Surinamese Ambassador to Guyana, Manorma Soeknandan says that the recent seizure of Guyanese vessel MV Lady Chandra 1 by Surinamese authorities was not an act of aggression, but merely Suriname protecting its maritime boundaries.
The vessel was seized last week Tuesday on the Corentyne River while it was on its way to Skeldon to transport bulk sugar for export.
According to Soeknandan the vessel was not seized by the military but by the Maritime Authority. She said that the military was in no way involved, but that the police merely escorted the Maritime officials while they were transporting the Guyanese vessel. She said this was an agreement that was in existence since 1981 and stated that it also applied to Surinamese vessels.
The Ambassador said that the vessel was seized because it had exceeded a certain stipulated tonnage. Once the vessel exceeds a certain tonnage it requires a Surinamese pilot, according to Surinamese regulations. She also stated that this weight limit also applied to Surinamese vessels.
Soeknandan was speaking after yesterday’s launch of the Regional Task Force on Cultural Industries at the Caricom Secretariat when she was approached by reporters for comment on this matter.
Following the seizure of the boat, its captain, Arnold Garraway, was placed in the lockups and the other six crew members were left on board the vessel. The vessel and its crew were eventually released after the payment of a fine of US$400.
The ship’s owner Kampta Persaud told this newspaper that the ship has been contracted since 1982 by the Guyana Sugar Corporation to transport sugar for export from Berbice to the Demerara terminal.
Garraway told Stabroek News in an interview after his release that he had been plying the route regularly over the past thirteen years transporting bulk sugar from the Skeldon terminal for export, said it was the first time that he was pulled in by the Surinamese authorities.
He and his crew had left Port Georgetown shortly before midnight on Monday, October 13. It was about 12:35 pm on Tuesday that they were stopped by a Surinamese gunboat.
He said MV Lady Chandra I was “right up near to the wharf” at Skeldon when a Surinamese gunboat with about eight soldiers accosted the vessel. The Surinamese coastguards, about eight, boarded the vessel and told them they were in Suriname waters and that they had to go to Nickerie.
“We say we are not going to Nickerie,” he said and explained the journey they were on. They told him that the MV Lady Chandra I could not go to Skeldon because they were in Surinamese territory. He told them that he and his crew had been travelling on the river carrying out the same tasks for the past 13 to 14 years and they were never harassed. They told him that Guyanese would have to stop using the river. Feeling indignant, he said he asked them if “we have to dig another channel to go about our business.”
Manorma Soeknandan
He said he never stopped the vessel. Because of the resistance, he said they called for backup and two other gunboats arrived with more soldiers and policemen. “They surrounded the boat,” he said. Those who boarded his vessel asked for his documents and that of the vessel and they confiscated them. They were returned after he was released.
Dem beat King Liar tailor who just had to look at the man and know he measurement to sew he clothes.
Dem look at the boat and know it exceed a certain tonnage!
To add : King Tailor had to look on the ROAD TURN with his bicycle of his customer and determined his measurements.
I knew the Surinamese from inseption, defiance, liars, perpetraters, ( oplichters ) etc.
Guyanese government, has to be more pro-active in securing our territorial borders
By the way y’all know the Surinamese teking fresh water from way up the Corentyne River around Orealla area (from 3 canals – check a Google Earth map and see for youself) and causing more salt water to go up the mouth of the Corentyne?
“ What a load of shaving cream “ we spent good money to buy a Gun Boat I believe it was called “Essequibo” the GDP had better deploy this in the Corentyne River now, I believe this is why we spent all our hard earned tax $$ so we could protect our coast and our shipping interest in Guyana
…… the first thing that needs to be done is to send her back to suriname ,, until they understand that their rules of engagement warants civilised protocol.
…….the ppp government is a strange government……can big jag rebut what she is saying…….what a shame!!
Suriname knows that the river would be very busy in the coming years, and she is planning to introduce a heavy toll for the use of that river. Guyana is avoiding Suriname all the time, but very soon we will have to deal with these Suriname jokers. Take a few of them out of the river. Do not do it right away. Let them take some more ships. Get the media to keep remiding the international community that they are the aggressor, then go for it. Let them go to the International Courts this time
Leo Rojo
Would somebody please, please stop the jawing and do something about this agression. Since there seems to be no consensus on who owns what part of the river, would the government of Guyana please seize the first Surinamese vessel that ventures beyond the half way mark in the Corentyne river and create a situation that demands a final resolution, hopefully not a war.
As suggested by Guyana Tabloid , let them be the ones that go to the World Court this time.
DOE FUH DOE À NUH OBEA but at the sametime TWO WRONGS DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT
hi roman , i got to ask u , if guyana get gun boat who goin to sail in it an captain it at our borders, who ,,,,,,,,,,all the GDF is potrolin buxton, an other places, guyana GDF is to serpress its nation in all blk villages, the army is not to proteck its borders, an thats wat an army is for to protect the borders of its country, but in gy it potrol its citys, an abuse its cityens, like up buxton , an even they own soulders beet them like animals, so how will they have time to protect they country at its borders, tell me roman,,,,,?
guyanese people , have to know wen the dutch soulders took , and had some of our land , an occupied it with the milatary hard wear, an they boats , our soulders went in an shoot our dutch nabours off our land an we confiscate all the dutch miltary hard wear, so now that, SO CALL GDF is harrassing there own people in buxton, its the right time for the dutch to come into guyana waters , an even as far as into our land an retake as mutch as they can, now,,that the gdf is bussy ,becoming the police of its country ,is the right time for the dutch to invade or borders,what a shame to our GDF who is not there as an army to look over there borders,an to protect its country,,? i was a soulder spend most of my years at our borders, now guyana have soulders acting as police in our villages an citys…………?wow…/
X.Milatary.arms!!!! you have to blame the Commander in Chief Jagdeo, he mandated the GDF to fight crime in the country and to hell with the borders.
Now the chickens are coming home to roost.
Jagdeo needs to empower the army and stop being nieve.
According to Jag our borders are not important and suriname has no respect for us.The army is more focused on sanitizing villages of residents who are
traditionalLy not the support Base of the PPP.
Best was given the task of securing the light bulbs at the Airport but we all knew what happened.