President of China-Taiwan Ma Ying Jeou Visits Belize
The President of China-Taiwan Ma Ying Jeou made a historical and symbolic visit to Belize on Wednesday, May 27. While he was in Belize, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Foreign Minister of the Republic of China (Taiwan) signed agreements on the establishment of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) center in Belize. The ICT center will help to develop e-Government application systems, and to improve digital capacity building, education and training in order to facilitate an appropriate environment for digitalization. President Ma expressed his gratitude for the
friendship that Belize has shown the People of China-Taiwan and said that the relationship will only grow stronger.
Salvadoran President Visits
President of the Republic of El Salvador, Elias Antonio Saca Gonzalez, visited Belize on April 29, 2009. The visit was part of an official farewell visit to Belize by the outgoing Salvadoran president. His wife Kim Simplis-Barrow visited the Museum of Belize and the Special Education Center at Stella Maris School. During his visit, the Salvadoran president conferred the Jose Matias Delgado National Order to the Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow and likewise Saca was bestowed the Order of Belize.
Obama’s Choice for Ambassador
On September 15, the United States Ambassador, H.E. Vinai Thummalapally, arrived in Belize. Ambassador Thummalapally was nominated by President Obama on June 11, 2009 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 23, 2009. Prior to his appointment as Ambassador, Mr. Thummalapally, from Colorado, was the President of MAM-A Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of recordable optical discs. Mr. Thummalapally speaks Telugu, Hindi, and Urdu. He is married to Barbara Thummalapally and has two children.
France Ambassador arrives in Belize
Her Excellency Mrs. Blandine Kreiss, Ambassador of France to Belize, presented her credentials to the Governor-General of Belize, Sir Colville Young, on July 8. Her Excellency Kreiss said that she was very honoured to be the 8th French Ambassador accredited to Belize. She said that she looks forward to working in areas of climate change adaptation measures.
New Ambassadors of India and Denmark Present Credentials
On Monday, June 15, His Excellency Dinesh Kumar Jain, High Commissioner of India to Belize, and Denmark’s Ambassador, His Excellency Soren Vohtz presented their credentials to the Governor General of Belize, Sir Colville Young. Kumar said: “Both our countries are proud inheritors of rich, ancient cultures. We both share democratic convictions and commitments to a peaceful world order. We are both members of the United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, and the Commonwealth, and as such, consult and collaborate together for promoting peace and security for all nations, socio-economic development of our peoples, and for sustainable development of the world”.
New Solicitor General
Oscar D. Ramjeet took up office as Solicitor General of Belize on June 15. Ramjeet is a Guyanese attorney with a legal career that spans back to 1979. He holds an LL.B. from the University of West Indies as well as a Legal Education Certificate from the Caribbean and a Diploma in Journalism and Public Relations from West Germany. From 1986 to1988, he held the positions of Registrar and Magistrate in Montserrat. Between 1988 and 1993, he was the Solicitor General of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and also acted as Director of Public Prosecutions. In 1994, he became the Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Virgin Islands, a post he held until 1995. Thereafter, he became Legal Counsel in the office of the Governor also in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 1997, he was appointed an Administrative Law Judge in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Ombudsman and Contractor General of Belize Sworn In
On January 5, Contractor-General, Mr. Godwin Arzu, and the Ombudsman, Ms. Cynthia Pitts were sworn into office. Mr. Arzu comes to the position of Contractor-General with a wealth of knowledge and experience. He is a qualified Attorney having graduated from the University of the West Indies with an LL.B., and the Norman Manley Law School with a Certificate in Legal Education. He also holds a Masters of Law Degree in International Business from Hull University in the United Kingdom. He has worked both in the private and public sector, including Panel Kerr Forster, Belize Electricity Board, the Ministry of Finance and prior to his assuming his present office, as a Crown Counsel in the Attorney General’s Chambers.
Ms. Cynthia Pitts is also a qualified Attorney that has worked in the private and public sectors. She has worked at Deloitte and Touche as the Head of their Corporate/Legal Department, and as Crown Counsel in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. She was a Law Revision Counsel both in 1980, and 1992 to 1996 revising the laws of Belize. She has also worked as a Legal Protection Officer in the Refugee Office, a Judge of the Family Court, and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Housing, Urban Development, Cooperatives and Local Government. Prior to her appointment she was working out of the Cynthia Pitts Law Firm, which has been operational since 2002.
New Court of Appeals Justice
On August 10, Denys Barrow was sworn in as a Justice of the Court of Appeals. He’s considered one of the greatest legal minds in the country. In an interview with the Editor of the Guardian, Justice Barrow said, “I would like to see my appointment, my desire to be of service to the nation as being the continuation of what I think has been a little trend so far. I think more and more Belizeans are prepared to serve in positions of public office at loss of financial reward, sometimes with some little hardship to them, so I think it’s a welcomed development and as I say I am very grateful for the opportunity.
Justice Oswell Legall
On Monday February 23, the Supreme Court held a special sitting to welcome newly appointed judge, Justice Oswell Legall, to the Supreme Court. Justice Legall’s experience in the legal justice system began when he was first called to the bar in November 1978, where he first served as a Senior Crown Council in the DPP’s office in Guyana until 1982. He then went on to being the Senior Crown Council in the Chambers of the Attorney General, British Virgin Islands from 1983 until 1987. In 1992 up until 1999, he ventured into private practice and in between 1999 until 2000, he took up legislative drafting in Guyana once again. Between 1999 until 2004, he was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Guyana where he served for a five year period.
