Witness tells COI…Policeman found spent shells after we ‘combed’ same area and found nothing

Mar 16, 2018 News

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-family’s emotional testimony adjourned after relative collapses

Courtney Wong, the elder brother of slain miner, Clifton Wong, testified yesterday that a policeman reported finding three spent shells in the Arokium Camp, in an area that had been searched “back and forth,” and had yielded no such evidence.
Mr. Wong testified that a search was carried out by himself, police ranks, two soldiers and others, whom he had taken to the site in late June 2008, after news of the Lindo Creek tragedy broke.
Wong said the team found a heap of burnt bones and a skull with a hole in it, and two hammers.
The witness identified himself as the “designated mechanic” for the Arokium mining concession. However, he said that his younger brother Clifton, also a mechanic, had made the ill-fated trip in his place.
Mr. Wong was the last of three family members to take the stand at yesterday’s public hearings. But the day’s proceedings came to an abrupt halt after a female relative of the Wongs collapsed and had to taken to hospital.

Courtney Wong said he last spoke to his brother, Clifton, in late June, 2008, some two days before the brother travelled to Lindo Creek. That was when Clifton indicated that he was “heading to the interior.”
“He was going to Lindo Creek in my space (because) I had a lot of work on my hands. I was the designated mechanic for the Arokium Camp,” Mr. Wong said.
He told the Commission that the journey entails going by pickup to Linden, then travelling to Ituni, and to the UNAMCO Road.
“THEY KILL ALL DEM BOYS!”
Mr. Wong said that in June 2008, he received a call from the mining camp owner, Mr. Arokium.
“He say ‘they shoot, kill and burn up all the bodies.’ I say, ‘What you saying?’ and he said ‘They kill all dem boys.”
Mr. Wong recalled receiving another call some time later from Mr. Arokium. He related that Mr. Arokium had said that the Commissioner of Police, the Prime Minister, and Home Affairs Minister, had visited him “and tried to convince him that the ‘Fine Man’ gang had killed the men, and he said he didn’t believe that.”
He related that he was then informed that the police wanted someone to accompany a team to Lindo Creek.

On June 21, he accompanied a team that included police ranks and Government pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh, to Kwakwani.
Mr. Wong told the Commission that a gate at UNAMCO is manned by security personnel who would make a record of all vehicles entering the area that would lead to Lindo Creek.
However, this time “I observed, which was sort of strange, when I landed at the UNAMCO gate, a soldier was in command; not the UNAMCO security,” Mr. Wong said.
The witness said that he first took the team to a camp that the Arokium crew had now abandoned. This was at the bottom of a hill, while the new camp was at the top of the hill.
Wong said that he suggested to Dr. Singh that the pathologist remain at the bottom of the hill, since the journey to the other camp “is more hectic,” and “physically challenging.”
He said that the pathologist agreed to remain with some other ranks at the bottom of the hill.
Wong testified that it took him and the others about 45 minutes to reach the top of the hill where the other camp was located.
On reaching the camp, Wong related that they found the kitchen “in disarray,” with the rice and other goods strewn around.
He stated that hammocks, tarpaulins and clothes were all missing. They then saw a pile of bones near the sleeping area.
“We found a skull with a hole, and not far (from there) we found two hammers.” He said that one of the hammer-heads “fit right in the hole of the skull.” They also found a burnt passport and an identification card.
“After finding the bones, a rank asked us to form a line, (and) we formed a long line that was for the purpose of combing the area. We were supposed to be looking for any spent shells. We comb the area, backwards and forward, we did not find anything. No spent shells were found,” Wong stated.
He stated that he assisted some of the team members to put “the big bones” in a tarpaulin.
Wong related that around this time, one of the policemen said, “Look ah find a spent shell.”
“Two minutes after, he said, “Look, I find another one,” the witness told the Commission.
He said that the same police rank then indicated that he had found a third spent shell.
COI Attorney Patrice Henry: “The same policeman?”
Courtney Wong: “The same policeman.”
COI Attorney Patrice Henry: “It was the same area that was already combed?”
Courtney Wong: “Already combed.”
It was shortly after this that Wong’s testimony had to be halted after a female relative collapsed in her chair.
“I love you…take care of the children…you will be hearing from me…”
Earlier on, Colette Wong, the wife of Clifton Wong,
recalled her last words with her husband of 21 years, with whom she has five children.
She said that in May 2008, Clifton came from the interior to celebrate Mother’s Day, and her birthday, which is on May 19. He then returned to Lindo Creek.
“Before that, he said as soon as he reach…he will call me. He called from Kwakwani and said, ‘I love you, take care of the children, you will be hearing from me.”
Mrs. Wong related that her husband also told her to tell their daughter, Sheniza, whose birthday was in June, that “he will send something.”
But she said on June 20, she heard on the news that some miners had been killed. Later than night, someone rapped at her front door. It was a male relative, who brought the news of her husband’s death and the killing of the seven others.
Mr. Arokium called about an hour later.
“I went upstairs. The children were already in bed.
I woke them up and said, “He’s no more.”
In her brief and tearful testimony, the couple’s daughter, Sheniza Romain, also recalled the last time she had seen her dad. She recalled that he had told her, “To bear up, he will return.”
“We had a very close relationship. I was the one he cherished the most. He would come out for birthday, or he would call and send some sort of finance to celebrate my birthday,” she said.

 

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