Belize Government
Belize
On July 30, the Government refouled 15 Cubans who fled Cuba by boat and drifted into national waters in mid-July. Immigration authorities arrested all 15 persons and detained them at Hattieville prison for 2 weeks. The Government chartered two single-engine aircraft to fly the Cubans back to Havana under guard. The group resisted boarding the planes; once aboard, security personnel handcuffed them to their seats. In press interviews prior to their refoulement, the group expressed fear of returning to Cuba. However, they did not request asylum; the local NGO representative who works with UNHCR on asylum claims stated that was because they had heard of multiple cases in which the Government denied asylum requests to Cubans. Some of the detainees told the media they had hoped for the same fate as a group of 22 Cubans in December 2002. In that case, the Government sent the Cubans, whose asylum claim was denied, back to sea weeks after they washed ashore. ... [Read More]
Peace Corps Belize
© 2002 U.S. Embassy Belize Peace Corps Belize Peace Corps has been a part of the development of Belize for 40 years. Peace Corps began to work in Belize when the country was still called British Honduras. At that ... [Read More]
U.S. and Belize Contacts
4. Washington-based U.S. Government Agencies ... 1. Belize Government Agencies ... This is an annual, three-day event. Dates may vary. The U.S. Embassy's Economic and Commercial section organizes a USA pavilion, which features some 4-6 private firms which offer U.S. products or services in Belize as well as U.S. Government agencies such as USDA and Peace Corps. ... [Read More]
Links to US Government pages
© 2002 U.S. Embassy Belize U.S. Government Links The linked sites are not under the control of the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Embassy is not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site. [Read More]
USMLO
The USMLO-Belize administers United States Government (USG) military assistance to the Government of Belize by providing for, planning and executing the U.S. Security Assistance program; administering the International Military Education and Training program; and coordinating a Humanitarian Assistance and Humanitarian Civil Actions program to foster the country of Belize military competence and further USG national policies, programs and interests in the region. ... [Read More]
Political Environment
International crime issues dominate the agenda of bilateral relations between the United States and Belize. The United States has sought a cooperative effort with Belize in the fight against illicit narcotics. The United States is also working with Belize to control the flow of illegal immigrants to the United States through Belize. In 1996, the U.S. Government and Government of Belize signed a "Stolen Car Treaty," which entered into force in 2002. Belize is considered a significant drug trafficking country because of its vulnerable position as a transit point for illicit narcotics. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency maintains an office in Belize City to assist Belizean officials in their efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and destroy major drug trafficking organizations in Belize. ... [Read More]
Background Notes
A major constraint on the economic development of Belize continues to be the scarcity of infrastructure investments. Although electricity, telephone, and water utilities are all relatively good, Belize has the most expensive electricity in the region, despite recent cuts in commercial and industrial rates. Large tracts of land, which would be suitable for development, are inaccessible due to lack of roads. Some roads, including sections of major highways, are subject to damage or closure during the rainy season. Ports in Belize City, Dangriga, and Big Creek handle regularly scheduled shipping from the U.S. and the U.K., although draft is limited to a maximum of 10 feet in Belize City and 15 feet in southern ports. International air service is provided by American Airlines, Contine ... [Read More]
V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G
Cyprus is a destination country for women trafficked from Eastern and Central Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Traffickers who forced women into prostitution continued to fraudulently recruit victims for work as dancers in cabarets and nightclubs on short-term "artiste" visas, for work in pubs and bars on employment visas, or for illegal work on tourist or student visas. There was increasing evidence of Chinese women being trafficked for sexual exploitation in Cyprus. The Government of Cyprus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Cyprus made some progress in its anti-trafficking efforts over the past year. The new police anti-trafficking unit produced successful results and showed vigilance in combating the problem. Government recognition of the problem improve ... [Read More]
Attorneys in Belize
© 2002 U.S. Embassy Belize Attorneys in Belize The United StatesEmbassy neither recommends nor assumes responsibility for the professionalability or integrity of the persons or firms listed below. [Read More]
Belize (08/04)
Eventually, on November 8, 2000 the two parties agreed to respect an "adjacency zone" extending one kilometer east and west from the border. Around this time, the Government of Guatemala insisted that the territorial claim was a legal one and that the only possibility for a resolution was to submit the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, the Government of Belize felt that taking the case to the ICJ or to arbitration represented an unnecessary expense of time and money. So the Belizean Government proposed an alternate process, one under the auspices of the OAS. This process required that each country name a facilitator and that both sides present their case to the facilitators so that they could propose a just and durable solution. The facilitation process, which started in September 2000 with the appointment of the two facilitators at the OAS headquarters, concluded on September 16, 2002, when both facilitators submitted their recommendations for a solution to th ... [Read More]
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