INFORMATION UPDATE
27 January 1997
IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO, AGAIN: MINING AND TRIBAL PEOPLE IN SURINAME
In anticipation of declining revenues from bauxite, the Surinamese
Government has turned its attention to the potential revenues to be had
from the exploitation of gold. The majority of these (and future)
activities are taking place in the rainforest interior of the country.
The interior is also the ancestral home of Indigenous peoples and Maroons,
who have repeatedly voiced their opposition to the granting of mining and
other concessions on their territories.
If Suriname continues in its present direction it will begin to
resemble neighbouring Guyana, where a large proportion of the country has
been granted in concession to mining and logging multinationals. However,
a major difference between Suriname and Guyana is the fact that Guyana,
albeit inadequately, has recognized that Indigenous peoples have some form
of land rights. In Suriname, Indigenous peoples and Maroons are without
even the most rudimentary legal protections and are routinely ignored by
the Government when granting concessions.
The recently elected Government of Suriname is doing all it can to
attract foreign investment in the gold sector. In November of 1996, a 12
page advertising supplement was placed in the Mining Journal, extolling
the benefits of mining in Suriname. It was paid for by mining companies,
Golden Star Resources and Cambior who are partners in the Gros Rosebel
concession. The Government is also in the process of drafting a Foreign
Investment Law, that, by early accounts, is extremely favourable to
resource exploitation companies and rewriting the mining law to attract
further investment.
On 25 - 26 January 1997, Suriname organized and hosted a Conference
entitled the "Suriname Mining Conference '97;" as with the Mining Journal
advertisement, it was paid for by mining companies. This Conference was
attended by the President, various ministers, and all key persons in the
mining sector. One 40 minute session was conducted on the impact of
mining on local communities and the environment, half of which was
presented by the head of the Government's Geology and Mines Service, who
pointed out the benefits of industrial mining for local communities.
The Companies Involved
Presently, Suriname is host to: Canadian companies, Golden Star
Resources (based in Denver, Colorado), Cambior, Canarc and Blue Ribbon. A
small Canadian-Surinamese owned company called Triangle Mining is also
conducting alluvial mining with a mobile dredge approximately 70 km south
of the capital. A number of smaller Surinamese companies and small scale
operators, including Indigenous peoples and Maroons, are also active.
Small-scale mining is presently accounting for the majority of gold
production and the majority of environmental degradation - especially
mercury contamination and fouling of water sources - health - malaria is
reaching epidemic proportions in parts of the interior - and social
problems in the interior.
Golden Star and Cambior are most active in Suriname at this time.
These companies are partners in the infamous OMAI mine in Guyana, which
dumped up to 4 million cubic litres of cyanide- and heavy metal-laced
waste into the Essequibo river in 1995, prompting the Guyana Government to
declare the area an environmental disaster zone. The Omai mine is
described on the agenda of the Suriname Mining Conference as "Omai: From
Dream to Reality." As announced by Surinamese President Wijdenbosch,
these companies are presently planning to begin construction on a second
Omai mine in the Gros Rosebel concession in June or July of 1997. They
are also planning on relocating the Maroon community of Nieuw Koffiekamp
in the process. Nieuw Koffiekamp was not consulted or even informed about
the granting of the concession.
The people of Nieuw Koffiekamp were forcibly relocated in the
mid-1960's to make way for a hydroelectric dam that was constructed to
power the bauxite refining operations of US company, ALCOA. Since Golden
Star began exploration activities in 1994, constructing a camp less than 1
km from the village, community leaders have complained that they have been
denied access to their subsistence gardens, hunting and fishing areas and
other places where they conduct economic activities like small-scale
mining and that they are surrounded by armed guards.
The people also complain that Golden Star security guards and the
heavily armed police that work with them have used live ammunition to
intimidate them and frighten them away from areas in which the company
wants to work. Golden Star have denied that any shooting incidents have
occured, except for on one occassion, which they claim is the only such
occurence. Other human rights violations have also been alleged.
Surinamese human rights organization, Moiwana '86, states that in its
estimation at least 8 separate violations of the American Convention on
Human Rights, including the right to humane treatment, have occured since
Golden Star arrived near Nieuw Koffiekamp.
The community has consistently stated that a second relocation is out
of the question and that if anyone should leave it should be the company.
However, both the company and the Government have publicly stated that it
is "inevitable" that the community will be relocated again. The latest
development is the establishment of a "Task Force" to examine the
situation and negotiate a settlement. This Task Force, which will use the
good offices of the Organisation of American States Special Misson to
Suriname, is stacked with persons who have already made up their minds
that the community must be relocated. Consequently, the only negotiated
settlement possible is a relocation compensation agreement. The issue of
whether the community consents to relocation appears to be irrelevant.
The community is being subjected to a great deal of pressure from
various sources, including from former military dictator, Desi Bouterse,
who is the Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Party. Bouterse,
whose rule was characterised by a period of gross and systematic
violations of human rights, apparently has long been an ally of Golden
Star. It was recently revealed by the Association of Indigenous Village
Leaders in Suriname that almost a year before NDP came to power, Bouterse
played a role in forcing the Indigenous community (Trio) of Kwamalasemutu,
one of the largest in Suriname, to accept Golden Star's presence on their
territory.
In a recent press release the people of Kwamalasemutu demanded that
Golden Star leave their land and never return. They also demanded that
their rights to own and control their traditional territory be legally
recognized and respected. They stated that they had been tricked into
signing a letter stating that they had no objection to a concession being
granted in favour of NaNa Resources, a Surinamese mining company with
close links to Bouterse. NaNa Resources told village leaders that it was
acting on behalf of Golden Star. Golden Star arrived later to construct a
landing strip and to begin prospecting activies. These activities also
took place in or near a Nature Reserve, which is home to the endangered
Oko Pipi frog. Villagers also say that Golden Star's activities polluted
water sources in the area.
Golden Star technicians were recently discovered working near the
Indigenous village of Casipora. When village leaders demanded that they
leave their land, a Golden Star employee threatened to bring Bouterse to
the village to put them in line as they had with uncooperative villagers
in Kwamalasemutu.
Golden Star recently announced favourable drilling results from a
site called Antino, which is located in the Benzdorp concession in the
South-east of the country. This concession, optioned by Golden Star from
NaNa Resources, also includes the Indigenous community (Wayana) of
Kawemhakan. The community was not informed about the granting of the
concession. The son of the Wayana headman was recently in Washington DC,
where he asked for international support in dealing with the threat to his
people posed by Golden Star. Golden Star claims to have an agreement with
the Wayana. The Wayana say that they were given some presents by Golden
Star in return for allowing them to work on their land, that Golden Star
did not explain what they wanted to do there and that they want Golden
Star to leave their land.
Canadian companies Canarc and Blue Ribbon are also active in or near
the Benzdorp concession. Canarc has also claimed to have found positive
indications of commercial quantities of gold in their property that abuts
Golden Star's Antino property. Blue Ribbon holds six concessions in
various regions of Suriname. It has signed an agreement with traditional
Matawi Maroon leader, Granman Lafanti to work in Matawi territory. They
recently announded positive results in two of their concessions in Matawi
territory.
The Newcomers
US company, Homestake Mining is not present in Suriname yet, but all
indications point to the fact that it is in the process of acquiring a
concession. Homestake mining is notorious for its lengthy dispute with
the Lakota people in the United States over mining in their sacred Black
Hills. Rumors are also circulating that Canadian giant, Placer Dome is
considering returning to Suriname. A number of unnamed companies are also
said to be lining up to get concessions in Suriname.
Most disturbingly, reliable sources state that Australian mining
giant, Broken Hill Property Co. (BHP) is seeking a concession in Suriname
to complement those it holds in Guyana and French Guiana. In Guyana, it
has entered into a joint venture with Golden Star. BHP is well know for
it abuse of Indigenous peoples in Australia and the infamous OK Tedi
gold/copper mine in Papua New Guinea. Apart from generating considerable
conflict with Indigenous land owners, the OK Tedi mine has been the site
of at least one major cyanide spill and the cause of severe pollution in
the 1100 km long Fly river. BHP and its partners in OK Tedi, until forced
to change their policy by the PNG government, had been dumping untreated
toxic mine wastes directly into the river. High levels of cyanide and
heavy metals were detected up to 80 km downstream from the mine.
Indigenous Peoples and Maroons
Indigenous peoples and Maroons have vigorously opposed the hand out
of mining and logging concessions on their lands and territories. At a
recent Gran Krutu (Great Gathering), Indigenous and Maroon leaders
demanded that the granting of concessions cease and activities in existing
concessions be suspended until their land rights have been legally
recognized. They stated that "Our lands are of fundamental importance for
our survival as Indigenous and Tribal peoples. Without the land, forests
and rivers there are no trees, birds, animals and fish and we as
Indigenous and Maroon peoples will not be able to survive."
With regard to the activities of Golden Star Resources, the
Indigenous and Maroon leaders demanded "that the activities of this
company are stopped until we are fully aware of the influence of its
activities in our living-areas and until our land rights are legally
recognized and our territories soundly demarcated." They expressed
disbelief and outrage that the Government could grant hundreds of
thousands of hectares of land to Golden Star, while the Government refused
to legally recognize their rights to even one hectare of their ancestral
land.
Suriname remains the only country in the Western hemisphere that does
not legally recognize some form of land rights for Indigenous peoples. A
Commission has been established by the Government to make recommendations
on land rights, but the prospects for acceptable progress are limited.
This Commission has been condemned by the Association of Indigenous
Village Leaders in Suriname for not incorporating Indigenous and Maroon
participation and for failing to use international standards as the basis
for its work. They stated that the Commission and the Government must
publicly accept that Indigenous peoples and Maroons have rights to own the
land that they occupy and use and then go about implementing this
principle of international law. Anything less is unacceptable and
unconstructive.
Conclusion
This rush into the gold sector is cause for great concern. Suriname
contains one of the last relatively untouched areas of the Amazon
rainforest with significant biological diversity and a substantial
population of endemic species. Suriname has yet to write and implement an
environmental law that permits an effective regulation of industrial
resource exploitation activities, nor can it hope to be able to monitor
the activities of multinationals and others. An environmental monitoring
institute is being considered - a preliminary worshop was held 23-24
January 1997 - but concrete commitments have yet to be made. Moreover, as
with the forestry service, the Geology and Mines Service is understaffed,
underqualified and lacking financial and technical resources. Contracts
may seem strong concerning environmental and human rights protections, but
both the Government and the companies know that these provisions cannot or
will not be monitored or enforced.
Presently, the situation is one in which the Government is rushing
headlong into resource exploitation, both logging and mining, without
adequate environmental and human rights safeguards in place. Monitoring
and enforcement capacity are virtually nonexistent. The reputations of
the companies involved does not inspire confidence either. The land and
other rights of Indigenous peoples and Maroons have yet to be legally
recognized and the Government appears unwilling to use international
standards as the basis for recognizing these rights. All of this adds up
to a recipe for disaster for the Indigenous peoples, Maroons and
environment.
For further information please contact:
Forest Peoples Programme.
1c Fosseway Business Centre
Stratford Road
Moreton-in-Marsh
GL56 9NQ
England
Ph. 44.1608.652.893
Fax. 44.1608.652.893
EMail:wrm@gn.apc.org
Forest Peoples Programme / World Rainforest Movement (UK Office)
1c Fosseway Business Center, Stratford Road, Moreton in Marsh, GL56 9NQ, UK
Tel: 44 (0)i608 652893 Fax: 44 (0) 1608 652878 Email: wrm@gn.apc.org
The World Rainforest Movement's International Secretariat is at:
Casilla de Correo 1539, Montevideo, Uruguay
Tel: 598 2 496192 Fax: 598 2 419222 Email: rcarrere@chasque.apc.org