–authorities appeal for identification documents of missing men

The authorities in Suriname on Friday morning brought shore the  bodies of two men, deemed to be that of several missing fishermen , including Guyanese who were thrown overboard in brutal circumstances a week ago by pirates.

At the same time , fishing activities at the ports in the neighbouring country have stalled as boat owners and operators have refused to venture out to sea in fear of an attack at the hands of pirates. This has led to an increase in the price of fish in Suriname , an industry which is dominated by Guyanese.

The bodies which were brought into Paramaribo by the Suriname Coastguard on Friday morning were previously located but challenges in the terrain prevented rescuers from retrieving them.

Twelve fishermen remain missing . They are Vickey Persaud, Ramesh Sanchara, Glenroy Jones, Tikaknauth Mohabir, Randy Burnette, Bobby Ibrahim, Bharat Heralall, Ralph Anthony Couchman, Rajkumar Bissesar, Sunil called “Paddock” and Olenski Maxwell.

Five of twenty fishermen have so far emerged alive while four have been discovered dead. Among the four is Ganesh Persaud called “Vickey” of Number 2 Village, East Canje Berbice whose body was brought ashore earlier this week.

On Friday , the Suriname police invited relatives of the missing fishermen to visit the department Kapitale Delicten at Havenlaan Zuid Number1 and take along identification documents including  ID cards and passports.

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. Suriname President , Desi Bouterse has described the entire episode as 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.

Between Friday night and Saturday morning last weekend, four boats with 16 fishermen were attacked by pirates off the Suriname coast in what is seen as a “revenge attack” masterminded by siblings. The men’s brother was murdered by gunmen late in March and reports are that the siblings , led by one “Sinbad” and his brother Nakool Manohar called “Fyah” , are behind the attacks since the men believe that fishermen were behind the murder of their brother.
The fallout stemmed from competition on the fishing grounds in the neighbouring country.

Police in Berbice arrested  ‘Fyah’  a prominent figure in the fishing industry here on Wednesday at his Number 43 Village home in East Berbice, Corentyne and is said to be assisting with investigations. Several arrests have been made in Suriname as well.

There have been reports of another pirate attack on Wednesday night, however , National Coordinating Center for Disaster Management (NCCR) head , Jerry Slijngaard told the media in Suriname that he has not received official confirmation.