– President calls piracy attack massacre
– alleged mastermind held in Corentyne, six arrested in Suriname

IN the wake of the most horrific act of piracy within recent times in which four boats were attacked between Friday evening and Saturday morning off the Waiwai Bank in neighbouring Suriname, allegedly by Guyanese pirates, authorities have been ‘tightening the screws’ from both sides in an effort to capture the perpetrators.
President David Granger on Thursday called the incident a massacre and announced that a day of mourning will be formally observed for the men who were killed. “We are deeply grieved by the tragedy; clearly some Guyanese have been victims, and we are in touch with Surinamese Government and also the Surinamese police authorities and our police in the ‘B’ Division, which is the East Berbice Corentyne Division, are in touch with the families and we plan to observe formal mourning. It is a massacre, it is a great tragedy,” President Granger said.

He told reporters that his administration has been very successful over the last three years in curbing piracy, “so this has come as a great setback and we extend sympathy to the families.”

His Surinamese counterpart, Desi Bouterse, who was returning from a trip to Brazil, held a brief press conference as he touched down to address the issue. The Surinamese leader said the entire episode was a “sad thing that happened” and pledged “to leave no stone unturned” as he confirmed the collaboration between Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana to bring those responsible to justice.
Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan has referred to the incident as a “brutal crime” and has confirmed Guyanese law enforcement has been in contact with officials since Saturday last. He confirmed that due to the Piracy Act and the crime of murder, Guyana will be involved in the investigations, but given that it’s a sovereign country, caution will be taken to ensure boundaries are not overstepped. He, however, assured Guyanese that every effort will be made to bring the perpetrators to justice. To this end he is also planning to meet all the relatives of the victims over the course of the weekend, as soon as the identities of the missing men are confirmed.

ACT OF REVENGE

Meanwhile, Police in ‘B’ Division have confirmed the arrest of the brother of the alleged mastermind of the piracy attack, as fingers point to a “revenge act” as the main reason behind the deadly act. The man identified as Nakool Manohar called ‘Fyah’ a prominent figure in the Berbice fishing industry, was arrested by police sometime on Wednesday at his Number 43 Village home in East Berbice, Corentyne, and is said to be assisting with investigations.

It is alleged that Nakool’s brother, ‘Sinbad’ was fingered by a survivor as being the mastermind behind the gruesome attack on the 20 men. According to information reaching Guyana Chronicle ‘Sinbad’ launched the attack on the men in an effort to take revenge for the murder of another sibling, Somnath Manohar, who was gunned down in Suriname on March 30th, allegedly at the hands of fishermen.

‘WE COME TO KILL’
Survivors recalled the pirates declaring “we come to kill” as they boarded the boats. During the onslaught, men were reportedly shot, chopped, beaten and tied to heavy objects and thrown overboard. Their boats and engines were damaged to ensure they had no chance of survival.
However, relatives of Nakool have since issued a statement condemning his arrest and have fingered a businessman on the East Coast of Demerara as being the one who paid for the hit on his brother in Suriname. The family is contending that Nakool has not been at sea for over 10 years, but instead has a fleet of boat that works for him. This they say cannot place him in Suriname during the attack and believe they are being fingered in the attack by workers of the said East Coast businessman with whom he has a rift, after he refused to supply him with fish. Two other persons were also arrested on the Corentyne late Thursday; they are reportedly persons of interest in the pirate attack.

SIX HELD IN SURINAME
Over in Suriname, unconfirmed reports are that at least six men were arrested and are said to have been pointed out as being part of the pirate crew who attacked the men. Earlier on Thursday, another person suspected to be a pirate was handed over to police by fishermen in Niew Amsterdam. As word spread, many flocked to the station to get a glimpse of the man. So far four bodies, believed to be those of the sixteen missing fishermen in Friday’s piracy attack, have been recovered. Another five of the men survived. The bodies of the four were found on Wednesday as the search continues and only one was reportedly identified. The others have not yet been returned to the docks as authorities are awaiting the tide to retrieve them. As the search continues for the missing men, more relatives are journeying to the neighbouring country to get answers for themselves.