Sunday, March 21, 2010 - STAR - Tel:- 626-8822 & 626-3788 - Email:[email protected] - Page 1 *STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR AR T S * R A T S * R A T S * R A T S * R A T S *STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR8*8TAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR* No. 221151 Sunday, SUNDAY, March 21,MAY 2010 11, 2008 PricePrice $1.00$1.00 SANTA ELENA TOWN, counter while the unarmed Cayo, Thursday, March 18, assailant circled, went behind the 2010: counter, directly to the cash Two suspects, believed to be drawer and removed all the involved in the Wednesday night money from inside the drawer. robbery of a Santa Elena Chinese They both ran out and grocery store, are in custody at disappeared into the darkness. the police station in San Ignacio. Chu reported that there were Police reports that it was about three or four customers exactly 8:40 p.m. on Wednesday, inside the store when the March 17, when they received a incident unfolded. He estimates telephone call of a robbery at that the robbers made off with Bing ‘s Supermarket, located at about seven hundred dollars in the corner of Bishop Martin and cash being proceeds of the day’s Hibiscus Streets in Santa Elena sale. Town. Police were on the scene This is the second time within 5 minutes of receiving the that Bing’s Supermarket was call. Chinese Grocer, Quing Jie Chu, 51, (R) and the wife (L) burglarized since Quing Jie Chu The Chinese Grocer, Quing the supermarket. One of the unarmed. took over the supermarket in Jie Chu, 51, reported that two assailants was armed with what The assailant with the shotgun 2008 from a fellow Chinese masked male persons dressed appeared to be a sawed off reportedly pointed the weapon to businessman who himself and in dark clothes entered shotgun while the other was Chu’s wife who was behind the Please Turn To Page 15 SAN IGNACIO TOWN, Cayo, address in Santa Elena Town, is which included a 19 inch color Thursday, March 18, 2010: the prime suspect in the television set, a Canon brand After evading San Ignacio December 4-5, 2009, burglary digital camera and a CD player, Police for more than three of the Loma Luz Boulevard, amounted to almost four months, a Santa Elena youth was Santa Elena Town residence thousand dollars. captured at around 10 o’clock of Steven Valencia, Belizean After he was detained, Neal this Thursday morning by a team businessman. was transported to the station of policemen on routine patrol. On December 7, 2009, and when he was going through According to investigators Valencia visited the station and a more detailed search, prior to from the local Crimes Investiga- reported that sometime between being placed inside the holding tion Branch, the detainee, December 4 and 5, his house was cell, four pellets of marijuana, Marvin Neal, of a New Area burglarized. The missing items Please Turn To Page 15 Marvin Neal Comfortable & Secure Accommodations Full Service Restaurant & Bar Swimming Pool Conference Facilities Excellent Venue for Weddings, Parties and Social Events Santa Elena, Cayo, Belize www.aguadahotel.com [email protected] 011-501-804-3609 PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com Page 2 - STAR - Tel:- 626-8822 & 626-3788 - Email:[email protected] - Sunday, March 21, 2010 STAR Editor, Nyani Azueta August receiving resisted. The challenges we faced were compounded by the certificate from Sr. Supt. Paul Wade political inclination of the Commanding Officer at that time. These comments could have been postponed until the latter The police in those early days were determined to destroy us. part of August this year on the occasion of the 10th anniversary Contrast those days to today when a police formation would of the STAR Newspaper. However, something amazing actually present the STAR Newspaper with a certificate of occurred this week which made us truly reflect from whence appreciation and with the invitation, issued a few days ago, for we came right up to that specific point this week. the Publisher of the STAR Newspaper to be the Master of The event in question was a routine invitation to attend and Ceremony for the April 9 event to recognize and highlight to report on an award ceremony at the police station in Benque outstanding officers attached to the head station in San Ignacio. Viejo Town organized by the formation’s Commander and We have certainly come a the senior staff under his command to recognize and show long, long ways. appreciation to outstanding personnel from that local Notwithstanding improved constabulary. relations with the police, there As the program was drawing to a close, we were called up remain elements within its to receive a certificate of appreciation and then it dawned on us senior ranks who still classify that we have indeed come a long way since we started in us as being anti-police. Dangriga Town on August 27, 2000, exactly two years to the Despite the improved date when the United Democratic Party lost the general relationship with the police, elections in 1998. one fact remains constant Apart from getting ZERO government advertising business which is that we continue to during those days, our relationship with the police in be 100% opposed to police Dangriga can be described as cordial as most of the formation brutality and abuse However commanders and other senior personnel were acquaintances in the processes of champion- and former colleagues. ing the cause of victims of However, the situation changed drastically when a family abuse; we continue to maintain tragedy brought us to Cayo. We arrived at a period in 2004 that respect is mutual. when the local constabulary was on a roll. Police abuse and As human beings, we expect corruption ruled the day. A certain local business sector ruled the police to protect them- the streets and could get away with the most criminal behavior selves from lawless citizens and so we came into a head on collision with San Ignacio who allow the abuse of police. alcoholic beverages to get It took us about two weeks to establish ourselves in the new the better of them and in the neighborhood to proudce the first edition of the STAR in Cayo. process assaulting the police “The Newspaper that cares and It did not take too long thereafter for the police to begin in the execution of their dares to bring out the truth” targeting us. duties. The most glaring case 42A Western Highway, We were kept under police surveillance for several months as in point is the situation which Santa Elena, Cayo, undercover police officers were posted in the neighborhood to unfolded during the early Belize, Central America record our movements. morning hours this past Tel: 626-8822 or 626- 3788 We were constantly disrespected and chased out of the police Wednesday in San Pedro [email protected] station as we tried to gather information. Town whereby a Corporal Publisher: Alberto August Editor: Nyani Azueta-August Our office/home was searched on many occasions during of Police who might have had Circulation: Errol Gonzalez day and nighttime hours for drugs, firearm, ammunition and too much to drink lost his Visit us online at : explosives they said. life when he decided that belizenorth.com/ thestar.htm The Publisher was jailed on two close occasions as the he was going to assault a belizenews.com/thestar abusive arresting corporal walking away with a promotion as superior officer for taking star.belizeanlife.com he was instructed to shoot to kill if ever any of the arrests were action against his lawlessness. guidetobelize.info/star PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com Sunday, March 21, 2010 - STAR - Tel:- 626-8822 & 626-3788 - Email:[email protected] - Page 3 residence when a dark color, small 4 door car drove up from behind and parked next to them. SAN IGNACIO TOWN, Cayo Hui Na Chu, 48, Chinese in the company of her 48 year Three masked male persons, in District, Thursday, March 18, businesswoman of a George old husband, they drove their dark clothes, armed with what 2010: Price Avenue address in Santa Toyota pickup across the appeared to be shotguns, report- Three masked male persons Elena Town, reported to police Hawksworth Bridge to their edly jumped out of the car and are reported to have made off that at round 10:45 p.m. on residence in Santa Elena Town. held up the complainant and her with five thousand dollars in Wednesday, March 18, she The complainant informed husband. cash after robbing a Chinese closed her business place on that they were preparing to exit Fearing for their lives, and husband and wife. Burns Avenue in San Ignacio and the vehicle in front of their complying with the robbers’ demand, the complainant handed over the money amounting to approximately five thousand dollars in cash. In addition to SAN IGNACIO TOWN, Cayo, This second caller expressed the origin of the fire. He said the cash, the victims were also Thursday, March 18, 2010: concern that Guatemalan scrap that he would never intentionally relieved of a Nokia cellular It was shortly after 12 noon metal merchants were burning ignite the garbage heap. The fire, telephone, valued at two hundred today when a thick black smoke junk vehicles and in the process he said, drastically reduces the and fifty dollars; two pink school began to rise into the western sky.