Bai Shan Lin owes Amerindians “plenty, plenty money”

- Company switches managers, system to avoid paying - Refused to sign agreement with Region One Village – Kwebanna residents

Amerindians from Kwebanna Village, Region One, promised “plenty, plenty money” to work for Bai Shan Lin, are today

 

owed millions of dollars by the Chinese company. The Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) claims that it is holding Bai Shan Lin accountable to the laws of the country, including those governing corporate social responsibility. But Amerindians of Kwebanna, a tiny village of Arawaks, Warraus and Caribs, near Bai Shan Lin’s operations, in Waini, Region One, would tell you a different story. Bai Shan Lin harvests logs through what forestry authorities say is a joint venture with Kwebanna Woods, a company that has a Timber Sales Agreement that allows it to harvest for export in commercial quantities. Some of the workers employed by Bai Shan Lin are owed a combined total of millions of dollars. “They tell me that I must give them the service and I must work for plenty, plenty money and they would pay me the money but when the time reach for I come home now, no money,” said Andrew Brescenio. He is among workers who would spend weeks, sometimes up to three at a time, living in plastic tents while cutting logs for Bai Shan Lin. When Bai Shan Lin entered the village looking for chainsaw operators, Brescenio opted to go. He started working with the company in October 23, 2012. He was promised pay of $400 for every cubic metre of trees he cut. He worked seven blocks and only received a percentage of what he worked for.  He left for the village and returned in 2013. He had hoped to collect what was owed to him, but to no avail. It was then that he was told to work for “plenty, plenty money” and when it adds up he would be paid. But again, he was given just a percentage and to date has not received a cent of what is owed to him. He alone is owed over $1 million, he said. “They always promising us that they will pay whenever we done cut the wood…but they rob we.” Even when it comes to knowing exactly what is cut, they have to take Bai Shan Lin’s word for it, as the measurement is

 

done by the Chinese workers. “They always keep robbing we on the production too because they never give us the priority to measure our own logs to know how much cubic metre we cutting.” Bruscenio said that on his last attempt to get the money he worked for, he was told by Bai Shan Lin officials that the manager had been fired and the current managers knew nothing of his outstanding wages. Silent Minister Brescenio said that the matter was drawn to the attention of the Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai since last year, but she has not responded to the complaints. The Amerindian man travelled several miles to Buckhall, Essequibo River to talk to Bai Shan Lin, in vain. He had no money to travel back to Kwebanna. His story resembles that of other workers. Bandie Samuels worked with the company in 2012. He is owed over $100,000. Theobald Lewis said that initially, he worked for 18 days then got sick and had to return to the village. He was given a partial payment in two installments. He went back to the interior to meet with officials to get the rest of his money and was asked to work further and he would be paid the total sum, including what was owed to him. Today, he is still waiting. “We are not getting into contact with these people…When we call, different manager and different system in place.” He too said that the matter was reported to the Minister of Amerindian Affairs, but she has not responded. Some workers have been more fortunate than others when it comes to their payment, but it was not without much persistence. “I had to make plenty calls to get my money,” said Trevon Brescilio. But it’s not just the workers felling trees who have been exploited. Villager, David Thomas,

 

said that he served hot meals to Bai Shan Lin operations but the company also never paid him. He is owed about $140,000. “I give them ting to eat; they come by me, I cook and I give (them) it.” Apart from the exploitation of the workers at Kwebanna, when Bai Shan Lin entered the community, the company reportedly bluntly refused to draw up an agreement with the community, according to the village Toshao, or Leader, Godfrey Wilson. Kwebanna has been operating a Community Forestry Commission for over ten years now. The village leader said that when officials of the company first visited about three years ago, they informed the villagers that they are going to check out “their land.” “So that was a surprise and shock to us! You coming from China and say you coming to check out our land!” No agreement According to the village Toshao the company wanted to use the village as a thoroughfare to take out its logs. The village asked for a monthly toll of $1.5 million. The company refused, Wilson said. When it entered the village, Bai Shan Lin offered to buy the logs the community harvests. Wilson said the village agreed, but Bai Shan Lin wanted to set the payment terms. The village refused because the price that was offered was below what was reasonable to villagers. The village depends on its community forestry operation; most of the villagers are

 

employed in the village enterprise which processes the logs, which are then sold as building material to companies on the Coast. In Region One, Bai Shan Lin has been logging various species of wood and selling to Barama Company Limited. In order to get ready for its operations, the company has to clear the Waini River to allow it to float the logs out of the area. It is now aggressively cutting miles and miles of road in the area, a signal of its intent. The GFC and its governing authority, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, have launched an unprecedented public relations campaign to defend Bai Shan Lin which has come under intense scrutiny in the past weeks over its logging activities. The Parliamentary opposition has already accused senior government officials of colluding with the company to hide the true nature of its operations, noting that kickbacks are what have caused it to shut up in the face of what could be glaring violations of Guyanese law. A flyover last week of Bai Shan Lin operations in Kwakwani, East of the Upper Berbice River, found a huge stockpile of logs, mainly Wamara and other prime species. GFC has said that the Chinese company is doing nothing wrong but there are many questions over the joint venture

 

arrangement and the many concessions granted to the Chinese company, including duty free concessions on luxury vehicles like Lexus and Infiniti, hundreds of container trucks, loaders, excavators, bulldozers and other heavy duty vehicles. The heavy equipment is mainly for primary logging activities.

PPP fool patrol in the house

 

conscience, how tings?

A leopard never loses its spots, the P.N.C has rigging in the D.N.A, the P.P.P needs to be vigilant and guard the democracy achieved in 1992. 

PPP propaganda machine at work to deceive Guyanese again

Dear Editor, The PPP does not do many things well. However, they have a propaganda machine that has been of great service to them, even if it comes at the expense of the development of Guyana. Let me give some examples. One night in August 2009, I attended a small function held on the Grounds of Belfield House, The residence of the late President L. F. S. Burnham. While at this function I took time to take a long hard look at the building. I had visited this place before but never really took the time to observe like I did that night. After a while I had to conclude the PPP’s propaganda machinery was most efficient. While in the opposition they claimed that Burnham was the richest man in Guyana. Later they claimed he was the 5th richest black man in the world. They claimed he had a huge account stashed away in the Swiss bank, and people believed them. As I looked at that house I concluded it was a simple structure, just the size of the average house in Queenstown and Bel Air. Burnham, before becoming Prime Minister must have been a man of some means. He was a lawyer. By any estimate he lived better than the average Guyanese citizen. Yet as President, with all the money he was alleged to have stolen, his castle was rather modest. There was no Padoville in those days. Burnham’s ministers lived close to the ordinary people. These days the ministers are all able to live in exclusive comfort. The point I want to make is that few of the ministers of the present PPP government had as much to start with as Mr. Burnham did. Yet within five years they all have homes far better and more expensive than the one he had. How did they get it? Not one of the PPP ministers would exchange where they now live for Burnham’s castle at Belfield. This is the power of the PPP’s propaganda machine. The CORA report was recently released. It underscores many of the claims that many Guyanese were making over the years. There is enough information to point to the fact that this is a corrupt, dishonest and incompetent government. The only hope of the PPP is to create enough fear in the society by playing on old ethnic concerns. The day that Guyanese can overcome racial sensibilities that will be the last day that the PPP could hope to be in government. The calculation is simple – they will try to call on an Indian majority to put them back in power. Jagdeo’s race baiting performance at Babu John was anything but presidential. His address was clearly designed to scare the audience into accepting their fate as being stuck with this useless inept administration forever. Mr. Jagdeo and his administration treats Guyanese like if they are a pack of fools. The man has been President for 12 years and is so ashamed of his own record that he fears to mention anything about it. He blames the PNC for all and sundry even though they have been out of power for more than 18 years. He also blames Brigadier David Granger for actions and incidents totally unrelated to his duties and or responsibilities. Imagine Mr. Jagdeo as an authority on issues which occurred 25 years ago, yet he knows nothing of Roger Khan whose criminal empire flourished under his very nose. He claims to know that Brigadier Granger stifled some Indian officers’ military careers. Now, Jagdeo has several boards with over 350 members, not even 10% are black. During Burnham’s time both blacks and Indians were Administrative and Factory managers on the estates. Today, under the enlightened Mr. Jagdeo, not a single black man is in any of those positions. The token blacks he keeps around him are silent and for a few dollars more will sit on their consciences. Guyanese are tired of this hypocrisy. We urge them to vote for change, vote Granger. Aubrey Retemyer

One must pity that self-proclaim A.F.C poster "mitwah", he has no thoughts of his own.

 

"Mitwah" what are your "own" thoughts about the alleged padding of the voting list?

Hopefully, the election list and process will not have irregularities.

This forum still wait Mitwah's own thoughts on the alleged padding of Gecom's voting list.

 

Coounscie, do you know that illegally delaying local government elections is trampling on democracy in the same manner as rigging elections?

And let us not forget the rigged financial status of Guyana. Had the PPP not stolen more than 50% of the country's income, each person in Guyana would today be better off by at least U$10,000.

 

The PPP regime has clung on to power for nearly a quarter of a century. If there is any election rigging taking place, then it would be the ruling party that would be be capable of doing such thing. The opposition parties are not the ones who orders the ballot boxes with double bottoms, and the extra printed ballot papers.

Is like this. A certain PPP/Crony takes up a position in a foreign land to issue visas. He will issue more that 1,000 visas during the year. He collects an average of U$1,000 from each applicant. Councie, what is 1000X1000? That's how the ole boys are able to become wealthy and multi millionaires. Councie, you are wasting time posting propaganda for peanuts.

Like you kwambe, who always peddling the GINA LIES.

Bynoe, the man who was draping a flag on Blackie Coffin, is now his new Guru.