…Suriname military restricts use of Corentyne River

RESIDENTS of the indigenous villages of Orealla and Siparuta on the Corentyne River are on edge, as fuel, food and other supplies are running low, following an order by the Surinamese military, prohibiting them from utilising the river to travel to Corriverton.
The river is the only means of travel to and from Corriverton, the closest business district to the two riverside villages.

Reports are that since March 30, 2020, the authorities in Paramaribo have restricted travel along the river, as part of nationwide measures, in light of COVID-19.
In a prepared statement, the Orealla Village Council informed residents, over the weekend, that the border between Guyana and Suriname has been closed, due to lockdown measures implemented by Paramaribo.

“They have deployed their military along the river. Our boats are prevented from travelling to and from Corriverton. Hence we are locked down here, no road to anywhere. At present stocks in our shops are very low,” the statement read.

It was noted that the village has run out of fuel for its generator set and mechanical water-pump. In addition, residents were informed that the generators for the telecommunications tower of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) are in need of required maintenance and as such, the village feared that communication would be cut-off if technicians are not able to travel to the area.

Toshao of Orealla, Carl Peneux, told the Guyana Chronicle, on Sunday afternoon, that two boats from the villages are set to leave for Corriverton today for supplies. But he noted that the arrangement remains tentative as the authorities in Suriname have not finalised the granting of permission for villagers to use the river.

“We have an issue of not being able to travel on the river, but we are trying to get permission for two of our boats to go out tomorrow [Monday] morning,” he said.

PENSIONERS, TIMBER, PINEAPPLE BUSINESSES AFFECTED
The village council informed residents that most of the pensioners have not received their pensions for March and April 2020. “We want these pensions to be paid in the villages, the pensioners must not go to Corriverton to be exposed to the coronavirus,” the council said.
Residents of the village depend on logging as a means of earning an income. It was noted, by the village council, that, with the restrictions placed on the use of the river by Suriname, logging and lumber businesses at the village have grinded to a halt. “For over a month we have had over 300 logs which cannot be sold and shipped to Crabwood Creek. The same goes for our chain-saw milled lumber,” the village council said.

Orealla is known for its pineapples, and, according to the village council, pineapple farmers have now started to reap for the season. “These pines cannot be marketed in Corriverton or elsewhere on the coast because we are locked down here. We just can’t use the river,” the village body said.

NO FISHING
According to a resident of Orealla, boats from the area would venture out into the river as persons would go to hunt and catch fish to feed their families. However, this has been “banned” by the Suriname soldiers, a resident said on Sunday, noting that the soldiers would patrol the river daily.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that three boats left the area for Corriverton on Tuesday; two from Orealla and another from Siparuta on Wednesday.
Reports are that on Wednesday, the Surinamese soldiers stopped the boat from Siparuta as it neared Corriverton and informed the captain that he must return to the village as he had no permission to be on the river with passengers.

The Suriname soldiers then forced the passengers to disembark the boat as it neared Crabwood Creek while the captain and boathand were ordered to return to Siparuta. The passengers were left stranded in Corriverton, a resident said.
“We are not going over to Suriname, we are going on our side to Corriverton because we need food and other goods,” the resident noted, while adding “we are running out of supplies and people are panicking and all of that.”

Reports are that the Ministry of Social Protection has been apprised of the issue and residents were told that permission for residents to utilise the Corentyne River on Fridays is being pursued by the authorities, through the National Covid-19 Task Force.

Ownership of the Corentyne River has been a longstanding issue between Guyana and Suriname. Suriname has claimed the river as its territory, and, over the years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guyana, was forced to make public statements on the issue, after military personnel from that country stopped or boarded Guyanese boats operating on the river. “We know it is a problem, but we are convinced that there are possibilities to address the border issue without considering the river as something that separates us, but rather be seen as something that unites us,” President Granger said on the subject of the border controversy back in July 2016 during a state visit to Suriname.