Slaughtered miners…Cops locate burnt remains

Jun 23, 2008 News

After several hours of searching, a Joint Services team and Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh yesterday located the remains of the eight diamond miners, who were slaughtered at Lindo Valley, some ten miles from Christmas Falls.

Kaieteur News understands that the remains, consisting mainly of eight skulls, torsos and pelvic bones, were found late last evening.
The remains are likely to be brought to the city today.
Acting Police Commissioner Henry Greene had initially told this newspaper that the team had failed to find the remains.
According to Greene, a guide provided by Arokium had mistakenly led the team to another camp several miles from the one where the massacre reportedly.
The Police say that the guide once worked at the camp to which he took the team.
He said that the owner of the mining operation, Leonard Arokium, was subsequently contacted with the aim of ascertaining the exact location.
Kaieteur News understands that the guide subsequently found Arokium’s camp, some 20 minutes away from the one the team had first visited.
The team had flown into the area following media reports and the comments by mining boss Leonard Arokium.

Speculation is rife as to how the miners met their end.
One theory is that they were slain by fleeing gunmen who were being pursued by the Guyana Defence Force Special Forces Unit.
The other theory is that the miners were mistakenly slain.
There are reports that, as early as last Wednesday, persons had indicated that there was shooting at a camp a few miles from Christmas Falls, where the Police had ambushed a gang of gunmen, killing Otis ‘Mud Up’ Fiffee in the process.

Yesterday, Mr. Arokium again expressed his belief that the men were not slain by members of the ‘Fine Man’ gang.
According to him, he had received reports that the crew had ‘washed down’on Saturday, June 14.
He believes that his crew was slain between Sunday, June 15 and Tuesday, June 16.
“Fine Man’ would not have been in the location (then). “Fine Man’ can’t be in Goat farm last week and back in this area,” he said.
“Rain is falling and the water is running heavy, (so) ‘Fine Man’ can’t cross the river and cross back as he like.”
On Monday, June 16, gang members Cecil Ramcharran, called ‘Uncle Willie’, and Robin Chung, called ‘Chung Boy’, were killed at Goat Farm, an area on the left bank of the Berbice River.
This occurred shortly after the gang had hijacked a mini-bus at Aroaima.

A 15-year-old boy, who is said to be a member of the gang, was arrested on the same day at Ituni.
Investigators will try to establish when the miners were killed, and it is expected that post mortem examinations will be performed on the spot before the remains are brought out.
On Saturday, dredge owner Leonard Arokium discovered the charred remains of his son and other employees when he went into the area, some 10 miles from Christmas Falls, to take in rations for his operation.
Those killed are Dax Arokium, 28, of Crane Place, South Ruimveldt Park; his uncle, Cedric Arokium, called Brother, 51; Compton Spires, called Toner, 58, of Meten-Meer Zorg, West Coast Demerara; ‘Berry’ Wong, mid-40’s; Lance Lee, called ‘Piggy’, 40, of Tucville; ‘Bonney’ Harry, 48, of Essequibo Coast; a teenager reportedly of Kwakwani, Berbice River, and Horace Drakes of De Kenderen, West Coast Demerara.