Last Updated on Monday, 30 May 2016, 21:10 by Written By Denis Chabrol
The Guyana Defence Force and Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) Monday night confirmed that mines officers from the regulatory authority earlier in the day came under fire most likely from Venezuelan soldiers in the Eteringbang area.
Commissioner of the GGMC, Newell Dennison said three officers were in a boat on routine inspections when shots were fired across the bow of the vessel. No one was injured, Dennison said.
Chief of Staff of the GDF, Brigadier Mark Phillips said “we doing confirmatory checks now.. we did get a report and we are investigating.” Asked whether the shots were fired by Venezuelan military personnel, he said “we have no reason to disbelieve the report.”
There is political and economic unease in neighbouring Venezuela as a result of bad economic management, decline in world oil prices and the drying up of the Guri Dam which produces the bulk of Venezuela’s electricity.
Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman said he would be relying on police, GDF and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to conduct their probe and deal with the territorial issue. He said he was comforted by the fact that none of the officers,who were on a routine inspection, was hurt.
