BTV Defies Guatemalan Presence at Sarstoon, Raises Belizean Flag

The Belize Territorial Volunteers made their way to the Sarstoon over the weekend, raising the Belizean flag on the island despite attempts by Guatemalan boats to block them.

“As usual, once we got into the river, the Guat boats came and tried to prevent us from getting to the island,” said leader Wil Maheia. “But the Belize Coast Guard and Belize Defence Force soldiers were adamant about they were not going to stop us. They blanketed our boats until we got where we felt comfortable to put the flag and sang the national anthem.”

Maheia said the trip drew strong participation, even after tensions earlier in the week when Guatemalan forces planted their flag on the island. “I thought people would cancel, but in fact it was the total opposite. More people wanted to go. I had to turn people back…because we did not want to overload the boats.” “To my surprise, everybody showed up, and that was very encouraging. A lot of youths showed up as well.”

Still, Maheia was concerned about Guatemala’s actions. “What is discouraging is the fact that the GAF continued to behave in a bully way near our island, because the island definitely belongs to Belize.”

The trip came one day after Prime Minister John Briceño advised the public not to venture to the Sarstoon. Maheia said he only saw the warning afterward. “If I had heard that message before, I probably would have taken a different approach. But before we were going, I was just busy getting things prepared.”

Last week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a strong protest to Guatemala and the OAS after Guatemalan forces planted a flag on Sarstoon Island on September 10th (during the Battle of St. George’s Caye celebrations in Belize City). Prime Minister John Briceño confirmed that BDF soldiers were outnumbered but stood their ground until the flag was removed.

“I want to commend them for their bravery and cool under pressure, because this could have gotten quickly out of control,” Briceño said. He added that Belize is raising the matter with international partners and will take it to the United Nations later this month.

Briceño suggested the move came from “old guards” in Guatemala’s military who refuse to accept Belize’s sovereignty, while President Bernardo Arévalo has shown support for closer ties.