— says brother of Lindo Creek victim

GUYANESE will finally get the opportunity to know the truth about the Lindo Creek Massacre now that a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) has been launched, one of the key witnesses, Courtney Wong said while emphasising that the “truth is out there.”

In an interview with Guyana Chronicle on Saturday, Courtney Wong – the brother of Clifton Wong who was among the eight miners whose burnt remains were found at Lindo Creek on June 21, 2008 – said news surrounding the massacre had been smeared with lies by political leaders and the security forces, but the CoI will give the world a chance to know the truth – “the full truth” about the incident.

Leonard Arokium, the owner of the mining camp in which the eight miners were found dead, had long argued that the killings were committed by members of the Joint Services.
Police on the other hand had said that the men were murdered by the then Rondell Rawlins alias ‘Fine Man’ gang.

Close to 10 years later, Wong, who had worked along with Arokium at the mining camp as a mechanic, expressed the belief that the men had been killed by the Joint Services.
“I am glad that the truth will be able to come out now,” he told this newspaper.
Arokium’s son, Dax, 29; his brother, Cedric called “Brother”, 51; Clifton Wong known as “Berry”, 46; Lancelot Lee nicknamed “Piggy”, 42; Compton Spires called “Tona”, 58; Horace Drakes or “Pona”, 40; Bonny Harry, 48 and Nigel Torres, 17, were those brutally murdered at Lindo Creek.

Wong’s brother had journeyed to the Lindo Creek mining camp in the Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice Region to replace him after he had left for Georgetown to conduct business.

VISIT
Flipping back the pages of history, Wong recalled that when Arokium returned to the city after discovering the burnt remains of his son, brother, and colleagues, he was visited by senior ministers of Government and the then Commissioner of Police, Henry Green, who had attempted to convince him that the murders were committed by a criminal gang.
“Sam Hinds was prime minister at the time, Clement Rohee was the minister of home affairs and Henry Green, the commissioner of police,” Wong recalled.

According to Wong, after having discussions with the officials, Arokium asked him to take members of the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force to the crime scene, since he was familiar with camp site, and without any hesitation, he agreed.
The man said much to his surprise, the commissioner of police reportedly told the press that he had colluded with Arokium to stray the Joint Services away from the camp site. “This was nothing but a lie, a total lie,” he posited.

Singling out former Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, who had served under the Presidency of Bharrat Jagdeo at the time, Wong contended that the former Government official had claimed that miners had been notified that there was a Joint Services Operation being conducted within the area but said that too was false.
Wong is of the opinion that once the CoI starts from “scratch” and is properly conducted, the truth will be revealed.

WILL TESTIFY
He said when the time comes, he will testify at the CoI to ensure that justice is served.
His interview with Guyana Chronicle comes at a time when the recently launched commission is inviting witnesses, affected and or interested persons, to submit written statements or letters.

Retired Justice Donald Trotman is leading the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) in accordance with the Commission of Inquiry Act.
Based on the findings, the commission will make recommendations on actions to be taken against all persons and/ or organisations that are deemed responsible for the deaths of those persons.

President David Granger said the CoI into the Lindo Creek Massacre is pivotal in unraveling the tapestry of criminality that engulfed this country between 2000 and 2008.
He said while there were approximately eight massacres during the period of the “Troubles”, the investigation into the Lindo Creek Massacre is critical in exposing the intellectual authors behind the criminal network that wreaked havoc under the Bharrat Jagdeo administration.

“We feel that the way in which the investigation was handled indicated that there was a high level of collusion by the government of the day. We feel that this will be a pivotal investigation, which will unravel the criminal network which was behind the killings in what is now called the Jagdeo era, during the Troubles,” the President told the press.
He said the report of the Donald Trotman-led CoI will lead to other inquiries, including that of former Minister of Agriculture Satyadeow Sawh.

Speaking on the matter recently, Minister of State Joseph said closure was necessary as he alluded to the hundreds of persons murdered during the crime wave.

“At some point in time you have to bring closure and indeed this is what the President is saying, that we have to bring closure,” Minister Harmon told reporters, adding that under the Coroner’s Act there is provision for an inquest to be held into any unnatural death.

Under the presidency of Bharrat Jagdeo (August 11, 1999 to December 3, 2011) there were three massacres: Lusignan– where 11 people were killed; Bartica — where another 12 were killed; and Lindo Creek — where eight miners were slaughtered.

Besides, there were countless extra-judicial killings, with some activists estimating that around 400 Afro-Guyanese males were gunned down.