… Upper Corentyne Fishermen’s Co-op Society rejects Stabroek News article
AS intense efforts continue in the search for the five missing Berbice fishermen, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud yesterday reported that aerial searches are also being conducted. Speaking with the press in the boardroom of the Agriculture Ministry, at Regent Street, in Georgetown, the minister said family members are now permitted to enter Suriname to join in the search with authorities there.
Foul play is suspected since the boat was recovered empty in Suriname, without its engine and equipment. Only the ice box was found in it, Chief Fisheries Officer (Ag), Gary Baird, reported at the meeting yesterday.
The boat was discovered on August 20 and the missing men are brothers Khemraj and Narine Dhanpat, known as ‘Rajan’ and ‘Shrimp,’ Ramnarine Oditnarine, called ‘Rodney,’ Clifford Singh called ‘Eggan,’ and Sumesh Matin, called ‘Canje’.
Providing an update, Minister Persaud said a team, which included the Chief Fisheries Officer, fishermen and representatives of the Upper Corentyne Fishermen’s Co-op Society, left Springlands yesterday morning to meet with law-enforcement authorities in Nickerie, Suriname. The Surinamese authorities have reportedly mounted a search already.
The minister said Guyana’s Fisheries Department has been talking with the one in Suriname on a daily basis, as an “all out effort” is currently involved.

Opposition Forces
In this time of distress, Persaud cautioned against political operatives engaging in practices with the intention of scoring political points.
According to him, following his visit to the family of the missing men, a certain opposition political operative visited the relatives and “was trying to milk the situation.”
“And I want to caution. When people are in such distress, it is humane and compassionate that we do not engage in such practice. I know it’s elections time, but we have five fathers, sons, brothers missing. It is not the time for us to be running around the place and trying to abuse the situation, hoping to score political points. It is vulgar for political operatives to be doing so and it is unbecoming of the Stabroek News to have joined that charade,” the minister remarked.
Persaud charged that the Stabroek News has its own agenda and that hard workers were very disappointed to have opened that newspaper yesterday morning to find that the information there on the missing men did not come from the Co-op Society, nor from any other agency.
Meanwhile, the society yesterday issued a press statement rebuking claims and assertions in the article, “Minister broke promises of security for fishermen search” that was published in the yesterday’s edition of the Stabroek News.
The statement said: “Stabroek News chose to use the grieving family of the missing fishermen to carry out their own agenda without sticking to the facts or seeking clarification from the relevant authorities.
“The Ministry of Agriculture’s Fisheries Department was informed by the Chairman of the Upper Corentyne Fishermen’s Co-op Society that five fishermen from the fishing vessel Reshma were missing after departing on a fishing exercise on August 6, 2011.
“Immediately, the Fisheries Department contacted the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Defence Force and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and sought their assistance in searching for the fisherfolks and gathering any information from their counterparts in neighbouring Suriname in relation to the missing fishermen.
“The Ministry of Agriculture has also contacted the Fisheries Department of Suriname, seeking their assistance with information into the whereabouts of the fishermen.
“Further, a search and rescue team departed the Upper Corentyne Fishermen Co-op Society at No. 66 Village on Monday, August 22, in search of the missing fishermen.
“The management of the Co-op remains committed to working with the Ministry of Agriculture, security agencies, and other relevant authorities as the search continues for the missing fishermen.”