The Sarstoon River is once again becoming the center of national attention, as the Belize Territorial Volunteers prepare to head south for their annual expedition on Thursday. But ahead of the trip, the familiar tensions are already resurfacing. Previous visits have led to confrontations involving Belizean civilians, the Belize Defense Force and the Guatemalan Armed Forces, prompting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to warn citizens about the risks posed by the unresolved territorial dispute. BTV founder Wil Maheia, however, believes those warnings are meant to discourage Belizeans from joining the journey. He says citizens should not be made to feel intimidated about travelling within their own country, and he is expressing disappointment with the government’s position. We spoke with Maheia ahead of tomorrow’s expedition.
Wil Maheia
Wil Maheia, Founder, Belize Territorial Volunteers
“I would say that every year we have pushback. For more than fifteen years we have been going there now and the pushback is more so some years than the other years. The pushback this year, yes is that I think was not really necessary. But it is expected that there would have been some pushback. I mean, our idea is to just go down to the Sarstoon peacefully as Belizeans and this is the spirit of independence. This is our independence month. Show Belize where our borders are. And that is all we plan to do, go down there and show Belize where our borders are and have a celebration. So, I think that, the pushback from the ministry worked out well, because in the end we have had dialogue with the Belize Defense Force personnel and the Belize Coast Guard and we have assured them of our plan. They have accepted our plan, and it is going to be a great day tomorrow. We are going down to the Sarstoon, we are going down to the forward operating base, and we will let the Belizean public know that the border starts at the Sarstoon.”
Maheia says safety is the top priority on the trips, adding that participants are not allowed to carry weapons aboard the boats.
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