROW on
Thursday, January 21, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Don't worry "SAID BARROW," Said Musa will be elected the next leader of the PUP.
As I sit here enduring the rain in California, cementing our PUP agenda for the next few months, I will take the time to respond to you:
Re: 1., Elections will be held before 2013.
Re: 2., Mark Espat represents the Indian-Belizean interests in Belize (Albert), and perhaps you forget that Manuel Esquivel had his turn (I know I do sometimes).
Re: 3., I feel pretty confident that I speak for Luke when I say, "Mediocre minds (such as yours) do not understand the development process."
Re: 4., Cordel will most likely not hold a cabinet position in the next PUP administration.
Re: 5., Amandala's revenue stream is not the business of government.
Re: 6., PUP headquarters will always be the ~eight inches between Said's temples (i.e., Said's Brain).
Re: 7., Didn't Said buy Amandala a printing press once before?
Re: 8., Sometimes I wish more people would abstain from speaking in "the House."
Re: 9., Perhaps you should consider what's happening at the PUC right now?
Re: 10., I will take this as a joke and chuckle.
By Belizean in Foreign on
Thursday, January 21, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Mek I ansa di bally! Mi bally, I find it very strange dat deh have so much rain da Southern California deh ya days, almost as strange as ur claim that the PUP have wa agenda. I mi think fi unu plan da jus fi sit back, relax n watch Barrow n his simpletons do R@$$
1. Elections wa be 2013, UDP have to get een all the hussling!
2. Mark Espat represents himself n his inlaws.
3. If I da u I wouldn't be speaking for Luke. Development process!!!...lol..lol. So all developed countries had deh Port hijacked too then? Development mean building bridges and houses weh sink into the ground? Development mean building house weh mek outtta cardboard n chicken wire da Belmopan?
4. Ah wha u ah smoke?
5. Nuff ting ah nuh govament business but dat nuh stop dem from mek it deh business.
6. Said mek the PUP then? coulda fool me, I mi think he wreck it!
7. ah nuh know bout this one, why yu nuh ask Said? since u di powda him
8. Me too esp Finnegan, Gapi, Johnny, Clear the Land, Heredia, Boots, the UDP n PUP Marin, Cordel n Mark (esp when deh on their pious "We are for the people rampage")
9. I have no idea what's happening at the PUC cuz wa sane man cyant figure out weh wa crazy man di do!
10. The rest da mi joke too but if da only 10 mek yu chuckle dat straight wid me!
By SAID BARROW on
Thursday, January 21, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Mek I ansa di bally! Mi bally, I find it very strange dat deh have so much rain da Southern California deh ya days, almost as strange as ur claim that the PUP have wa agenda. I mi think fi unu plan da jus fi sit back, relax n watch Barrow n his simpletons do R@$$
1. Elections wa be 2013, UDP have to get een all the hussling!
2. Mark Espat represents himself n his inlaws.
3. If I da u I wouldn't be speaking for Luke. Development process!!!...lol..lol. So all developed countries had deh Port hijacked too then? Development mean building bridges and houses weh sink into the ground? Development mean building house weh mek outtta cardboard n chicken wire da Belmopan?
4. Ah wha u ah smoke?
5. Nuff ting ah nuh govament business but dat nuh stop dem from mek it deh business.
6. Said mek the PUP then? coulda fool me, I mi think he wreck it!
7. ah nuh know bout this one, why yu nuh ask Said? since u di powda him
8. Me too esp Finnegan, Gapi, Johnny, Clear the Land, Heredia, Boots, the UDP n PUP Marin, Cordel n Mark (esp when deh on their pious "We are for the people rampage")
9. I have no idea what's happening at the PUC cuz wa sane man cyant figure out weh wa crazy man di do!
10. The rest da mi joke too but if da only 10 mek yu chuckle dat straight wid me!
By SAID BARROW on
Thursday, January 21, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
I apologize for taking you seriously. My mistake. Like you said, "sane man cyant figure out weh wa crazy man di do!"
By Belizean in Foreign on
Thursday, January 21, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
in ur case da "retarded man cyant figure out weh sane man di do" cuz from yu ah powda Said Musa mean seh yu retarded. In deference to the "first" lady I will say that you n Said da bally!
By SAID BARROW on
Friday, January 22, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
in ur case da "retarded man cyant figure out weh sane man di do" cuz from yu ah powda Said Musa mean seh yu retarded. In deference to the "first" lady I will say that you n Said da bally!
By SAID BARROW on
Friday, January 22, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Hey, Godfrey, you need to write something new. I need to keep exercising my intolerance. If hypocrites don't write, I don't get to be intolerant. Am I making sense here?
By Intolerant of Hypocrites on
Friday, January 22, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
said barrow: stop stammer, or learn to click "Add Comment" just once. lol.
you see, i do find you funny. (chuckle)
By Belizean in Foreign on
Friday, January 22, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Da nuh my fault. I think John Saldivar tamper wid mi PC!
By SAID BARROW on
Friday, January 22, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Amandala nuh even try hide deh agenda no mo. Mark Espat the star this week!
By SAID BARROW on
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
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Re: British Negligence unleashes Urban Terror
Good ting da only the Tuesday Amandala weh nobody read!
By SAID BARROW on
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
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