|
Joint Services investigating eight miners murdered up Berbice River
By Michel Outridge
Joint Services ranks have been rushed to a mining camp at Lindo Creek, Upper Berbice River, following reports of the murder of eight miners there.
The discovery was made early Saturday morning by the camp’s owner, Dean Arokium, who reported that the bodies were burnt and wrapped in a tarpaulin.
Those killed are Lancelot Lee, 42, of 463 Kiskadee Drive, South Ruimveldt; Dax Arokium, 29, of Lot 1131 Crane Place, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown; his uncle, Cedric Arokium called “Brother, 51; Compton Spires called “Toner”, 58, of Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara; ‘Berry’ Wong, in his mid 40’s; ‘Bonney’ Harry, 48, of Essequibo Coast; a man known only as ‘Drakes’ and a teenager reportedly from Kwakwani.
Relatives of Lancelot Lee, called “Piggy”, were in a deep state of shock and mourning yesterday.
His grieving mother, Theresa Lee, 66, told the Guyana Chronicle that she still cannot believe her son died in such a horrible manner, considering the kind person he was.
“I do not know if I should believe he was killed or whether he is still alive,” she cried.
The woman said that she last saw her son about three weeks ago when he left home for a job at the mining camp at Lindo Creek up the Berbice River.
The elderly woman added that her son told her if the rain continued he would return home soon and she was expecting him in a few days’ time.
She noted that he began working with the Arokiums about three months ago.
With tears in her eyes, Mrs. Lee said since the death of her husband some years ago, she managed to raise her six children on her own and today it is very difficult to see one of them go in such a brutal manner.
Lancelot Lee is unmarried and is survived by five siblings, scores of relatives and his mother.
Meanwhile, at the Arokiums residence, despair hung heavy in the air as scores of relatives and friends stood by discussing the incident.
They too were at a loss for words yesterday awaiting more information regarding their loved ones and exactly how they died.
Police in a press release after midnight said that as a result of information received by way of a news item on the NCN Channel 11 newscast at 18:00h Saturday, regarding a number of men killed in a mining camp in the Berbice River, the Joint Services launched an investigation into the incident.
Dean Arokium of Crane Place, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was contacted and said he had received the report from his father George Arokium, who owns the mining camp and had visited the camp early Saturday, the Police said.
George Arokium was subsequently contacted and said that his mining camp is situated at Lindo Creek, Berbice River.
Sometime ago, on a date still to be ascertained, a mechanic and another man had gone to the camp to fix an engine and they would usually call him through a communication system at the UNAMCO check point, the release added.
Police noted that George Arokium further said that for some time he had not heard from them and decided to visit the camp to make checks.
He arrived there at about 06:00h Saturday and found the burnt bodies.
He immediately left the camp and returned to Georgetown.
Two perish in Mahaica pond
Two children perished in a pond at Mahaica on Saturday when an eight-year-old girl attempted to save her two-year-old brother who had fallen into the pond near their home at Vey Vey, a village next to Chelsea Park, Mahaica.
Dead are Brandy Thomas and Alan Trim who lived with their mother Natasha Thomas, 25.
Thomas was not at home at the time of the incident.
Reports said that Thomas, a mother of four, had left Brandy to oversee her two younger siblings – Sheniah, three and Alan, two, while she went to the village on business.
Neighbours said that around 14:00 hrs, as the children were playing in the yard, the toddler fell into the pond and his sister Brandy, who couldn’t swim, plunged into the water in an attempt to save him. They both went down.
Meanwhile, the three-year-old Sheniah, returned to the house without saying anything. Later, when her uncle (Natasha’s brother) Delroy arrived at the house and did not find the two, he enquired of Sheniah who directed him to the pond. On arrival there he was shocked to find his lifeless niece and nephew, and hastily pulled them out of the water.
An alarm was raised and neighbours contacted their mother and an elder aunt – Lynette Thomas who lives at Supply Mahaica. On receiving the news of their death, the elder Thomas collapsed and had to be rushed to hospital. She was discharged yesterday.
Still, weeping when visited by the Guyana Chronicle, Thomas related that during last week Brandy had spent a few days with her and only returned home on Friday. She died the following day.
Mining process to become more formalised
- Practices tolerated before will be tolerated no more --PM
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who holds the portfolio for mining, has indicated that the process will become more formalised and soon miners may need pre-approval to mine according to certain codes.
He noted that since there are now more sub-surface land holders, these conditions may have to be satisfied even before the land is distributed.
“It means that even at the small and medium scale, we need to be more knowledgeable about the reserves before we mine. Therefore, there is a need for developing prospecting tools for the small and medium scale level so that funds could be made available or put towards the compensation of any surface right holder, and also towards guaranteeing restoring the land after mining,” the Prime Minister told mining stakeholders at a meeting at the Hotel Tower, Saturday.
The mining sector has been challenged by the necessity to significantly reduce the negative environmental effects of mining in the environment, and in light of heightened expectations of the sector stakeholders who have again been urged to conform to proper environmental practices.
“Practices tolerated before will be tolerated no more. Many of the criticisms of the sector are reasonable, even necessary, even welcome,” the acting President said.
Currently, small and medium-scale mining operations are being certified, in an effort to ensure that better practices are adhered to.
“The fact is not that miners are mining worse than before…but the sheer increase in numbers and the increased capacity of the average miner to move dirt and despoil the environment calls for new higher levels of operations aimed at reducing and mitigating environmental impacts, and at the same time reducing costs,” he said.
The Prime Minister noted that while some environmentalists have been presenting worst case scenarios, the miners themselves need to work together to develop better practices and rise to the higher standards required.
Over the past years, it has become noticeable that miners have been moving to land dredging where they are utilizing flocculants to attain the mandated turbidity level, which has resulted in the water in nearby creeks and rivers being affected.
The Prime Minister called on miners to upgrade the camps they settle in as they spend most of their lives there.
“Now that there is some money, let us improve life in the camps…there are no better environmental practices than the pressure coming from within when one wants to show his workplace and his work to others,” he said.
He noted that the mining sector needs to pay attention to being good, cordial partners with all others in the forest; the timber operators, non-timber handicraft people, tourism operators and especially near-by villages and villagers.
Hinterland activities have been increasing as investors and residents realise the vast potential located there; and as changes are taking place, so must the miners change to accommodate the situation since they only have sub-surface rights, the Prime Minister said.
“The hinterland of Guyana must now be seen as no different as the coast… every square inch in the hinterland must be treated the same way as a square inch in the city,” he said.
Addressing the issue of road development, the Prime Minister noted that roads cost a great deal to maintain, and they require discipline to sustain in terms of minimizing the destruction. He asked that miners invest in the roads they utilize as this will create more possibilities because of easier access.
He noted that work was done with the Barama Company to develop standard documents that would help to ensure the protection and sustenance of roads built by investors.
Speaking on the issue of mercury use, he noted, “We have had some long period of educating, encouraging and demonstrating to people the proper use of mercury, and we are now at the time when there will be full enforcement of the rules with respect to the safe use of mercury.”
He called on miners to restore the land after use, now that they are using excavators.
On the issue of re-vegetating land that has been mined, he noted that it may appear that only one percent of the hinterland has been impacted by small and medium scale mining. However, it is probably in the order of 200,000 to 300,000 acres.
“Cost containment is an aspect that miners need to be checking on; the various brands of equipment and ways of getting things done so that we could adequately meet our needs at lower costs. We always have to be experimenting, trying, and testing what is available,” he said.
The Prime Minister commended the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission as it has been stretched to keep abreast with the number of active mining units, and whilst there are many areas for improvements, there is much to commend.
There is an estimated 700 operating units in Guyana.
In 2007, 247,000 ounces of gold was declared at an export earnings of US$160M, while diamonds were declared at 270,000 carats, at an export earnings of US$35M.
Direct employees are an estimated 10,000, and overall population benefiting is rated around 60,000.
As such, the Prime Minister noted that the mining sector is of great importance to the country and its development.
A quartet of women farmers who like doing nothing better
By Wendella Davidson
At age 50 and beyond, most women tend to opt for less strenuous activities, such as being part of a Mother’s Union grouping, attending church and being active in its affairs, or taking over the task of caring for the grandchildren.
In Amerindian communities too, it is the women folk who are the mainstay, remaining at home, while the males in the family venture away from the home, sometimes for weeks, as they hunt, farm and fish to sustain the family.
This, however, is not the thoughts of four women of the Amerindian Mainstay/Whyaka community: Isabella Allen, 61, Jacqueline Allen, 60, Mona Pearson, 57, and Mona Pearson, 52, who are among a group of 10 women blazing the trail of agro-tourism in their community.
The other group members, all 30-years-old, are, sisters Euline De Jonge, a toll booth clerk and Dianne Sandy, a nurse; Shireen Buchoon, Basmath De Jonge; Zena Allen and Surmanda Fredericks.
In a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle at Mainstay, Yvonne Pearson, who is the village Toshao, and President of the Tri-Lake (Mainstay, Tapacuma, Capoey) Farmers’ Association, explained that she and her three colleagues were initially part of a 15-member grouping, formed on May 23, 1998, and calling themselves the Mainstay Women’s Development Group.
“We had a vision to promote agro-tourism in the community; but along the way, five dropped out for various reasons,” she said, noting that they began planting pineapples.
However, in 2004, Isabella, Jacqueline, Mona and Yvonne branched off into an area called Silverballi, then virgin farmlands, and are currently cultivating 23 acres with organic pineapples.
Pearson said they are ever grateful to the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA); the National Agricultural and Research Institute (NARI) and Partners of the Americas for technical and other assistance given to them.
The pineapples are sold to the Mainstay Organic Pineapple Processing Facility which has an export market in France.
In addition, the four women have teamed up to develop a Heritage Park with the aim of preserving their Amerindian culture.
The women who without a doubt are enjoying what they do say, as it gives them personal independence, get to learn more and meet different people.
Isabella told the Chronicle she has been doing farming since she was “young”. She glowed as she remarked, “This crop (of pineapples) was a bounty one, as they reaped a lot of pineapples this time around.
“We feel so good about it as ladies, we cannot depend only on men…the time is so hard that we had to do something to help ourselves”, she said, adding she would advise other women to do likewise.
According to Mona, she loves farming to the extent that even if she sees a wild seed, she picks it up to plant it to see what would come out of it.
She said even her grandchildren know her habits and laughingly disclosed that they too would pick up and take home seeds, saying to her, “granny go and plant”.
Captain Pearson said they not only plant pineapples, but also pumpkins, squash, melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and eddoes, which they eat, sell and even share.
Asked about the recipe for them looking so well at their age, Captain Pearson said she tries to live a good life, eat healthy food and keep fit by being at her farm at every spare moment.
|
