Dr. Rishee Thakur (centre) along with Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan (left) and former Magistrate Geeta Chandan-Edmond (right) after Thakur was sworn to lead the Commission of Inquiry into the fatal pirate attack that took place off the coast of Suriname last year. (Terrence Thompson photo)
July 3 2019
President David Granger has ordered a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the fatal pirate attack in which over a dozen fishermen were killed off the coast of Suriname last year and Dr. Rishee Thakur has been appointed to lead it.
Thakur was sworn in yesterday as the Commissioner by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magis-trate’s Court One.
Geeta Chandan-Edmond, legal advisor in the Ministry of Presidency, said the Commission will “inquire into the circumstances surrounding the piracy attacks, which include violent criminal acts, hijacking of Guyanese-owned vessels and the resultant deaths of Guyanese nationals on or after April 27th, 2018.”
The commission is expected to report its findings and recommendations to the President.
The inquiry is to commence work immediately and public hearings will be held at the Training Centre of the Skeldon Estate in Region Six, since most of the victims are from the Berbice region.
On April 27th, 2018, four 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 feared 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 local police had collaborated with their counterparts in Suriname and several arrests followed.
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.
Alexander Denheart, 19, was also charged with the murder of Mohabir.
