Safer seas
Vessels moored at the Number 66 Wharf awaiting departure for sea
Vessels moored at the Number 66 Wharf awaiting departure for sea

–piracy decreases significantly but scars still remain

ARJUNE Permaul called “Bayo”, 45, remembers vividly the night he and two other crew members were attacked by two cutlass-wielding pirates on the “MV Varuni 4” on May 16, 2017 in the Atlantic Ocean in the vicinity of Tain, Corentyne.

The pirates allegedly demanded the catch and took away their 40HP engine, while ordering the men and the captain to jump overboard, which they complied with but not before they were beaten.

However, a blow to the head of Captain Mahadeo Ramdial, 44, rendered him unconscious and he subsequently died while making his way to shore.

Arjune, a father of one and of Lot 146 Kilcoy Squatting Area, recounted he, along with a young fisher Parmanand Nandan, 21, swam for two hours before they were rescued.

Today, he is thankful for life. Speaking with Guyana Chronicle, Arjune said he has been a victim of piracy four times before while plying his trade in the Corentyne River, but he was never harmed as the pirates only collected the catch and engine.

He said after the last ordeal, he decided not to return to the sea, and was even encouraged by his mother and other family members who feared for his safety.

“I get down courage suh me nah guh back,” he told this publication.

Even though Permaul has left the high seas, he did not give up fishing. His catch now comes from this village and surrounding communities.

Arjune Permaul

“Life goes on, I have to make a living, no body nah provide for me so I does catch meh lil fish and walk and sell around here, me does throw cast net and set saine.”

One thing he missed though is earning the big income but he said he would not trade it for his life.

“I was able to take care of myself and help meh mother if this thing nah happen I would ah still deh out there,” he said.

The incident with Arjune was the most recent pirate attack; the other attack happened about a year earlier. In May 2016, where three fishing vessels were attacked by a gang of men, leaving one dead, three still missing.

The surviving captain on one of the vessels Harripersaud Persaud, 43, swam for over three hours before he was rescued and notified the authorities of the attack.

SIGH OF RELIEF

From then to now, fishermen have breathed a sigh of relief after being tormented by pirates every few months, especially within the period 2011 to 2015.

During this period, families were left without breadwinners and millions in investments (seine, engines, fuel, catch and boats) were lost to piracy.

The current administration during the 2016 elections campaign had promised to help fishers once in power and has since delivered on this promise.

The authorities have been able to the capture and convict several persons, including those that committed the attack of Persaud and others.

Upper Corentyne Fishermen Co-op Chairman Pameshwar Jainarine

Despite the decrease in the frequency of attacks, piracy still remains a threat to the lives of the men who ply their trade out at sea and the government and the fisherfolks are still putting measures in place to ensure the safety of the thousands who depend on this trade for their livelihood.

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan said his Ministry is working feverishly to have boats that operate, registered and fitted with transponders so that authorities can be aware of their locations in the event of an attack and respond promptly.

PROCESS SLOW

This process, he said, has not been moving as fast as he would like.

“We haven’t gotten their full cooperation but a lot of the boat people have already registered, because I believe they had to get some licensing arrangements done through the Ministry of Agriculture but most are using fishing licenses from out of Suriname so the Surinamese authorities know a number of them but I have been trying to get all of them registered so we can develop a system of transponders, but a number of these fishermen with their boats, their culture has remain static. They have not moved forward, they don’t want to think in terms of modern things and the transponders is affordable which is nothing compared to what they may lose in an attack,” he said.

Chairman of the Upper Corentyne Fishermen Co-op Pameshwar Jainarine, who was high in praise for the police and government for the decline in attacks, but also shares the view that more still needs to be done.

“The judicial system needs to act in a timely manner. What we find happens is that many times the cases are called and then postponed and that surpass a year. It shouldn’t be that way. Then eventually we find the men are released. So if there are witnesses that want to come forward after the case is called, two to three years after they get fed up and no longer want to testify,” he said.

A fisherman assembles a seine that needs repairs after several fishing trips

He also shares the minister’s view that communication is vital for the overall safety and well-being of the 600-plus fishermen who work out of the Number 66 Fishery.

“We have the transmitters set up already and we get the master radio and we are planning to have each boat equipped with a radio set. The application was approved by the FMU and we will now source the radios,” said Jainarine.

Many are of the view that the gang members who were carrying out the pirate attacks are behind bars and fishers generally feel a sense of safety.

 

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