-camp boss unwilling
As the second anniversary of the Lindo Creek mining camp massacre approaches, police yesterday disclosed that investigators have been trying for five months to get an additional DNA sample from Leonard Arokium with no success.
The unidentifiable burnt remains, suspected to be those of eight miners, were discovered at the Lindo Creek camp in June 2008. Arokium, owner of the notorious mining camp, did not deny the police’s charge yesterday. “I am still traumatised,” he told Stabroek News last evening. “Every time I have to see the police or any member of the joint services I remember everything, the whole horror of it and it haunts me even more.”
During the continuing investigations into the Lindo Creek matter, police said in a statement yesterday, a request was made by the Jamaican Constabulary Force for additional DNA samples of four of the suspected victims.
These samples can only be obtained from a father, son or brother. Cedric Arokium, Leonard’s brother, is among those for whom additional samples were requested.
Police pointed out that Leonard is the only qualified relative of Cedric from whom the DNA samples can be taken. Leonard, according to police agreed to give the sample. However, despite persistent efforts over the past five months police have been unable to obtain the required samples.
Leonard, the police said, had arranged to meet police on a number of occasions for the sample to be taken, and in every instance he failed to make an appearance. Offers, according to police, were also made to have the samples taken at his [Leonard’s] home or any other convenient location.
After listening to a summary of the police’s statement, Leonard told Stabroek News last evening that the police’s account is true. “What they are saying is true,” he explained. The most recent meeting was arranged two or three weeks ago, Leonard said.
The police, he recalled, telephoned him early one morning and they arranged to meet at a city location for 1pm. When Leonard arrived at the location, he said the police did not show up.
He waited for a short time subsequently bumped into a media representative and decided to leave. “The police were late for our meeting that last time,” Leonard explained, “and after I bumped into this media person I left because I am so traumatised and I really don’t want any more publicity.”
About a month after the Lindo Creek killings, the Guyana Police Force requested assistance from Jamaica. Officers from that country’s police force later came and went to the site where samples were taken from the remains.
Relatives of the dead men were also asked to submit DNA samples. They were promised that the results would be known in two weeks but have since received very limited information.
Last September, thirteen months after the first samples were submitted, the Jamaican forensic experts requested the additional samples.
Leonard told Stabroek News last evening that he is very frustrated. He stressed that a lot of time has elapsed and still there has been no DNA results. The man pointed out that following the incident in June 2008, his attorney had suggested that the DNA samples be sent to a UK laboratory but the government had refused. “They refused to have the samples sent to the UK lab which my attorney had initially advised,” Leonard Arokium said, “and now look at what is going on…we still can’t get our results.”
Initially, Leonard’s surviving son had given a sample to be sent to Jamaica for identifying his sibling Dax Arokium. His sister, Leonard further said, had given a sample for identifying Cedric Arokium. “If they knew that my sister’s sample would not have been adequate for testing then they should have said so initially,” Leonard said. At this point in his life, he explained, he doesn’t trust anyone. “Since this thing happened,” Leonard said, “I can’t trust anyone…I don’t know much about medical things and I don’t know how they propose to get my DNA sample at the places we’ve been arranging to meet.”
Leonard Arokium, who discovered the remains of the men, lost his son and his brother, both of whom had been working at his mine. He has stated publicly on many occasions following the June 21 discovery of the burnt bones and skulls that he believed members of the joint services were responsible for the deaths of the men.
The Joint Services had strongly denied this and said that the now dead Rondell ‘Fineman’ Rawlins and his gang were responsible for the brutal slaying of the men.
