237:. Employees did not report to work, and water service for much of Belize was turned off. A major public demonstration planned by the opposition took place on January 21 in Belmopan. (The ruling PUP reportedly planned a counter-demonstration.) This was a large demonstration outside the National Assembly building in Belmopan which ended in violence. Protesters threw rocks at the police, who responded with rubber bullets and riot gas. The gunfire and sirens were audible at a distance of at least 1 km. At least one larger booming sound, significantly louder than gunfire, was heard; the cause of this is unclear.
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Trujeque was arrested for illegal strike action. The unions called on April 18 for Prime
Minister Musa to resign; his response was that the BTL situation was not properly handled but that he would not resign based on "politics." On April 19, the Opposition United Democratic Party unveiled a plan of "civil disobedience" to force early elections, and the country's tertiary level students came out in support of the unions and BTL workers. Late on April 19 another crippling electricity blackout was reported.
313:, BEL and BWS. BTL was locked in an investor war between Michael Ashcroft of England and Jeffrey Prosser, majority holder at the time, of the United States. Ashcroft's reps claimed Prosser was not fulfilling his duties to the board of BTL and challenged his authority in a court order after he was found unable to pay for his stake in the company, which was taken over by GOB. Meanwhile, BEL had applied for a rate hike of 14% over five years, and BWS were granted a small increase.
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374:'s home in the City for an hour (ignoring Police attempts to disperse them) and then marching to and blocking the Belcan Bridge, one of the City's main arteries. Union leaders and Opposition politicians joined them thereafter and police and crowd engaged in a standoff with occasional outbursts and usual elements of protesting until nightfall, when a few city residents came out and began
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On Monday, April 25, plans were announced by public servants and teachers to strike, but these were called off by the end of the week after limited participation. One last tense moment came in
Belmopan near the end of April when Opposition rep Patrick Faber was roughed up while attending a meeting of
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What happened next was an hour to 90 minutes of indiscriminate looting in the downtown area, particularly on King, Bishop, Church, Albert and Regent
Streets, but extending as well to the Pound Yard Bridge and Vernon Street. Police failed to restore calm before damage amounting to more than a million
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came up with an agreement on
February 11. The NTUCB received a review of the budget, salary increases for its members, various reform measures tied to national development corporations and a promise of cooperation. The budget's tax increases were suspended to March 1, pending their review. A planned
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and ATLIB affiliated institutions. But by Friday
January 28, talks had broken down again as the Public Service Union of government workers left their jobs and forced a new round of negotiations that dragged on in the early days of February even as teachers began to return to school. Taking advantage
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made claims, counterclaims and threats. Meanwhile, accused looters were being brought to court and UB student body president Moses Sulph charged for leading the previous day's strike. Another tense moment came on the afternoon of April 21 as reports of Sulph's arraignment (he was actually arraigned
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Friday, March 18, saw the planned demonstration by the trade unions, precipitated by a nationwide blackout beginning the previous night. The unions were much more peaceful than in their previous protest in
January. Inside the House, the government passed the reform measures agreed to by the Unions.
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Reports indicate that the police were very calm throughout the day, although some police cadets were said to have employed unnecessary force against orders. There were reports of fully trained officers restraining cadets and removing them from the police lines, and some people assert that no rocks
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The week of April 18 brought to a head the majority of the troubles facing Belize in this period. Over the weekend telephone service was brought down and the BTL compound on Saint Thomas Street barricaded by workers and supporters, who gave in only as Police stormed the compound. BTL manager Dale
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On March 11, the trend was set for confrontation. In Miami, Florida, judge Ursula Ungaro
Benages restored Prosser to his position on the board with six directors to Ashcroft's two, throwing out the deal Government had made to offer shares to Belizeans. March 14 marked the first appearance of the
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Several protesters were arrested, including 'Yellowman', a UDP stalwart. The permission for the demonstration ended at 3pm, but the protesters were given a one-hour extension. At the end of the extension, repeated demands for dispersal were largely ignored. Former
Superintendent (now Assistant
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Benages, on April 13, agreed with
Prosser and fined GOB $ 50,000 US dollars per day for every day in contravention of her order since March 29. Government planned to comply, but not before appealing the decision. On April 14, disgruntled BTL workers left the compound (or were forced out by a
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attempt to survive one week in a life raft adrift off of the Belize coast. Filming began mere days before the unrest broke out, and filming the episode had to be cut short before the end of Les' 6th day - as the unrest made the situation difficult for the foreign-based production crew.
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Going into the long Easter weekend, the big story was government's deal with
Michael Ashcroft's Ecom Ltd. to buy the shares not paid for by Prosser; upon appeal to the Miami Court Benages reversed her decision and agreed with the GOB position-or so it was thought.
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Belize Communication Workers Union, led by Paul Perriott, who insisted that foreign ownership was not desirable for the workers of BTL and called for funding to put the company in Belizean hands. The NTUCB planned a demonstration for later that week in Belmopan.
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After the conclusion of the Friday protest, the Belize National Teachers' Union, led by President Anthony Fuentes, began a prolonged strike action that left the majority of schools closed going into February. Shortages of water and electricity were also common.
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to the crowd, and after waiting an additional 40 minutes he ordered riot police to disperse the crowd, which they did using teargas and rubber bullets. Some union workers laid down and refused to disperse; they were physically dragged from the area.
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On March 15, phones across the nation were cut off, purportedly by BTL workers as part of their disgust with the Government and foreigners. The Supreme Court issued a ruling against the Miami injunction, declaring it non-enforceable in Belize.
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Going into April, the back and forth between Michael Ashcroft and Jeffrey Prosser in both Miami and Belize reached new lows. On March 31, Benages found GOB in contempt; the ruling was challenged days later by Belize Supreme Court Justice
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On March 1, the agreed-upon tax increases were implemented with little comment other than a threat of strike action from the NTUCB. Other proposals, such as committees to investigate alleged wrongdoing at the
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Initial agreements were made as of January 26 between the government and the Congress; in support of these deals university and college students took to the streets that day, representing the
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by the Government following investor Jeffrey Prosser's failure to pay for his batch of shares bought the previous year. That deal would be more closely examined in the months to come.
182:'s administration announced its budget for 2005-2006. The budget included major tax increases on a variety of businesses and commodities. It included an 11% increase in the
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This is only the third time that this kind of unrest has hit Belize. The most recent occasion was in the 1980s, when a proposal was drafted to cede part of the country to
366:, Faculty of Management and Social Sciences, walked out of their campus on College Street in West Landivar and went to rouse students from schools in the area, including
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during mid-January 2005. The unrest was provoked by the release of a new national budget with significant tax increases. It was also guided by anger at the ruling
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sales tax, a five percent tax increase for financial institutions, an eight percent tax increase on tobacco, and a 100% tax increase on
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Stabroek News - Guyana, Sunday, May 29, 2005 - Mr. Said Musa: during the Caribbean Development Bank heads of government meeting.
370:, Edward P. Yorke, Nazarene and Pallotti High Schools. Having achieved a sizable number of participants, the march traveled to
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422:' "Life Haad Out Ya" was another favorite of protesters, and the phrase became a catchphrase for much of 2005 and 2006.
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The Union Congress and GOB met in talks throughout late February, but as of February 28, there was little progress.
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building on January 14, with demonstrations continued throughout the following week. The main protesters were the
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of numerous faults in communication between the union representatives, Government negotiators Carla Barnett and
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194:(UDP). However, after years of popular frustration at alleged financial mismanagement and corruption by the
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released a song called "Albert Street" mocking the looting on that City street on April 20. Poet
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April 22) brought out hundreds to the Queen and North Front Street areas for a few hours.
198:(PUP), the new budget sparked condemnation from local interest groups and protests at the
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were thrown until after a protester was hit in the head by a club wielded by a cadet.
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Protests and strikes in Belize following tax increases and public utility blackouts
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Crowds outside the National Assembly, with signs calling for the resignation of
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Almost an aberration in the midst of the storm and fury was the takeover of
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Channel 7, February 11, 2005: "Erwin Jones takes poem to the small screen"
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Channel 5, January 11, 2005. "Private sector lobbies for no new taxes"
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http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=13341
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http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=13315
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http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=13353
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Channel 5, January 13, 2005: "Unions: "We won't be punked anymore""
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Channel 5: "Talk turns positive as agreement reached on reforms"
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on the bridge. The crowd then began to disperse, some chanting "
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The main news in early March centered on the utility companies,
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in the Central American nation, occurring in January and April.
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for the worsening fiscal condition of the Belizean government.
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Survivorman | Season 1 | Episode 9 | Lost At Sea | Les Stroud
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At about 1:00 pm that Wednesday afternoon, students of the
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Channel 5: PSU takes hard line, leads nationwide walkout"
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Channel 5, January 14: "PM: hard choices = tax increases"
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695:- News Blog by Belizean Photo Journalist Manolo Romero.
664:, Belize Times, 19 January 2005. (pro-government paper)
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http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_nc_results.php#a2
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and Development Finance Corporation were implemented.
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Musa: Poverty, fiscal deficit key problems for Belize
701:, "Shutdown! Commerce, Schools, Utilities in revolt"
125:An encounter between protesters and riot police in
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
241:Commissioner) of Police Crispin Jeffries read the
502:A day of rage in Belmopan (Channel 5, January 21)
368:St. John's College High School and Junior College
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609:http://www.7newsbelize.com/archive/02110506.html
547:Channel 5: "Students rally in support of unions"
425:The season 1 episode of the Canadian TV series
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599:Channel 5: "Government, Unions finally agree."
382:", the main commercial center of Belize City.
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389:Fingers flew all next day, April 21, as the
294:Conditions leading to March and April unrest
406:the Prime Minister and UB students there.
283:national shutdown and strike was averted.
229:On January 20, the business community and
139:are two separate but related incidents of
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
661:PM calls for calm while Barrow flips out
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204:National Trade Union Congress of Belize
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429:named "Lost At Sea" featured the host
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735:January 2005 events in North America
669:Unions flex muscles in protest march
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206:and the Belize Chamber of Commerce.
47:adding citations to reliable sources
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740:April 2005 events in North America
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680:, 7 News Belize, 20 January 2005.
672:, News 5 Belize, 20 January 2005.
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677:Belize City Shutdown!
304:Social Security Board
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196:People's United Party
168:People's United Party
134:The 2005 protests in
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584:"Channel5Belize.COM"
558:"Channel5Belize.COM"
513:"Channel5Belize.COM"
487:"Channel5Belize.COM"
364:University of Belize
275:University of Belize
265:Between the protests
178:On January 14, 2005
58:"2005 Belize unrest"
43:improve this article
129:on January 21, 2005
720:Protests in Belize
715:Politics of Belize
655:UK Travel Advisory
543:2007-04-27 at the
410:In popular culture
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225:January 20 and 21
200:National Assembly
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