The Upper Mazaruni District Council (UMDC) is expressing its support for the Chinese Landing Village’s call for the implementation of the recent decision by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in its favour.
The decision to stand in solidarity with the village, a UMDC press release yesterday stated, was made at an extraordinary meeting of the UMDC on August 24-25 at Kamarang Village, Region 7.
In its press release, the UMDC said that the situation of the Carib people of Chinese Landing resonates with the Indigenous Peoples of the Upper Mazaruni District. The issues that Chinese Landing faces are common among Indigenous communities in Guyana, and the UMDC says the District Council is “grateful to the brave villagers of Chinese Landing for bringing attention to these issues.”
It said “We too have faced unwanted mining on our lands that has threatened our rights and our way of life. We also understand the frustration of waiting for justice from the courts while our rights and security over our lands, territories, and resources are disrespected. We waited more than 20 years for the High Court to recognize our rights over our customary lands, and even now our case is at the Court of Appeal. Due to this, we hope that Chinese Landing’s court case will be resolved quickly.”
The UMDC expressed its happiness that the IACHR requested that Government take all the necessary measures, in agreement with the village, to protect residents’ rights to life and personal integrity. In its release, the UMDC recalled the promises made by President Irfaan Ali at the last National Toshaos Conference, to respect the rights of indigenous peoples of Guyana: “Your rights must and will always be respected by this government. Your rights will always be protected by this government.”
The UMDC says that it is aware that Chinese Landing village considers the revocation of mining concessions and removal of outside miners from its lands to be necessary for the protection of these rights, and supports the village in these proposals. The release further states that UMDC is aware that the Government is required to send a report to the IACHR by the end of August, and hopes that they [the government] will act on Chinese Landing’s proposals before that deadline.
The UMDC also called on the Government to act swiftly in the interest of the people of Chinese Landing by implementing the IACHR’s decision. The District Council also urged the Government to review and amend policies and laws, including the Amerindian Act and Mining Act, that exposes indigenous peoples to threats of the kind that Chinese Landing experienced.
“We look forward to expressing our solidarity with the leaders of Chinese Landing at the upcoming NTC (National Toshaos) Conference. We ask that the NTC Executive agree to Chinese Landing’s request for time on the first day of the Conference to present their issues and proposed solutions. We welcome any request from Chinese Landing, or the Government, to provide any support in resolving their situation. The UMDC will always stand with our Indigenous brothers and sisters in the struggle for the full recognition of our rights,” the UMDC release said.
