The help of the Venezuelan and Colombian authorities has been enlisted in the search for the four hijackers of the Trans Guyana aircraft which was taken from Lethem to Brazil last Wednesday, Brazilian Ambassador to Guyana Ney Do Prado Dieguez said.

The 13-seater aircraft was hijacked by four gun-toting men who had travelled across the Brazilian border to Guyana the day before, overnighted at Lethem and boarded the plane bound for Georgetown the following day. On board were eight other passengers and the pilot.

In a brief telephone interview, Dieguez told Stabroek News that the search was still on for the hijackers by the Brazilian police and military. The information on the hijackers by the Guyanese and Brazilian authorities were basically the same, he said.

However, he noted that because of the different nationalities of those involved in the hijacking and the trans-border nature of airspace, the case became somewhat complicated. For instance, he noted that Guyana and Brazil had no extradition treaty.

Meanwhile, the meeting between the operators and other stakeholders in the aviation industry and officials of the Ministry of Transport and Hydraulics and the Home Affairs Ministry, which was scheduled for yesterday afternoon, was called off. No reason for this was given to the operators. However, Stabroek News understands that this was due to an emergency Cabinet meeting called.

And Director of the Civil Aviation, Jeffrey Pierre submitted his report on the incident to Minister Tony Xavier, yesterday. This report is to be shared with the media.

Stabroek News also understands that the Private Aircraft Owners Association has been in discussions with Trans Guyana Airways and its other members on the issue of beefing-up security.