Layou Villagers Mount Street Protest

After months of complaints to the authorities and Gaddarkhan’s inaction, villages of Layou have taken protest action against the mining and quarrying company.

From about 3:30 this morning, scores of aggrieved villagers mounted roadblocks along the main village road close to the Layou bus stop adjacent to the Gaddarkhan Quarrying Company. Derelict vehicles, old refrigerators and other debris were strewn across the road impeding the morning commute of persons and vehicular traffic along the west coast. Vehicles were backed up for miles on both sides of the protest.

Members of the Special Service Unit (SSU) were called out early in the morning to attempt to quell the protest action and return some normalcy to the situation.

Layou villagers have long been protesting Gaddakhan’s mining operations in the area. They accuse the company of recklessly endangering their environment with little regard for their health and livelihoods. Gaddarkhan’s Layou and west coast quarrying activities emit”tons of dust into the atmosphere” said one protestor. But it is Gaddarkhan’s plans to build an asphalt plant at Coco in Layou and his total disregard for the concerns of villagers that primarily drew residents out to the streets in protest.

Villagers say locating the plant at the Layou river head right opposite Wackie Rollers Tourism Park will pollute the Layou River and sea as tons of hazardous waste eventually finds its way into these waterways. This would destroy not just the area’s tourism but its fishing and Titiwi as well. As a coastal community, Layou is very dependent on fishing.
Community leaders say they have also suggested to Gaddarkhan that the proposed asphalt plant could be located at Savanne Tarou instead;. The company however has shown very little interest in the alternative site.

Gaddarkhan or company officials were not on hand and or could not be reached for comments.

By 7:30 am, what had started out as a peaceful protest, threatened to escalate into a physical confrontation with the police. Led by women and young people, villagers reinstalled roadblocks as soon as they were dismantled by the police. At one point members of the SSU drew their guns on protestors but they would not back down. “We are prepared to die for our rights if we have to” said one lady. Cooler heads however eventually prevailed as other high rank police officers were able to diffuse the tensions.

Villagers however vowed to keep up their protest action until they get some answers from the authority and a commitment from Gaddarkhan to relocate his proposed asphalt plant development. They called on their Parliamentary Representative, the Hon Vince Henderson and Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit to intervene to bring closure to the situation.