APA backs residents of Chinese Landing

(Kaieteur News) – The Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) has condemned the ongoing mining incursion in Chinese Landing, Region One, coming out in full solidarity with the village as the standoff between the Carib residents and heavy machinery operators enters grinds on.

The rights body called for immediate intervention by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to halt operations by miner Wayne Vieira and his agents, urging State agencies to enforce constitutional protections guaranteed to Indigenous Peoples. “The APA stands in solidarity with Toshao Nikita Miller, the Councillors, and residents of Chinese Landing who have been tirelessly defending their land in the recent standoff with Vieira’s mining operations, and for nearly the past three decades of doing so… These latest developments are indicative of a concerning national trend whereby mining operations are flagrantly disregarding the property rights of Indigenous Peoples to the detriment of communities’ security and wellbeing,” the statement read.

The renewed confrontation erupted after four excavators and a bulldozer linked to Vieira attempted to enter Tassawini inside the village’s titled boundaries. Operators claimed the equipment was intended for road and airstrip maintenance, but residents recognised it as a move to expand mining operations.