The Venezuelan Embassy in Guyana on Friday has rejected claims of a recent shooting incident involving Venezuelan soldiers and Guyanese mining officials in Guyana’s Cuyuni River.
The Embassy denied that Venezuelan soldiers attacked officials of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission who were at the time traveling in a boat along the river in the Eteringbang area.
The Embassy claimed that following investigations by the Venezuelan military, no exercise was carried out by the Venezuelan military in that area.
“Therefore the news report lacks validity, since 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,” the statement noted.
The Embassy called on the Guyanese media to verify its sources of information and stop “echoing the international media campaign against Venezuela.”
The three mining officers who escaped without injury, reported the ordeal in detail and said they had come under gunfire from Venezuelan soldiers.
The three officers were traversing the area carrying out monitoring duties when at least four gunshots were fired at their boat by the Venezuelan soldiers from the Venezuelan side of the border.
The officers were forced to lie flat in the boat until the gunfire ended.
According to reports, the Captain of the boat was able to get the attention of the soldiers and they ceased fire.
The Captain who is not employed with the GGMC then went across to the soldiers and explained that he was transporting mining officers of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission.
The GGMC Officers were forced to identify themselves to the Venezuelan soldiers and were then allowed to continue with their journey.
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