Dear Editor,
Are the Guyanese people prepared for this Brazilian Invasion? Very soon we will have the Takutu Bridge. Brazilian Congressmen are already discussing the prohibition of pork-knocking within their borders. The Venezuelans are frequently apprehending and expelling garimpeiros (pork-knockers) from within their territory. This leaves Guyana and Suriname, the only countries in which they can roam freely.
Our laws here are definitely not being enforced nor respected. They come here on a tourist permit and wind up in the forests or opening nightclubs and plying their trade. Most of them would overstay the time specified on their passports, pay the police a few dollars, leave and return without any problem. Now it seems like they’re becoming wise by leaving backtrack, which means the police can’t make a raise any more. The other day while travelling on the Intraserv bus from G/town I noticed that there weren’t any Brazilians on board, then I observed five mini-buses all packed with ” tourists”. I guess they’re probably having the drivers bypass the check-points.
Soon we won’t be able to traverse our forests without the risk of falling into a pit left behind by garimpeiros.I guess by then we’ll be advertising”Extreme-Tourism”.
The big question is: Who is going to defend us?
We are all being taken for a ride and by the time we awake we’ll be over cliffs and valleys. We’ll also need to re-do our maps, because where creeks used to run to the left they will be running to the right or not running at all.
Yours faithfully,
Lawrence Avery
