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Slaughtered miners…Mount an independent investigation
— Corbin
Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Robert Corbin, says that, given the uncertainties and speculations that abound regarding the recent shooting to death and burning of eight miners at Lindo Valley, a location in the Berbice River some 10 miles below Christmas Falls, there should be an independent investigation into what transpired.
According to Corbin, the independent investigation would help provide transparency into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The Joint Services conducted an operation in that area and were reportedly pursuing some gunmen who were camped in the area. One gunman died then.
The Joint Services subsequently mounted an extensive search in the jungle terrain for the remaining gunmen who escaped from the Christmas Falls Camp.
Given the fact that the Joint Services were on the hunt in the area, family members of the slain miners say that the soldiers may have stumbled on the miners’ camp and mistakenly shot the men.
The Joint Services had issued a statement following a report carried by this newspaper that a Forestry worker had seen two men suspected to be from the gang of bandits, in the area.
That statement concluded that there was no economic activity in the area.
Corbin also said that, more specifically, there should be an independent ballistics test done on whatever shells or warheads are recovered from the scene.
This call also came in light of speculations that, if the Joint Services in fact did the shooting, then they would be reluctant to announce that they had shot the miners.
The gruesome discovery was reportedly made at around 08:00 hrs on Saturday by the owner of the camp, George Leonard Arokium, 61. Arokium said he went to the area to check on his crew, after not hearing from them for several days, and after receiving some disturbing phone calls.
Dead are Arokium’s son, Dax, 28, of Crane Place, South Ruimveldt Park; his brother, 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.
A subsequent Police press release indicated that they had launched an investigation based on a news report given.
Yesterday, detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department and a pathologist flew into the region to investigate the killings.
Up to late last night they had not found the camp and were still in the area.
Arokium, when asked why no report was made to the Police after he made the discovery, said, “I was not sure who to trust.”
Arokium told this newspaper that he was convinced that it was not the work of the Rondell ‘Fine Man” Rawlins Gang, whose camp was discovered some two weeks ago, not far way.
The man, a private land surveyor, said that on Wednesday he received an anonymous call from a man who said that his son’s camp, which is located at a place called Lindo Valley, had been attacked and the men shot and burnt.
But Police sources say that they have evidence that the men were slaughtered by members of the Rondell Rawlins Gang, who had fled from Christmas Falls after Police swooped down on their camp.
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