Boycott calls grow after New River Triangle appears on Surinamese map

Jun 25, 2026 News

– business groups demand action over territorial depiction

(Kaieteur News) – Three major Guyanese private sector organisations have condemned Suriname for displaying an inaccurate map at the Suriname Energy, Oil and Gas Summit 2026, depicting the New River Triangle as Surinamese territory and are now calling on the local business community to boycott future Surinamese events until the pattern stops.

The Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce (GOGEC) and Industry (GCCI), and the Private Sector Commission (PSC) each issued statements on Wednesday describing the incident as part of a deliberate “trend of incivility” toward Guyana’s sovereignty.

“The New River Triangle is and remains an integral part of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, as affirmed by internationally recognized legal processes,” GOGEC stated, adding that any suggestion its status is open to differing interpretations “does not reflect the binding nature of Guyana’s sovereignty.”

The GCCI went further, describing the display as “blatant contempt” of Guyana’s territory, made worse by the fact that visiting Guyanese officials and executives were present in the room when the map appeared. “The Chamber encourages Guyanese and the business community to not support events that depict such disrespect of our country,” the GCCI stated.

The PSC noted that this is not an isolated incident. On February 11, 2025, it was forced to issue an identical objection after the same misrepresentation appeared at Suriname’s International Business Conference. Combined with recent disputes over fees imposed on Guyanese vessels operating on the Corentyne River, the PSC said bilateral goodwill has been seriously eroded. “The Guyanese private sector cannot be expected to participate in forums designed to promote partnership while Guyana’s sovereignty is repeatedly disregarded,” it stated, formally calling on SEOGS 2026 organisers, including Suriname’s state oil company Staatsolie, to publicly address the error and provide explicit assurances going forward.

Rahul Lildhar, outgoing CEO of the Suriname-Guyana Chamber of Commerce, appealed for continued engagement without directly addressing the specific map shown at SEOGS. “Suriname and Guyana have an important opportunity to demonstrate that cooperation, dialogue and mutual respect can create greater value for both peoples,” he said, urging border commissions to continue working within their mandated frameworks.

Guyana’s claim to the New River Triangle rests on a 1936 agreement in which a joint British-Dutch-Brazilian Boundary Commission identified the source of the Kutari River as the tri-junction point where the borders of Brazil, British Guiana, and Suriname meet. The boundary was formally signed by all three nations’ commissioners and has never been successfully challenged. Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has previously stated that the territory “has never been recognised nor administered as Surinamese” and that appending it to a map of Suriname “neither creates nor establishes any legal rights to it.”

Despite the sharp rhetoric, all three Guyanese business bodies affirmed support for economic integration with Suriname, on the condition that Suriname demonstrates unambiguous respect for Guyana’s internationally recognised borders.

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boycott, GCCI, Guyana map, New River Triangle, Surinamese map

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