AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Belize Life News Daily news prior to today Today's Belize News: August 26, 2015

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Belizean national caught with marijuana in Nicaragua
A Belizean man is in problems in Nicaragua after he was caught with over one hundred pounds of marijuana. According to the Nicaraguan National Police website, 42 year old Wayne Thomas Reneau was caught with 101 packs of the controlled herb which when weighed, totaled approximately 123 pounds. The operation was conducted on Saturday evening [�]

Belize Territorial Volunteers head back to Sarstoon Island
Early this morning, Belize Territorial Volunteer's Leader, Wil Maheia and a small group made another trip to the Sarstoon to place a Belizean Flag on Sarstoon Island. Love News spoke earlier today with Maheia via phone. Wil Maheia - BTV "Well this morning was quite an interesting morning. As you know we had planned to [�]

Attorney speaks of civil suit against ACP Miguel Segura
On August 16, 2014, Yolanda Valencia was killed in a traffic accident on the George Price Highway. Valencia's mother, Guadalupe Valencia has filed a civil suit against Deputy Commissioner of Police Miguel Segura who was the driver of the vehicle that hit the car in which Yolanda was a passenger. The driver of the vehicle, [�]

Kareem Musa speaks on PUP's G11
Apart from being an attorney, Kareem Musa is also the PUP's Standard Bearer for Caribbean Shores and he sits on a sub-committee within the PUP that is carrying out with negotiations with the G-11 members. Today, we asked Musa for an update. Kareem Musa - PUP Standard bearer, Caribbean Shores "We are in negotiations with [�]

Corozal Sugar Cane Producers' Association receives FAIRTRADE certification.
Arturo Cantun reporting� "The news that the organization has been certified by Fairtrade has been received very well by farmers belonging to this association. According to Chairman of the CSCPA, Elvis Canul, he recognizes the importance of this achievement and has compromised the organization in keeping in compliance with the requirements. Elvis Canul - Chairman, [�]

Prime Minister travels to the US
Prime Minister Dean Barrow left the country today to accompany his wife, Kim Simplis Barrow as she continues scheduled medical checkups. Prime Minister Barrow will return to the country on Friday and during his absence, Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega will act as Prime Minister.

UB mandatory insurance discontinued
The Belize Youth Movement in partnership with the Student Board of the University of Belize is celebrating their victory over the University of Belize's mandatory Black Jaguar Accident protection policy. The policy has now become an option for students who wish to purchase the insurance when registering. Alberto Vellos, President of the Belize Youth Movement [�]

House destroyed by fire in Dangriga
"The house of Eric Flores, a resident of this municipality was destroyed by fire in the wee hours of Monday morning. According to one of Flores' relatives the lumber house which measured 14�16 that was situated in the Monument Site of town apparently caught on fire as a result of someone burning [�]

PUC introduces program to improve networking
The Belize Public Utilities Commission held a work shop today for a new initiative called The Signal Information System. It's a program that would be expanded to agencies that would be able to share information more efficiently. Rudolph Williams, Director of Water and Waste Water sector at Public Utilities Commission told Love News more about [�]

CEMO introduces information books
The 2015 hurricane season is almost at its mid-point and the City Emergency Management Organization (CEMO) has come up with an initiative to keep awareness at the forefront. Wayne Usher is CEMO's Liaison Officer. Wayne Usher - CEMO's Liaison Officer ""The school program is to give the message that CEMO sends throughout the year to [�]

Amandala

Two remanded for aggravated assault with firearm
Two Belize City men were remanded to prison after they were arraigned before Magistrate Ladonna John this morning on a charge of aggravated assault with a firearm. Lloyd Leslie, 23, a laborer and resident of 5 Bocotora Street, and Dwayne Evelin, 25, a laborer and resident of 17 Armadillo Street, both entered not guilty pleas after Magistrate John read the charge to them. Magistrate John explained to the men that because the offense for which they were charged was allegedly committed with a firearm, her court could not offer them bail. "You have to apply to the Supreme Court for bail," she told the two men, before they were remanded to prison until their next court date, October 26.

Men remanded for FirstCaribbean robbery bailed
Four of five men who were remanded to the Belize Central Prison on the allegation that they staged a broad-daylight armed robbery of FirstCaribbean International Bank branch, located at San Cas Plaza, were granted bail this morning by Supreme Court Justice Antoinette Moore. The four accused men all pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery. The fifth man was only charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. Justice Moore decided to grant the four accused men bail despite strong objections from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution, represented by Crown Counsel Sabita Maharaj, who argued that at least two of the men have previous convictions and are likely to commit other offenses if released on bail. The Crown also based its objections for bail on public interest grounds.

Melchor mob attacks Belizean shoppers
Around this time of the year, there are more excursions from Belize to Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala, than the normal weekend trips, because many Belizean families are of the view that they can literally stretch their dollars in Melchor, especially in the season before the new school year, when their uniform/books expenses are very high. Yesterday, Sunday, however, a Belizean family suffered a traumatic experience and had to run back across to the Belize side after they were attacked by a mob of Guatemalan men near the Melchor market. This incident comes on the heels of the Guatemalan navy's aggression against the Belize Territorial Volunteers two Sundays ago, on August 16, in the Sarstoon River, Belizean territory, where the Guatemalan navy has been exercising sovereignty since the last days of May when the Belize Government ordered a contingent of the Belize Coast Guard to withdraw from the area.

Boy, 15, shot dead in home invasion
A young man, 15, died after being shot at the farm of his grandfather, Thomas Polanco, located at Mile 35 on the Hummingbird Highway, shortly after 9:00 Friday morning by three masked men, who were armed with machetes. Police strongly believe that one of Polanco's past employees was one of the three men who went to Polanco's residence on Friday morning with machetes, held up and tied up the family members who were at home at the time, and then ransacked the house looking for cash and valuables. The gunmen stole $3,000 cash, Polanco's 12-gauge shotgun and some cartridges, as well as some household items. According to police, Thomas Polanco's teenaged grandson, Briton Tharique Polanco, 15, who was out in the field at the time the robbers went to the farm, heard noise coming from the house and ran up to the door of the house to see what was happening, and that was when one of the robbers shot him in the chest with the stolen shotgun, which belongs to his grandfather. The three bandits then escaped in the family's vehicle, and are currently on the run.

Shot in ambush by "friendly fire?"
A 16-year-old who, along with two other men, allegedly was lay-waiting an intended victim around 8:45 p.m. last Thursday, is now in a critical condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital after he inadvertently was shot in the abdomen by his partner in crime while in them ambush position, according to police. Police say that the three men went into the Queen's Square Anglican Primary School compound on Fairweather Street on Thursday night and took up ambush positions to shoot a man who was to come over the Fairweather Street Bridge and onto Fairweather Street, near the school compound. As the unsuspecting, intended victim was approaching, one of the three men took out a .38 Special revolver to shoot the victim, but the gun misfired, and he began to tamper with it. According to police, the revolver then fired a round which hit the man's accomplice, the 16-year-old, in the stomach.

La Immaculada Credit Union meeting "got too hot" and was adjourned
On Saturday, August 22, Muffles College in Orange Walk Town was the venue for a Special General Meeting held by the La Immaculada Credit Union. The member-owners had collected signatures demanding a Special General Meeting to address the issues surrounding the termination of Yolanda Gomez, the former General Manager. In April, Gomez was suspended from her position, then in July, she was terminated. There are allegations of fraud, forgery, unauthorized cash movement and loan write-off that the Board claimed was done by Yolanda Gomez. However, at the Special General Meeting there was no actual evidence presented because the investigation is still ongoing, said Board members.

Fans ride underdog BDF to 1-1 draw with Verdes
The news began filtering through the football community on Saturday night, and spread quickly when it was made public on Krem's Press Cadogan Sports Show on Sunday morning, that FC Belize, the last remaining Belize City based team in the Premier League of Belize (PLB), had withdrawn or been dropped out of the competition before playing their first scheduled match, which should have been against Placencia Assassins on Saturday night, August 22, at the Michael Ashcroft Stadium in Independence. Following their second match forfeited to end the previous season, there was talk of a possible suspension of FC Belize from future competitions. But the new management of the Premier League, which now has a board of directors and a hired General Manager, Wilhelm Miguel, to run its competition, had appeared sympathetic to the plight of FC Belize, which had struggled with ownership controversy for the past year, along with a tremendous handicap with the closure of the MCC until early this year. And just a couple weeks before the start of this new season, the lights at the MCC were taken down by the National Sports Council, making work-out difficult for the team.

National Women's Softball Championship this weekend
The Belize Softball Federation will be holding its XXV National Women's Softball Championship over this weekend, from Friday to Sunday, August 28-30, at Rogers Stadium in Belize City. The action starts on Friday and according to a release from the Federation, the first game gets under way "at 6:30 p.m. sharp." On Saturday, the games will start at 9:00 a.m., and Sunday games begin at 10:00 a.m. Official opening ceremonies for the Championship are scheduled for Saturday, August 29, beginning at 1:00 p.m. after the second game. Six teams will be vying for this year's National Championship, two each from three different softball zones, namely: BTL and Belize Bank Bulldogs (Belize City), Unitedville's Rebels United and Roaring Creek Grace Kennedy (Cayo), and Double Head Cabbage and UB Black Jaguars (Belize Rural).

"Ladies" Flores set to win BDF 13 Miles Race
Veteran runner, Anthony "Ladies" Flores, 54, originally of Dangriga, is set and ready to win the upcoming BDF 15 Miles Road Race that will be held this Saturday morning, August 29. Ladies came to Amandala today, and reported that that he has been working out on the beach sands in Dangriga, and now possesses the endurance and stamina to punish and defeat the competitors, and has declared himself the winner. The veteran runner said that he has been running for the past 15 years, during which he has been achieving second and third place, but he will dominate this race and achieve first place in this upcoming race. Flores said that on Saturday morning, the race will commence from Old Belize at Mile 5 on the George Price Highway, and will make its way to Central American Boulevard, left over Belcan Bridge, and left into the Philip Goldson Highway, and conclude at Price Barracks, which will be a distance of about 15 miles.

BDBA Firms finals: Bulldogs vs Central Bank
The Belize District Basketball Association's (BDBA) Firms Basketball Tournament 2015 held its knockout semifinal games on Friday night, August 21; and it was right into game 1 of the best-of-3 games championship finals series on Saturday night, August 22, at Bird's Isle. The semifinal opener on Friday night featured a battle of the banks, as Central Bank disciplined Heritage Bank, 82-66. Leading Central Bank were Jacob Leslie with 32 pts 6 rebs 4 assts, Dave Apolonio 21 pts 2 rebs 3 assts, and Farron Louriano 15 pts 8 rebs 2 assts; while Heritage Bank was led by Marvin Skeet 19 pts 8 rebs 3 assts, and Winston Pratt 14 pts 3 rebs 3 assts 3 stls. The semifinal nightcap was a much closer contest, as Bulldogs pulled out the 71-68 win over Central Health. For the victorious Bulldogs, Brian White had 22 pts 8 rebs, Rupert Brown 22 pts 2 rebs 4 assts 2 stls, and Tarique Gabb 11 pts 4 rebs 2 assts 2 stls; while Central Health was led by Neil Nicholson 33 pts 3 rebs 3 stls, Travis Bernardez 11 pts 3 rebs 2 assts 2 stls, and Lonnie Trapp 10 pts 5 rebs 2 assts 2 stls.

Editorial: Armed and dangerous
On Wednesday, August 12, United Democratic Party (UDP) Junior Cabinet Minister, Hon. Mark King, made serious threats against the Kremandala organization; against Evan X Hyde, the Kremandala chairman; and against Mose Hyde, the general manager of KREM Television and a talk show host. Mr. King's threats were broadcast on national television news: the threats had been made earlier that Wednesday during a speech in his Lake Independence constituency. Mr. King, a former Belize Defence Force soldier who was made a Justice of the Peace in 2005 by the PUP Belize Rural Central area representative, Hon. Ralph Fonseca, is thought by some observers to be eccentric. But, he owns security companies, which means he has armed employees at his disposal. Mr. King is also the Minister of Gangs. We are not exactly sure what his portfolio involves, but it is for sure that the Junior Minister has frequent contact with the various Belize City gang leaders who have been in charge of work gangs on government infrastructural projects in the old capital. Overall then, it is reasonable to say that Hon. Mark King is armed and dangerous.

From the Publisher
With your permission, I'd like to use my column today to inform you about your enemy. Sun Tzu insists that you should know as much as you can about your enemy. Belizeans, your enemy is the Guatemalan military, which now directly controls the political directorate in Guatemala. The President of Guatemala, Otto P�rez Molina, is a General of the Guatemalan Army. He was an officer in the Guatemalan military during the presidencies of Lucas Garc�a and R�os Montt. General Perez Molina was head of the EMP during the presidency of Ramiro de Le�n Carpio, from 1993 to 1996. The EMP is the Estado Mayor Presidencial (Presidential Military Staff). The EMP is in charge of interrogation and torture. The following is from pg. 307 of Francisco Goldman's THE ART OF POLITICAL MURDER, published by Grove Press in 2007: "General Otto P�rez Molina represented the military during the Peace Accords negotiations. He was one of the principal architects of the amnesty. In 1996, the year the accords were signed, the New York Times reported that in the early 1990s, when then Colonel P�rez Molina was the head of Military Intelligence, he'd ordered the murder of the captured guerrilla Efra�n B�maca.

The elusive courage
Dear Editor, In molding democratic citizens most people argue that a good education system is needed. I would like to add another component to a successful democracy besides good education and people participation - courage. Due to victimization and our colonial history most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have citizenries that are afraid of their government. This is a sad state of affairs because the people should give direction to their government. This is the only way history has shown you will have a prosperous and happy country that's democratic. We need only look at the Scandinavian countries of Europe. Many times it is not that the citizenry don't know their rights and responsibilities: it is that they are afraid that if they exercise their rights they will be victimized by their government. Your newspaper has experienced such occurrences already.

Breaking Belize News

Police continue community outreach in Southside Belize City
The Eastern Police Division South, commanded by the unconventional and innovative Superintendent Chester Williams, continues with its community outreach efforts, attempting to reduce crime in troubled areas. Officers of that division will be doing a "Meet and Greet" on several streets on Wednesday, August 26, including Supal, Kraal Road and [�]

Free Zone Store's proceeds burgled
An Italian National, currently residing in Quintana Roo Mexico, 28 year old Daniele Chou, who owns the "Euro Moda" store at the Corozal Commercial Free Zone, reported to police that his place of business was burglarized sometime over the course of the night of August 22nd. When Chou returned to [�]

Dangriga businessman reports burglary
A burglary at the residence of a well-known Dangriga businessman, yesterday, August 24th, resulted in the loss of items valued at a total of $10,150.00. 32 year old Charles Zabaneh Jr. reported that while checking his garage yesterday morning, he noticed that a 40 horsepower outboard boat engine, valued at [�]

Melchor trip ends in insult and injury for City family
Told in rude language to go back to Belize after an inappropriate touch on a minor, a Belizean family on excursion to Melchor de Mencos, Peten, Guatemala, has said they will never go back again and encourages other Belizeans not to either, today's Amandala reports, via KREM News. [�]

Lady bar owners charged over undocumented workers
The owners of two entertainment establishments in Belize City, Rexis Mejia and Mora Mejia, were charged with immigration offences when they appeared on Monday before Magistrate La Donna John. Rexis, who is the owner of Long Island Bar on Blue marlin Drive, was charged with 3 counts of [�]

Sixth former charged again for carnal knowledge
18 year old Daniel Bradley, a sixth form student, who was charged with 1 count of unlawful carnal knowledge in June, was brought to court today for another charge of unlawful carnal knowledge regarding the same complainant. Both offences occurred between May 1 and May 31. Bradley was [�]

Two men charged for firearm assault
Lloyd Leslie and Dwayne Evelyn have been remanded into custody for separate incidents of aggravated assault on August 19 and 20. In the latter, the target, identified as Delbert Palacio, was reportedly accosted by Leslie, Evelyn, and 16 year old Mark Phillips inside the compound of Queen Square [�]

Driver charged for traffic accident
Two weeks ago there were multiple fatalities reported on the Philip Goldson Highway between Miles 6 and 7 when a 4-door Mercedes with no license plates slammed into a Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck. Two men identified as 52 year old Alden Locke, also known as "Tall B", and [�]

Belizean Captured with weed in Nicaragua
On Monday, August 24 2015, Wayne Thomas, 32, from Orange Walk was reportedly caught trying to traffic marijuana across the San Pancho border from Nicaragua to Costa Rica. Officials informed that when Thomas arrived at the border in San Pancho, the white van he was driving was thoroughly searched. During [�]

First Lady of Belize departs to US for continuous medical checkup
Prime Minister Dean Barrow has left Belize as of today, Tuesday, to accompany his wife Mrs Kim Simplis Barrow to the U.S. for continued medical checkups. Mrs Barrow continues to fight breast cancer, with which she was stricken a few years ago. The Prime Minister returns on Friday, August 28. [�]

Good weather continues across Belize
The National Meteorological Service of Belize predicts mostly sunny skies and warm weather today with isolated showers or thunderstorms developing mainly inland this afternoon. Tonight, skies will be partly cloudy with little or no rainfall. Winds will be blowing from the East at 5-15 knots and the sea state will [�]

Blogs

Planes, Trains and Automobiles�and More Planes: I'm Home!
A long trip home became a wee bit longer on Sunday afternoon when we were experience some bad weather on Beaver Island, Michigan. JUST when we needed to fly the rain and a bit of thunder started�and for a little plane? That's never good. Finally the plane arrived�just a little four seater�and we were off�bye Beaver Island. Man�what a great spot.

Remembering Radio Swan Island �.
A casual Facebook interaction with Daedra Haylock on a post by Renee Trujillo yesterday brought back a few memories from my childhood, partly from what it was like growing up in a Belize before Independence and the proliferation of available and accessible media. I grew up in a time when we only had one radio station, no tv and mostly in parts of the country where running water, electricity, paved roads and telephone service was virtually non-existent outside of the population center that was the old capital Belize City. Besides Radio Belize's AM signal my folks used to tune into baseball and other sports, as well as the Grand Old Opry (Country and Western music) on Armed Forces Radio and news on the BBC, on shortwave. It occurred to me while commenting about media in Belize with the ladies and monitoring the progress of Hurricane Danny that there was also another radio station that my weather-wise folks used to tune into that perhaps the majority of Belizeans currently do not even know existed and played a role in Belize's history.

The Evolution of Belize's Public External Debt
In a letter to the News Director of Channel 7 News Belize and the Editor, AMANDALA newspaper, Dr. Carla Barnett, former Financial Secretary, Government of Belize, and currently United Democratic Party Standard Bearer, Freetown Division wrote: "August 12, 2015 Dear Editor, I have heard several commentators make strong assertions about the state of the public finances and public debt, that have caused me to pause. Commentators have suggested, for example, that government is "borrowing at an unprecedented rate" or that the debt to GDP ratio has risen to "unprecedented levels". These assertions tend to be made without providing the supporting evidence and, having been involved in finding solutions to the fiscal and debt crisis of the mid-2000's, I know that these comments are not based on accurate information.

The "Battle" for Sarstoon - a first person account
As usual these are my observations and opinions solely, and, of course, my conclusions for my own purposes. It is NOT a news report. The women! Carolyn Trench-Sandiford woke me up a few minutes after 4:00 a.m. and quite adeptly drove us to Barranco Village. Although I had awakened at 3:00 am and had gotten up and made coffee, I went back to bed and for some inexplicable reason fell back asleep. I was awakened from blissful sleep when she hollered for me outside and I cannot thank her enough. I would've hated to have missed going to the Sarstoon. As a citizen I am thankful for the efforts of the Belizean Territorial Volunteers to try and wake up Belizeans from their induced sedation where the existential threat that Guatemala's claim is to the nation of Belize. The BTVIPNP saying "No" to the ICJ does not make a lot of sense to me but the effort to draw attention to Guatemala's posture, (stance and action), as well their more critical-than-not analyses of and commentary on the GOB's dispute management in this regard is very needed at a time when the official opposition has been too circumspect in my estimation.

The "Battle" of the Sarstoon � (Part 2)
There is something about being out on the open water that exhilarates me. It is a primal, visceral reaction. My thoughts as we steamed determinedly towards the Sarstoon and perhaps a date with destiny were a jumbled stream of consciousness as I absorbed the sights, the sounds, the emotions, the feelings, my now compatriots. The boats had returned to the small dock at Barranco after taking about 50-60 persons presumably to the Sarstoon Island. I had managed to climb on to one that had a bikini, strapped on a life vest, and settled into the shade for what I anticipated would be a swift, smooth ride across a calm sea with Carolyn Trench-Sandiford, Alberto Vellos and Dickie Bradley as my seat companions. Richard Bradley Jr., another attorney, and Alton Humes, a reporter, had helped a frail, elderly Garifuna lady to a seat on the foremost "tart" in front of me and I later learned she was Barranco's most famous resident, Andy Palacio's aunt. I was glad that he was there in spirit. In the flesh he and I would've composed a song, maybe even two, mostly for my entertainment and because that is what he does. It is a Garifuna cultural tradition.

Slices of Life from Belize - August 23, 2015
Well this entry will be brief, because we've hardly had any rain. Oh sure, a few storms have blown through, but in no way dropping enough water to keep things lush and growing. One of our local news stations, 7 News Belize, ran an article about the situation with this headline: "Min. of Agriculture: There is a Northern Drought (Duh)". You can read the article here. Farmers are really bearing the brunt of the weather situation. Crops, especially corn, have been turning yellow from lack of water. Our trees and shrubs almost all have a yellow tinge, and our grass is turning brown and crunchy. David was saying just the other day that we want and need rain so badly, he wouldn't care that we would have the dogs cooped up in the house with us, should the rain gods decide to visit. That's really saying something.

An updated list: Low Season closings and openings in San Pedro
Ah, low season on Ambergris Caye. Do restaurants, resorts and hotels close down because the visitors aren't coming to Belize? Or do the visitors stop coming to Belize because so many restaurants, resorts and hotels are closed? Well, for whatever reasons a lot of places here on Ambergris Caye close - for as little as two weeks to as long as two months. During this time some places upgrade, change menus, add fresh coats of paint. It is pretty safe to say that come November, the island will be back in full swing and looking as beautiful as ever. Here is an updated list of Low Season venue closings (with some who plan to stay open through the season). If you know of others e-mail me at [email protected] or call 650-1987. I will update as needed.

International Sources

Faculty explore, share talents, serve during summer break
College of Southern Maryland professors Paul Billeter, Laura Polk and Michael Walls traveled to Belize, Bolivia, Peru and remote Appalachia this summer to research and study, and provide service to communities outside of the region. Billeter developed a lifelong passion for the tropics as an undergraduate biology major and during a trip to Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, in 1968. As a biology and physical sciences division professor since 1974, Billeter continues to learn about and explore the Caribbean region, and he shares his love for marine life and the tropics in the classroom and on travel study experiences each spring. This summer, Billeter gave a presentation on the evolution of travel courses at the Conference on International Coral Reef Education at the Tropical Education and Research Center in San Pedro, Belize. "The conference brought together college professors who teach field biology courses focused on marine biology and coral reefs," Billeter said in the release. "My presentation focused on the evolution of travel courses in the Caribbean over the past 45 years and how I have internationalized my course to include case studies from Chile, Australia, Belize, the Maldives, the Line Islands, United Arab Emirates and Mexico."

Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association focusing on local associations
Emil Lee, president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), reported progress during his first year in office as CHTA continues its evolution into a Hub and Spoke organization. He said he is pleased that the focus on strengthening the National Hotel and Tourism Associations (NHTAs) throughout the region is evolving quickly. He also cites a new era of public-private sector collaboration between CHTA and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) which has emerged as a point of optimism for the industry's future. Lee recently visited with local CHTA members and ministers of tourism in various countries including Antigua, The Bahamas, Barbados and Belize.

Indian-Origin Man Found Dead in UK Hotel Room
An Indian-origin man believed to be a solicitor has been found dead in a hotel room in south east London. Scotland Yard officers involved in the search for John Neville Singh found him unresponsive in a room at the Premier Inn hotel on Lansdowne Road in Croydon on Friday. He was reported missing from his home in Mitcham, south London, on August 19. Formal identification is yet to take place but officers believe they are satisfied that the body is that of 67-year- old Singh. "The death is not being treated as suspicious at this time," the Metropolitan Police said. A post-mortem examination has been scheduled and Mr Singh's next of kin have been informed. According to a LinkedIn profile in his name, Mr Singh was a solicitor with more than 30 years of experience in civil litigation and a former magistrate in the Central American nation of Belize.

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