I REFER to an article published in the Guyana Times newspaper on June 20, 2012: “Moruca miners deny stealing employer’s gold,”
According to the story, the operations manager of the company, Michael Thorne, who was among the men arrested, told Guyana Times that they are being wrongfully accused. He explained that after working for Double Platinum Mining for a period of two months at its Kalalu, Barama location, they travelled to Georgetown, where the accusation was levelled against them.
Editor, the law prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention, and the government generally observes these prohibitions. The miners, most of whom are from Moruca, were for most of Tuesday locked up at the Criminal Investigations Department at Eve Leary, and were released only late in the evening.
The government generally respects the human rights of its citizens; however, serious problems remain in several areas.
The police continue to harass and abuse suspects, but in general the police continue to commit abuses with impunity against Amerindians. After more than four hours of interrogation, the men were released and sent to Platinum’s head office to uplift their salaries; but when they got there, the gates were locked.
Police discrimination against young Amerindians stems from the alleged stealing of 150 ounces of gold from the Brattice-based company.
The small miners, during this oppressive period, are consistently caught in an inescapable net of exploitation by their company. The government and the Ministry of Labour should look into this matter urgently.
These unscrupulous big miners are the dominant and authoritative players in the industry. However, according to the labour laws, the company cannot make any deductions, or withhold the miners’ salaries for gold allegedly stolen. I am happy that these miners from Moruca have finally been paid their salaries, but their reputations have been tarnished.