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Small miners say Government favours large miners and companies
Dear Editor,
I have been living and working in the gold industry in the Marudi Mountains since 1988 when Romanex Mining Company came to Marudi. Amerindians were working along with some coast-landers. When school closed they would bring their wives and children in Marudi to work to get money to buy school clothes and books. They would bring in their products to sell to miners.
In 1988 Romanex left Marudi. Vanessa Mining Company came in 1999. Vanessa came with Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, a police officer and a rural constable and destroyed all shops and camps in Marudi.
The miners formed a committee and filed an injunction against Vanessa. The injunction was thrown out and another injunction was also filed and was also thrown out. Vanessa then left Marudi because they had no money. Then there was another company, Forge Orbit. They did a little work then they left saying that they had no more money. Then there were two persons claiming to have mining permit to mine with a dredge. After some months GGMC ordered the said dredge to stop working and leave Marudi which they did.
Before they were ordered to leave, GGMC mines officers came with police and ordered the Guyanese and Brazilian dredge owners to pack up and leave. The Women’s Group in Aishalton village along with the miners held a protest for days in Marudi. The police then started to beat some of the miners with wood. One boy’s leg was broken and his mother was beaten by the said police when she went to save her child. The miners then formed an association.
Several meetings were held with the Miners Association and Mr. Robert Persaud the then Minister of Natural Resources. Nothing came out of these meetings. Mr. Nigel Hughes visited Marudi and advised the miners to continue fighting to work in Marudi. Another protest was held by the Women’s Group and miners in Lethem. Mr. Nigel Hughes attended that protest and told them to continue to fight for Marudi even if they have to carry their case to the Caribbean Court of Justice and he will back them. All this time miners continued to work in Marudi.
GGMC held a meeting with miners and told them that Romanex has applied for a mining license to prospect in Marudi. GGMC held another meeting with miners and took down the names of miners. About three hundred and eighty four, the number of shops, thirty one, number of excavators eight, number of dredges and crushers seventy-one and told that they will be allowed to work in Marudi.
Mr. Granger campaigning for the General Elections told the residence of Region Nine that if he wins the elections he would give them Marudi to work. Mr. Trotman, Minister of Natural Resources then held a meeting with miners and villagers at Aishalton village and told them that they would get to work in Marudi.
One villager told the meeting that mining should stop in Marudi. Mr. Trotman then told him that mining has to go on in Marudi. It was decided to hold another meeting at Lethem, where the miners would have four delegates, the villages would have three. This meeting was to be chaired by Mr. Trotman. He did not come to the meeting but sent Mr. Joe Singh.
Mr. Joe Singh put forward a document and asked the delegation to sign it. They refused asking for time to consult with the rest of miners. Mr. Joe Singh’s reaction was a disappointment to us. The miners’ delegation became afraid and on the advice of their lawyer signed the document. The lawyer erred in law by advising the miners to sign. He should have objected to Mr. Joe Singh.
A certain man came to Marudi and held a meeting in his compound but did not invite the Miners Association. The secretary of the association heard of the meeting and attended it. This gentleman told the miners at the meeting that he would employ the miners and pay them five thousand dollars a day.
He would be selling fuel and they that work on the mountain would have to pay them ten per cent to him and he will open to canteen. On December 12, the GGMC came with fellow and stopped the crushers and miners from working. The dredges and excavators were allowed to continue working because the dredge owners are paying this man ten per cent of their production.
Ninety-nine per cent of the dredge owners are Brazilians. They also own the excavators. The GGMC says that the crushers cannot use malgum sheets. The gold in Marudi is very light, it is one of the purest gold in Guyana but it is light as malgum sheet catches most of it. But the dredges are allowed to put quicksilver in the sluice boxes.
Robert Murray
Small scale miner
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