As you may have seen earlier in the news - today we got to talk to the commander of the BDF - and we used the opportunity to ask him about the M4 Carbine military grade assault rifle that a soldier just simply lost one month ago. It happened near the Xunantunich observation post - and sources tell us that the soldier and likely his entire patrol - may have gone over the Guatemala to drink and that's how the Lance Corporal most likely lost the weapon. But, one month later, no action has been taken against him. We asked the general about it today:
Jules Vasquez
"One month since the carbine was misplaced at Xunantunich, are we any closer to recovering it or is it in the wind?"
Azariel Loria, Brigadier General
"Right. I will be talking about that in broad perspective because it's still under investigation. We have since handed over the case to the police department, we try to track the weapon and from our sources and we tracked it. It was somewhere in Melchor, Guatemala. And we were notified that it's a rifle that went missing by the police department. So we provided our statements to them and they took it from there."
Jules Vasquez
"But it's a tremendous embarrassment for our country when our sovereign military has to make a police report of a stolen military-grade rifle in enemy territory, so to speak."
Azariel Loria, Brigadier General
"What is enemy territory? Could you elaborate?"
Jules Vasquez
"Well, in Melchor, in Guatemala, It's not considered a friendly nation. They still have a claim to all of Belize."
Azariel Loria, Brigadier General
"There is a claim which is being resolved diplomatically. It's not an enemy. We are not fighting, none of that. So let us start from there."
Jules Vasquez
"We wouldn't call it a friendly country like Mexico."
Azariel Loria, Brigadier General
"They are friends. They are all our friends. Everyone is our friends."
Jules Vasquez
Well, I'm sure they are the friends of the soldiers. The soldiers gone over there to drink. Thats the report."
Azariel Loria, Brigadier General
"How you know that and it's under investigation as I mentioned, I don't want to go into the details of what it is because the case after the investigation is finalized, I don't know when. It will come to me and then I will have to deal with it."
Jules Vasquez
"I understand you don't want to prejudge it but were there talks indeed to try and to buy back the weapon because it was in the hands of nefarious elements or it is in the hands and man wah mek a lee money. I heard it was offered back to the BDF for a few thousand dollars."
Azariel Loria, Brigadier General
"The investigation that we were conducting, our sources, they were talking to them. We spoke about it and we said it's just like when you're dealing with terrorists you may or may not negotiate with terrorists but that's an avenue of approach that you could do."
"And we decided because this has international ramifications and consequences, we will not do that. We left it at that."
Jules Vasquez
"So now the soldiers who are on that patrol are still on active duty as I understand it?"
Azariel Loria, Brigadier General
"The investigation is being done. As I mentioned, he is on active duty up to now, based on what we have that the weapon went missing and that we know in this case that he is the culprit. Something will have to happen and it will happen like in the coming days."
Jules Vasquez
"If everybody knows who had the weapon, who is responsible for the weapon and lost the weapon, even though the circumstances of losing it may be unclear, the act is clear. You lost the most instrumental tool for any soldier. How can you still be on active duty? Is it that you are encouraging a culture that does not respond to accountability?"
Azariel Loria, Brigadier General
"We have not sent him on interdiction because at this point in time we are still questioning."
