When Taiwanese President Ma Ying-Jeou arrived in Belize this evening – the first person that greeted him was the Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Diane Locke. For the last three weeks – she along with a small team at the Protocol Unit have been coordinating the visit of President Ying-Jeou and his 213 person entourage. We spoke with her 4 hours before the plane touched down.
Diane Locke, Chief of Protocol
“We are responsible for the entire coordination of all activities on the program on behalf of the Government of Belize. So that involves putting together a program, planning the program, putting all the logistics and the administration into place, working along with the police, the hotels. We are working with other partners in different areas, everybody is well versed in this thing. This is our fourth visit from an official from Taiwan and so we pretty much have an idea of what it is; the likes and the dislikes and the planning down to the details.”
Keith Swift,
How difficult is the logistics because I understand a 137 people are coming? How difficult is it to prepare for 137 people?
Diane Locke,
“The entire plane will be bringing about 213 persons, not 127. The officially delegation may be 127 but the Embassy has been working along with us in arranging hotel accommodations for them. We’re simultaneously working on transportation arrangements, security arrangements, within that two hundred and something there are about forty security personnel from their end and of course Belize has a larger number and so we’re working alongside them. We put all the arrangements in place together.”
Keith Swift,
When did planning start?
Diane Locke,
“I think about three weeks ago; not more than a month for certain.”
Keith Swift,
Have you been getting any sleep? Has this been around the clock?
Diane Locke,
“Yes I get some sleep. It is down to the last minute but the holiday was not a holiday for me. Monday we worked until ten o’clock in the night.”
Keith Swift,
You’re going to be the first Belizean he meets. What will you tell him?
Diane Locke,
“I was practicing to say welcome to Belize in Taiwanese.”
President Ma is staying at the Radisson Hotel tonight which has been
booked out. Manager Jim Scott told us about his hotel’s preparation.
Jim Scott, Manager – Radisson Hotel
“We’ve been doing a lot of preparations in terms of the food and beverage, in terms of protocol working also with the Belize Foreign Affairs and also with security measures. So it has been a wide variety of preparations.”
Keith Swift,
The President is bringing with him a delegation of 213. How many of those will be staying here?
Jim Scott,
“We’re not really allowed to say exactly say how many but let’s just say that they’ve filled a lot of room. I do have other guests in the hotel, business travellers and tourists and a US military group of chaplains. So they don’t have the entire hotel but they certainly have quite a few rooms booked.”
Keith Swift,
Did they want the entire hotel if possible?
Jim Scott,
“I think that was their initial request.”
