Miners settled in El Chiguao, Raul Leoni municipality, reported on Saturday that "the failure of the conversion mining", has left on the street without a job and without a livelihood to support their families. "We are not converted, we are destitute , "said the group vigorously. Desmintieron who have left the place on a voluntary basis, ensuring that abuses against them still.

Castro and Villanueva crying out for improvements to the miners Juan Carlos Castro, coordinator of the mining town Raul Leoni and Alfredo Villanueva, coordinator of the mining sector Lapa denied the statements of General Jose Gregorio Montilla Pantoja, commander of the Theater of Operations number 5.

At a press conference, miners said that "we want to disprove what he said the commander of TO5: we do not accept any eviction of El Chiguao. Rather, during the eviction took us by surprise and forced us to leave there to tip AFL. "

They complain that in the case of economic interests prevail through, as the owner of the concessions Felipe 1 and 2 was Philip who provided vehicles to remove these people who suffered.

"He has provided support and vehicles to the eviction of the Chiguao, because he has five teams working in St. Augustine. Small miners themselves are accused of destroying the rivers Caroní and Paragua, but he did not "expressed.

Took advantage of the opportunity to denounce addition, the humiliation to which they were subjected by the TO5 and methods to be used to destroy their equipment.

"We know that we are hurting the environment, but not so we had to try the case. Our equipment is put explosives, and when we desalojaban the largest Francisco Guzman sat down and said 'I am going to enjoy this,' as we drew (...) not endure that we continue to attack, and vejando humiliating, "said.

Retraining ghost

Castro and Villanueva took the opportunity to make an appeal to the national Government, in order to improve the situation of the miners through the delayed conversion.

"Why not met Order 4633, dated June 26, 2006, published in Official Gazette number 38466 in which establishes compliance with the conversion mining towards the workplace? That was a resounding failure. Corruption ate it because there are 10,614 miners who are still not working, "assured.

They launched a new appeal "to Mibam, the Ministry of Environment, the core businesses, the government and the municipal authorities to pay attention to our problem."

Finally, William Rivas, another of the affected miners, said, "left us as some indigent. We are not converted, we are destitute because we left on the streets and jobless. "