…vessel found abandoned, blood-stained seine, other items recovered

By Nafeeza Yahya

A CORENTYNE fisherman was found dead and three of his colleagues are still missing in what appeared to be a hit in the Corentyne River sometime between October 5, 2019 and last Friday. The worst fear of four families was confirmed on Saturday as one family positively identified one of their missing family members whose body washed ashore on Friday.

The men, Kawal Kissoon called ‘Ajay,’ 36, Lot 233 Letter Kenny; Marvin Tamessar called ‘Buddy’ 20 of Lot 305 Miss Pheobe: Lamar Petrie also 20 of Miss Pheobe, as well and the captain, 20-year-old Vishnu Seeram called ‘Kevin’ of Lot 76 Miss Pheobe, all villages in East Berbice Corentyne, left the #65 Fishing Wharf on Saturday the October 5, destined for Surinamese waters in the Sara One vessel.

The vessel was spotted sometime last Friday by a resident of Cromarty, Corentyne who reported the discovery to the police. The crew was expected to return around the October 19, 2019, however, when the Sara One was found grounded and abandoned at the Cromarty Foreshore with the engine and seine missing, as well as the personal belongings of the fishermen still onboard, family members immediately
realised something was amiss.

A few hours later, family members of one of the fishermen were informed of a body that was found bound and battered at Abary, West Berbice. The body was, on Saturday, positively identified as that of 36-year-old Kawal Kissoon.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, a devastated Tashmanie Seecharan said she last saw her husband on the day he left for sea and also spoke to him via phone that same day late in the afternoon. She related that on Friday evening, at around 21:30hrs, she was awakened by a police patrol who gave her the sad news that the boat on which her husband left to go to sea was found abandoned. In tears, she related that the following morning she, along with the relatives of the other men, was taken to the Cromarty Foreshore where she was able to identify her husband’s belongings. “I found his clothes, his ID card and other things but when I saw the chopper with a lot of blood on the seine I became very worried and started to pray hoping that he is safe and will return.”

However, when she received a call at around 15:00hrs on Saturday to go over, along with the other relatives, to identify the body that was brought to Fort Wellington Hospital, she was still optimistic he would show up alive but her fears were confirmed when she recognised the tattoo on his arm.
“There was no flesh on his face so it was hard to say who it was, but then I recognised the words ‘King’ from a tattoo we had taken together…he had ‘king’ and I had ‘queen’…now the king is no more”

she sobbed. Kissoon leaves to mourn his wife and two children including an eight-month-old daughter.

Kissoon was the eldest in his crew with all the others being in their 20s.
For Lamar Petrie, this was his maiden trip at sea despite being in the fishing industry for a few
years. His mother explained that he is the eldest of six children and told her on Thursday that he will be going to sea for the first time. The mother of Marvin Tamessar, Sanita Rawana 47, broke down in tears and had to be consoled by other family members as she held a picture of her son. She told the Guyana Chronicle he had left with his cousin, who was the boat’s captain, for the trip. The mother explained her son has been a fisherman for a number of years but this was his first trip with this vessel.

“My husband went to check the boat Saturday morning and when he see all that blood and how them thing deh, he seh he nah feel we son mek it. Whoever do this nah get one heart. Look how them destroy them young boys lives. They only went out there to make a honest living”.

At the home of the captain, villagers and relatives gathered to console the family. Devi Seeram, 17 the sister of ‘Kevin’, said he came over and spent quality time with the entire household before he departed on the morning of October 5, 2019. She noted her brother was a provider and always worked hard to care for his family. Seeram said her brother left with positivity to work hard and clear his debts when he returned. Meanwhile, ‘B’ Division Commander, Calvin Bruttus, has confirmed that his officers are collaborating with the Surinamese authorities in their investigations. The boat had approximately two pounds of fish glue which indicates the men were able to get some fish which was missing at the time of discovery. The boat’s owner, Sharadanand Rabindranauth called “Jerry”, was also questioned by the police.