The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has rejected claims that a Coast Guard rank wounded during an exchange of gunfire along Guyana’s western border was not adequately supported following the incident.
The response comes after 23-year-old Lance Corporal Shamar Calder publicly complained that while he continued to receive his regular salary, he had received no additional financial assistance following his injury. He also remained uncertain about assistance he said he believed would help him secure a home for his family.
Calder made the claims in a video interview posted on Thursday by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, in which he spoke about his recovery after being shot in the right thigh during an operation along the Cuyuni River.
The soldier said the injury has left him experiencing persistent pain and difficulty standing for extended periods, preventing him from undertaking construction work he previously did to supplement his GDF income.
“I received nothing other than my normal salary,” Calder said.
He also raised concerns about the status of a housing application he submitted in 2024, saying he understood discussions following his injury to suggest that assistance would be provided to help him obtain a home.
However, in a statement issued yesterday, the GDF said the suggestion that Calder did not receive adequate support was inaccurate.
The Force said that following the May 29 attack, the injured rating was medically evacuated to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where he received immediate medical attention and was admitted for observation.
According to the GDF, he was subsequently placed under medical supervision and received specialist follow-up care through both the GPHC and the GDF Medical Corps.
The Force further disclosed that on August 1, he was readmitted to the GPHC, where the projectile lodged in his leg was surgically removed. He was discharged two days later, on August 3, and is currently on authorised sick leave.
The GDF said Calder is also receiving psychological support through its Medical Corps and that administrative processes concerning his welfare and that of his family are being addressed.
“The GDF remains committed to the care, welfare and recovery of its personnel, particularly those injured in the line of duty,” the Force said, adding that it will continue providing the necessary support throughout his recovery and rehabilitation.
The statement does not specifically address Calder’s concerns about additional financial assistance, the status of his 2024 housing application, or his claim that he understood discussions with Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier Omar Khan to mean that assistance would be provided toward securing a home.
Calder had said that after his initial discharge from the GPHC, he spent two days at the Ayanganna Medical Centre under observation. He said Khan visited him there and later facilitated a brief telephone conversation with President Irfaan Ali.
Calder also said a sergeant major subsequently requested the acknowledgement letter for his housing application, which his wife provided along with copies of their children’s birth certificates. He said he was later told that confirmation was still being awaited from the relevant housing authorities.
The soldier, who is a father of three, also said the Men on Mission programme had contacted him about constructing a house but that he first needed land registered in his name.
The GDF’s latest statement comes against the backdrop of its earlier account of the May 29 incident, in which it said a patrol escorting civilian commuters along the Cuyuni River in Region Seven came under hostile fire from the Venezuelan shore.
The Force had not identified the injured rank at the time.
Friday’s statement did not indicate whether any further administrative assistance had already been approved for Calder or provide a timeline for resolving his housing concerns.
It nevertheless maintained that the GDF is continuing to address the welfare of the injured soldier and his family as he recovers from his injuries sustained while on duty.
Discussion