-in meeting with Corentyne fishermen

By Nafeeza Yahya
MINISTER of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan on Wednesday met with fishermen and families of victims of the recent pirate attack which left one man dead and three others missing.

In addressing the fisher folk, he described the incident as “an act of terror”, since the perpetrators reportedly confessed to tying the men to the boat’s anchor before throwing them overboard.

This has since dispelled hopes of finding the men alive, and the search is now on to retrieve the bodies in order to bring closure for the families.

Minister Ramjattan said while he wanted to meet earlier with the men who were attacked, he was keeping a close eye on the investigations and wanted to ensure all resources were directed towards finding the perpetrators.
He extended condolences on behalf of himself and the Government to the families of the victims, and congratulated the police for using the information on hand and acting swiftly to capture the men.

By the same token, he called out “rogue cops’’ who use the excuse of jurisdiction to not fight pirates. He called on the fishermen to let him know if that happens.

He also assured them of the Government’s stance against corruption, and noted that at least 28 cops have been dismissed because of corruption or complacency.

Ramjattan said he recognized that too many lives and properties are being lost at sea, and assured that the Government would do everything in its power to ensure reduction, if not total elimination, of high-seas piracy.

In this light he proposed some initiatives that will soon be implemented. these include:
* A more stringent registration process for the boats, and detailed information on the names, addresses and other details of the captain and crew before they go out to sea.
This responsibility, he said, should fall on the fishermen’s co-op societies, since they are central to the area and would be able to verify the references provided by the fishermen. Once everything is satisfactory, they would be issued with a pass of some sort similar to the driver’s licence, by which they can verify the identity of the captain and the vessel assigned to him and his crew

*  Equipping all fishing vessels with communication devices such as radios, so they can give early warning of any suspicious activities or attacks. Minister Ramjattan said he understands the communication devices may be costly to acquire, but a life is costlier than the equipment, thus he urged the fisher folks to seriously consider equipping their vessels with the device as an option.

* Provision of guns while at sea, but lodging the weapons with the police upon return to land. Minster Ramjattan said he wanted to implement this as soon as possible, but was met with some opposition when he announced it sometime last year.

He was informed that the Upper Corentyne Fishermen’s Society now has a new management committee that supports this option. The fisher folks promised to let the minister know formally, so that he can get this measure implemented as soon as possible. The minister assured that once they are in agreement, the necessary regulations would be put in place to avoid their being locked up by Surinamese authorities for possession of a firearm

* Closer working relations with Surinamese patrols

* Increased marine and aerial patrols

Among the concerns raised was that the law will allow perpetrators to be placed on bail and they would soon be back to their old tricks. The minister assured that, through the Piracy Act, the men recently arrested have been charged for murder, which is not a bailable offence, and they will remain in custody until the trial is over.

There was also the call for compensation for the families of the victims. The minister assured that Government would do all it can to assist the affected families to ensure that children are kept in school and are afforded a proper education.

Ramjattan assured that, while it will take some time, Government is working to ensure piracy is a thing of the past. He called on the community to come forward with information, since they know the people better than the police; and he said that by sharing information with the police they can prevent the acts from recurring.

Also present at the meeting were Regional Executive Officer Dr.Veersammy Ramayyah and representative of the Prime Minister’s Office, Gobin Harbajan.