Captain killed, crew missing in another pirate attack

– 1 more body, another survivor discovered from 1st pirate attack
– 6 suspects nabbed offshore Suriname
Almost one week after sea bandits attacked a 20-member crew, mostly Guyanese, in four boats off the coast of Suriname, there was another attack Wednesday night, in which a boat captain was killed and his crew members are missing.

While details surrounding this incident remain sketchy, reports from Paramaribo reveal that this most recent incident occurred off the Coast of Matapica in the Surinamese waters. Secretary of the Visserscollectief (a fishermen’s association), Mark Lall, confirmed that the captain of the fishing vessel was killed while his crew members could not be accounted for.
Nevertheless, he disclosed that the local authorities, including the Coast Guard and Police, along with several fishermen, had ventured out to the area to investigate. “If we are on the spot, we hope to get more clarity,” Lall told local media operatives. However, there have been no further details about the attack off the Matapica Coast.
This most recent attack comes as Dutch authorities continue the search for the missing fishermen from last weekend’s horrific attack. Of the 16 fishermen who were initially reported missing, two have since been accounted for. One of them managed to survive five days after the incident while being injured, but only the body of the other fisherman was recovered.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Justice and Police in Suriname, the fifth survivor of last weekend’s pirate attack near the Wia Wia Bank in the Atlantic Ocean was spotted on Thursday morning at Braamspunt by a passing fishing boat. The man has been identified as Cherwin Lovell, a Guyanese national.

“The victim indicated that he had walked through the marsh for five days in search of help, and arrived at Braamspunt this morning at 10.00 am. The man, who (has) injuries to his body, was caught by fishermen in the area,” the Ministry said.
The statement went on to detail that the fishermen assisted the piracy victim and informed the Maritime Police, who later picked up the injured. He was transferred to Leonsberg, from where he was transported to the Academic Hospital for medical treatment.
The Secretary of the Visserscollectief had said on Thursday that many details surrounding the man’s survival were unknown at the time. Guyana Times understands that apart from a possible broken arm and a few lacerations about his body, the man is recuperating well.

Meanwhile, the hunt is on for the other missing men. On Wednesday, the search party had spotted three bodies but only one was recovered. It was explained that the rescuers had to abandon the operation to retrieve the two other bodies because of the thick mud. However, it was reported that they returned to the area the following day, but there has since been no further update.
Among those Guyanese who are missing from last weekend’s incident are: Ramesh Sanchara; Ganesh Persaud, Vickey Persaud, Glenroy Jones, Bharat Heralall, Ralph Anthony, Randy Burnette and Tiaknauth Mohabir.

Meanwhile, six persons — all believed to be Guyanese — are now in custody and are being grilled in connection with the attack on Saturday. One was nabbed by fishermen on Thursday morning and handed over to the Police, while the five others were apprehended later in the day.
Guyana Times was told by some fisher folks on the Corentyne in Berbice, Region Six, that last weekend’s attack was a vendetta. Several persons operating out of the Number 66 Fishermen’s Co-op related to this newspaper that the Guyanese fishermen operating in Suriname have a rift amount themselves. This is as a result of the availability and accessibility to licences to operate in the waters of the Dutch-speaking nation.
Back in Guyana, for the first time since the incident occurred, President David Granger on Thursday condemned the action, calling the incident a “great massacre” and a “tragedy”. He told reporters that local authorities are working with their Surinamese counterparts to bring the perpetrators to justice.
He went on to say that this incident has had an upsetting effect on Government’s anti-piracy efforts, which have been successful of recent. Since last year, there has been only one piracy attack recorded.
On the other hand, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan has said that while Government is concerned over the horrific act, and is getting cooperation from the Surinamese authorities, there is only so much that can be done at this point in time, since the Surinamese officials would first have to do their investigations.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday afternoon met with the aggrieved families of those fishermen who are missing from last weekend’s attack, which has been described as one of the most horrific piracy attacks in recent history. During the meeting, the families expressed concerns over the lack of support from the Government.

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