Dear Editor,
Thank you for publishing my letter entitled: Did the government avail itself of the anti-piracy technology offered by UWI?’ (SN, February 20, 2014). In that letter I cited instances of piracy on the high seas, robbery, torture and killing of fishermen, and the apparent lack of response by local authorities. In this letter I wish to follow up on the matter.
Editor, there are reasons to believe that powerful, well-connected persons are behind the attacks on poor, honest fishermen, particularly in the Berbice region. The attacks are carried out at the behest of ‘big ones’ in the fishing industry, by other fishermen turned pirates who are familiar with the area. Let me elaborate.
Most recently, on February 17, 2014, five armed men aboard a boat attacked fishermen on another boat named ‘Sharmila’ on the Corentyne River. The attackers robbed the fishermen of their entire catch, fish-glue and equipment, and abducted the captain of the Sharmila. This occurred in Suriname waters.
Four of the five attackers were captured by Guyanese authorities and confessed to the crime. After the confession, the owner of the boat offered $1 million to the owner of the Sharmila to drop the charges and settle the matter. It must be noted that the owner of the boat with the attackers is a former official of the #66 Fishing Complex which is part of the Upper Corentyne Fisherman’s Co-op Society.
Poor, honest fishermen from Berbice working on boats, are given supplies by wealthy interests, including foodstuff, ice, fishing equipment and fuel before setting out on a fishing trip lasting anywhere from 10 days to 2 weeks. When they return from sea the fishermen have to pay for the supplies from the money they make after they sell their catch.
The fishing takes place in Suriname’s waters, the more lucrative fishing grounds.
This is allowed because the Guyanese fishermen buy a licence from Surinamese
fishermen for up to $1,500 US dollars. This licence would have been issued to Surinamese fishermen by the Suriname government for only $75 US dollars. Appeals by Guyanese fishermen to Guyana’s government, to allow Guyanese to purchase the licence directly from the Surinamese authorities have fallen on deaf ears. But that is another story.
This is what happens: The poor, honest fishermen leave for the high seas heavily indebted to the ‘big ones’ because they would have taken supplies on credit. They spend days braving the weather and rough seas to catch fish, after which, the pirates attack, beat them up and take away their catch. They are, of course, still indebted for supplies, fuel, groceries etc.
So, they have to go back and work to pay off the debt.
This is not a new development. On December 22, 2011 five attackers were remanded to prison; charged with robbery under arms. These pirates: Verasammy Rawana, Levan Chanderpaul, Vishal Gowkarran, Mohan David and Avendardat Deodat were all from Corentyne and Corriverton; they were all attached to the #66 fishing complex. The men were charged under Guyana’s piracy laws after being caught. Incredibly, one of the men charged is the brother of the chairman of the Berbice Anti-Piracy Committee!
After being caught one of the five men confessed to police. He described a highly organised operation.
The attacks are conducted inside Suriname’s waters for good reason: Guyanese police do not operate there; the area is controlled by Surinamese authorities. Being out of reach is important to the pirates because of Guyana’s Hijacking and Piracy Act which mandates a life sentence for anyone convicted of piracy. Also, if a victim is killed during an attack, there is a mandatory death penalty. The pirates therefore, prefer to commit their crimes in Suriname’s territorial waters.
According to statements given by the fishermen from two boats which were allegedly attacked, the five pirates robbed their victims and sold the stolen fish and fish-glue to an official of the UCFCS at that time.
These are all matters of public record, including statements made by victims to the media, the courts and others. The fishermen say that they are afraid to speak out because of threats from ‘big ones.’ They say that the police cannot help them because the piracy set-up involves some very rich and powerful people; the fishermen fear for their lives and that of their families left behind when they go out to sea.
Poor, honest fishermen in the area have known about this conspiracy for years. In 2007, fifteen boats were attacked in a single day — December 1. On that day five of the boats that were attacked and some of the terrorised crew, were taken by pirates to Suriname and abandoned in Coroni and Copenaam. Some of the fishermen later said that they recognised the voices of the masked attackers as Guyanese connected with wealthy and powerful fishing interests. The victims also said that they were threatened with death if they talked. The poor fishermen were so desperate after getting no help from Guyanese authorities, that they pooled what little money they had and offered a $500,000 reward to anyone who could help them.
Editor, after researching what is clearly a conspiracy of enormous proportions and profound implications, many questions occur to me: If I, a private citizen, could unearth so much evidence of a conspiracy between the fishing interests and pirates, why could the police, with substantial resources and access to the victims’ statements, not do the same thing?
Editor, the fishermen of Berbice have suffered enough; poor Guyanese should not be going through this. There is overwhelming evidence of collusion between pirates and wealthy, powerful people; the police seem unable to take action against the well-connected, well-protected criminals. It is time that the public is made aware of what is going on; it is time to blow the lid off the piracy conspiracy and reveal what is taking place in Berbice.
Editor, the PPP/C administration has been in office for twenty-one years. During this time, under public pressure to take action, the government passed the Hijacking and Piracy Act in 2008 which provides for stiff penalties against pirates. However, the law is useless if the pirates are not caught and placed before the courts. The evidence suggests that the pirates are being protected by powerful people and are therefore untouchable. So who will help the poor, honest fishermen?
If the ruling administration will not help, and the police cannot intervene because of interference from ‘big ones,’ then, the fishermen’s only hope may lie in action by the political opposition entities. Therefore, I call on the parliamentary opposition parties to look into this matter, research this issue, meet with the victims, gather evidence, and if necessary, appeal to the international community. The fishermen of Berbice deserve representation; they deserve relief from modern-day indentureship.
Yours faithfully,
Mark DaCosta
