– local cops sending traffic back
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett said yesterday that the Takutu River bridge linking Guyana and Brazil is not open as government has not concluded such arrangements with its Brazilian neighbour.
Brazil’s Ambassador to Guyana, Arthur Meyer said his government was unaware of the informal opening, but he has since been instructed to consult the Guyana government about the possibility of opening the bridge on a provisional basis.
Reports from Region Nine were that local law enforcement officials have been stationed on the Guyana side and traffic across the structure has been halted. On Sunday, after contractors officially handed over the structure to the Brazilian State of Roraima, the state’s government made a decision to allow the movement of vehicular traffic and pedestrians across it. However, the move was neither expected nor supported by local authorities.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Rodrigues-Birkett said consultations are still ongoing to finalise a date for the opening of the bridge, emphasizing that the bridge is not yet accessible from the Guyana side of the border.
Reading from a prepared statement, the minister said that discussions at the bi-lateral level had materialized to the point where Brazilian authorities contacted the Foreign Affairs Ministry last Friday to report that its Civil Office was taking steps in order to allow the provisional settlement of pedestrian and vehicular traffic on the bridge.
“The embassy further advised that as soon as this matter is resolved the ministry will be duly informed in order for the necessary measures to be taken at the consular and immigration sectors in Lethem,” the minister said.
Rodrigues-Birkett was adamant that no date had been set for the opening of the bridge to traffic and/or the inauguration, adding that “the situation remains the same at this time”.
She said further that on Friday last a road transport agreement was signed with Brazil, which addresses issue of licensing and vehicle insurance among other things. Additionally, she said that the multi-purpose building at Lethem is fully operational.
Meanwhile, Meyer told Stabroek News yesterday that the move to open the bridge was likely triggered by the decree in Brazil to declare Bon Fim an official port of entry. He said Govenor of the State of Roraima Jose de Anachicta Junior acted solely when he declared the bridge open on Sunday.
Meyer said that there was no official reaction in Brazil on Sunday’s opening of the bridge as, “the Governor has a wide margin of autonomy… and within the scope of the territory he can act with considerable leeway”, in keeping with federal laws.
“Any person who wants to travel over the bridge from Guyana into Brazil may do that because the authorities there are already prepared to process the papers… but this is not yet possible the other way around because the Guyanese authorities still have some measures to take,” Meyer said.
Meantime, Chairman of Region Nine Clarindo Lucas said that the police are “monitoring the situation”. He told this newspaper yesterday that “things practically remain the same” and the police ranks are taking instructions from the Commissioner of Police. He said that he had encouraged the police to be polite and professional in executing their duties.
Lucas also said that on Saturday, he had met a delegation from the Roraima State government, who came to discuss the Brazilian authorities’ planned ceremony. He said there was no previous communication between the Brazilian authorities and local authorities, including the regional administration, regarding the opening of the bridge.
Lucas revealed that the team members had said that they were celebrating the declaration of Bon Fim as an official port of entry, the official handing over of the bridge by the contractors to the state authorities and the opening of the Bon Fim Customs building. He said it was agreed that Guyanese officials would not participate and whoever attended the ceremony would not be there in an official capacity. He declared that he was “surprised” that there was “such a grand opening” of the Bridge, where the Golden Arrowhead was hoisted without being sanctioned. He also asserted that work is “doubling up” at Lethem to get the infrastructure ready for the formal opening of the bridge.
Meantime, Lethem businessman Alfred Ramsaran said that the police at Lethem and the army have “taken command of the Takutu Bridge to prevent the movement of vehicular traffic across the border and the pontoon service at the river had to be restored to facilitate the crossing of vehicles.” He said that the Brazilian side of the bridge is opened but when drivers reach to the Guyana side they are directed to return and use the pontoon. He stated that it was a quiet day in Lethem with hardly any traffic from Brazil.
The businessman told Stabroek News that Brazilian authorities in Bon Fim have said that the unofficial opening of the bridge, is to gradually put systems in place and sensitize the public about what to expect when it is officially opened and to ensure a smooth transition when that happens. He said that the Customs head in Bon Fim said the intention was to operate, see how things will work, make adjustments, and understand the system.
According to Ramsaran, the regional chairman had said recently that the local Customs building would be ready in two weeks’ time and the keys handed over but this has not yet happened. He said residents are hoping that the authorities put systems in place quickly “so that the bridge could be used to make things easy and comfortable for everyone since the bridge is ready to go.”