Five Amerindian men are reporting that they were trafficked to neighbouring Suriname, where they were forced by a Dutch businessman to labour at a camp.
The men, who were deported from Suriname on Monday, were at the camp for varying periods, including over eight months in the case of two brothers, and they say other Guyanese were being held as well and at least on young Brazilian boy.
AFC parliamentarian Valerie Garrido-Lowe, who interviewed four of the men after they were deported on Monday, told Stabroek News that she has made arrangements to meet with government officials today about their case. Saying human trafficking is alive and well in Guyana, she urged that public awareness be stepped up since trafficking has long been an ongoing problem in the country.
Garrido-Lowe was alerted to the situation by the Amerindian People’s Association (APA).
Based on a recorded interview between Garrido-Lowe and the men that was made available to Stabroek News, it appeared that the men, who include two brothers, both in their twenties, from Moruca, another man from Kumaka and two other persons, were separately approached about working in Suriname and they were told that work permits would be provided for them. They were then taken to Berbice, then to Nickerie, Suriname, where they were loaded into an enclosed canter and taken to a village where they were held against their will. The men said during their stay they received no pay, limited food supplies and were threatened that they would be shot if they should try to leave.
Once in Suriname, the men said the Dutch businessman, whom they named, told them that they would be doing farming and promised to pay them some $200,000 a month along with $1M bonuses if they should stay for two years. They said he proposed that they sign a contract. But it was written in Dutch and they were hesitant to sign since they didn’t understand what was written on the document.
According to the men, the businessman pointed out that the document carried a Guyana Police Force stamp as well as a Suriname Police stamp. He also reportedly assured the men that he was a part of the Ministry of Agriculture in Guyana and that the Guyanese authorities knew that they were in Suriname and if they refused to sign the document they would be taken back to Guyana and charged. They signed and were later taken to a camp surrounded by acres upon acres of land, where they were instructed to work.
It wasn’t clear how many persons were on the farm since the recording revealed that six men had left earlier and that two others had managed to run away.
The men told Garrido-Lowe that they were provided with a month’s groceries and after it had finished they would inform the businessman and he would take weeks to restock their camp. They said there were no vegetables or meat offered, only hooks for fishing were given to them.
They also said the businessman bought a Yamaha engine, a boat and a canter for the purpose of smuggling articles to and from Guyana. He then asked them to operate the boat to smuggle. After all of the men refused to smuggle, they said he fired a shot off. They also said they were then afraid he would shoot them if they tried to escape.
They said their ordeal ended after Surinamese police were passing in the area and encountered them. The police inquired about their condition due to their ragged clothing and the men quickly informed the police about their suffering. They said the police then took them to a police station, where they were kept for another month in the lockups before being deported to Guyana.
