Mining crackdown…Private bodies move to help Brazilians avoid expulsion

May 22, 2012 News

Thousands of Brazilians are reportedly facing expulsion, but only a few have started to trickle in to apply for legal papers.
According to the non-profit Brazil/Guyana Development Institute, since Government’s announcement last Wednesday that non-national miners will have to secure work permits before entering and operating in the hinterland’s gold mines, slightly more than 150 persons have visited their Thomas Street offices.

Rogeria Ferreira

The institute is the only third-party body recognized by Government to act on behalf of Brazilians. The Brazilians have to either present themselves or the application has to be made by the sponsoring company to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).
It is estimated that around 15,000 foreigners, most of them Brazilians, are working and living in Guyana. The majority are working in the interior. More than half of the Brazilians are believed to be without work permits. Quite a few have reportedly left for Brazil since the announcements of the new measures.
Last week, in sweeping measures to reduce illegal mining, the Guyana Government ordered Brazilians without legal documents to stop working. It also said that it would not be accepting sponsorship of the Brazilians from “middlemen” or agents. Instead, it would be working along with the Brazil/Guyana Development Institute.
The new measures would stop Brazilians and other non-nationals from switching employers as the work permits have specific conditions that are related to a particular employer and a particular mining district. This was a critical issue for the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission who in its monitoring role had complained of difficulty in knowing how many foreigners are in Guyana.
Brazilians’ worry
The government during a special meeting last week with the Brazilians at Celina’s Restaurant, Georgetown, also warned that it will not be tolerating corruption of its officers and that money, other than regular fees, should not be paid over to anyone else.
According to Rogeria Ferreira, a senior official of the institute, Brazilians are deeply worried by the news, with many of them fearing that the delays would force them to return home.

Brazilians applying for their legal documents at the Brazil/Guyana Development Institute yesterday.

Government last week said that there was widespread lawlessness including illegal guns, smuggling of gold, and prostitution in the hinterlands.
In recent months, as gold prices remain on a record high, there has also been an increase in the number of murders and violent crimes in those mining districts. Several Brazilians were killed also.
According to Ferreira, her organization was the brainchild of Excel Minerals, a mining company with operations in the city and in the interior.
The institute will not be charging a commission for processing the applications for work permits and extensions to stay. Rather they will be accepting the fees on behalf of the GGMC and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Among other things, they will also be taking applications for the work permits, registering them for contributions to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and their Tax Identification Number (TIN).
Brazilian businesses in the city have been increasing in number within recent years with Robb, Church, Light and Regent Streets becoming Brazilian business zones for that neighbouring country.
Across the country, places like Bartica, Cuyuni and Mazaruni in Region Seven; Port Kaituma in Region One and Mahdia in Region Eight, and Lethem in the Rupununi have become popular destinations for Brazilian businesses.
The businesses include transportation, spare parts, night clubs and restaurants, salons and clothing stores, among other things.
According to Ferreira, not every Brazilian in Guyana is involved in mining. But they are still required to pay the processing fee and the fee for the three-year work permit which could add up to over $100,000.
Ripped Off
Last week, Brazilians complained of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to middlemen or even mining companies to apply for their work permits.
In many cases, they were ripped off and enticed to pay even more.

Brazilian businesses have been springing up rapidly in the city.

Ferreira yesterday said that there are indications that even some mining companies were involved in applying, for a hefty fee, for the Brazilians. In most cases, and amidst lax monitoring by GGMC, the Brazilians would use their work permits to switch to other mining camps.
There were also accusations last week of rampant harassment by police who would demand money from the hapless Brazilians, threatening to lock them up for the slightest infringement.
“In most cases, it is a fact that the Brazilians don’t know better. That is why they ended up paying other persons to help them process their documents. But the message is getting out,” Ferreira explained.
With many of the Brazilians still in the mining areas, it may take a while for the word to filter down those far-flung areas.
Last month, in a major crackdown, Government raided several mining camps, arresting a number of illegal Brazilians and seizing guns. Instances of mining breaches, poor records and poor conditions in the camps were discovered.
According to Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee, foreign nationals will have to produce work permits to enter the mining zones. No longer would their registration slips or acknowledgments of working permits’ applications be accepted.
Yesterday, in relation to questions, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, which is charged with mining, said that it is prepared to process the documents once they are in order.
“The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment’s Guyana Geology and Mines Commission is ready and capable to commence the processing of applications from non nationals particularly Brazilians, once they have the necessary documentations and approvals from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Commission will expedite the issuance of Certificate of Registration, once valid documents are provided by the applicant, which would make the non-national/Brazilian eligible to work within a specified mining district. In addition, the Commission will monitor closely the number of persons being granted work permits as there are limits.”