Latest update April 17th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jun 12, 2016 News
It has been two weeks since armed pirates attacked three fishing vessels off the coast of Guyana and threw five fishermen overboard resulting in the death of one.
While the families of the missing fishermen have given up hope of their survival, hope grows dimmer that even their bodies will be recovered.
Dhanpaul Rampaul, of No. 67 Village, Corentyne; Dochand Sukra, aka ‘Bucher”, 54, of No. 55 Village, Corentyne; and Munesh Churram, aka “Boyo”, 26 were all tied to an anchor and thrown overboard by five pirates armed with cutlasses on Friday May 27, last, during a brazen 11:00 hrs attack at sea.
Their colleague, 44-year-old Hemchand Sukdeo’s dead body was discovered hours later entangled in the fishing seine of another boat. Only the captain of the vessel, Seepersaud Persaud, 43 of No.78 Village, Corentyne who was also thrown overboard lived to tell the horrific tale.
The captain of the ill-fated vessel “Rosanna 664” recalling the dreadful ordeal to this publication that he and four crew members were aboard a boat in the Lower Shell area, Nickerie, when another boat with five men armed with cutlasses came up alongside.
The armed men boarded his boat and took away two 48HP outboard motor engines, tied up the four crew members and threw Persaud overboard.
“One of dem start holler seh lemme throw dem overboard and me start beg and me beg dem and because me beg, dem throw me overboard and go away with me crew,” Persaud said.
He was subsequently rescued by the crew of another fishing vessel in the area after drifting for some time. The other crew members were held captive and assisted the hijackers in robbing two other vessels.
At the end of the ordeal, the bandits threw Hemchand Sukdeo and the other crew members overboard after severely beating him. Sukdeo’s body was subsequently found entangled in a seine with a chop wound to his head. The pirates, executing their second hijacking, relieved a vessel “Ackbar SK 1509”, carrying a captain and crew of four of over $600,000 in fish.
Owner of that vessel, Clet Natoo, stated that according to information given to him by his crew members, the hijackers doused the entire boat with gasoline and threatened to set it alight but did not carry out the act.
Police subsequently arrested five fishermen in connection with the piracy attack. Ramchan Latchman, 23, married and a father of two of No. 65 Village, Corentyne; Ganesh Naidoo, 41, of No71 Village; Ramesh Singh, 53, of Liverpool Village, a father of two, Stephen Leon Leacock, 19, of 366, No. 77 Village and Leon Sammy, 29, married and father of one of Lot 1 No. 75 Village, all of Corentyne, Berbice were all charged with the murder of crew member Hemchand Sukdeo.
LOSING HOPE
Wife of Dhanpaul Rampaul, 34-year-old Bulaire Kellawan, stated that she lost hope that her husband is still alive. “Da was de fuss time he go out to sea and he can’t swim. Police tell me seh dem man ah hold out seh dem anchor dem suh if dah happen, me husband dead cause he can’t swim”.
Bularie said that her husband of 17 years always wanted to venture into the fishing business. “He always want do fishing but he does tell am seh you can’t swim suh if something fah happen what you gon do”.
The wife of Munesh Churram, Tajpatie Suseran, said that she is has high hopes that her husband of four years is still alive. “I know it in my heart that he’s still alive. Some days it’s hard but I still carry on hope that he is alive. He loves his children and I know he misses them. He will come home to see them”.
His wife mentioned that she has not received an update on the ongoing search adding that the last she heard was the search is still ongoing.
SEARCH CALLED OFF
Commander of ‘B’ Division, Assistant Commissioner Ian Amsterdam told this publication that the search has been called off for the three missing fishermen. The Commander stated that the family members of the missing men are still conducting searches in the area with hopes of recovering the bodies of the men. Amsterdam also added that the case file was sent to the DDP to institute further charges.
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