By Oluatoyin Alleyene.
Relative: ‘It is not Fineman, Fineman is a figment of their very small thinking’
Emotions ran high yesterday when relatives of those killed at Lindo Creek visited the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Eve Leary to provide DNA samples in the hope that they match burnt remains found at the mining camp in June.
There was wailing, silent tears and angry outbursts as relatives of seven of those killed found themselves together for the first time. No relative of Bonny Harry, who was the manager of the camp, was present.
Hair and saliva samples were taken from the relatives, who included the nine-year-old son of Compton Speirs, Orin. The samples were taken by members of the Jamaican investigative team which arrived in the country last Friday. The investigators are expected to also obtain samples from the burnt remains which were taken from the storage place at Lyken Funeral Home at around midday yesterday and carried to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC).
While most of the relatives expressed some amount of satisfaction that they may now have something of their loved ones to bury they indicated that the burning question on their minds is who killed the men. The relatives said that is the most important question that needed to be answered to ensure that justice prevails for the eight miners who were brutally killed.
And at least one relative, the mother of 17-year-old Nigel Torres, Yonette Torres, told Stabroek News that she would not be collecting any remains to claim as her son’s. The woman, who wailed uncontrollably when she entered the CID building said she could never be sure that what is given to her indeed belonged to her son.
While mining owner Leonard Arokium, who lost his son and brother in the tragedy, did not visit the CID as he said he was not well, his sister and son visited to have samples taken for his brother, Cedric Arokium and son, Dax, respectively. The sister, Lorna Arokium, said it was a very difficult process as it is the closest she will ever come to receiving the remains of her brother. She said on Monday night she was unable to sleep as she was very nervous. The woman called out for justice and said she hopes that whoever committed the heinous act will eventually be placed behind bars.
‘Small thinking’
As Compton Speirs’ son left CID headquarters yesterday he was surrounded by several relatives who were very outspoken in calling on Acting Commissioner of Police Henry Greene to tell all he knows.
A sister of the man, Patricia Hutson Esquire, called on Greene to stop covering up for “his forces.” She said he speaks “arbitrary”. “But I am not afraid”, she said, stating her view that it was the Joint Services who “killed my brother and the others” and that the police know it. “It is not Fineman (Rondell Rawlins), Fineman is a figment of their very small thinking,” the woman said.
The police have said that ballistics tests on the spent shells discovered at the scene matched one of the weapons that was recovered by the security forces from Cecil Ramcharran called ‘Uncle Willie’ and Robin Chung called ‘Chung Boy’ who were slain at Goat Farm during a confrontation with lawmen. The two men have been linked to the Rondell `Fineman’ Rawlins gang.
Police had said they encountered `Fineman’ and his gang during a confrontation at Christmas Falls on June 6. They said that one of the gunmen was killed while six others managed to escape. The eight miners were believed to have been murdered sometime after this date.
Speirs’ sister has now expressed a view similar to what Leonard Arokium had declared following the June 21 discovery of bones and skulls at Camp Lindo. The Joint Services have since strongly denied this.
Greene subsequently indicated that initial findings of the Trinidadian forensic experts who visited a few days ago supported the police theory.
To picket UN
However, Patricia and her relatives were adamant that something is wrong and she said that she would continue to speak out as no one can hurt her and even if this is done it would be just her flesh. The woman vowed to picket the United Nations (UN) office.
And the weeping mother of Lancelot Lee, Olinda Debydin said that she would just keep praying as she hopes that the truth will one day prevail. “I would pray and hope that we know the truth, we cannot get on bad, I believe that prayer would bring things to light,” the woman said as she silently wept, stating that she misses her son very much.
The man’s brother, Wayne Lee, who also made the visit said that the DNA testing is one part of the investigation and not really the most important part as the big questions remains is “Who did it?” He said that is the question that needs to be answered.
The same sentiments were expressed by the relatives of Horace Drakes and Clifton Wong, Lena Waldron and Courtney Wong, mother and brother of the two men respectively.
Waldron said that her entire family is very disturbed by the incident even more so because they believe that they are not being told the truth “and this leaves you with a heavy burden.” She said that she hopes that one day the truth will prevail and she questioned why the authorities did not seek the help of the experts in the United Kingdom whose assistance the family of the men had sought. The woman had told Stabroek News before making the visit to CID that she is not comfortable with the Jamaicans doing the testing as she would have preferred the experts from the UK. “Right now I am just going through the motion,” the woman had said to this newspaper. Courtney complained it took too long to arrive at the point they are at today in respect to the DNA testing while asking when “the real investigation will start.”
Sledge hammer
A very disturbed Yonette Torres, who along with her husband made the long trip from Kwakwani, said yesterday that she really misses her 17-year-old son. Initially she did not want him to make the trip but because she knows the manager of the camp, Bonny Harry, she decided to send the lad. “I still have his boots under me house and every time I look at it I does cry, Nigel was a very helpful child, he use to always help we. He father really taking it bad, it is hard,” the woman said yesterday.
She said what hurts even more is that the possibility exists that her sledge hammer could have been used to kill her own son. She recalled that Harry had visited their home and said he needed something very heavy to assist in repairing an engine. “My husband give he the sledge hammer and he had to leave he clothes and things by we because he say the sledge hammer done heavy.” It was this sledge hammer that is believed to have been found at the site with traces of blood on it. It is believed whoever killed the men used it to beat at least one of them in the head.
With her finger pointed to the sky Torres said, “I am not pointing my finger at anyone, I only pointing my finger to God. Justice will come, those who kill them, people crying on them day and night and I know justice will come,” the woman said. “I woulda be satisfy a little if is just shoot alone dem get and we get a body to bury, but why they had to burn them?”
Torres also questioned why members of the Joint Services were not able to detect the smoke from the fire that was used to burn the men and their belongings. “They went there, now me son had a big hammock… and a long boots and the others had things and all dem things with the bodies burn up. Why the police and the army who say they was in the area ent see thick billowing smoke?”
