-families still in turmoil

On January 23 last year, the fishing boat ‘Palpos III’ churned its way to the open sea with three crewmen on board what was supposed to be at the most, a three-week fishing trip. It was never seen again.

As weeks turned into months, the families tried to get information regarding the fate of their loved ones. No answer was forthcoming. There was no sign of the boat, no washed up debris and no bodies. And as the one-year anniversary of their disappearance passed, the mothers of the three men are torn between hope and trying to accept that their sons may have already died. In the emptiness that is the lack of information, some days are harder than others for them as they wait for definite answers regarding the fate of the three fishermen.

Khobindi Sanichara, 49, the mother of the boat captain Mahadeo Ramdeo, 24, keeps contacting relatives in neighbouring countries to see if they have heard anything. Some days Latchmin Jagmohan, 69, believes that her son, Ramnarine Jagmohan, 46, is alive; on other days, she is convinced that he is dead. Denise Marshall, the mother of Jason Marshall, 24, cannot bear to look at her photo albums because they contain photographs of him on the boat and the memories are overwhelming. Each tries to cope.

But there are simply no answers from anyone.

“We don’t hear nothing, we ain’t know nothing… is the same story,” said Sanichara. She stated that Pritipaul Singh Investments (PSI), the owner of the vessel and trio’s employer, has not said anything to them for a while. The last time she had contact with them, she was told that the matter was with Interpol-the International Criminal Police Organization. She had heard that the men were locked up in Cayenne and Trinidad but she noted that these were frequent rumours. In February, she said, she had heard that the bodies of three men were found in Suriname and that they were later cremated.

Sanichara stated that she plans to visit the country to see if there were any photos of the bodies or belongings left that could be her son’s. She noted that Ramdeo, when he left, had worn jewellery, including a silver band with his name on it. “I still keeping up hope, I can’t think he is dead… [but] I keep hoping,” she stated, adding that she keeps asking other fishermen if they have seen any sign of fish traps or anything at all.

The vessel had been one that fished for Red Snapper. Noting that she thinks about her son every day, Sanichara said even if he were in jail somewhere, that would be preferable once he is alive. “I have all his things packed and waiting for him to come home… I don’t know when that is… he needs to come home,” she added.

Jagmohan thinks of her son every day, although other relatives appear to have given up on him. She too has heard nothing regarding the fate of her son. The woman stated that sometimes she believes that he is still alive “and then your mind change.”

“I just trying to see if I could accept it,” said Marshall, though she declared that nothing would give her closure unless she sees her son. The woman said that though they had heard nothing, her son’s friends still remembered him since he was very outgoing and they still visit her. “He is not forgotten,” she declared, adding that she could not bear to look at her photo albums since he was in many of the photographs. The woman noted that PSI has said nothing to them and the company had not given them anything and it seemed as though the lives of the three men meant nothing. “Their lives just gone like that,” she stated.

When contacted for comment, Personnel Manager at PSI, Mahase Singh told Stabroek News  that he could not give an update at the moment and when pressed as to when he could, he said that he would be unable to say when. He then disconnected the call.

Last March, the company offered a reward of $1M for information that would lead to the recovery of the boat and the three men. The matter has been reported to the police and the Ministry of Agriculture and Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud had expressed disappointment over PSI’s failure to report the vessel missing immediately. Several searches by sea and air after the authorities were alerted failed to unearth any sign of the vessel.