Dear Editor,

The Amerindian Action Move-ment of Guyana (TAAMOG) is very concerned about the harassment and detention of the Indigenous people of the Orealla/Siparuta Village by the Surinamese military forces when carrying out their subsistence activity of fishing in the Corentyne River. As a result the Indigenous people are now fearful of using the said river to travel to Berbice to conduct their own business.

This action by Suriname’s military whether it has or does not have the approval of the Government of Suriname is a blatant violation of the rights of Indigenous people and more particularly a violation of articles 20(1)(2) and 36(1)(2) of the United Nation Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) which states :

“1. Indigenous Peoples have the right to maintain and develop their political, economic and social systems or institutions to be secure in the enjoyment of their own means of subsistence and development, and to engage freely in all their traditional and other economic activities.

“2 Indigenous Peoples deprived of their means of subsistence and development are entitled to just and fair redress.”

And article 36 states: “1. Indigenous Peoples, in particular those divided by international borders, have the right to maintain and develop contracts, relations and co-operation, including activities for spiritual, cultural, political, economic and social purposes, with their own members as well as other peoples across borders.

“2. States, in consultation and co-operation with Indigenous Peoples, shall take effective measures to facilitate the exercise and ensure the implementation of this right.”

TAAMOG is therefore calling on the Government of Suriname to ensure that the rights of the Indigenous people of Orealla/Siparuta and those of any Indigenous person are upheld when they are using the Corentyne River.

The Indigenous peoples have had a historical presence in Guyana for over 12,000 years, and are therefore the real discoverers of the New World having populated it long before the arrival of Christopher Columbus.

This historical fact therefore exposes the falsity of the European doctrine of discovery, hence the importance of governments and Indigenous peoples to working together to build a future based on mutual respect, equity and justice in this modern era.

Yours faithfully,

Peter Persaud