A release from the GRA said that Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Mr Khurshid Sattaur recently met with officials of the Surinamese Customs Administration and established bilateral relations to address several issues.

Mr Sattaur said the two delegations met on May 19, 2009 in Nieuw Nickerie, Suriname to discuss issues relating to the smuggling of goods and border control.

He said the GRA has taken several initiatives in an effort to curb the smuggling of goods across the Guyana-Suriname border including expanding the operations with the Law Enforcement and Investigation Division and the Intelligence and Risk Management Division.

The two divisions will be engaged in anti-smuggling activities such as:

* The gathering of information on known smugglers in the Corentyne area,

*Surveillance exercises to intercept smuggled goods,

*Monitoring of movement of goods across the Suriname-Guyana border,

*Detention and seizure of smuggled goods, and

*Investigations of the tax affairs of importers or businesses that operate in the Corentyne area.

According to the release Mr. Sattaur said that in order for the work of the divisions to be a success the jurisdiction of the Corentyne River has to be addressed, since there appears to be some amount of controversy over the territorial rights.

He also pointed out that as a result of the territorial dispute the GRA is unable to pursue smugglers into the river. Many smugglers are aware of this territorial issue and are now moving to different locations to land smuggled goods, Mr. Sattaur said.

The Commissioner-General further stated that the GRA will continue to build on the initiatives implemented to address the issue and to develop new plans and strategies to curb the illicit trade of goods in the area.

He said the two sides continue to exchange information on matters of mutual interest, and are currently arranging a meeting to foster better working relationship.