Small scale gold miners yesterday protested at the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) for more time at the former Omai Gold Mines concession—but the regulatory agency says it is time for the miners to leave because several extensions have been granted and they are in breach of mining regulations.
Protesting outside the Brickdam offices of the GGMC, the miners, with placards in hand, said that they invested millions of dollars in equipment to extract the gold and they cannot afford to abandon the area just yet. They also claim that they were used as political tools for Region Ten votes by the ruling PPP/C, which allowed their operations to avoid upsetting Lindeners before the elections.
Leader of the protesting group Adrian Timothy told Stabroek News, “The former president [Bharrat Jagdeo] talk to us before and give us permission to work the area. Before election, no one tell