The omission of the New River Triangle from a map of Guyana, in the Caribbean Beat issue 188 (May/June 2025) has drawn concern from Guyanese. Efforts by Stabroek News to garner a comment from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the magazine’s publishers regarding steps being taken to correct this misrepresentation have been unsuccessful. As of press time, there was no official statement from either the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or MEP Publishers regarding the misprinted map.
Guyanese who noticed this error have taken to Facebook to express their dismay. Devindra Charmer said: ‘They better get it right. Pull all editions now and replace the correct map’.
The New River Triangle is situated at the tri-junction of Guyana, Suriname, and Brazil. The area is firmly part of Guyana’s sovereign territory, as established by a legally binding process and international agreements from 1936. That agreement, involving Great Britain, Brazil, and the Netherlands, set the boundary between British Guiana (now Guyana) and Suriname, defining the New River Triangle as part of Guyana. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had emphasised previously that the internationally recognized map of Guyana aligns with this historical agreement, which places the disputed territory under Guyanese jurisdiction.
Caribbean Beat, produced since 1992 by MEP Publishers, is widely distributed. The in-flight magazine for BWIA and then Caribbean Airlines, it boasts a long-standing reputation as a general-interest, pan-Caribbean publication committed to showcasing the “real Caribbean”, according to its website, beyond familiar stereotypes. The magazine highlights the region’s rich life, including music, art, history, and environment, and has maintained this mandate for over 30 years, serving as a valuable resource for students, researchers, and enthusiasts alike.
The magazine prides itself on upholding “the highest editorial, ethical, and production standards possible,” its website says. Its content is widely accessible, both in print and online via caribbean-beat.com, and through platforms like Issuu, Magzter, and Yumpu.
In February of this year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guyana’s Foreign Secretary, the Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Private Sector Commission and the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association had condemned the display of an incorrect map showing Guyana’s New River Triangle as part of Suriname at an International Business Conference in Paramaribo.
Action Invest Caribbean Inc Chairman Dr Vishnu Doerga, who had organised the event, eventually had subsequently apologised after stating: “In Suriname, that is the map that they use similarly to the map that we use in Guyana. There is a border commission in place that is working on resolving the matter. So I think the sane thing to do is to leave it to the border commission to do their work. Other than that, every child in school in Guyana believes that that’s the shape of our map, similarly, every child in school in Suriname has also been taught that that’s the shape of their map. We just respect whichever country we’re in. We just respect their beliefs and both governments have put in place a border commission to resolve the matter and we respect their authority and wait until they have concluded their work.”
