Calm has been restored to the capital city this evening as all hell threatened to break loose but for the most part, it didn't. At about 5:00 pm, the last of the thousands protestors left Belmopan. Our 7NEWS team left at about the same time, and tonight we'll have rolling coverage as we try to give you everything that happened inside and outside the house form the angry beginning to the bitter end. Our news director Jules Vasquez joins me in studio to go narrate the events of the day.
Jules, welcome. I know its been a hectic day on the frontlines. It is a loaded question but can you tell us what happened today?
Jules Vasquez, 7NEWS Director
Indira I guess what happened in the end was a near mob situation in Belmopan as the riot squad tried to disperse the crowd but we're getting ahead of ourselves. The day began with the buses on the road, dozens. The UDP reports that there were 30 buses from the north alone. The number on buses on the road, we left
very early and these were the images from then. There were standard checkpoints, I guess to check for weapons and the like. It was a delay but when you have so many busses on the road from the UDP, the PUP, and to a lesser extent the NTUCB, that's what happens.
Mr. Jeffries started out the day in typical fashion ushering out the drummers. The bond said no drumming because the drum disturbs the meeting. We have Mr. Finnegan there trying to intervene on behalf of the drummers. All this is happening immediately before the House meeting.
You see the police on the stairs. They have mostly recruits there. This is a pattern with the police, they always start with low intensity teams on the frontline. All this is happening between 8:30 and 9:30. That's when 'Yellowman' came on the scene and obviously he is the chief action man for the UDP.
At this point the Opposition Leader and his members came down to meet the crowd, which is essentially their crowd.
Now while he was doing this, this was at
about 9:30 am, the House meeting is half hour from starting and the Prime Minister and the PUP had their own crowd. So while that was the early UDP crowd which wasn't large yet, we have now the PUP crowd which the rally was in front of Administration Building. Notably not attending the rally were Cordel Hyde and Mark Espat; they did not attend the rally. I don't believe Florencio Marin attended either as this Dave Burgos who are both retiring.
We have some comments from the Prime Minister. I believe just a small portion of his speech.
Rt. Hon. Said Musa, Prime Minister
"We are facing my brothers and sisters, an Opposition that is trying to destroy. All they believe in is hate and destruction. When you look at our health system..."
Now we have him approaching the steps of the National Assembly and there is a great uproar and that is pretty much it for this segment as he goes into the House. So what happened there is that as he went into the House, there as a great deal of shouting again.
