Kamille
Shine bright like a diamond
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- May 5, 2009
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Good afternoon. I live in Belize. I am an immigrant. I've been here well over a decade. This murder, like all murders in Belize, is a tragedy for the community, friends and loved ones. Even though double and multiple murders are common in the USA and there were probably several during the same week there, it seems that people enjoy the 'trouble in paradise' theme and become particularly interested in murders that happen in beautiful and exotic places.
I note that there are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings about Belize in discussions on this topic and I am happy to answer any questions. We all want the murderers brought to justice as much as anyone else does. There really is no conspiracy to pin this on a non Belizean. Just to put it into perspective there were two very nasty murders committed (allegedly as they haven't been prosecuted yet) upon Belizeans by Canadians in the past couple of years. One was very close to my home but the suspect fled the country before he could be prosecuted. The other is still in custody for beheading a local pastor. So, it's not all a one way street. The truth is that most victims of crime in Belize are poor Belizeans and most murder victims are young Belizean men, mainly in Belize City.
Our police force are sorely underfunded (cops earn between 100 & 200 USD a week for the most part), under trained, poorly resourced and many have to second jobs to survive. We have almost no forensic capabilities and the morgue is tiny. Normal practice is to cremate any decomposed bodies as quickly as possible, not to hide evidence, but simply because there is no place to keep them. There are no embalming services or anything of that nature.
To understand why Belize law enforcement is so poorly funded, please try to imagine running a country on taxes from a population of people smaller than most USA towns. Maybe 30-40% of Belizeans pay tax. Half of Belizeans are under 18. Unemployment is high.
Belizeans are kind, intelligent, hard working and friendly people. They are very upset about this. They do not hate foreigners - although there will always be some horrible people who will say horrible things just like everywhere else. Foreigners are not targeted for being foreign. Some are targeted for perceived wealth combined with not being careful about the sort of people they let into their lives. The freedom and anything goes type vibe that people are attracted to in Belize means that some people leave their brains on the border and start to think it's cool to hang out with those on the fringes of society who seem to want to be their friends.
If anyone has any questions for me that will help them clear up confusion, I'll do my best to answer as factually and truthfully as I can. What I will say is that it is unlikely that a conviction will ever happen and if it does, it may well be an unsafe one as we just don't have the policing skills to make it happen here yet. We're a very young country. We only got independence some 36 years ago. Try to imagine what things were like when the USA was only 36 years old. Can anyone say 'wild west'.
Welcome PaxBelize :welcome:
I understand what you're saying about the country being relatively "new" independence wise, but I highly doubt they get the majority of their funding from employment taxes. There is a lot of foreign investment in the country and I'm sure they are collecting a lot of tax and other revenue from it. If they are not, they should be. But you are right, it's going to take many more years of investing to even come close to the abilities that even another third world country like Mexico have. Which means that the country of Belize will continue to be, as one of the murder victims ironically put it, lawless, until such a time as the funding is available to massively increase police resources and the police force is able to function without corruption within it's ranks. So tourists or expats retiring there have to be on their guard with regards to the high crime rates (and the reasons why they exist) and the lack of resources to deter and or solve them.
As the beachfront areas along the coast continue to be developed and purchased by foreign investors and expats, I think you are going to see more violent crimes in these areas before things get better.
I know of the one case of the pastor that was beheaded but the person charged with that is a con man with multiple identities and it's questionable whether he is actually a Canadian citizen or whether that is a con as well. He is originally a Guyanese national from what I've read.
Who was the other Canadian who got away? Did he return to Canada? Are the RCMP actively searching for this man? That is a little unnerving that someone from Canada can be wanted in Belize for murder and nothing is being done about it.
I do have a question for you with regards to the border between Mexico and Belize. When looking at the map, it appears that one only has to drive over the bridge on the Hondo River between the two countries. Is there any border patrol there? I ask because the victim's vehicle was abandoned very close to this bridge. And as you've said, most Belizeans are kind hard working people, as are most Mexicans. But would it be possible for those who are not and are involved in the criminal element to commit crimes in each other's countries without having to adhere to strict border patrol?
TIA