Almost nine months after he was tasked with inquiring into the circumstances surrounding the 2018 pirate attacks off the coast of Suriname, Dr Rishee Thakur yesterday presented Minister of State Dawn Hastings-Williams with the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) report, which found that a turf war over fishing grounds was the motive.
During the presentation at the Ministry of the Presidency, Thakur gave a brief summary of the findings. He said there were two attacks, which occurred at the popular fishing area known as the Double High Bush, involving five boats and 25 fishermen. He added that they have complied biographies of each of the 25 fishermen involved and placed them into three categories—survivors, the dead, and the missing.
He said, as stated in the CoI report, those attacks were the result of a turf war over fishing grounds and on the basis of extensive findings, it is clear that the piracy was organised, planned and systemic in its execution.
He noted too that there were a range of other factors that contributed indirectly to the attacks. Further, he said, while there were 350 cabin cruisers or fishing vessels in the Corentyne, there is not a single registered crew or trained and licensed captain.
Thakur said that a number of recommendations were made, divided into two categories: those that require immediate attention and can be instituted promptly without prohibitive cost and those that can be engaged but may require long-term designing and planning.
One of the recommendations in the report is that the present language that defines the relationship between the Guyana/Suriname border needs to be upgraded. He explained that the border with Suriname begins a third of a mile from the mooring site of the Number 66 fishing port, which accommodates 150 cabin cruisers, making the situation more difficult for fishermen.
He said that the Chief Co-op Officer needs to address the congestion of the excessive number of fishing boats at the No. 66 port, as well as the number that traverse the area. “Both are seen as a source of friction among fishermen,” he said.
Thakur also recommended that a Vessel Monitoring System be instituted at the No. 66 port and that the Inter-Agency Piracy Task Force be transformed into a permanent statutory body. In addition, he said, there should also be institution of fishing standards at the No. 66 port and the work of the International Labour Organization in Fishing Convention 188 and recommendation 199 be recognised.
Meanwhile, during her brief remarks, Hastings-Williams said that she was glad that they were completing the exercise so they can begin addressing the issues in order to bring closure to a very tragic incident. She extended her sympathies to the bereaved families before adding that the report will be released to the public in due time.
On April 27th, 2018, four boats, carrying a total of 20 persons, were attacked off the coast of Suriname.
The perpetrators, reported to have been armed with guns and cutlasses, chopped and beat the fishermen before robbing them. Some of the men were ordered to jump overboard with their injuries, while others were thrown into the water with batteries strapped to their legs. Four men who survived the attack swam until they were rescued by passing vessels. Two weeks later, another survivor was found.
Those feared dead have been identified as Tilaknauth Mohabir, 50, also known as ‘Kai’; Ganesh Beharry; Ralph Anthony Couchman, 19, also known as ‘Burnham’; Ramesh Sancharra, 48; Glenroy Jones, 21; Ramnarine Singh; Bharat Heeralall, also known as ‘Record’, 49; Sunil, known as ‘Poddock’; Mahesh Sarjoo, 35; Rajkumar Bissessar; Randy Burnette; and Olenski Maxwell. Three other fishermen are still to be identified.
One week later, there was another attack out on the coast of the Matapica Canal, approximately eight miles from the mouth of the Paramaribo River, which claimed the life of Hardeo Beechan, called Ganesh, 32.
Following the attacks, the local police had collaborated with their counterparts in Suriname and several arrests followed.
Among those held were Premnauth Persaud, also known as ‘Sinbad,’ and Nakool Manohar, also known as ‘Fyah,’ who were jointly charged in connection with the attacks. They were jointly charged with the murder of Mohabir and Sarjoo, and were subsequently committed to stand trial in the High court.
Alexander Denheart, 19, was also charged with the murder of Mohabir and is currently awaiting the conclusion of the Preliminary Inquiry.
In Suriname, seven out of 12 suspects in the first case against the pirates in Suriname were each handed 35-year sentences. Two were jailed for ten and five years each while three were acquitted.
