Eyewitness reports conflicting - GDF Stabroek News August 31, 2000 The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is still investigating the report of the incident at Scotsburg, Corriverton, involving four Surinamese soldiers who came ashore in an attempt to apprehend a passenger boat they had been pursuing on Friday. The army said that it had spoken to another eyewitness and that the second report conflicted with the report of the first eyewitness it had contacted. As such GDF spokesman, Capt Wycliffe McAllister said that the army had to speak to more people before it could arrive at a conclusion about what had occurred. Reports of the incident from sources in the Berbice Anti-Smuggling Squad said that the four Surinamese soldiers had fired warning shots in the air to disperse a crowd which had gathered at the foreshore while they were attempting to capture the passenger boat which had eluded them. Reports differ as to whether the soldiers left their dinghy in their effort to tow the boat back into the water and away from the foreshore. Stabroek News was unable to contact Police Commissioner, Laurie Lewis, to see if he had received a report from his divisional commander for Berbice about the incident. Meanwhile, this newspaper understands that two Surinamese fisheries officials were at Number 66 Village issuing "BV" licences to Guyanese fishermen to fish in the Corentyne River on payment of a fee of US$100 and a fee of US$25 to register their boats and "SK" licences to fish in the disputed maritime area for a fee of US$500 and a boat registration fee of US$75. Stabroek News understands that 20 of each of the licences were issued. This newspaper also understands that a local fisheries officer who had met the Surinamese officials was aware of their activities. A check was made with the GDF to see if it was aware of the report, seeing that it had a military presence at Benab. Capt McAllister said that the army had received the report and was investigating it. Sources have said that the sale of licences to Guyanese fishermen to operate in the Corentyne River had been going on for some time. But they said that it was to be expected given that Guyana's eastern border had not been demarcated as yet and until it was demarcated the Surinamese would continue their activities in order to build a case that it had effective control of the Corentyne River. Other sources have said, however, that residents on the banks of border rivers have certain rights in international law which give them access to it for domestic use and for the pursuit of their livelihood. For some time now the Guyana government had been pressing the Surinamese government to conclude a fisheries agreement which would address issues such as the use of the Corentyne River by fishermen from both countries. It had forwarded a draft agreement to Suriname and was still awaiting the comments of that government on it. Follow the goings-on in Guyana in Guyana Today