THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has not ruled out the strong possibility that the release of a controversial map could be a cyber-attack.

In a statement on Monday, the Foreign Affairs Ministry expressed deep concern over the disturbing image that surfaced on certain websites, depicting Guyana without its known internationally recognised borders. This image appeared on the website of the American Home and Beauty Centre and also on that of the Guyana Chronicle.
“The shape of Guyana’s 83,000 square miles is unmistakable. From the dawn of our independence to this day, we have spared no effort to preserve our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Ministry stated.

The Ministry said the act which occurred on the country’s 52nd Anniversary of Independence should serve as a sobering reminder that the threats to its territory remain real and dangerous.

“The Ministry has noted with appreciation and pride the immediate and defensive responses by our citizens over this despicable image,” the statement noted.
On the basis that it could have been a cyber-attack, the Ministry assured that it is looking into the matter.

Meanwhile on Saturday, the Guyana Chronicle after realising that the controversial map was published on its website, removed it and offered an apology. “The Guyana Chronicle deeply apologises for the inexplicable publication of a map which annexed the Essequibo on our webpage this morning. Based on our internal checks such a map is not in our photograph database and it would seem that some mischievous person might have uploaded this distorted image of the Guyana map,” the apology read. The American Home and Beauty Centre has also apologised for publishing the image in an ad.