The Press also asked the State Minister of National Defense and Border Security about cross-border hostilities between the Belizean lawmen and the Guatemalan communities at the western border.
Viewers will remember that in the months after the fatal shooting of Danny Conorquie, the BDF had a confrontation with a group of armed Guatemalans from the Village of La Rejoya. That's the community right across the border from the Caracol Archaeological Reserve, and that incident prompted high-level meetings between Belize and Guatemala at the state and law enforcement levels. Discussions were held about how both countries could cooperate to prevent future conflicts like that one.
So, what is the current environment like around the Caracol Reserve? That's what the press asked Oscar Mira, and here's his response:
Oscar Mira - Minister of State, National Defense & Border Security
"Remember that we have two different types of patrols in that area. We have the patrols that are along the border, and those are the ones that encounter that issue incursions and issues of illegal planting, slash, and burn every year. We have seen an increase in the number of cattle ranches along the border. Those areas are different operations that we do every day. That is constantly Belize Defense Force on the border. The ones in support of the tourism industry, in the past, you know, we had robberies, of course. We had tourists who were assaulted, and those are the things that the Belize Defense Force now has a patrol dedicated just to make sure that tourism is safe."
