Re: Breaking Belize News ( NOT Good News)

No one is held accountable. Murders walk on missing paper work. GSU is like Natzi SS, breakdown doors, no search warrant, move on here say evidence. Poor folks worry about food,  housing, and just getting by, and don't have time to get involved. Media seems to couier at the idea of investigative reporting.

Yikes! We were thinking of moving there too. We just wanted a place like that to retire and volunteer and do some good. It sounds a little scarey. It would be nice to have this cleared up.

I am about to write something that I am exceedingly embarrassed about and for which I apologize in advance. Does anyone know the degree to which this corruption impacts expats? I wonder if, as in the USA, if you have money are you insulated from such things having an adverse impact on your life?

But what if you do not have money? A lot extra that is.

Each city in belize had an expat forum group online.  Read their comment, help, whatever to make your opinion.  Only reading the breaking news is like reading the worst.   Go there to visit.

Is there an expat forum for Ambergris  caye?

I am dumfounded that this even comes up.   Belize is a poor country.  Poor countries lack the money to train and equip cops . Corruption is how cops and bureaucrats augment their income...pretty much true the world over.

Google or Facebook Corozal, or San Ignacio, or Cayo, and the other places in Belize.
Use words as expats, or meet and mingle, or belize expats etc etc....
Or san pedro scoop etc etc...
You will find many groups

We moved to Belize just 6 weeks ago, and yes we have read these reports, but have not experienced anything of that nature, very much the opposite we find everyone very helpful and supportive, we are still in the process of obtaining permanent residence, work visa's etc and had no time has any official (or anybody else) suggested 'anything' other than to guide us through the correct channels.
We have lived in 4 different countries and 3 different continents and this is by far the best.

Important to know many  people love Belize. Important like everwhere else in the world to live in a decent home and not under a shack  thinking you belong. Belize is a beautiful country with a lot of educated people.
Thinking of volunteer work, I am not sure it is something easy to do and at one time a work permit was necessary which is very good.
There is no paradise anywhere, just a choice we have to make about the good and the bad.
I would be more worried about the cost of living than crimes.
Certainly I would never base my judgement on other's judgements.
It is only you who can see if it fits you.
One person will have a wonderful experience and an other would be upset.
There are gated communities if you are scared like in Corozal near the border of Mexico just as an example.
it is worth trying.

Government official apparently beheaded a pastor and none will testify against him.

Bunnie,

Where are you getting this information from? I have been going to Ambergris Caye for the past 5 years and I have never had any concerns or problems with anyone there. Everyone has been so nice and open and friendly including the police.

It's true we live in a volatile world and there are going to be problems crimes and Corruption no matter where you go. This is just an unfortunate fact of life. You could just as easily be a victim of a horrific crime in your own neighborhood in the USA as you could be in any place else on Earth.

This year I will be going to Corozal in November after the elections here in the USA. I have not decided 100% on where I will end up when I retire in a few years. So I am doing my due diligence in the very locations that I am considering. My suggestion to you is to do the same.

Only you can make the decision on the lifestyle that you want to have. And the only way to make an educated intelligent decision is to do your own due diligence and set foot on the ground where you think you would like to live. Meet the people that live there experience the lifestyle there only then can you make the right choice for you and your future.

That's what it sound like to me.

This information was in the Breaking Belize News Paper. I wasn't overly concerned until I read it in their paper. I know there is violence everywhere this just seems to go deeper than I ever thought. But I do appreciate your input as well as the other comments, will really have to think on this. Thank you all.

Pastor Lucas will have a viewing between 12 and 1 o'clock. Decappated and body burned? Must have an excellent mortician.

BunnieMarie;
IMHO Texblondi2 is 100% correct. You must visit for an extened period to make an informed decision on Belize. You must learn what you can do or not do safely.

As you have already seen just in this thread alone, there are many different responses to the same question. While every opinion is valid, and are hopefully based on an individuals personal experiences, many are also based on hearsay. Let me quote Plato, "wise men speak because they have something to say. Fools speak because they have to say something". Good luck seperating the two in these forums.

My experience is that crime and corruption is definitely alive and well in Belize. To compare it to other countries is irrelivant. But also to participate in it, is your choice. Yes some processes can be made quicker with a payout to an official. My belief is that if you are complicent, then you are part of the problem. In Belize, go slow, be patient, and things will work out.

As a retiree I can tell you that I have never been shaken down in Belize. Most of the corruption you will read about stems from being involved with the wrong people. If you know and follow the law you should be fine. Associating with thh wrong people can be as benign as picking up an innocent looking old lady on the road, and then you are pulled over and she is transporting drugs. You may be innocent and may not be charged, but you will pay.

Because Belize is a mostly poor country, petty crime is a way of life, if you leave your stuff laying around it will be "permanently borrowed". In this case it is not even considered a crime but rather a culturally acceptable thing to do and a way of life. While others here probably have more than my two years experience, I can tell you that we were victims of theft once. After three months here we got complacent and started leaving our raingear on our golfcart in San Pedro, it wasn't taken the first time, or even the second time, but the third time it was. An inexpensive lesson to always remain vigilant. many people forget these truths and drop their guard after a few months.

As a retiree you should not need to worry too much about corruption. Corruption is usually for those (those I define as the wrong people) that need to fast track a gun licence, or residency, or wish to continue their illegal enterprise without penalty after they have been caught. The typical retired expat that lives clean, secures their property and belongings, in my experience will not have to worry about corruption.

Finally, Belize has been everything that my wife and I had hoped for, but don't just take my word on this, or anyone elses. Come for an extended visit, experience Belize for yourself, draw your own conclusions without the media hype, and discover the truth that will be your reality.

P.S.
My apologies to those that have noted my long responses in the past. I don't mean to preach, that is the other Billy Graham.

This does sound like a truly horrific crime and of course it would be a concern for anyone considering a move of this magnitude. However I must reiterate the fact that these types of crimes have happened everywhere in the world it is not isolated to Belize or any other country for that matter. There are evil people and Corruption of government officials and law enforcement in every corner of the world. There really is no perfect utopian Paradise..  unless of course you can afford to own your own private island completely isolated from all other humans on Earth. Otherwise you are going to live with other people living in the same proximity that you live in. It's very difficult to judge Human Nature there are good people there are bad people and there are truly evil people living everywhere. All you can do is make the best judgement call for yourself and hope for the best and try to not dwell on the worst. That's just my two cents.

Bill I cannot tell you how much my husband and I appreciated your comment and the more we discussed it the more we found that what you are suggesting is what we needed to do in the complex we currently live in, We had to learn to live without getting involved in their gossip and vicious attacked on others. You have rekindled our desire to move to Belize, maybe one day we can chat over coffee. Thanks again wise man.

BunnieMarie;
It would be my pleasure.

Five men were remanded to the Belize Central Prison this week for the grotesque decapitation of Dangriga pastor, Llewellyn Lucas.

Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Williams remanded Belmopan businessman William Mason, along with Ernest Castillo, Keron Fernandez, Ashton Vanegas, and Terence Fernandez, until September 7, on charges of: murder, conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

The case has several intricate details, including Mason’s questionable history; legal issues, where the accused will have to face trials in two separate judicial districts; and apparent corruption in the areas of national security, vital statistics, immigration and nationality...

That is good news, thank you for posting.

I keep up with events in Belize when I am not there by reading the Belize news on line - www.belizenews.com
It is an excellent source of current news stories from all around Belize - there is always some political bias, but nonetheless informative
I don't feel Belize is unsafe - with some caveats of course.

Ambergris Caye's Forum of Facebook, also on FB Belize Expats, and Expats Living in Belize!.

Thanks for the update Karen Joe.. I'm glad to hear they have Tracked Down the culprit of this evil and Despicable crime. And this just goes to show that the Belizean government is not as corrupt or inefficient as some people would believe they are.

I think it was a Canadian illegal and crook man who  beheaded someone recently.
So beware of bad info and gossips.
You should focus on the good you can find in Belize, see if you can afford a nice place and be able to live in the hot and humid weather, and live.
Like everywhere in the world, you will find crime but on the overall people of the streets are very nice.
May be you are not fit for it because your questions are of someone who had not searched much the internet but only the breaking news network. If you base your search on the news, you will not aquire a good idea. First you need to travel to Belize and look for yourself.

I'm sorry if I have offended anyone especially Textblondi2, it was not a choice to think the Belizean Government was/is corrupt. This is what was reported in the Breaking Belize News and as I am not there Is why I posted an inquiry to see what I could find out from others. I seemed to have hit some nerves, once again it was my intent to offend anyone, please accept my apologies.

My opinion after worked and lived wround the world for decades.
Living in a foreign country we should not talk about their politics.
So, explore the good stuff about the country you want to retire in and avoid talking about politics.  We will be a minority trying to survive our last years of our lives so just remember that thieves and corruption are everywhere in the world but it not obvious, as going to the market and purchasing a rotten apple.
There are a lot of forums on facebook and else,with people exchanging ideas on how to. 
I think Belize is nicer and safer than Costa Rica, Nigeria, and a few others.
What is important is that you travel to Belize for a few days and see by your own eyes.

@ Bunnie Marie

I was not offended. I don't think anyone else was offended by anything you said. You were merely asking questions and had concerns. And rightfully so I might add. But like everyone has said on this forum you just need to go spend some time in Belize and make your own judgement call for yourself. Just like the newspapers and media in the USA are full of lies and gossip with no real validity behind so much of it so it is in other countries of the world.

I don't think the level of corruption is any greater than that of most first world countries, just not as sophisticated at covering it up.
Eg: Monsanto, Dupont and others paying the US and Canadian politicians to keep their death products on the market and trying to force them on other nations.
If that is not a criminal action against humanity that dwarfs the actions of the Nazi's in the war I think people really need to open their eyes to what is going on at home.
And this is only 1 example but affects everybody in the world.
Scale is outrageous.

Oh geez,  don't get us started on Monsanto and DuPont and the whole GMO issue. You are correct that that is a global problem. That is one of the main reasons I've been growing my own organic garden for the past several years in preparation of going off grid and Back To Nature.

Seriously, if you read the labels on 90% of the products in a US grocery store, that should be enough to put you off of anything you purchase already prepared and packaged. These manufacturers are more concerned about the almighty dollar than they are about the health of the consumers. Which is so ignorant when you think about it because without the consumers there are no dollars for these companies. But this is a conversation for another forum.

I really think that on government corruption it is extremely pertinent

Hi all,

     kinda new around here, but this seems like a good place to leave this

"If you don't read the newspaper you're uninformed , if you do then you're misinformed" ~ Mark Twain

     I always take news stories with a grain of salt as those people have an agenda too, that's why I'm here, to talk to people on the ground about Belize.

     Anyhoo, Hello Everyone

Hello couple "Fireman 10535" It's nice to hear a friendly voice so to speak. Getting information is what I thought I was doing and going to get but instead for the best part I got fangs and claws. I guess some forgot how to give the information without judgment. Anyway I would be pleased to hear what you experience while in Belize. Mark Twain was a wise man. That is also what I thought might be the problem as I could not understand how so many people could say so many nice things about a country I was reading so many bad things about. Billdoesbelize gave some very good advice. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks for joining.

After living here seven years, it always makes me laugh when I read comments from Americans about Belize corruption.  Is no one paying attention to the corrupt scum running the U.S.? Think it's gonna get better with the next election?  Look who's leading in the polls! Belize might not be perfect but it has "baby" corruption compared to its northern neighbor. That might be why we are here. I have no plans to go back.

Not all are corrupt and most of the corruptions is on a petty scale compared to the US. When I lived in Miami I used to bee asked all the time if I was afraid because of all of the drug violence. I used to tell them, "...no, I don't deal drugs, so i don't come in contact with them". It is imperative that you select an established customs broker. We used the following. He is honest and is well connected. He will get your stuff there and through customs without having to pay a "special fee". Remember that the culture is different...isn't that what you are looking for? You are moving to a charming and lovely country, but it is very poor. As long as you are keeping to the main track, it is the most beautiful place on the planet. Customs suggestion:
Belize Customs House Brokers -Ernesto Perera
Category: Members
Position: Customs Broker
Tlf: +(501) 227-3112/ 227-5622
Mobile: +(501) 610-1451

Can't live with Corruption? I guess you won't be living in the US then? When the democrats rig an election and worse and no one does a thing about it, that is corruption.

Good Morning, you are on the wrong forum? I don't believe this forum is for US political controversy?

I guess we should be talking about Canada as a Canadian asked the question.
Their is really no problem pointing out corruption in Canada, it is just not quite as transparent as the US.
The concern about corruption in Belize is warranted but is far more transparent than either Canada or US.
Either  way for the most part it really plays a very small part in most expats lives.

My friend, you obviously have spent some time in poor countries; you hit the nail on the head. Oftentimes, officials have to even buy their positions, and then the bulk of their income comes from whatever they can extract from whoever, and the rich are the most obvious place (why would you try to extract money from a poor person who has none?). This, friends, is why poor countries are poor! But living among these people and helping as only we rich can, can be very rewarding, eventually people get to know you and you have made some fine friends.