By Sir Ronald Sanders - BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The internal politics of Venezuela is playing a big part in the sudden deterioration of that country’s relations with its smaller neighbor Guyana after a period of steady improvement.
The owners of a US-operated oil ship which was detained by the Venezuelan navy on Thursday say the vessel has been released. The Venezuelan navy had boarded the Teknik Perdana on Thursday in disputed waters off the coast of Guyana and sailed it to Venezuela's Margarita Island.
Guyana says the Venezuelan navy has entered its territorial waters and detained a US-operated ship. The government said the Venezuelan actions in the disputed Essequibo region constituted a serious threat to peace in the region.