The Joint Services at around 4 am swooped on the main road block at Wismar and attempted to clear it but hundreds of residents engaged in more than three weeks of protests over electricity rates resisted and several buildings were later set on fire.
SN was told that several cans of tear gas landed in the yards of residents of Silvertown; a nearby community along Burnham Drive, forcing residents out of their homes.
This was the second major operation by the Joint Services to clear protesters who have sealed off the mining town with the aim of forcing the government to cancel the tariff hike. The previous operation failed to dislodge the protesters and as a result President Donald Ramotar was unable to visit the town as planned.
Today’s operation led to the worst outbreak of unrest since police killed three protesters on July 18, leading to the weeks-long blockade.
Three buildings all in the same compound were set on fire today, among them was the Linden Salvation Council’s building. During the unrest of July 18 several other buildings had been set fire by irate protesters. There included the Linmine Secretariat building.
There were loud screams this morning of “Help help” as persons scrambled to safety in the early morning hours of the Joint Services operation.
SN was also reliably informed that that the roadblocks at Amelia’s Ward were moved by the Joint Services. The Joint Services are using bulldozers to move the blocks and have destroyed several relief camps along the way.
Contacted this morning Region Ten Chairman Kuice Sharma Solomon was in a state of shock saying that he could not fathom the aggression applied by the Government this morning. “I find it strange that today the discussions are to continue and it would appear to be a deliberate act to undermine the process which seems to be yielding fruits at the moment”, he told Stabroek News.
Solomon and representatives of political parties have been meeting with President Ramotar and his delegation at the Office of the President on a technical team to review the tariff issue and the terms of reference for a Commission of Enquiry into the killing of three protesters by police on July 18.
Solomon said that he has been on the receiving end of several calls some with voice recordings of the confrontation.
“I really find this strange at this stage this level of aggression this time of the morning and the day when we are expecting further progress in the talks”, an emotional Solomon told this newspaper.
He condemned the use of tear gas by the Joint Services in the vicinity of residents in their homes.
Also on fire this morning were the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) main building, the IDCE building, the Linden Care Foundation canteen, the GRA toll booth and the Linmine Secretariat toll booth.
The three building are located in the Linden Secretariat Compound, Causarina Drive, Mackenzie. The toll booths are located a stone’s throw away at the Mackenzie/Wismar bridge. The main building in the Linmine Secretariat compound was torched on July 18 after the protesters were killed.
The Linden Electricity Company office and the Linden Care Foundation Office are presently under threat.
Residents on the ground told Stabroek News that the fire service is unable to respond to the fires because of blocked roads. They said that the blaze is being allowed to burn and no one is making any attempt to fight it.
Meanwhile around 8.45 am nurses were forced to flee from the Linden Hospital Complex leaving patients unattended after police fired tear gas. The police have since left the area and the army has taken control.
Soldiers are now trying to restore some order.
Region Ten officials and members of the combined opposition this morning said that the Joint Services’ invasion of the mining community is a brazen attempt to provoke citizens and while noting that this latest development could jeopardize negotiations with government, this afternoon’s meeting will go ahead as planned.
In an emergency press conference at Sidewalk Café in Georgetown, officials briefed the media on what is taking place in Linden.
Based on the accounts of Solomon, ‘Operation Final Push’ started in the Amelia’s Ward area sometime around 2 am and continued to the Kara Kara bridge. He said that persons at Wismar were alerted to the situation.
Solomon said that he had also received reports that the Wismar/Mackenzie bridge was set on fire. “We should not preempt because we are unaware. What should be noted is that that bridge was always secured by police and soldiers so if it was secured on one end by the soldiers and secured on the other end by the police I think we should try to be careful as to how we try to conclude who would have set the bridge on fire”, he added.
Later APNU MP Vanessa Kissoon said that there are reports that tear gas was fired into the hospital and homes had to be broken into to rescue mainly children.
AFC MP Nigel Hughes declared that this “ambush in the night” has to be condemned he said pointing out that ranks cannot descend on a community in the wee hours of the morning and randomly start firing tear gas.
He said that the burning of the buildings and digging up of roads is residents’ reaction to this “brazen attack”. He said that this development is a demonstration that the state had no regard for the citizens of the community.
Reporters were told that the Region and its delegation are prepared to meet with the president and his team at 5 pm as scheduled with the hope of finalizing the land distribution issue.
Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform, Brigadier David Granger today expressed concern over the current situation at Linden.
In a statement, the PNCR condemned the destruction of property and terrorizing of peaceful protesters by members of the security forces. The Party called on members of the Joint Services to exercise restraint in the discharge of their duties. The party said that with talks at a “very delicate stage and a resolution to the crisis clearly in sight”, the “aggressive” actions by the security services will only aggravate the already dangerous situation.
“The PNCR also calls for justice for the Lindeners and for the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the killings on Wednesday 18th July 2012.The Party renews its support and its commitment to the people of Linden in their legitimate struggle for human dignity and economic recovery.
“The PNCR condemn all acts of violence and call on all parties to be restrained in their actions as we seek a negotiated solution to the crisis.”
