Fuel trucks bound for the Konawaruk mining district, in Region Eight, were yesterday disabled and damaged by protestors as an attempt was made to bypass a roadblock along Amelia’s Ward, in Linden, to get supplies to interior regions.
Shortly after 5am yesterday, three trucks, with licence plate number GNN 6997, GMM 6441 and GKK 1922, laden with diesel fuel and led by a 4×4 pick-up truck, GNN 9087, had their tyres damaged by an angry group of residents.
All four vehicles, Stabroek News was told, were bound for Konawaruk, in Region Eight. At Monday, electricity in Mahdia was cut and fuel in Lethem was running low as a result of the restricted road access to regions Eight and Nine caused by the continuing Linden protest, which entered its 17th day yesterday.
Minister of Natural Resources and the Environ-ment, Robert Persaud has said the road blockages are ‘biting deep’ in the interior, while noting the losses being incurred in the mining and forestry sectors. The joint army and police units in the town have been attempting to clear the roads, but protestors have waged a successful campaign to maintain the blockages.
At the Self Help Housing Scheme yesterday morning, residents were alerted to a loud noise at the entrance of the Kara Kara back road. “I heard the loud noise and so I run out to see what was going on,” said a resident, who was greeted by the sight of a large group of men surrounding three trucks and a pick-up at the entrance of the access road.
Some of the men who were among the group of protestors said that the driver of the pick-up truck spent almost all of Thursday with the men at the road block at Amelia’s Ward. “This man coulda cause we our death,” one of the men said, while accusing the driver of being a wolf I sheep’s clothing.
He said that they had informed the pick-up truck driver that they would have allowed him to access the road, considering the fact that he was there all day. “But suddenly he pick up and disappeared and the next shout was that same banna disrespecting we by trying to pass dem trucks,” he explained.
According to the residents, only police and soldiers are allowed access through the road for as long as the protest continues. “We feeling it here and for as long as the president ain’t give we no proper answer, we ain’t loosing and wherever else got to feel the squeeze, this is a struggle,” said one of the men, who hastened to add that they did not attempt to physically hurt any of the drivers or demand any money of them. “The point is we said that nothing ain’t passing and that’s it, nothing ain’t passing,” he added.
When Stabroek News visited the location shortly after 11am, approximately eight men were seen attempting to fix the three fuel trucks.
Asked what occurred, most of the men declined to speak, while saying they did not want to be in the news as they continued their efforts to replace their tyres.
However, a man at the scene who claimed that one of the trucks contained fuel belonging to him, said they were misled. “The news we got was that we were going to be able to pass freely and that was the only reason why the trucks came through. We were deceived and misled, that’s what really happened,” he explained. Asked if any of the men attempted to rob or demand money from them, he replied in the negative. “Not at all; not these guys. They just damaged the valve systems and the tyres. They ain’t tekin no bribe or nothing” he added.
At the time of this newspaper’s visit, the truckers had already changed a few tyres and were awaiting other tyres that were being brought from Georgetown. “We’ll let them change their tyres and go back to Georgetown,” a protestor said. Later in the day, a Guyana Defence Force truck was seen escorting one of the trucks out of Linden.
The protests, triggered by the activation of a phased hike in electricity rates, intensified after three protestors were killed. It has led to demands by Lindeners for a withdrawal of the plan for tariff hikes, compensation for the survivors of those killed and the injured in the July 18 shooting, the laying of murder charges against the police allegedly involved in the deaths and improved economic and investment conditions for Region 10.
