GUYANA has condemned, in its strongest possible terms, the most recent harassment of Guyanese fisherfolk by the Surinamese Government, inclusive of its failure to grant licences to local fishermen in keeping with a commitment made to President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, on November 26, 2020, during a visit to Suriname.

According to a statement issued by Guyana, during the November 2020 visit, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, met with Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Minister of Suriname, Parmanand Sewdien and requested the issuance of 150 SK licences which will allow Guyanese fishermen to ply their trade in Suriname Ocean waters.

The statement noted that Minister Mustapha recalled the earlier discussions between President Ali and the President of Suriname, Chandrikapersaud Santokhi, that there should be an agreement on the issuance of the number of licences requested by Guyana.

Minister Sewdien also indicated that his Government would form a company that will deal with the issuing of licences to the Guyanese fishermen.
At the last meeting of President Ali and President Santokhi in Georgetown, it was agreed that by January 1, 2022, arrangements would have been put in place to facilitate the issuance of the 150 SK licences to Guyanese fishermen.

Taking into account this decision, Minister Mustapha communicated the names of the persons interested in being issued licences via a letter dated November 16, 2021 to his Surinamese counterpart.
“To date, the Government of Guyana has not been advised on the status of the establishment of the company referred to, nor on the issuance of the licences.

“In the absence of the issuance of these licences, our fisherfolk continue to face harassment at the hands of the Surinamese authorities, including fishing vessels [being] stranded in Suriname and cannot return to Guyana for fear of losing their licences. The Government of Guyana, therefore, calls on the Government of Suriname to not renege in its commitment and to make known the current position of the issuance of the licences,” the statement concluded.