Guyanese Government halts activity at Chinese Landing mines

The Government of Guyana has temporarily suspended operations at the Chinese Landing mines to create a more favourable environment for addressing the community’s concerns.

This decision follows the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issuing precautionary measures in favour of the indigenous community’s residents.

The IACHR’s ruling on July 21st stated that the residents of Region One face a potential violation of their human rights.

The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance announced the deployment of a team from the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission to ensure a peaceful cessation of all mining activities.

From August 5-6, 2023, the government will send a fact-finding mission team to Chinese Landing.

The ministry expressed gratitude to the Village Council and Toshao Orin Fernandes for working with the government to find a solution to the community’s issues. Furthermore, the government pledged to continue working with the beneficiaries and their elected representatives.

The Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) was criticized by the ministry for creating an unnecessarily divisive environment by fueling rivalry.

The government believes that APA’s recent statement, which accused the government of misunderstanding the IACHR’s ruling and attempting to undermine the village’s rights, does not respect the process established by the commission.