Chinese Landing Toshao and brother arrested and charged over incident with miners

The Toshao of Chinese Landing, Nikita Miller, and her brother have been arrested in the aftermath of a violent confrontation between villagers, and miners over mining activities in the Chinese Landing-Tassawini area in the North-West District.

On Friday, Miller was arrested and charged with damage to property and assault, while her brother, Selwyn Miller has been charged with attempted murder of a miner. News Source understands that another villager has also been arrested.

The arrests followed a violent confrontation on Thursday night between the villagers and the miners after the villagers attempted to prevent mining equipment from accessing their titled lands.

In a live broadcast hours after the incident, Miller alleged that she and other residents of the Indigenous village were beaten and terrorized by gun-wielding miners, after they – the villagers- attempted to seize an excavator, which was illegally attempting to access their lands.

In a turn of events, the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association has stated that legitimate miners were being attacked at Chinese Landing, with the support of the Village leadership, and not the other way around.

In that statement, the Miners Association called for an investigation to be immediately launched into the attempted murder and robbery carried out on the mining operators of Wayne Vieira in the Kariako Village area by “elements” connected to illegal miners supported by the leadership of Chinese Landing.

The association said the miners were being treated for severe injuries sustained during the alleged attack. It said the attackers are known to be involved in illegal mining and are using the leadership of the nearby community to cover their operations while pretending to be victims.

“While working, in Kariako village, the operator was confronted by about 15 persons from Chinese Landing Village who entered Kariako Village lands without the consent of the Village or its Toshao, Captain Collis Samuels. The group included Toshao Nikita Miller, Cleveland Pearson, husband of Councillor Vernon Millington, Oral Fernandes and Selwyn Miller, Nikita Miller’s brother, from Chinese Landing Village. Nikita Miller carried a 12-gauge shotgun, while her relative, Oral Fernandes, also carried a firearm, other members of the group carried pieces of wood and cutlasses. Miller, who was armed, pointed the gun at the operator and demanded that he turn the excavator around and return to the Barama River, while her brother was armed with a cutlass hit the excavator several times with the weapon,” the GGDMA said of the incident.

Noting that the dispute over the lands in the area has already been settled in Court, the GGDMA called on the Guyana Police Force to take stern action against the alleged attackers.

But the Amerindian People’s Association (APA) said the Toshao and her villagers were the ones who were attacked.

According to the APA, the situation in Chinese Landing has reached a dangerous and intolerable point, powered by the Government of Guyana’s persistent failure to protect the community and uphold its rights.

“This blatant disregard for Indigenous rights, coupled with continued inaction in the face of escalating threats and violence, is indefensible and demands immediate intervention, accountability, and decisive action. On Thursday night, we saw an escalation of years of intimidation that resulted in the physical assault on Toshao Miller and her residents. It is deeply traumatising to know that a village leader can be dragged through the mud, have her clothes torn, her cell phone and firearm taken away, and be assaulted by miners all while trying to protect her community,” the APA noted.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission are both silent on the incident.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login