Visiting Chinese national seeks help from government after being robbed 

A Chinese tourist whose passports were stolen in a daylight robbery in Belize City is appealing to the Government of Belize for urgent help to process her documents so she can continue her journey. Forty-nine-year-old Wu Yuan Jun, also known as Ann, says she feels “stuck and unable to travel,” but remains deeply grateful for the empathy and assistance shown to her by local residents and her Airbnb hosts during one of the most difficult moments of her life.  She was in Belize for a few days and had gone for a walk when she says a slim man of dark complexion stole her purse.

Wu Xuan Jun, Robbery Victim: “A very slim and tall guy, a black one, dropped me behind me and my bag all gone. When he left I chased him for miles and then I got lost. And two ladies driving their car stopped and then maybe they guess what happened and asked me. Then they saw the direction the guy ran away, but disappeared. Later they called the police, maybe five minutes, within ten minutes, and the police officer came and brought me to the police station to file this accident report. I mean, I got some help from a Chinese association. In the same day, a Chinese guy, his family name is Jung Eric and he helped me about a new passport on the 21st, he organized all my stuff,  information to Jamaica Embassy. And after that, I tried to go to Belmopan police station and immigration to try to find some help from the Belizean government. You know, the passport and the visa is so important to me, more than money and cell phone. Because I have no visa and passport I couldn’t live here. I mean, I couldn’t go anywhere. The problem is I need to stay in Belize maybe a couple of weeks, I’m not so sure. Two, three or four weeks, I need to survive here. Like basic clothes, food, and I need, maybe I need to pay the fee, the dorm. The thing is I need the help from the Belize government.”

Ann, who was passing through Belize en route to Guatemala, was robbed of her sling bag and all her travel documents last Thursday, November 20, while walking near the Belize Civic Center. Fortunately, she was not physically harmed.  Ann had arrived in Belize accompanied by two other travelers from Cancun and planned to spend only three to five days before continuing on to Guatemala, then Los Angeles, and finally back to China. Now, unable to leave without replacement passports and a completed police report, she says she feels stranded and unable to even meet her most basic needs.  She now turns to the Belizean authorities for support, requesting assistance with food, necessities, and the timely processing of her documents. We understand that a Canadian national identified as “Michael” has already paid for her eight-day stay at Shangrila, an Airbnb off Cemetery Road, while its owner, Daniel Nicholson, has shown empathy, ensuring she has somewhere to stay.  The application for a new passport has been submitted, though it may take weeks to complete, especially since Belize does not have a Chinese embassy.