Venezuela denies Cuyuni shooting incident

Jun 11, 2016 News

The Government of Venezuela has taken to the media to deny its involvement in an alleged shooting incident late last month between a gunboat from that country and a vessel with local mines officers.

The Venezuelan Embassy has denied that its army was involved in a shooting incident with GGMC officers last month.

The incident allegedly occurred in the Cuyuni River, an area known to be patrolled by both Guyana and Venezuela forces.
Guyana immediately announced that it was investigating the reported incident and had written to the Venezuelan Government asking that they desist from any unlawful action.
However, the Embassy of Venezuela yesterday, in a statement, said it firmly rejects the information reported on Tuesday, May 31, 2016, on the first pages of the local newspapers and information websites of Guyana, stating that its soldiers attacked officials of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), who were travelling in a boat in the Cuyuni River, Eteringbang area.
The Embassy said that no incident was reported by its military officials.
“It is important to note that the investigations carried out by the Venezuelan military authorities have not reported of any incident in the abovementioned area and our military units confirm not having carried out any military exercise in that location.”
The Embassy was emphatic in stating that report could not be true.
“Therefore, this news report lacks validity, since the Venezuelan military forces have not been involved in any incident, as has been falsely reported, let alone confirm the occurrence of violent acts in the mentioned zone, as has been informed.”
This Embassy called on the Guyanese media, “in compliance with principles of ethics and responsible reporting, to verify all their sources of information and stop echoing the international media campaign against Venezuela.”
Relations between the two countries have been cold since last year after Venezuela restated its century-old claims on Guyana, forcing the new coalition government to complain to the United Nations.
Guyana is insisting on a juridical settlement on the simmering border issue.
Venezuela ramped up those claims after it was announced that Guyana has found oil in its waters. Venezuela claimed the waters also.
The neighbouring country, which is facing economic and political turmoil, ended its oil-for-rice deal with Guyana, last year. The Venezuelans also recalled their Ambassador for several months and only recently approved a new envoy from Guyana.