The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) yesterday came out strongly against any lottery of mining parcels for prospectors who had been caught operating illegally at Marudi.
Management consultant at the GGDMA Tony Shields told Stabroek News that the association was of the view that the illegal miners should not be able to benefit from any lottery. He said the association’s position is that those found mining illegally should be charged and they should not even be permitted to participate in any lottery of mining parcels.
The statement by the GGDMA comes in the backdrop of what appears to be divergent approaches to the question of the illegal Marudi miners by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).
In late February, the GGMC swooped on the Marudi area and found dredges operating illegally in an