Three men who were on a mission to render assistance to the Pomeroon piracy victims were up to press time last night still missing despite hours of searching with a helicopter and boats.
Missing are 37-year-old fish vendor Shafeek Khan, a father of two of Lot 77 Vigilance South, East Coast Demerara (ECD); 44-year-old taxi driver Damodar Khemraj called ‘Raco’ a father of one of Lot 199 Bladen Hall, ECD and Kumar Narine, 43, father of two of Lot 70 Vigilance ECD.
Dheneshwar Reddy called ‘Smallie’ of Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, who was with the men in the boat, managed to swim ashore and is currently a patient at the Suddie Hospital.
According a police press release, around 15:00 hours on Saturday a fishing crew of four comprising Reddy and the other three men left in a fishing vessel from the Meadow Bank Wharf, East Bank Demerara, with an additional outboard engine in order to render assistance to one of the fishing crews that had been attacked and robbed by armed men in the Pomeroon River area.
Subsequent reports received indicated that during that night the boat capsized somewhere off the Suddie Coast due to heavy rainfall and rough waters. Reddy managed to reach ashore at Exmouth, Essequibo Coast, at about 15:45 hours on Sunday, and was subsequently admitted a patient at the Suddie Hospital.
So far the other three men have not been located, the release said, adding that searches are being conducted by the Joint Services assisted by public spirited persons.
Transport and Hydraulics Minister Robeson Benn told Stabroek News during a telephone interview yesterday that the search is concentrated between the area off the coast of Leguan and west of Dartmouth. He said that a helicopter mission flew over the area but there was no sighting of the boat or the missing men.
The minister said the police were out in three boats looking for the men but they have so far had little success. The coastguard is also involved in the search.
He told this newspaper that the men are still being considered as missing.
‘Don’t go’
When Stabroek News visited the distraught Mumtaz Khan, the wife of Shafeek Khan she related to this newspaper that she is praying for her husband to return home, adding “my house is not a home without my husband here”. According to the grieving woman, the fish vendor was at the Stabroek Market area where he usually vends when he received a phone call and later left the vicinity with gasoline and an engine to go and rescue the fishermen who were attacked by pirates. Khan added that her husband has been in the fishing business for the past 25 years.
Betchnie Narine, mother of Damodar Khemraj, said that on Saturday her son left to go the Meadow Bank wharf and informed her that he was taking an engine along. “I tell he ‘son don’t go’, but he still went,” she lamented. The woman said that after speaking with her, her son called his wife to inform her that he was going into the river. According to the mother, the man’s wife made several futile attempts to get in contact with him since then. The woman said that on Sunday midnight they were informed of the incident and were told that “Smallie” was the only person who was found. “I hope that they find my son,” she said tearfully.
Kumar Narine’s sister said her brother never told her that he was going to sea. She said she was told by his wife that Narine went home on Saturday and changed his clothing after which he embarked on the journey. The man’s sister added that since she has been informed about the incident she has not come to grips with it.
Reddy’s relatives said that he was expected to be transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH). They are not quite sure what occurred exactly on the day of the mishap but they expressed their joy that the fisherman is still alive while empathizing with the families of the missing men.
Meanwhile, several fishermen have so far been rescued from the harrowing ordeal that saw some 15 boats being targeted by a gang of six pirates armed with cutlasses and guns. The attack occurred between Friday night and early Saturday morning. Millions in fish, glue, engines and gasoline were stolen.
All the fishermen whom this newspaper spoke told a similar story of the pirates driving up in a boat and then holding them captive.
Captain of the Toney Two Mahendra Deotadin related that he and his five-member crew were also attacked on Friday some time around 11 am, soon after having lunch. The Golden Fleece, Essequibo Coast man, who was nursing cuts and bruises about the body, said the pirates approached and demanded their valuables. He said the men took away the catch, worth $400,000, seines as well as the fish glue.
The pirates also beat the man and his crew badly before leaving them in their vessel minus the engine.
Another boat captain Ghandharna Dashu, called `Key Key’, who estimated his losses to be around $1.7 million said he knew the pirates were Guyanese from the way they spoke.
He had recounted that when the boat transporting the pirates slammed into his, the vessel was so badly damaged that it eventually sank. He said the men destroyed his engine before throwing it overboard but took the other valuables including his catch.
Dashu recalled that he and about 18 other fishermen were forced into the cabin of the pirates’ boat as the rampage continued. He recalled that one of the bandits took a bowl of water for them. “We had a cup so everybody had to tek lil bit, lil bit”. According to him more fishermen were being held captive on the deck of the vessel.
He said he has no choice to return to the sea because he has children to feed.
The Maritime Administration and Coastguard first received reports sometime on Saturday morning and immediately sprung into action. Based on what was reported to them the acts of piracy were committed off the coast of the Pomeroon going to an area called Kamwatta Beach.
A helicopter mission was organised and three fishermen were spotted on a badly damaged boat some time Saturday afternoon.
About 19 men were earlier found aboard a drifting boat and three of the fishermen had to be taken to the hospital for medical attention.
Meeting
Meanwhile, a team comprising members of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) and the Guyana Defence Force Coastguard will hold a meeting shortly with the fishermen in the recent attack.
According to a press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) Maritime Department, Harbour Master, Velton Skeete, said that discussions at this meeting will focus on the way forward with regard to ensuring that fishing, the livelihood of a significant number of people in Guyana, is done in a more protected manner; key among which is the provision of better security with the establishment of a structured check-in-point.
Skeete added that the implementation of the Global Positioning System (GPS) on fishing boats is also being considered so as to be able to identify the location of fishing crews in the event of an incident such as a pirate attack. This will enable the relevant authorities to respond more promptly and efficiently, GINA said.
The release also said that Benn is calling on anyone with information on the recent pirate activity, or who has suspicions of any illegal activity which may be linked to the latest pirate attack, to contact the nearest police station, the Coastguard and or the Maritime Administration.
