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REFUGEES IN BELIZE
CONFIDENTIAL
British High Commission
Belmopan
Belize
1. Background
In 1960 the population of British Honduras (later
Belize) was 90,000. It is now thought to be over 150,000, a large part
of the increase in the intervening years being due to immigration.
Inevitably, as the imbroglio in Central America has developed, more
and more people affected by conflicts have turned their faces to
Belize, peaceful, underpopulated and liberal. Official figures quoted
for refugees in Belize are suspect: only a proportion of arrivals
ever comes to the notice of the authorities, and even then may not be
enquired into so deeply as to ascertain their motives for leaving their
native land. In Belize there are two key questions which cannot be
answered exactly. These are firstly how many non-belongers, or aliens
as they are known here, are there in the country and, secondly, amongst
those aliens how many can properly be called refugees as defined by
the UN?
2. Aliens Same unofficial estimates put the figure of aliens in Belize
as high as 30,000. Because it is easy to enter the country by stealth,
because there is no compulsory registration or identification procedure
for citizens and in many cases because of the very remoteness of parts
of the country, aliens may only come to notice if they apply to register
as such, need a passport or commit a crime. There are several instances
of individuals and families arriving, clearing a space in the jungle
(in essence as squatters) and leading uninterrupted rural lives. A
large area in the southern part of the country is occupied by Indians to
CONFIDENTIAL
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