Evidence gathered at Lindo Creek, where the burned bodies of eight miners were discovered on Saturday, suggested that men had been badly beaten before they were killed as two hammers, one of them bloodied, were found close to the burnt remains.
Yesterday, amid swirling accusations that the country’s military had been involved, the Joint Services denied carrying out the slaughter, declaring that they had information from their sources on who had committed the mass murder. The Police Office of Professional Responsibility has been employed to conduct investigations, the press release said, an indication that the security forces were doing some in-house checks.
Stabroek News has been reliably informed that lawmen who visited the site on Sunday, believed that at least some of the men were beaten before they were killed and that the hammers found were the weapons used.
This newspaper has been informed that one of the skulls found at the location had an impression suggesting that the person was beaten in the head. One of the hammers, placed in that impression was a perfect match confirming that the very hammer was used to inflict the injury. While there was no visible injury to match the other hammer, the fact that it had dried blood indicated that it would have been used to beat one or more of the men, one source said.
Tortured
“Something tells me that these men were tortured before they were killed. But what they get beat for is another thing,” one source commented.
According to information reaching Stabroek News, on arrival at the camp all the lawmen found were burnt bones. “There was nothing left of the men, everything was burnt. Only a passport for one of the men was found. Nothing belonging to the others, not even clothes were found,” a source said. This source pointed out that it appeared that the persons who committed the act were attempting to obliterate all evidence of the men at the mining camp.
This newspaper was told that when the team arrived at the mining location, they observed two separate areas — a kitchen and dwelling section and another area where the men slept. While the sleeping area still had a tarpaulin over it, the other area had none and it is believed that the tarpaulin was used to gather the men and their belongings together to be burned.
This newspaper understands that the camp was in total disarray with pots and pans strewn about the place.
However, there were no mattresses, sheets, clothing or other personal belongings.
“From all indications, the men were packed on top of each other and burned,” one source said. The source said everything that belonged to the men seemed to have been burned with them. “I don’t know if they used gasoline or what, but when I tell you that even chainsaw them man burn up you will understand that they were trying to burn everything…,” the source said.
It is understood that the bodies were burnt beyond recognition. “There is nothing it was almost a cremation but it is not a total cremation because it is not complete ashes as some bones left back. But there is nothing to identify who is who, everything burn up,” Stabroek News was told. “So you can’t know if they were shot, beaten or burned alive but what I know is that they were beaten in the process of their deaths.
‘Unimaginable and unthinkable’
Meanwhile, the Joint Services statement, issued in response to an article published in this newspaper yesterday, in which George Arokium, the owner of the camp accused the security forces of killing the miners, unequivocally denied the assertions. The statement said such conjecture was unimaginable and unthinkable. “Ranks are highly and specially trained and experienced in the execution of their duties whether in urban or rural terrain,” the statement said.
Additionally, the lawmen said, the very conduct of their operations would not allow for the commission of such actions. “While we understand the state of mind of Mr Arokium, having lost his family members in this manner, it is unproductive to directly accuse the Joint Services without any shred of evidence and based solely on speculation.”
The Joint Services advised all concerned that such actions did not contribute to a wholesome security environment and called on citizens to desist from speculations and accusations. “We need to be united in the fight against crime. The Joint Services are vigorously investigating the killing of the eight men based on information received from reliable sources which indicate that this heinous and dastardly act was committed by criminal elements we are actively pursuing,” the statement said.
It added that a team, including ranks from the Police’s Office of Professional Responsibility, was conducting the investigations.
Police on Sunday said they had retrieved a number of 7.62 spent shells from the scene. However, up to press time last night, no results of ballistics testing had been issued. Stabroek News was told that investigators only yesterday began doing ballistics analyses.
Early Saturday morning, Arokium discovered all of his mining workers dead in a camp, located south-east of the country. Arokium said he only discovered skulls and bones at the scene.
Stating that he believed that the army was responsible for the attack and that it could not have been Rondell “Fineman” Rawlins and his gang, Arokium told Stabroek News in an interview on Sunday night that the fugitives would have had to go into “enemy” territory to launch the attack. He explained that the camp could only be reached by travelling strictly overland. Driving from Linden and through Ituni there was a “turn-off” 76 km before reaching the Kwakwani junction. The “turn-off” is the UNAMCO logging road, which is approximately a 30-minute walk from the main road.
According to Arokium, ‘Fineman’ and his gang would have been likely moving away from the Joint Services ranks who were scouring the area around Christmas Falls for them. ‘Fineman’ would then have logically crossed over the Berbice River, the man said. He went on to explain that had ‘Fineman’ wanted to attack the camp then he would have then had to cross the Berbice River once again, this time moving towards “enemy territory” where the Joint Services ranks were awaiting him. Arokium believes that no man in his right senses would have done that. “I think that the army did it. All the evidence points to the army,” Arokium charged.
When?
Law enforcement authorities believe that the key to clearing up the issue as to who killed the miners was for investigators to establish when they were killed. Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh who visited the area on Sunday was up to yesterday said to be still analyzing the evidence. Forensic experts said that given that the bodies had been burnt it would be difficult to have an early determination as to when the men were killed.
Arokium believes the miners were killed some time between Sunday, June 15 and Tuesday, June 17. He supported this position, saying that he was aware of mining activities at the camp on June 14. This camp is 
situated ten miles north of Christmas Falls, the scene of a shootout between the police and gunmen on June 6.
Persons knowledgeable about the area told this newspaper that the security forces had to pass the mining camp to get to Christmas Falls. One man said that with air surveillance by helicopter and the fact that the police had said the area was cordoned off, the question the security forces must answer was why the discovery of the dead men was not made by the military before. “Why did it have to be the owner of the operation who had to travel there to make that discovery when dozens of troops were searching that area?” the man asked.
Arokium had said that he had received reports that the men were killed some time last week but only managed visit the location early Saturday morning. Upon arrival he made the discovery of burnt bones and skulls.
He told Stabroek News that on Wednesday night he had received a telephone call from a woman who told him that some “soldiers” had shot and killed his men and burnt their bodies. Later, he said, he received a second phone call from a private number. This time, Arokium explained, it was a man calling who told him the same thing. He said someone in the area had told him when he visited on Saturday that they had heard shots several days prior to his arrival. Stabroek News understands that the men who killed the miners were dressed in camouflage uniforms.
Police had encountered a group of gunmen at Christmas Falls on June 6 and killed one of them during a confrontation. However, six of the men escaped, the police said. Early last week another group of gunmen hijacked a busload of passengers on the Aroaima trail and disappeared. Police killed two gunmen subsequently at Goat Farm, located some 90 miles from Christmas Falls and arrested another – a teenager — at Ituni. It is not clear whether the men who were killed — Julius Chung and Cecil Ramcharran — were among the hijackers. Police have not been able to explain how the gunmen who were first confronted at Christmas Falls were able to move 90 miles, breaking out of a cordon, which was reportedly established.
Some observers believe that the lawmen might have been up against two groups of gunmen –one at Christmas Falls and the other at Goat Farm. Rawlins was said to have been in the Christmas Falls area and he and others might have already cleared out of the jungle.
