Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 21, 2012 News
The Appointment of an Amerindian Coordinator at the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) is being seen as one way of helping to alleviate mining woes Amerindian communities face.
The Appointment of the Coordinator comes on the heels of complaints by the Akawaio Amerindians at Isseneru in Region Seven that a miner is carrying out activities without their permission and in breach of a GGMC cease order.
The GGMC and Isseneru Village Council have been served with an injunction restraining them from any further actions. In an effort to address this situation and the wider issues of mining in Amerindian Titled lands the Ministries of Natural Resources and the Environment and Amerindian Affairs, GGMC and the Isseneru Village Council met to discuss the way forward.
Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud, yesterday met with the Isseneru Village Council and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to discuss conflicts with miners.
Persaud said that the appointment of the Coordinator was in an effort to improve the responsiveness to serve Amerindian communities.
The Coordinator will work closely with Amerindian Communities, Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, Non Governmental Organization, miners and other relevant stakeholders.
Minister Persaud stated that the government will vigorously defend Amerindian rights against defaulting miners.
Already, the Ministry has initiated discussions with the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and the GGMC and is broadening these discussions to include other stakeholders regarding the early development and implementation of a policy and plan of action for mining in Amerindian Titled lands that will safeguard the rights of Amerindian Titled Villages under the Amerindian Act.
Meanwhile, the Ministry will continue to monitor this situation closely and engage all stakeholders.
Isseneru villagers have claimed that their rights have been violated and the governance of their village undermined by a defiant miner who is boldly flouting orders by the authorities to cease mining.
The village council did not give the permission for the miner in question to extract gold from an area within their titled and demarcated land. In fact, the head of the village, Dhaness Larson, has declared that other villagers are being prevented by the miner, who has employed over a dozen workers, from even having access to the land where the mining is taking place.
The village, occupied by an estimated 260 persons, has been facing defiance from the miner since November 16, last year.
Villagers claim they were cheated by the government if indeed it had granted the mining licence but failed to inform the villagers when the title was issued.
Lewis Larson, a former village leader, said that contact was made with the Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai when the problem arose, but she replied that she was busy with elections and did not have time to deal with the matter.
The villagers of Isseneru say that without the permission to govern what happens on their own land, they are left at the mercy of this miner and others who may want to do the same.
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