Months after the death of Pomeroon River farmer Ryan Khayum, who perished after an accident involving a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) vessel, his family is still awaiting justice.
Ramroop Mahase, an in-law of Khayum, has told Stabroek News that the last update the family has received from the police was that the case file has been sent to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
He also noted too that his niece, Chandinie Khayum, who is the widow of the deceased, was still being offered $3.4 million in compensation.
The woman had rejected the compensation offer on the advice of her attorney. She had said, too, that the compensation offered only covered the expenses they incurred as a result of the boat crash and did not consider that a life was lost.
“The amount just covers the expenses when you check it. It is $600,000 to repair the boat, $640,000 to buy a new engine – that is $1.2 million already, then you had to pay $300,000 to the divers and they gave her $900,000 for the goods she had in the boat plus the funeral expenses. It is like the wife and the two other persons in the boat don’t have no compensation. When we ask what about a life lost, they said they can’t do nothing about that,” Mahase had previously said.
On April 20, the GDF said it was investigating a marine accident involving a Coast Guard vessel, GDFS HAWK 1028, which was returning from Charity, Essequibo, to the Floating Base.
Mahase had told this newspaper that the boat collision occurred at Martindale, Pomeroon River, where the farmer’s wife had stopped to make a payment to an avocado farmer. As they were leaving the farmer’s landing, he said, the Coast Guard vessel hit them from behind.
Although it has been alleged that Coast Guard ranks were under the influence of alcohol, the results of breathalyser tests that were reportedly administered have not been released.
Public-spirited citizens at the Charity Wharf rushed to the scene after hearing of the accident and rescued Chandinie and two workers but were unable to find Ryan’s body. His body was found floating a few days later in the Pomeroon River, a short distance away from the crash site.
