The April 2018 piracy attack off of Suriname which claimed the lives of at least 12 Guyanese was a well-organised operation as a result of a turf war over fishing grounds.
This was one of the findings of the Commission of Inquiry set up by the government and headed by Dr Rishee Thakur, according to a release today from the Ministry of the Presidency.
Dr Thakur was speaking after the presentation of his report today on the inquiry to Minister of State, Dawn Hastings-Williams.
On April 27th, 2018, four Guyanese 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 missing and presumed 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 police in Guyana had collaborated with their counterparts in Suriname and several arrests followed here.
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.
The two have since been committed to stand trial in the High Court after a preliminary inquiry was completed in the magistrate’s court in Berbice.
Alexander Denheart, 19, was also charged with the murder of Mohabir.
Dr. Thakur in his remarks today, said during the inquiry it was determined by extensive findings that the piracy was “organised, planned, systemic and executed (via) open confrontation that has its origins in a turf war over fishing grounds”.
“We were able to establish that in no uncertain terms,” he added.
Dr. Thakur also said that during the inquiry it was discovered that while there were 350 cabin cruisers or fishing vessels in the Corentyne, there is not a single registered crew or trained and licensed captain.
Among the recommendations therefore are for the Chief Co-op Officer to address the congestion and excessive number of fishing boats and the traffic in that area since it is seen as a source of tension among fishermen, the release said.
An institution of fishing standards in the area with training and licensing of captains and fishing crews was another recommendation along with a vessel monitoring system in accordance with the Fisheries Act and the transformation of the Inter-Agency Piracy Task Force into a permanent statutory body.
Dr Thakur noted that the Commission divided the recommendations into two categories: what can and should be done immediately without exorbitant costs and those that can be done through long term planning and design.
A copy of the report was also handed over to Vice President and Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan.
In November last year, nine fishermen were convicted in Suriname for the fatal piracy attack.
Three persons were acquitted of the crime after the judge ruled that there was no evidence to convict them.
It was reported in the Times of Suriname, that seven Guyanese fishermen: Chris Parasram, Rameshwaru Roepnarain, Mandre Kishoor, David Williams, Ramdeo Persaud, Ray Torres and Ganesh Beharry, were all sentenced to 35 years imprisonment each. While Feroz Bkish was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment and Terry Durga was sentenced to five years imprisonment.
According to the Suriname news report, the men were all indicted on two separate offences. Subdistrict Judge, Marie Mettendaf sentenced the men to 25 years each on one charge and 10 years each on another.
Sureshdien N, Premnauth P and Doodnauth M were acquitted due to lack of evidence. According to the Suriname news report, the judge ruled that while it seemed obvious that the men were connected to the incident no “solid proof” was presented.
