Relatives protest over ebbing probe into river deaths

As they contemplate Christ-mas without their loved ones, relatives of the men who died in a murky Essequibo River boat incident in August yesterday picketed the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s court where three soldiers, who they believed were involved, appeared for another matter.

Ricky Jainarine
Ricky Jainarine

They are concerned at the pace of investigations, said Salimoon Rahaman- the reputed wife of Jainarine Dinanauth, one of those who died in the August 11 incident. The 45-year-old miner died along with a family friend, Henry Gibson, also 45, in the August incident. Dinanauth’s son, Ricky Jainarine remains missing though relatives believe that a bag that washed up at Wakenaam shortly after the incident and then disappeared; had contained his remains.

Rahaman, Dinanauth’s sisters and seven other relatives participated in yesterday’s protest. Rahaman told Stabroek News that she has heard nothing from the police in a long time. “The investigation too slow”, she said while calling for justice to be served. On the evening of August 11, Dinanauth, Gibson and Ricky were heading to Hog Island in the Essequibo River. The bodies of the two men were discovered in the shattered boat the next morning but there was no sign of Ricky. Since then, a relentless search by Rahaman failed to yield any sign of the lad. Relatives believe that rogue coast guards were involved in the incident and up to now it is not clear how it occurred.

Several days later on August 20, gold dealer, Dweive Kant Ramdass was on his way to Bartica to conduct business for his employer when he was taken off a boat while at Parika by three ranks in a Coast Guard vessel.

The vessel left with the man heading in the direction of Bartica and that was the last time he was

Jainarine Dinanauth
Jainarine Dinanauth

seen alive. His battered body clad only in briefs was found in the Essequibo River in the vicinity of Caiman Hole, two days later. Money that he had in a box was stolen from him.

Following investigations, Coast Guards Sherwyn Harte, 26, of Lot 123 Block C Eccles, East Bank Demerara; Delon Gordon, 21, of Lot 108 C Field, Sophia and Deon Greenidge, 20, of Lot 166 Middle Road, La Penitence were charged with Ramdass’ murder. They have since been dismissed from the Guyana Defence Force.  Rahaman had scoured the Essequibo in search of her son in the weeks following the incident but her searches failed to yield any sign of the lad. Relatives believe that the coast guards were involved in the incident. An investigation by the Maritime Administration Department had found blue paint on the green Coast Guard vessel. And there were green paint marks on the blue and white boat that the trio was in.

Persons had also reported that in the days following August 11, the Coast Guard boat was dry-docked for three days and there were reports that a section had been painted over. A Guyana Defence Force investigation was “inconclusive” but it did find that the Coast Guard boat was in the river at the same time as the boat the trio was in was heading to Hog Island. The blue paint samples from the Coast Guard boat were handed over to the police for testing. It is not clear if this has been completed as yet. The file on the matter was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions. Rahaman said that they plan to continue their protest when the matter comes up again.