Over 40 calls were made in August from the cellular phone that Dax Arokium had in his possession when he and seven others were slaughtered at the Lindo Creek mining camp, records seen by this newspaper reveal.
The majority of calls were made to cellular phones and conversations lasted as long as eight minutes. Attorney at law Nigel Hughes said the phone is registered in Leonard Arokium’s name, but it was in possession of his son Dax at the camp where the burnt remains of the eight men were found.
Although Commissioner Henry Greene has maintained that the police force has not received enough information to verify claims that the phone is in use, Leonard Arokium has said the phone number was included in a detailed statement he gave to police on June 21 when he met with investigators the night after burnt remains were discovered at the camp. In a third letter to Greene sent yesterday, Arokium’s lawyer Hughes said a team of top ranking police officers took detailed statements from his client during which the telephone number was provided. Greene has said that not even the number was provided but Hughes said it was given in the statement taken on June 21, when Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee and Greene himself visited Arokium’s residence to express condolences on the tragedy.
The police force in a statement on Sunday accused Arokium of releasing information in a piecemeal manner through the attorney. It said his actions seemed designed to attract and maintain public sympathy and it called on him to “reduce his acts of grandstanding and present any other information he had which could aid investigations. Hughes said that communication through the attorney was not his client’s preference but the credibility of the force and the challenges it faces in protecting the lives of citizens made it understandable. Hughes stated, “It is precisely this lack of full confidence in the forensic and investigative capacity of the Guyana Police Force which led to his release of the information of the murder of the Lindo Creek eight to the press before going to [police].”
In a comment to this newspaper on Monday, Arokium took exception to the way police characterized him in its last statement. He said he could not understand why the force was referring to him directly and making accusations. He felt that since Hughes contacted the force according to protocol, it should have responded by the same token for any further information needed to aid its investigations. “…And leave me out,” he said.
Arokium did not, however, rule out meeting with Greene. “I would only see him through my counsel. I would not go to see him alone. I contacted him through my attorney and so everything has to be done with my attorney or with his knowledge,” he insisted.
Closure
Meanwhile, the incomplete investigation into what occurred at Lindo Creek has not helped the relatives of the miners to find closure as they are still unable to have the remains of the deceased scientifically identified. Hughes raised the point in his letter, saying the fact that his client has not been informed of the results of the DNA identification procedure is a continued source of considerable pain for all the relatives of the deceased.
Arokium said he wants the police to tell the families of his miners what is going on with the case more than two months after DNA samples were taken from them to verify the remains. He said the families of the deceased are still waiting to hear from the police. “What about those reports? Is it a foregone conclusion? Because nothing is happening!” he declared. “What about the reports? Shouldn’t they be saying something about that? It has been eight weeks or more now, the Jamaican people came and we are not hearing anything, let’s see who is grandstanding.”
Arokium also said it was still hard for him to face the men’s relatives. He said they are wondering what happened and they still could not find peace of mind since they had no remains to bury.
