Police in Berbice have launched an investigation of the alleged involvement of the No 66 Fisheries in piracy and a former chairman of the body has flatly denied that it was engaged in any wrongdoing.
The allegations against the No.66 Fisheries came after fishermen employed by one of its members were charged with piracy.
The five men, four of whom were employed with the chairman of the fisheries, Indarpersaud Rampersaud have been remanded to prison.
He too was taken into custody and later released. He told this newspaper that he had sent the men out to work at sea and was expecting them to return a few days later.
He was shocked to learn that they had allegedly robbed a few fishing boats during that time and said he co-operated fully to have them arrested. One of the boats belonged to Nakool ‘Fyah’ Manohar, 32, of No. 43 Village.
The robberies took place just off the shore at No. 43 Village, Corentyne and the men were captured at the No. 66 Village wharf.
According to him the alleged pirates are also from No. 66 fisheries but were apparently not familiar with the boat – or the workers – because the vessel was new and had only gone out to sea for the second time.
He said most of his workers were from the East Coast of Demerara and one of the pirates felt confident enough to remove his mask during the attack.
They stole a quantity of fish and other items and ordered the men into the fish pen. It was only after they went into the cabin that they saw a worker from the village and learnt that the boat belonged to Manohar.
Rampersaud said he had received a call from Manohar about his boat but at first insisted that his boat was out in the Atlantic fishing. After he was convinced, the chairman said he allowed the boat to go in at the wharf and then encouraged Manohar to call the police.
Rampersaud pointed out that it was only last year that his crew members were attacked and robbed and his boat burnt. He lamented too that several other members of the fisheries have been robbed and beaten many times.
Former chairman of the No.66 Fisheries, Pravinchandra Deodat told Stabroek News that they have always been doing their “work in a professional manner without fear or favour and we have a clean track record.”
He said he could not understand how the police could believe that the fisheries would send out fishermen to rob others out at sea.
Deodat who is also the president of the Berbice Anti-Piracy Committee (BAPC) said since that body was formed members have always been fighting piracy.
He said too that they have always supported the police in their fight against piracy and feels that “whoever is involved should pay the full penalty.”
Deodat told this newspaper that the fisheries and the BAPC “support the police 100 per cent” and wished if they had acted so fast when they received other piracy reports.
According to him, when a boat from the Rosignol fisheries with suspicious persons was held up a few months ago, “the police failed to search it. And based on intelligence, the boat had a gun at the time and it was thrown overboard.”
He said too that it could be that because nothing was being done about the piracy, the fishermen were “taking the law in their own hands by going back and robbing other fishermen. They find it easy to rob other fishermen because of the law about territorial water.”
According to him, the police gave permission to Rampersaud to sell some of the fish because it was perishable.
Deodat said too that because he was receiving threats from pirates he had to take his family to live overseas. He stated that “who knows me cannot question my integrity.”
He told this newspaper too that they later learnt that the captain of Rampersaud’s boat was transferring fish into his [the captain] brother’s boat which came in with about 3,000 pounds of fish.
Meanwhile, a gun was found close to the boat and Commander of ‘B’ Division, Stephen Merai had told the media that they would “check the weapon to determine if it belongs to the No 66 Fisheries.”
