-Still no report from Venezuela
THE Government of Guyana up to yesterday afternoon did not receive a report from the Venezuelan government in relation to a complaint it lodged about the unfriendly entry of this country’s territory by military personnel from that country.

Venezuela’s Ambassador to Guyana, Dario Morandy had indicated to Minister of Foreign Affairs Rudy Insanally, when the two met on Monday, that he had expected a report by yesterday and which would have subsequently been handed over to the Guyana Government.

However, when contacted yesterday afternoon for an update, Insanally in addition to not receiving the report, said he had not even heard from the Ambassador.

Insanally said he learnt that the Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro who was away from Venezuela at the time of the incident, has not returned as yet, adding “we may have to wait until tomorrow to see what would happen.”

The incident last Thursday involved the Venezuelan military personnel ordering Guyanese miners off two dredges which lead to a verbal spat between the Guyanese soldiers and the Venezuelan military. The Venezuelans subsequently bombed the pontoons.

And, since report of what transpired reached the authorities, Insanally has met no less that three times with the Venezuelan Ambassador, the most recent being on Monday.

The incident has also generated much media public interest here and according to other media reports among the media in Brazil as well, but there has been complete silence about it in Venezuela.

The incident brings back a stark reminder of the killing of a Guyanese miner, Parsram Persaud, just over a year ago, reportedly by Venezuelan soldiers.

And, despite repeated efforts by Guyana, the Venezuelan authorities are still to forward a report, even Minister Insanally said he had reminded his Venezuelan counterpart when he was in Guyana for the Rio conference that his country needed to provide Guyana with some answers on Persaud’s killing.