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So was it a success? We visited this morning and found them elated, and very well fed.

Geovanni Brackett, Vice President - COLA
"Last night was amazing, people brought coffee, one guy that owned the Pan Dulce bakery, came and said how can we support, and he went back to his place brought his coffee maker, water sweet bread. This morning they brought panades for us, they brought tamales, they brought salbutes, they brought juice, water, coffee creamer, Jules, and the support was tremendous."

Jules Vasquez
"Geovanni, I don't think you really slept out here, I think you must have slept in that bus."

Geovanni Brackett, Vice President - COLA
"We have pictures to show you Jules."

Jules Vasquez
"You slept on where?"

Geovanni Brackett, Vice President - COLA
"Let me show you, first i was sleeping right there, in the median and the dew was falling like crazy. You understand me and next thing you know your jacket is getting wet up, your blanket is getting wet up, but I was so sleepy, at one spell after 11- 12 I wasn't worried, I got up and told them to turn off the AC, when I conscious I was outside. We went to sleep in the tent there, Jihad, a couple of us shared the tent over there, some of the other slept under the cement building, but we sleep out here we didn't back down, we didn't go into the bus."

Indeed, they slept on sidewalks in drains, even kicked back on the flag.

Jules Vasquez
"Karim, How was the night?"

Karim Mawema, Executive Member - COLA
"Mein, no sand fly so all is well, can't complain Belmopan was nice, you know what I mean."

Jules Vasquez "I know also that early morning, Belmopan has a lot of dew."

Karim Mawema, Executive Member - COLA
"Mein this morning we had to take out two of the soldiers that were hugged up, because the dew was just purring down on those guys, but all is well. Nice and warm, hot cafe from the police came in this morning, it make the cool just "proper".

And there were still happy campers this morning, still drawing curiosity from the windows above, but there was no police harassment, as this sergeant just breezed past. Jihad McClaren was kicking back on his laptop, while Joan Sutherland was packing up with that same pillow.

Jules Vasquez
"I saw you guys up here on the cement embankment.

Joan Sutherland "Right there we slept, where you saw us, right there."

Jules Vasquez
"Cold ground was your bed and rock stone...."

Joan Sutherland
"Right, and we didn't felt a way, we felt proud and happy of ourselves. And we as Belizeans for justice, myself, Ms. Esmay and Ms. Dawn, we are proud as females to join the males out here and this is just the beginning and if we need to do this a hundred times, we will be out here a hundred times."

And while the commendation was well deserved after a rough night, apart from being the most committed protest we've ever seen, really what was accomplished?

Geovanni Brackett, Vice President - COLA
"When you see the cabinet decided, that they will not reissue for sale at least not in the time begin, they block that was being relinquish OPEC the Taiwanese company that is an accomplishment."

Jules Vasquez
"You think it was worth it?"

Karim Mawema, Executive Member - COLA
"Man, just the pour idea buy itself alone is worth thinking of, as much as the action."

Jules Vasquez
"By what do you measure the success? Symbolism is not success."

Geovanni Brackett, Vice President - COLA
"Well symbolism to you may not be success, symbolism is important you never know who is inspired by you action."

This man was, he came all the way from Independence village.

Supporter
"Well I heard on the radio this morning about this little movement here in Belmopan, so i decided to actually come here and show my support to Cola and the other organizations that are here."

Jules Vasquez
"Why do you feel it's important to show them your support?"

Supporter
"It is very important because, me as a Belizean I am totally against offshore drilling, totally against drilling in our national parks."

And so the message went out, to those who have ear to hear it at least, but what about the decision makers and the Prime Minister inside?

Their response will be known in time, but until then Colas mark has been made, it was Belize's first sleep in or sleep out protest.

Geovanni Brackett, Vice President - COLA
"We want the government to hear the people out and to ban oil exploration offshore. These hurry come up companies that they have, needs to get out of here."

Karim Mawema, Executive Member - COLA
"And from here we only can move forward, we can't go backwards. So Mr. Primer come because it forward we are going, 2011 is here 2012 and beyond, people need to eat and Belize need to survive. This can be a fail state."

Nigel Petillo, President BGYEA
"Mr. Leader you are the first person we have to turn too, it's you, you need to come up with answers, you needs to be able to take the time out and talk to your people."

Well, something worked…because - as Brackett mentioned - today the Government issued a release saying, that Cabinet decided on Tuesday that it will not issue any new license for that offshore bloc - known as the OPIC block. As we reported, it was previously held by OPIC, the Taiwanese National Oil Company, which gave it up in October. Last week, OCEANA issued a release asking government not to grant any Production and Sharing Agreement for that area until a referendum is held.

Today the Prime Minister told us he's agreed to take OCEANA's suggestion, and Government will wait a sufficient time to see whether the COALITION can muster enough signatures for a referendum before Government takes any decision on that Bloc. No word on what that "sufficient time" is.

The BLOC covers approximately 1.14 million acres, spanning from east of Belize City to eastern Placencia offshore.