Dear Editor,
With reference to the Sunday Stabroek news item `Five drown, two missing in Corentyne River mishap’, this article reported about so many things that can really be prolonged subjects of discussion, which is excellent reporting. More news is always better.
Firstly, my condolences to the families of those who suffered. It is important to note that this accident was not a result of overloading, but happened because of the fishing net and poor vision. So many Guyanese lives have been lost over the years. Isn’t this more than enough reason why we should patrol this river too. Surinamers do not care about the lives of Guyanese. Furthermore, all these illegal back-track loading points must be closed down. I say this even though I have personally used it in the past. Drugs and guns can be easily transported across this river via the “aunties” and “uncles” stick wharves. The last time I crossed the Corentyne River by small wooden boat, there were two Venezuelans on board. They were travelling from Pomeroon to Paramaribo. These people come into our country at one end and leave at the other end and nobody is curious enough to question them as they embark and disembark freely. Sitting behind them, I can remember vividly how they were dressed. Their pants were those with elastic waist and their clothing was plastic-like jumpsuits.
The other thing I would like to talk about here is the blooming back track wildlife trade that is illegally flourishing in Guyana. I have published pictures in the past showing clearly how the parrots, macaws and other wildlife resources of Guyana are being plundered by Guyanese and Surinamers. Because the Surinamers are a little strict in respect of their own wildlife resources, the supplies of birds and other animals come primarily from Guyana. The birds are taken illegally from Guyana into Suriname, where they are then smuggled into French Guiana. Since French Guiana is a mere department of France, there is hardly any restriction for the birds to move from Cayenne to France and other parts of Europe.
Finally, a lot of people throw the remaining ashes of their loved ones into rivers and over mountain ranges. In respect of putting ashes into rivers, I know that it is very common for people to go by river banks, offer some prayers and so on, then release the ashes of their loved ones into the river(s). However, sprinkling ashes into the rivers of Guyana is a very complex operation, and this requires the services of a helicopter or other small low-flying aircraft. I do not see how possible it is to carry this task out in any other way. Did the woman from New York use a boat to sprinkle the ashes of her dead relative into the rivers? If so, was it a specially chartered boat, or one with people going about their daily business that was being used? Did she tell them that she had the remains of a dead man on the boat? When people want to practice rituals, it is important that they do not attempt to do so on public transport.
Yours faithfully,
Red Lion
(Comment from SN website)
