Guyana Amerindians sign $10M deal for land titles

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) Guyana's Amerindian community has signed a $10 million deal with the government to help secure land titles, but concerns remain about how the boundaries are being drawn in the South American country.

Amerindian activists on Tuesday accused state surveyors of arbitrarily drawing boundaries because of rough and impassable terrain, as well as reluctance to work in malaria-infested areas without proper equipment or vehicles.

"The result is that there has been boundary overlapping in some villages, and this has in some cases set one community against the other, causing problems," said Jean LaRose, director of the Amerindian People's Association.

Presidential spokesman Kwame McKoy denied those accusations, saying that surveyors are working hard on the project.

More than 75,000 Amerindians from nine recognized tribes who live in jungle and mountain communities are expected to benefit from the project. It is expected to be completed next year and is being financed with help from the United Nations and Norway.

So far, some 97 villages have obtained titles, and another 77 have been demarcated, according to Finance Minister Ashni Singh.

He said the new deal will allow 13 communities to obtain titles and another 33 to be demarcated.

Amerindians make up about 10 percent of the country's roughly 740,000 people, and the project would award them about 14 percent of Guyana's territory.

The project has caused problems in gold mining communities, with village administrators already having granted numerous mining permits on property being surveyed. A judge ruled earlier this year that Amerindian villages in Guyana's jungle interior cannot block miners from working.