…Rupununi residents call for thorough probe

THE recent discovery of an aircraft landing strip along a roadway in the Rupununi by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has confirmed the suspicions of residents living in the border town of Lethem who witnessed aircraft overhead the area on several occasions.
Reports are that the roadway where the GDF soldiers stumbled upon equipment left behind by persons unknown, was built several years ago by a company which was drilling for oil in the area. The roadway is located five miles west of the Santa Fe Mega farms in the Takutu Basin north of Lethem. It is also located close to the Ireng River which lies on the border between Guyana and Brazil.
Last weekend’s discovery has also prompted calls from Lethem officials for a thorough investigation to be undertaken, as many recalled last September ‘s incident when an illegal aircraft was found hidden at Yupukari , a village located within 15 miles of the area where the GDF made Saturday’s discovery.
Reports from Lethem are that persons known to the town are being fingered as being involved in the incident. A senior official in the region told the Guyana Chronicle that in recent months, residents had observed several instances in which aircraft were seen circling the unused roadway. “They need to question persons who live or work in that general area and some right in Lethem,” he said.
The roadway was built by the oil company which was granted permission by the former government to drill for oil in the Takutu Basin between 2010 and 2013. After the company left the area, the well-maintained roadway was left behind. It was noted that the roadway was used by the oil company to move heavy equipment from the area via the Ireng River and this was seen as more economical rather than the Lethem/Georgetown trail. The roadway stretches west to the Ireng ; it does not have an eastern exit to connect to the Lethem/Georgetown Highway.

Another official reported that he was in a vehicle which was travelling south to Lethem from Annai along the Hunt Oil Stretch several months ago when he observed an aircraft circling the Santa Fe area. He said that since it was late in the afternoon, it appeared “unusual” and he noted that the aircraft later descended and disappeared. ”I cannot say where it landed but now that they (GDF) made this discovery, it all adding up,” he noted.

The Santa Fe Mega agricultural project had constructed an airstrip within walking distance of the main Lethem/Georgetown roadway but the aviation authorities reportedly turned-down its permit. A Lethem official noted that although the farm is located five miles west of the illegal landing strip which the army discovered, persons there would have observed aircraft landing and taking off from the area. “This roadway is well-kept, it is the perfect strip for lots of illegal activities,” he said.
Tension
In Lethem, the mood was tense over the weekend as persons whispered possible scenarios. Members of the business community noted that the incident strikes at the need for an improved surveillance of the border by the authorities.
The GDF on its Facebook page noted that a patrol reported that the road in the area (trail) appeared to have been converted for use by an aircraft. Additionally, the army said that there were 12 abandoned camps, several dug out trenches, and one chainsaw and aviation fuel, among other items found.

The army said the alleged find represents the challenges faced by the security forces in the hinterland over the past few years, pointing out that several illegal aircraft were seized by the State.
Authorities are conducting a thorough investigation.
On September 13 last year, a plane which was registered in Columbia and which was being used to transport drugs was discovered near the village of Yupukari. Reports had also indicated that the area where the aircraft was found was on the radar in relation to the illegal drug-trafficking trade.
There were also reports that the abandoned aircraft had previously been sighted circling the area on numerous occasions in the past. The plane bore registration number N767Z, and it was later revealed by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, that the United States registration was bogus, since there is another active aircraft in the U.S. with the same registration number.

Residents had found the plane almost one month before an official report was made to authorities, according to the preliminary findings of Brigadier (Ret’d) Edward Collins. According to information reaching this newspaper, Collins in his report recommended that the two officers be disciplined and also recommended further that an investigation be conducted into whether they knew of the aircraft operations.
Collins, who was commissioned to investigate, examine, advise and report on the circumstances under which the foreign aircraft entered into the country, had initially noted that the residents were not forthcoming with providing information to security forces. The Guyana Chronicle later learnt that some of the COI’s findings included poor or non-existent communication chains that would allow for the flow of information. It was noted that, “there is no existing structure in the Joint Services to disseminate information received by either of the Services deployed in the region.”
The COI report also found that the State’s aviation authority is in no position to locate illegal aircraft within the country’s territory, despite the use of the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) which the aviation industry adopted some two years ago. The ADS-B system requires communication between the ground team and the pilot to ensure the operation of the system. Unless the pilot activates his system and communicates with the ground crew, then the system is useless.