Guyana's indigenous people charge land abuses

Guyana's indigenous people are accusing the government of snatching their traditional land through poor demarcation as the authorities try to benefit from a UN program to preserve the country's rainforests.



The World Bank has given Guyana US$3.6 million to help prepare a plan for the UN program to slow deforestation.



However, Amerindian leaders are insisting that the government's proposals do not address its international obligations to indigenous groups.



The president of Guyana's Amerindian Peoples Association, Tony James, says the indigenous people have urged the government and international agencies to protect their traditional practices and help resolve outstanding land issues.



Amerindian communities make up about 10 per cent of the population of Guyana, a former British colony next to Venezuela.