The Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) has condemned the recent mining incursion in the Chinese Landing Village. The Association has stated that the gold miner and his representatives have been violating the community’s land rights.

In a release today, the APA called for the immediate intervention of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), and Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to halt any activity by the miner and to uphold the rights of the indigenous people.

According to the APA, 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 well-being.

“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. For nearly three decades, the Chinese Landing Village Council (CLVC) has been asserting its rights with regard to the mining operation of miner Wayne Vieira,” the APA noted.

APA said Chinese Landing has been experiencing incursions by Vieira’s gold-mining operations since 2004, when negotiations between the two parties broke down after they failed to renew a 1998 agreement.

According to the APA, since 2018, the Village Council has reported increased mining activity in the disputed area, which has negatively affected community residents, their health, and the environment.

The APA said mining activities have polluted critical waterways, such as the Huri Creek, that villagers had relied upon as a source of clean water, destruction of village lands, farms, and hunting grounds that are essential to the livelihood of residents in the areas among other things.

“These negative impacts continue despite objections from the CLVC and several reports to the Government and state agencies regarding the worsening situation. The CLVC has sought resolutions to the matter through several legal and constitutional avenues that have led to inadequate actions by the Government to resolve the land dispute as mining persists,” the APA noted.

The APA also condemned the “inaction” by the State to meaningfully implement measures to resolve the matter.

It said, a mediation process cannot be expected to continue in good faith, while the miner continues to violate the land rights of Chinese Landings.

“This type of response leaves the residents of Chinese Landing at greater risk to the growing insecurity and threats that the mining operations have imposed on the community,” the APA stated.

The Association said the current standoff in Chinese Landing highlights the level of desperation faced by the community, and the lengths to which they must go to secure their land and the future of generations to come.

On Wednesday, the Toshao for the Chinese Landing village stated that she was invited to a meeting with officials of the GGMC, but could not leave her village as residents continue to block mining equipment from entering the village.

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