Love TV’s Evening News

For
Thursday, May 19, 2011-05-19

Produced by: Patrick E. Jones Presented by: Anju Gidwani

CHURCH LEADERS SPEAK AGAINST “GAY AGENDA”

Church leaders today issued a rare press release and delved headlong into the growing public
discourse of the so-called gay agenda. Signed by Bishop Dorick Wright of the Roman
Catholic Diocese, Bishop Philip Wright of the Anglican Diocese and Reverend Eugene
Crawford of the Belize Association of Evangelical Churches, the statement formally
announced that Christian leaders have applied to join the government in the case of Caleb
Orozco and UNIBAM versus the Attorney General of Belize. The release says UNIBAM is
heavily influenced by foreign interests who seek to impose a world view that directly
contradicts the supremacy of God as reflected in our laws by seeking to abolish the nation’s
sodomy laws. The church leaders say that the action challenged our national sovereignty and
threatens our very way of life. Their statement says, and we quote: “We declare that God is
the author of all creation as our Constitution affirms by recognizing the supremacy of God,”
end of quote. The leaders make known in their release, that what they describe as the
homosexual agenda insists on the promotion of homosexual acts in the schools and society
and undermined the rights of parents as primary educators of their children. Ultimately the
release concludes, is that the promotion of sodomy and immoral behaviour, disguised as
comprehensive sexual education will lead ultimately to a call for same-sex marriage in
Belize. According to the clergy statement, quote: “this lawsuit was filed to establish a new
right to engage in homosexual acts in Belize. In every country that has granted a new right to
homosexual behaviour, activists have promoted and steadily expanded this right t trump
universally recognized rights to religious freedom and expression,” end of quote. The release
ends by saying that the Church is joining the Supreme Court case as interested parties
representing a broad majority of Christian churches in Belize who do not support these
initiatives of changing our laws to accommodate homosexual behaviour. The high powers
team of attorneys who will represent the churches s interested parties include Senior Counsels
Rodwell Williams and Eamon Courtenay as well as attorneys Michel Chebat, Jackie
Marshalleck and Christopher Coye. The case in question is expected to come up for hearing
in the Supreme Court in July of this year.

BUS OWNERS DISCUSS CHALLENGES

A meeting has been set for tomorrow, Friday, May 20, 2011, between Minister of Transport
Melvin Hulse, Ministry of Transport Officials and members of the Belizean Bus Owners
Association. As we have been reporting, the implementation of the Northern zone bus
schedule is set for Sunday May 22. A number of bus operators in the north have expressed
concern since a number of the runs they have established over the years have been taken
away and given to other operators. Bus owners are upset as well because they say they were
assured that no new bus operators would be included. In an appearance on Love FM’s
morning show President of the Belizean Bus Owners Association Thomas Shaw said the
problem does not only exist in the north but on the Western zone as well.

Thomas Shaw – President, Belizean Bus Owners Association

“Actually in the past the way this transportation business used to operate, they told you if
you have no permit, you wait until you get your permit then you buy your bus. In the case of
Mr. Chuc, Mr. Chuc brought in all theses buses, which it is stated that the Novelo brothers is
fronting for it. He told me personally that he is getting the runs, this was actually promised
to him. If they did not promise him something then run he would not go out and purchase
these buses. This is the discontent of my operators because I believe that the existing
operators should be expected and given first preference in these existing runs. The buses Mr.
Chuc is bringing in is not new, it is new to Belize, it is painted new. It is below the standard
of buses that the present operators are operating right now due to the fact that you have the
Bluebird buses with a caterpillar engine in the front, you can hear what is taking place.
Pushers, these are buses that you can say are degraded because you can’t hear what is
taking place n the back and in our climate it gets hot and the rest of it.”

Owner of Chuc’s Bus Line Sergio Chuc told Love News the allegations that he is fronting for
the Novelo’s are untrue.

Sergio Chuc - Bus owner

“I want to categorically deny that I am in no way shape or form involved with those two
guys. I think what those brothers have done to Belize, and the people I would not never
associate myself with them at this point. I can’t see how I would be associated with them.
They sent a letter to the Transport Board with these same allegations and the transport
board through the Commissioner of Transport Mr. Murrillo called me and said Mr Chuc, so
that we could settle this, can you provide us with evidence where your finances come from to
purchase these equipment. And I was more than happy to present to Mr. Murrillo where my
finances come, you know. I have been in business for many, many years in San Ignacio. I’ve
been in the bus industry, I’m in the gas station business, I own two service stations in Cayo
and a couple other small businesses. I know how to conduct my business. I was very happy to
provide that information to the transport commissioner.

Q: Did you apply for the runs you received Mr. Chuc?

Sergio Chuc
“Yes I have applied for those runs. I applied for those runs a little over two months ago. I
believe that those runs have been pushed back two times because first the runs should have
been at the end of April then they were changed to the beginning or May and then
subsequently they were changed to the twenty second of May which is this Sunday and I am
ready to start operating this Sunday. I am ready to start providing a better service to the
commuters of the western highway who are coming out of Belize City and coming to San
Ignacio. I have good equipment. When they question the type of busses, the reason I am using
those busses is because investment is substantial in a bus and the pushers have a lot of space
to work with it is busses that are very easy to work down and when you have those kinds of
investments in a bus, you can’t have those bus laid up two, three, four days. You need to get
it on the road immediately because then you have a lot of investment in it.”

FRIENDS OF MURDERED WOMAN PUT UP REWARD

Two southern villages have come together to raise funds as a reward towards the arrest and
conviction of anyone responsible for a murder this year of fifty-six year old Miriam Simi, a
French woman who was murdered last December at her home in Sittee River Village, Stann
Creek. The residents of Sittee and Hopkins Villages joined efforts to come up with the
money. Simi was last seen alive socializing and driving around the two villages after eleven
on the night of Sunday, December nineteenth, 2010. The next day her badly beaten body was
discovered inside her house. Her back door was broken and her laptop computer was stolen.
Simi had also been raped. Her neighbours have also said that they are not pleased with the
slow nature of the investigations. If you have information into this murder you may call
Crime Stoppers at 0-800-922-8477.

NEW CHAIRMAN OF KHMH AUTHORITY APPOINTED

Gulab Sharma has been named the new Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Karl
Husner memorial Hospital Authority. Sharma formally accepted the position on May 2.
According to a release from the KHMH over the last 28 years Sharma has pursued a career in
the retail merchandising business, and operates in the Corozal Free Zone. He currently
serves as a Member of the Corozal Free Zone Board of Directors and The Gaming Control
Board. He is also a member of the Corozal Free Zone Chamber of Commerce and is the
Chairman of the Belize Indian Merchants Association.

MAN CHARGED FOR STABBING INCIDENT

25-year-old Gilbert Martinez was charged with attempted murder when he appeared in court
today. Martinez is alleged to have stabbed 42-year-old Joseph Nikod five times in his
abdomen. Martinez was also charged with dangerous harm and use of deadly means of harm.
Chief Magistrate Margaret McKenzie explained to him that she will not take a plea because
the offences are indictable. She also explained to him that the court cannot offer him bail
because of the nature of the offences. She remanded him into custody until July 19. The
incident occurred around 1230 pm on April 21. Nikod reported to the police that he was
walking on his way home when he met a young man and they got into an argument. Nikod
said the young man pulled out a knife and stabbed him in his abdomen. Nikod was admitted
to ward at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in a critical condition and he had to receive
surgery to survive.

SECOND MAN CHARGED FOR ROBBERY

23-year-old Joseph James was charged with attempted murder and six other offences when he
appeared in court today. Police believe James is the second person involved in the robbery at
Belize Recycling Plant on St. Jude Street. The other offences included wounding, use of
deadly means of harm, two counts of robbery, harm and failure to report to police. James
pleaded guilty to failure to report to the police. Because he had a previous conviction for
failure to report to the police, Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser sentenced him to three
months. Except for one count of robbery and failure to report to the police, the incident
involving the other charges occurred on February 28. According to the allegation, James and
Akeem Castillo went to the recycling plant and held up Myra Gilharry at gunpoint. One of
them put a knife to her throat, tied her up and cut her. The robbers stole $2,200 and her purse
which contained $300, her cell phone and some personal documents. James is the only
accused for the second robbery which occurred on January 26. The complainant Abdul
Qudas reported to the police that he was held up at gunpoint and robbed of $550 and his
Smart cell phone.