Belize Airport
Canada, Mexico, and Central America
U.S. Policy Initiatives and Bilateral Cooperation. The U.S. strategy in Belize continues to focus on assisting the GOB to develop a sustainable infrastructure to combat its drug problems effectively. In 2003, USG support included: counternarcotics and law enforcement assistance, which provided the host nation with equipment and training for the Belize police department's counternarcotics unit and canine branch, as well as the Belize Defense Force; and training for the Department of Immigration and the Customs and Excise Department, as well as the magistrate, supreme courts and the Director of Public Prosecution's Office. Under DEA leadership, an Airport Anti-Drug Task Force was established in October 2003, comprised of the Police Department, Immigration, Customs and the Airport Canine Unit. The USG also responded to a request by the International Airport to purchase new narcotic and explosive detection canines to reinstate a canine program that has ... [Read More]
Foreign Entry Requirements
AUSTRALIA - *Passport, Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or non-electronic label visa, proof of onward or return ticket, and sufficient funds are required. An ETA or non-electronic label visa is required for tourist or business stays of up to 3 months. An ETA is an electronically stored authority to travel to Australia and can be obtained online at www.ETA.immi.gov.au or through participating travel agencies or airlines. Minors not accompanied by a parent or traveling with only one parent need notarized written parental consent from the absent parent(s). AIDS test required for permanent resident visa for applicants age 15 and older; tests taken in the U.S. are acceptable. More information about entry requirements to Australia (including for longer stays) is available on the Embassy of Aus ... [Read More]
Canada, Mexico, and Central America
The United States has provided Panamanian Customs with training, operational tools, and a canine program that has become a linchpin of the Tocumen International Airport Drug Interdiction Law Enforcement Team. A U.S.-funded X-Ray machine also became operational at the airport during 2004. ... As a result of close bilateral cooperation, implementation of major border projects progressed well during 2004. The Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) entered into operation in April 2004, permitting authorities to compare airline passenger manifests against criminal databases. The U.S. Government arranged for the procurement and installation of Portal Vehicle and Cargo Inspection Systems (VACIS) at ports of entry at Colombia (Nuevo Leon), Nuevo Laredo (Tamaulipas), Piedras Negras (Coahuila), Nogales (Sonora), and Mexicali (Baja California). U.S. officials also supported the installation of a railroad VACIS unit at Mexicali and a pallet VACIS at Mexico City’s International Airport. Contractors made important progress in preparing design drawings for new or expanded SENTRI (Secure Electronic Network for Traveler’s Rapid Inspection) Lanes at Tijuana (Baja California), Mexicali, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros (Tamaulipas), and Ciudad Juarez (Chihuahua) ... [Read More]
V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G
Brazil is a source and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor. Women and girls are trafficked internally for sexual exploitation and to neighboring countries in South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Japan, and the Middle East. The ILO estimated in 2002 that 450,000 children, mostly girls, are employed as domestic servants and vulnerable to abuse. Approximately 70,000 Brazilians, mostly women, are engaged in prostitution in foreign countries and many are trafficking victims; their major destinations are countries in Europe, particularly Spain, and South America and Japan. Sex tourists target young Brazilians, particularly in the resort areas and cities of Brazil’s northeast. Trafficking for forced agricultural labor remains a major problem, with most of the more than 25,000 victims recruited from small towns in Brazil’s northeast ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
Most foreign grade-school children attend the British Toucan School, located at the Belize Defense Forces Airport Camp. Some others attend the new and privately operated Belize Elementary School. ... The USMLO is located near the international airport; about 15 minutes drive from the Embassy. ... Embassy personnel enjoy access to the British commissary at the airport, which features imported U.S. beef and fresh vegetables. Mexico offers less expensive shopping: Chetumal is just over the border (two-hour drive), while Cancun and Merida (6-hour drives) boast fully stocked Wal-Marts and Sam’s Clubs. ClothingLast Updated: 11/28/2003 2:35 PM ... [Read More]
Political Environment
Belize is a parliamentary democracy that has traditionally enjoyed a stable political and economic environment. However, because of the antagonistic rivalry between the two major political parties, party patronage does influence local government expenditures and, occasionally, foreign investments. For instance, the Belize Airports Authority -- a quasi-government institution run by a board of directors -- forcibly ejected a legitimate U.S.-owned duty free shop from the arrival lounge of the international airport in April 1999, which the authority considered to be affiliated with the opposition political party. The dispute was eventually taken to Belize's supreme court, where the bench ruled in favor of the American-owned duty free shop and awarded damages close to half a million U.S. dollars. ... [Read More]
USMLO
The USMLO is located on the Belize Defense Force compound of Price Barracks in Ladyville along side the Phillip W. Goldson International Airport. ... [Read More]
Hurricane Preparedness
Via telephone: call 225-2011, the National Meteorological Office at the Phillip S. W. Goldson International Airport.1Via radio: Belize Communication & Security, Ltd. (BCSL) is located in Belmopan. When an ALERT is issued or the US Embassy announces emergency conditions, BCSL initiates its hurricane or emergency plan which includes monitoring of all frequencies and responding to all call signs. These call signs include any appointed U.S. Embassy Warden. Each Warden may program his VHF radio to the following frequency for country-wide communication services during emergencies - at no charge. The primary frequency is: Receive-149.800 Transmit-150.400 Tone: 100Hz. Any warden may call BCSL at 822-2149 for further information. The President of BCSL is Rick Simpson - also a U.S. Embassy Warden.1 ... [Read More]
|