Phones are down country wide this am - BTL worker protest - don't know how long this will prevail - they did it before and it lasted 3 hours only - will see how it goes today.

Thanks for the info Marty

One ringy dingy....

Bomb Threat at BTL


They didn't chase Dean Boyce out of the compound, and they didn't shut down the national phone network, but BTL employees did walk off the job today. Well, maybe not exactly a walk off, but something like it. At about 8:30 the company got a bomb threat and the building had to be cleared, and then just as they were about to walk back in, the fire alarm went off. Of course, it was a bomb threat that somehow bore the imprint of industrial resistance but a bomb threat nonetheless. That beckoned no less than the Commissioner of Police Gerald Westby and the Officer Commanding Eastern Division Crispin Jeffries to the scene. Last we checked, they aren't bomb experts but the two men did go inside and speak to management and union leaders about the situation. In the intervening 2 hours, about 150 employees stood idly outside in the sun hot waiting for the all clear to go back inside.

And while BTL employees were out of work for much of the morning, government's bill at the Miami Federal Court just continued to add up. As of 5:00 pm eastern time today, you can count another US$50,000 in contempt charges against the Government of Belize bringing the grand total thus far to US$800,000. 7NEWS has received a copy of the application made to the court by Government's Miami Attorney, the firm of Hunton and Williams. In it, lead litigator Barry Davidson asks judge Ursula Ungaro Benages to "reconsider and vacate her contempt finding." By all appearances, Davidson is employing the strategy of accounting for all recent contemptuous actions, namely blocking a meeting of the board of directors on the actions of other third parties, namely Michael Ashcroft's E-com which has informally partnered with government to block Jeffrey Prosser's re-entry into the company.

Telco workers have pulled the plug on Belize's telecommunications
services this morning in order to pressure GOB to give them control of
BTL in return for an IOU.

Most are offline and one interesting side development was
that the ringleaders of the Association of Concerned Belizeans were
left to talk to themselves this morning when they were featured on the
radio call-in programs.

No telephone service so no one was able to call in and support the
association or lambaste the government - but the moderator tended to
forget and a couple of times said "...the telephone lines are open for
you to call in and voice your opinion..."

True "Belize Factor", ckocian...

Would somebody please call Pepperoni's and order me a pizza, I can't get my cell phone to work?

OK SIN... have ordered your pizza.. be ready for delivery soon.. Believe that Pissano is the delivery person who is covering your area so if it doesn't arrive, I tried...

On another note, sad state of affairs with no phone service... hope they settle soon.. after all it impacts the economy big time when people can't use thier phone lines..

Gail

Are the phones lines up and running again? if so, how long were they down? I have been trying to reach some friends there. Thanks!!!!!

Phones are still down, and probably will be on Sunday too. Firstly, this "event" is on purpose. Secondly, BTL has never fixed anything on a Saturday Sunday or holiday.
BTL e-mail addresses are down as well.

Cell phones are up and running now for cell to cell calls. Internet is still only by satellite and land lines are to be down for the weekend.

S...