Toshaos Council condemns beheading of miner

…urges thorough probe

THE National Toshaos Council (NTC) has condemned in the strongest terms, the gruesome murder of a miner recorded in a video.

A 22-year-old North West District miner was brutally murdered in Venezuela on Monday. Reports are that Otneil James, of Bumbury Hill, Mabaruma Sub-region, was cornered by gunmen called “Sindicatos” and beheaded by his captors over mining funds the men had demanded.

The incident occurred at an area known as “Terrol Landing” in Venezuela, close to the border with Guyana. A video of the gruesome incident has surfaced and residents of Region One communities have renewed calls for persons to return to these shores in the wake of the brutality meted out to Guyanese miners.

The incident is one of several which have resulted in the deaths of local miners in Venezuela in recent months. “We extend our most sincere sympathy to the family and friends,” the council said in a statement.

The NTC further said while the video was posted on social media, “we had been following developments of someone missing in a mining district and never heard from, only to find a gruesome video of the young man on social media. We have attempted to contact the family and we ask that the public respect the privacy of the family at this time.”

The NTC said it is keen to highlight that there is no justification for such an act, and while the video claims that those are farmers who caught a thief, “we were reliably informed that the young man was employed by his murderers and never paid. When he asked for his payment, his employers took to this process to address the matter and deter others from seeking fair compensation for their work.

“We wish to highlight that the difficulties in our neighbouring Venezuela should not be taken lightly nor taken advantage of. While we continue to ask that our leaders provide as much humanitarian support to those Venezuelans in need, we also ask that our hospitality is not [taken] advantage of nor taken for granted. For those who think of retribution, we ask that you walk a higher ground and show respect for your brothers and sisters, regardless of nation. These are difficult times,” the NTC said.

The NTC called on the government, through the offices of the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Social Protection, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs to conduct a thorough investigation into this brutal act and to take the necessary steps to protect all our citizens from exploitation and murder, and to enhance security at our borders to better protect the vulnerable Indigenous peoples in border and mining communities.

“We also call on the Ministry of Education to re-examine education in Indigenous communities and to develop clear policies that are aimed at bettering the education system in these communities that will see our peoples better catered for.

Lastly, we call on all parents, sisters, and brothers to be ever vigilant, and to love and work with our children to ensure they are better educated to avoid paths that would lead them to this end.”

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