— as families of missing tell of their struggles

Just over two weeks after the deadly pirate attacks in Surinamese waters left more than a dozen fishermen dead, Deonarine Goberdan, 47, a father of 17 children and who survived the massacre plans to return to the sea.

Goberdan, also called “Patar”, said fishing is his life and he does not prefer to do any other job to earn a living.
The Guyana Chronicle understands that several fishermen, who were initially reluctant, returned to the sea on Saturday and the Surinamese authorities have regularised the Guyanese fishers in that country.

Goberdan, who is expected to follow suit, was the captain of the ‘Romeina’, one of the four vessels with 20 fishermen aboard who were brutally attacked by a band of pirates in Surinamese waters on April 27.
The father related that the attack occurred at around 18:30hrs and that he drifted for 22hrs before reaching shore, which was eight miles away from where the assault occurred at sea.

On reaching land, weak and battered but not broken, Goberdan notified the nearest police station of his travails and what happened to his colleagues.
Three members of his crew remain missing and are feared dead. His crew members on the day of the attack were Tillacknauth Mohabir called “Caiman”, 51; Bharrat Heeralall called “Cool Record”; “Palam”; and Mahesh Sarjoo called “Vishal”.

The body of Sarjoo, 35, who was the second of four siblings, was identified by relatives who recognised a tattoo on his left arm. His sister, Shanti Sarjoo, described the feeling as one of the hardest in her life.

“It was very painful having to stand there seeing him in that condition,” she said as she pleaded with the authorities to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
“My brother was loving to everyone. He was always supportive to the
family and had been working and saving his money. He was a quiet
person who didn’t deserve to die like that,” Shanti said.
The ‘Romeina’ is still missing and is believed to have been taken by the pirates.

Another vessel attacked, the ‘Joshua’, which is owned by Rosey Jones was found submerged. It was allegedly sunk by the pirates following their attack.
The captain of the vessel ‘Aki Bai, who was the lone survivor on his boat, has since gone into hiding fearing for his life after the attack.

His crew members were Lalta Persaud called “Sunil and Pudduck”, 43, a father of four daughters and who had migrated to Suriname some 18 years ago and was working as a carpenter, but would do fishing whenever the construction sector is slow.

SOLE BREADWINNER
His mother, Agnis DeCout, told Guyana Chronicle that her son was the sole breadwinner of his family. One of his daughters is disabled and requires
24 hrs of care due to her condition.
In tears, the woman,63, is hoping that her son is alive.

“I am 63 years old. I cannot go back to work to support my grandchildren, his wife has to be there to take care of them; one is handicapped so she (wife) can’t go out to work. I am hoping and praying he comes home alive because I don’t know what will happen to them girls, things hard in Suriname and Pudduck was a hard worker just to make sure his family gets what they needed,” the mother said.

The others on the boat were “Spanish Man”, “Bandara” and “Mukesh”.

The name of the third boat is unknown but it had on board Ramesh Sanchara called “Ravo”; Ramnarine Singh, 49; Looknarine Persaud called “Kleine”; Rajendra Bissessar and the Captain Dharmendrew Persaud, who was also one of the survivors.

The last boat, the `Shifanie’ owned by Hemnlall Ramsarran, was attacked around 01:00 hrs on April 28.

Danesh Persaud called “Vicky”, 27, of Sheet Anchor, East Canje, a father of two children, ages two and four, was the captain of that vessel. Relatives told this publication that they are positive his body was the first to have been washed up on shore and is awaiting DNA testing to confirm his identity.

MY ROCK MAY NOT RETURN
His reputed wife of six years, Tarmattie Ibrahim called “Kavita”, said she has no one else close to her since both her parents are deceased.
Her children are still unaware that their father may never be returning home and are eagerly awaiting his return, which would have been at the end of this fishing trip.
Tarmattie is a full-time housewife and does not know where to start or has anywhere to go, since her husband took care of her financially.

Persaud’s crew members were a cousin, Ralph Anthony Couchman called
“Brunham”, 22, a lad from Sheet Anchor who was on his third fishing trip looking to make a start in his life. His mother, Nandranie Sukra, said he was
the youngest of five siblings but was the main breadwinner in the family.
The young man was advised to stay home but decided to board the fishing vessel to help take care of his poor family.

Another young man on the boat was Glendroy Jones called “Alkaline” and
“Joshua”, aged 20 years. He is a Guyanese national living in Suriname and is the youngest of five siblings. Jones’ family described him as a happy young man who lit up a room whenever he stepped in.

The others on the `Shifanie’ were Gowkaran Outar called “Gavin”, 33, and
Sherwin Lovell, 35. Outar’s body was washed up at the Number 63 Beach last Thursday and Lovell was the lone survivor on his boat.
He drifted for over 18 hours at sea before reaching land and he wandered for four days before finding other fishermen who notified the police of what had happened to him.
Unfortunately, just two days after he had recuperated, his reputed wife, Michelle Carol, passed away from an illness. Only five of the 20 fishermen have survived the attack so far; the bodies of four have washed up onshore while 11 are feared dead
Authorities in both Guyana and Suriname have arrested a number of persons in connection with the attack, as they intensify their investigations.

They have been closely following several persons who were identified as suspects, and believe that it is just a matter of time before all the perpetrators are caught and placed before the courts.