— one year after deadly pirate attacks in Suriname

“WE gone from waking up hoping to see him home, to the realisation he’s never returning,” said Jennel Jones, sister of Glenroy Jones, called ‘Alkaline’ and ‘Joshua’, who disappeared during a brutal pirate attack one year ago.

Glenroy’s body was among 10 Guyanese who were never found after the gruesome attack between April 27 and 28, 2018 at Wai Wai, Suriname. The onslaught was reportedly carried out by fellow fishermen.

“My mom now returning to her old self, but she still cries often, and whenever she talk is about him,” Jennel said as her family tries to recover from the painful loss.

At around 18:30 hrs on April 27, 2018 the first of four boats, each of which had five crew members, was hijacked. Later that night, the others were hijacked. The terror ended early the next day.  In total, 20 fishermen, many of whom were the sole breadwinners of their families, were mercilessly attacked; the majority did not survive to tell the tale.

Their catch was looted, and engines and boats destroyed. They were beaten, shot at, chopped, burnt with hot oil, sprayed with gasoline and told to jump overboard or be burnt alive. Some were weighted with heavy objects, such as boat anchors and batteries, and thrown overboard.

In the aftermath of the incident, four bodies washed ashore, five miraculously survived, and 11 were never seen again. The youngest victim was 20, while the oldest was 63.

Following the incident, the Governments of Guyana and Suriname sprang into action, with Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan travelling to Suriname with high-ranking officials from the Guyana Police Force. There, the top law enforcement officials met and shared intelligence.

Their investigations led to the capture of the alleged mastermind, Nakool Manohar called, ‘Fyah’, and his alleged head henchman, Premchand Persaud, called ‘Sinbad’.  Both men are on remand in Guyana, along with another.

Investigators believe that the motive behind the attack was revenge, reportedly over an incident which occurred on March 30, 2018. According to reports, Nakool’s brother, an alleged pirate named Somnauth Mahonar, was shot killed in a drive-by shooting, reportedly at the hands of other fishermen.

Over in Suriname, nine persons remain in custody facing charges, including relatives of Manohar. According to the Guyana Chronicle’s sources, Surinamese prosecutors are requesting a minimum 25-year sentence for those who were accessories to the murder, and 35 for those who carried out the attacks.

Locally, the matter is still engaging the court, and some 33 witnesses have given statements to the police.

HELP

Since the incident, the Guyana Government has given one-off $100,000 compensation to some of the families of the victims to help them return to normalcy.

While the cash was appreciated, the families believe that much more could have been done. They say that they are still haunted by the incident, and are still struggling to move on.

Tarmattie Ibrahim, called ‘Kavita’, now a single-parent of two, has been a nomad since the incident. She has moved from one place to another, as she tries to provide for herself and two children, ages three and five.  It took her almost an entire year before she was able to explain to her children that their father will no longer come back home.

“This is the hardest thing I had to do; they still don’t understand, and every time they keep asking when daddy coming home. Easter, everybody with their families. This is hard, really hard,” she said.

Her husband, Danesh Persaud, called ‘Vicky, 27, was the captain of
‘Shifanie’, the last boat believed to have been attacked sometime after 01:00 hrs on April 28, 2018, a Saturday morning.  His crew members were Ralph Anthony Couchman, called, ‘Brunham’, 22; Glendroy Jones, 20; Gowkaran Outar, called ‘Gavin’, and ‘Longhair’, 33; and Sherwin Lovell, 35. Lovell was the lone survivor, after drifting for over 18 hours at sea before reaching land, where he wandered for four days before finding other fishermen who notified the police.

The other survivors are Deonarine Goberdan, called ‘Patar’, 47, a father of 17; and captain of the ‘Romenia’, Dharamdeo Persaud, called ‘Achieboy’ and ‘Creature’, 63. He was the captain of the ‘Joshua’, along with two other survivors, who asked not to be named.

The victims identified in the attacks were Tillacknauth Mohabir, called
‘Caiman’, 51; Bharrat Heeralall, called ‘Cool Record’; Mahesh Sarjoo, called ‘Vishal;, 35; Ramesh Sanchara, called ‘Ravo’; Ramnarine Singh, 49; Looknarine Persaud, called ‘Klune’; and Rajendra Bissessar.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, Mark Lall, head of the Surinamese fishermen co-op society, Vissers collecttief, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.

“We, as Vissers Collecttief,” he said, “mark the incident as a dark day in the history of our hardworking fisherfolk, and would like to wish the families of these fishermen that never came back from sea, strength and comfort, knowing that their loved ones were out at sea, doing what they loved and cared for,” he said.

From their Surinamese home, the relatives of Mahesh Sarjoo told the Guyana Chronicle that each day that goes by, they pray that justice prevails. They related that Sarjoo is missed, and will always be remembered.