Georgetown: A Commission of Inquiry into the Lindo Creek massacre will commence on Thursday, February 01 by Justice Donald Trotman.
Retired Justice Donald Trotman was Wednesday morning sworn to head a Commission of Inquiry into the Lindo Creek massacre of eight miners in 2008.
Trotman took the oath of office before Chief Magistrate, Ann Mc Lennan in the presence of Minister of State, Joseph Harmon.
Trotman said he was honoured to be appointed the lone Commissioner to probe the incident in search of the truth. “The main objective of this inquiry is to find the truth, to bring healing and closure to the families, relatives and friends and all those who require justice to be done in this particular instance to bring healing and closure to the nation as a whole,” Trotman said. He hoped that the Lindo Creek and other inquiries would help bring about healing and reconciliation among Guyana. “We are looking to the past in order to make peace for the present”.
He said the Commission would include all those persons who know and have information and come forward to say what happened in the national interest and in the interest of the people and government of Guyana.
Trotman said it is important to know the truth. “There must be integrity, independence and impartiality and that must be sent and felt by the people concerned, the families concerned and the nation as a whole and those also who have entrusted this Commission with the responsibility of conducting the inquiry,” he said, adding that he was glad to be serving under the “scholarly and enlightened” presidency of David Granger.
He noted that he has served Guyana under seven presidents.
On June 21, 2008, the burnt skeletal remains of eight persons were discovered at Lindo Creek.
DNA tests later confirmed that the remains were those of miners Dax Arokium, his uncle Cedric Arokium and workers: Compton Speirs, Horace Drakes, Clifton Wong, Lancelot Lee, Bonny Harry and Nigel Torres.
President David Granger said, “We feel that the way the investigation was handled indicated that there was a high level of collusion by the Government of the day. So we feel that this would be a pivotal investigation which will unravel the criminal networks that were behind the killings.”
Meanwhile, the Lindo Creek CoI will be the first of several inquiries into the 2002 to 2008 crime wave.
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon indicated that inquiries into the Bartica and Lusignan massacres among other such crimes will be facilitated when the resources are made available.
He also implored members of the public who have information on these killings to come forward and aid in the CoI.
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