APA backs residents of Chinese Landing

Aug 28, 2026 News

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…as standoff over mining incursion enters sixth day

(Kaieteur News) – The Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) has condemned the ongoing mining incursion in Chinese Landing, Region One, coming out in full solidarity with the village as the standoff between the Carib residents and heavy machinery operators enters grinds on.

The rights body called for immediate intervention by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to halt operations by miner Wayne Vieira and his agents, urging State agencies to enforce constitutional protections guaranteed to Indigenous Peoples. “The APA stands in solidarity with Toshao Nikita Miller, the Councillors, and residents of Chinese Landing who have been tirelessly defending their land in the recent standoff with Vieira’s mining operations, and for nearly the past three decades of doing so… These latest developments are indicative of a concerning national trend whereby mining operations are flagrantly disregarding the property rights of Indigenous Peoples to the detriment of communities’ security and wellbeing,” the statement read.

The renewed confrontation erupted after four excavators and a bulldozer linked to Vieira attempted to enter Tassawini inside the village’s titled boundaries. Operators claimed the equipment was intended for road and airstrip maintenance, but residents recognised it as a move to expand mining operations.

Kaieteur News observed when Stephen Vieira, acting under power of attorney for Wayne Vieira, demanded clearance and signaled that the machinery “are not going back,” villagers responded with a firm collective refusal: “NO! Never!” Toshao Nikita Miller confirmed that community members are maintaining a 24-hour blockade at the site. “They haven’t gotten permission from the village. They never seek for permission to enter and that is based on which is stipulated in the Amerindian Act. If a miner wishes to carry out mining… he has to get the consent of the village,” Miller stated, noting that neither the Ministry of Natural Resources nor the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs has reached out directly. “We’ll be here all the nights, all the days, to make sure that none of those new machinery enter into Tassawini.”

Chinese Landing received its original land title in 1976, reissued in 1991 under the State Lands Act and re-confirmed with a Certificate of Title in 2018, years before Vieira obtained his initial prospecting permits in 1998. After a temporary agreement collapsed in 2004, gold extraction continued without village consent.

The APA outlined severe impacts reported by the community since 2018 due to intensified mining in Tassawini. Critical waterways, including Huri Creek, have been severely contaminated, leading to reported cases of rashes, vomiting, and diarrhoea. Turbidity has also turned the Barama River into an active health hazard affecting downstream communities like Kariako, Kokerite, and Koriabo as well as elevated mercury levels detected among residents and nearby populations. Also, there has been direct damage to village farms, hunting grounds, and traditional lands as well as increased violence and intimidation against villagers by mining personnel without police investigation which has led to the disrespect of the Village Council’s legal authority and severe disruption to daily social life.

The APA emphasised that state inaction violates Section 48 of the Amerindian Act, Section 80 of the Mining Act, Articles 142, 149G, and 154A of the Constitution of Guyana, as well as the 2023 Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) Precautionary Measures ordering protection for the community.

“The actions taken by Vieira on 21 August 2026 have undermined the good faith of this process,” the APA noted regarding recent GGMC-facilitated mediation efforts. “A mediation process cannot be expected to continue in good faith while Vieira continues to violate the land rights of Chinese Landing.”

Council declines Georgetown mediation; Vieira Breaks Silence

The APA’s statement coincides with the Chinese Landing Village Council formally declining an invitation to a GGMC, sponsored mediation session in Georgetown with mediator Emily Dodson.

In a letter dated August 26, 2026, to GGMC Commissioner Newell Dennison, Toshao Miller explained that leadership cannot abandon residents while machinery remains positioned at village borders, pointing out that after Tassawini Landing was blocked, operators attempted to move equipment through Kariako. “A mediation cannot have a fair and successful outcome when there is a power imbalance between the parties or there is undue pressure placed on one of the parties,” Miller wrote, stating the council will not participate until Vieira’s equipment is withdrawn and GGMC guarantees an immediate halt to all preparatory work.

In response, miner Wayne Vieira issued a detailed public defence to Kaieteur News, arguing the dispute is being unfairly framed as a clash between an Indigenous village and an outside miner rather than a matter of legal tenure. Vieira highlighted his US$100,000 purchase of the Tassawini mining rights at a 1995 State auction, his 1998 agreement granting exclusive mining rights, and subsequent foreign investment partnerships totaling US$24 million that identified over 500,000 ounces of gold. Addressing legal precedent, Vieira cited the 2017 Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling that quashed a 2010 GGMC Cease Work Order, maintaining that the High Court established Section 48 of the Amerindian Act 2006 cannot retroactively extinguish pre-existing rights.

“No individual, group or Village Council is above the law,” Vieira asserted, claiming that an estimated 100,000 ounces of gold were illegally extracted by unauthorised miners while he was excluded between 2010 and 2022. He further cited the village’s October 2021 State grant, noting it explicitly excludes mineral rights. Vieira added that he recently offered 20 local residents the opportunity to mine legally under his permits, an offer accepted by 10 villagers for whom he purchased equipment, arguing that council opposition should not prevent others from earning a lawful living.

Dispute over history and IACHR directives

Tensions remain fueled by conflicting historical narratives. Toshao Miller publicly corrected Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat during his most recent village outreach after the Minister claimed Vieira held permits prior to the community’s title.

While the government maintains that legitimate tenure holdings remain valid following the 2017 CCJ ruling, the APA and Village Council contend that the CCJ decision merely addressed GGMC procedural enforcement powers without invalidating the village’s absolute land title or legal rights under the Amerindian Act. With heavy machinery remaining at the boundary and village blockades holding firm, the APA reiterated its call for the administration to abide by IACHR directives, halt unauthorised operations, and secure a peaceful resolution that respects Indigenous land rights.

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• Chinese Landing, GGMC, merindian Peoples Association, Ministry of Natural Resources, standoff

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