Latest update January 4th, 2025 5:30 AM
Mar 01, 2016 Letters
Dear Editor,
I write in relation to a story in your edition of Sunday 28th February, 2016, captioned ‘No Mining Land, ‘Landlordism’ Cause Miners To Block Road In Protest — One Arrested’.
The story reports that Tesouro Resources (‘the company’) has been depriving small local miners of the little land they had and even blocked them from carrying out their operations. Your story further states that the issue of ‘landlordism’ throughout Guyana and in that particular area is rampant. It claims that large companies have allowed miners to mine on their lands until they ‘lash out’ after which they send their security forces to forcibly remove from these lands.
The above statements, with the claims of ‘landlordism’ are completely misconceived. Recent complaints of what has come to be called ‘landlordism’ by small miners, are based on claims that some large scale miners are given preferential treatment by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission in the award of mineral properties. However, such claims cannot apply to Tesouro, as all of the properties mentioned in the story and held by Tesouro, were never awarded by the GGMC, but were acquired through independent arrangements with the former registered holders. What some persons are attempting to do is to use spurious claims to compel Tesouro to allow them to work properties it has acquired the rights to work, at considerable expense.
This has now taken the form of persons trespassing on Tesouro’s property at Konawaruk, blocking mining roads, and refusing to remove. On separate occasions over the past 3 weeks, the GGMC and the Guyana Police Force have had to forcibly remove raiders from the property. The GGMC has issued Cease Work Orders to these persons. In response, the intended raiders have threatened to kill Tesouro personnel, and to burn its facilities. An atmosphere of deliberate lawlessness is being created by these persons, to compulsorily deprive Tesouro of its properties. This behavior is not allowed anywhere in the world.
Your story repeated a claim by two persons Mario Figueira and Alisha Figueira of Konawaruk, of being invaded by shotgun toting men dressed as security guards who sprayed their mining camp with shotgun pellets, declaring an intention to destroy their camp. It is regrettable that your publication did not make contact with Tesouro Resources, who would have been able to provide much needed balance to the story.
While I am reluctant to enter into too much detail, as the matter involving Mario and Alisha Figueira is currently engaging the attention of the High Court (2015-HC-DEM-CIV-CD-644). As I have stated above, I am constrained from further discussing the matter as it is still sub judice. However, I expect that your newspaper will give this response equal prominence to its initial misleading and unbalanced story, and if it is not mischievous, provide a retraction or correction.
Jaswick Williams Lt Col (Ret’d)
General Manager
Tesouro Resources.
Editor’s note: A large section of this letter was redacted because it entered into discussion and opinion-making on a current court case. We need to point out to Mr. Williams that his company’s name was not mentioned in Sunday’s article that he referenced in his letter. We conclude that our reporting as contained in the Sunday item constituted professional journalism and we saw nothing mischievous in our reporting.
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