Mining operations at Chinese Landing are continuing despite the village’s efforts to block access by road, with aircraft now reportedly being used to transport fuel into the disputed area, Toshao Nikita Miller has disclosed.
Miller told Kiskadee Watch yesterday that the operators had made several flights to bring in fuel after residents prevented fuel and other supplies from being transported through the road without the Village Council’s permission.
“They can’t get through us, through the road, so they decided to go through the air,” Miller said.
She said she had contacted former St Cuthbert’s toshao and former Member of Parliament Lenox Shuman, whom she understood to be an adviser to the government on aviation matters, but was told that he had no knowledge of the flights.
Miller said the village had not yet decided on its next course of action, but residents remained alert to movements in the area and were prepared to notify the council if anything changed.
“We just feel like we are left on our own to fight our battle,” she said, expressing frustration that mining activities were continuing despite the community’s objections and its attempts to prevent supplies from reaching the site by road.
The Toshao said the council was awaiting the arrival of a team from the National Toshaos Council (NTC), along with Shuman and a legal adviser, before deciding on its next steps.
She said the village hoped the NTC could help facilitate mediation between the community and miner Wayne Vieira, following the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission’s (GGMC) withdrawal from the process.
“Since GGMC withdraw, we have written to our ministry, seeking their help to facilitate it,” Miller said, adding that the village was awaiting a response or an offer from another ministry or the NTC to assist.
She said the village council had received no response from the minister or ministry regarding the latest developments.
The dispute centres on mining activities in the Tassawini area of Chinese Landing, Region One, where residents have been opposing the movement of heavy equipment linked to Vieira into the community’s titled lands.
In August, residents blocked access to the area after the Village Council said heavy-duty equipment had been transported into the community without prior notification or permission. The council reported that at least nine excavators, two bulldozers and several dredge engines had been brought in by barge.
The village maintained that the movement of the equipment undermined mediation efforts and called on the Ministry of Natural Resources and the GGMC to halt the operations until an agreement was reached.
The GGMC subsequently withdrew from the mediation process, prompting the Village Council to question the decision and insist that it remained willing to pursue a negotiated settlement. The council argued that the ongoing activities should have prompted greater efforts to resolve the dispute rather than an end to mediation.
Chinese Landing received title to its lands in 1976, while Vieira obtained mining permits in the area in the 1990s. The dispute has persisted for years, with the village maintaining that mining activities should not proceed without its consent. Vieira, meanwhile, has argued that his permits give him rights to access the mining blocks.
The matter has also involved court proceedings. In 2017, the Caribbean Court of Justice ruled that a GGMC mines officer did not have the authority under the Mining Regulations to issue a cease-work order against Vieira for an alleged breach of the Amerindian Act.
In 2023, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights granted precautionary measures in favour of Chinese Landing residents amid concerns about threats to their lives and personal integrity linked to opposition to mining activities.
Miller said the village was now waiting for the NTC delegation and legal support to arrive before determining how it would respond to the continued operations.
She acknowledged that the situation had left her angry at times, but said the council was trying to remain calm and consider its options rather than resort to confrontation. “We are in talks and, you know, we will come up with plans later and see how we can execute those plans,” she said.
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