By Joseph Allen
While Police Commander of Region 7, Dion Moore says that the security situation at Eteringbang is under control, a shop owner yesterday vehemently disagreed.
In an advertisement in yesterday’s Stabroek News, miners, shop keepers and residents in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni community alleged harassment and robbery by the Vene-zuelan National Guard and the notorious sindicato gang, but Moore said on Tuesday that the situation is not what it seems and remains under control.
“It’s under control and it’s on Venezuela shores. We have no reports of them coming over. Our ranks are on the landing and at the border line during day and by nights” Moore said during an interview with Stabroek News.
In an open letter, residents, miners, and shop owners in Eteringbang and nearby areas urged serious intervention by the authorities.
The letter explained that for the past six and more years, some persons had no option but to relocate while others have to fend for themselves despite the presence of members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and Guyana Defence Force (GDF) at the border between Guyana and Venezuela.
“We the miners and business people who operate on the Guyana side of the border with Venezuela in the Upper Cuyuni area between Akarabisi and Eteringbang would hereby like to bring to the attention of our Government the abuse, neglect, danger and outright robberies that we are facing on a daily basis for in excess of six years at the hands of the (Venezue-lan) National Guards and Sindicatos on the Venezuelan side,”
The letter said that they are four checkpoints between Akarabisi and Eteringbang (one National Guard and three Sindi-catos) and at all the check points, it was explained that they would have to stop and allow the armed guards and sindicatos to check their boats. Added to that, depending on what they are transporting they are also required to pay, for example, $2,000 per drum of fuel and for food and other supplies.
Adding to the problems, those who complained said that with the closure of the Eteringbang Airstrip, the shortage of supplies has forced them to use the river exclusively and face the criminals.
The letter called on the Government for help and said the situation is becoming worse by the day.
Moore, when asked if he was made aware of the letter, responded that it is not something new.
Moore said that while there are members of the gang present with small arms from time to time, they remain on the Venezuelan side.
“The person who they claim are members are not on Guyana’s side, it’s on Venezuela. I don’t know who they are speaking about or who they say. When you traverse the waters you will see persons standing up on Venezuela’s shores. Sometime they appear to be armed, some of them with small fire arms and so” , Moore said.
He maintained that since those matters were reported in the past they have been dealt with via joint patrols with the GDF to mitigate those incidents and ever since there has not been any increase in reports.
“Ever since we conduct those patrols we haven’t been seeing an increase and the fact that person don’t really come and report it to us. Same way how you would see it; via the social media, or so. But to say directly if they report the matter to us; no. We haven’t had such reports”, he said.
In order to ensure that the matters are dealt, Moore is encouraging persons to go in and report them.
A shop owner who preferred to remain anonymous said that what was said by the authorities is not true and the situation is not under control.
In giving an account of what happens, the shop owner, who buys and sell goods from Georgetown, says that the airstrip has been closed for eight months and the only way one could travel is through the river where you have to face the Venezuela National Guard.
The shop owner said that all incidents would take place in Guyana’s waters, where they will shoot into the water until a boat comes to a halt.
It was further explained that when persons come out of the boat they are normally subjected to questioning about where they are going and are ordered to pay a fee depending on what they are transporting.
“I was in the water about 10 to 15 times this year because I had to do it because I had no choice. Every time I travel is the same thing and they would get your work stall up for about an hour, two hours waiting on them to make some decision if you could go your way. If not they would come in your boat take you to a next check point and then they make their decision depending on what you have”, the shop owner noted.
“The last incident made me not sleep for like weeks because they came out and point their guns in my face and the one before that I was driving my boat and they fire three shots at me”, the shop owner said.
The shop owner said that this has traumatized him and he is fed up of the harassment.
“I can’t travel anywhere because it traumatizing when you think about the harassment when they would take their guns and shoot at you, they jump in the boat and point their guns to your face. I can’t take the harassment”, he said
He added that it’s hard to get transportation to come into the area and that you will have to know someone in the Guyana Defence Force to get a ride out safely.
The shop owner lamented that several reports have been made and nothing has come out of it and as such they don’t use the river frequently and this has resulted in a shortage of goods in the shop.
The shop owner says that there is less transportation since in some cases there is no fuel or engine for the boats they use and that the police are currently using the medex’s boat.
The shop owner is calling for serious intervention by the Government to curb the constant harassment.
The Government has so far not responded to the issue publicly.
