Forty-five Guyanese fishermen were detained in Suriname between last Wednesday and Sunday by that country’s Marine Patrol for not having their passports stamped.
The fishermen who all hail from the Upper Corentyne area were on nine fishing boats, which were accosted while at sea and their captains and crew members arrested for allegedly not having in their possession valid passports that were stamped to show they had entered the country legally. The men were each fined S$500, which is equivalent to $20,000, the alternative was to face deportation in early 2017.
Chairman of the Upper Corentyne Fishermen Co-op Pameshwar Jainarine, when contacted, told Stabroek News that the boat owners were successful in paying the fines for their crews.