SCORES of fishermen on the Essequibo Coast are calling on the government and Ministries of Legal Affairs and Agriculture to ensure that the three captured pirates are not given bail.

Fishermen are calling for the full force of the law to be enforced on the pirates who over the past years have caused their livelihood to be destroyed.
One fisherman Bharrat Kallicharran of Paradise Village said he cannot return to sea to continue his fishing business because pirates have attacked him twice at sea and took away his outboard engines.
Mr Kallicharran said in 2010 pirates attacked him just off the Moruca Sea Coast in the North West District and burnt his boat. His new 15 HP engine was stolen by the pirates.
He recalled that he took another outboard 15 HP engine from Courts Store on credit terms to continue his fishing business but on February 3, 2012, pirates again attacked him and his crew just off the Pomeroon River mouth and stole his engine. He said they also cut his 500 pounds seine that was drifting and tied to his boat.
The fisherman said he lost all his seine and engine worth more than $1.2M
Kallicharran said he has not gotten help from any source to help him go back to sea. However, the fisherman said investigators must get the truth from the pirates concerning the attacks in 2010 and February of this year and trace the whereabouts of the stolen engines.
Kallicharran said he is looking forward to getting back his two outboard engines.
Another fisherman, Mr Tillack also of Paradise Village said he lost his engine to pirates in the February attack. The fisherman said he is still working at sea but with a very old engine which is giving lots of problems. He said his loss is more than $900,000.
Fisherman Motie Lall Mohabeer said in the February, 2012 attack pirates broke up his boat which sank with all his fishing equipment in the Atlantic Ocean.
Mr. Lall said it cost him some $1.2M to repair and send back his boat to sea.
Fishermen said they are very fearful while at sea and are again calling for no bail for the pirates. They said if the pirates are given bail fishermen lives would be at stake while at sea and the fishing industry would be seriously affected.
Fisherman are also calling for the army floating base to be quickly set up and more coastguard boats should be on patrol especially around fishing grounds 24 hours round the clock.