Chinese Landing toshao Nikita Miller last night said that she and other residents were beaten up by a miner known as `Izic’ and his employees.
For months now the residents of Chinese Landing in Region One have been blocking miners from invading their titled lands in search of gold. The. residents have however not been given any protection by the Ministry of Natural Resources or the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission.
In a video posted on the Chinese Landing page, Miller called on President Irfaan Ali to take action to protect the rights of villagers.
“We are calling on the President to please please please” look at this matter. She lamented that it was a sad situation going on with Chinese Landing and it seems that they have been left on their own.
Miller said a resident she called “Uncle” was bloodied after the attack. She said that she got a “thrashing” and was held down in the mud. As Miller spoke a person sobbed in the background.
Miller explained that the miner had been attempting to bypass them by going through the nearby area of Kariako. However residents intercepted the excavator and took control of it. The miner and employees launched a counterattack and seized the excavator after unleashing violence and proceeded into the gold bearing area of Tassawini.
Miller said her phone was taken away as was her licensed firearm. In addition a bike given to the community by the Ministry of Natural Resources was stolen along with another belonging to a resident. She said that the miner fired 10 shots over their heads during the attack. Miller said her brother fled into the bush and she thought he had died.
“Sad situation with Chinese Landing. It seems as if we lef on our own. We have to fight our own battle.”, Miller said.
She said it is not today Chinese Landing has been battling for its land.
Precautionary measures were granted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in 2023 in favour of members of the Indigenous Carib Community of Chinese Landing who had complained about a series of transgressions.
In its ruling, the IACHR had identified serious and urgent concerns regarding the beneficiaries’ rights to life and personal integrity in the context of opposition to mining activities.
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