Venezuela offered help for wounded soldier - GDF
Stabroek News
November 30, 2002
The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is denying a report that its negotiations with Venezuela to have wounded soldier Ryan Thompson flown to that country fell through.
The army was responding to a report in yesterday’s Stabroek News that said that negotiations with Venezuela were not successful.
The army, through a release yesterday, said the soldier was flown to Brazil instead, because that country came through first.
“On Tuesday November 26, at 14:00 hours, the Military Attaches of the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela were briefed on the medical condition of Private Thompson and medical assistance was sought. Within one hour of the requests being made, the armed forces of both states affirmed their ability to respond positively to the request.
“A decision was taken at Defence Headquarters that Private Thompson be evacuated on the first available means. The Brazilian Armed Forces was the quicker to respond, hence the soldier’s evacuation to Brazil,” the army stated.
It added that the Venezuelan Military Attache was contacted and requested to discontinue his efforts.
“The GDF, in disassociating itself from the erroneous report, wishes to commend the Armed Forces of Brazil and Venezuela for their solidarity and support.”
Thompson, who was shot in the head last Saturday while patrolling in Buxton, was air-dashed to a hospital in Manaus. But on Thursday, army sources said he had to be transferred to another hospital with the facilities to treat him.
According to the GDF, Thompson is presently receiving post- operative care at the Federai University Hospital of Manaus, Brazil. At the time of his departure on Wednesday, GDF medical officer, Dr. Frederick Deane and a Brazilian interpreter accompanied the rank.
The young man’s mother and a senior GDF officer are expected to travel to see him next week and be further briefed on his medical condition.
Reports claimed that Thompson was shot by persons in an army look-alike pick-up vehicle, bearing licence plate DFD 4793.
After that shooting the body of a man, clad in American-type camouflage clothing and a bulletproof vest, was found on the Buxton/Friendship railway embankment.
The dead man was later identified as an engineer from Trinidad and Tobago. “We are in the process of contacting the Trinidadian authorities with a view of ascertaining his identity,” a release from the Police Public Relations Department stated yesterday.
