FORTY-NINE-YEAR-OLD Chinese restaurateur Tai Hong Fen was on Sunday night beaten and robbed by armed bandits as he was about to close his business at Lot 23 Edinburgh Village, East Bank Berbice shortly after 22:00hrs.Recalling the incident in a deep Cantonese accent, Fen said he decided to close the family-run Four Sea restaurant at about 22.00hrs even though there were a few customers drinking beverages.

“The customers left, and I was about to close the door when one of the bandits went into the business and asked to purchase a hundred-dollar-worth of cigarettes. He presented a thousand-dollar bill. Seconds later, two other identifiable males with cutlasses forced their way into the shop,” a visibly shaken Fen said.

“I tried to run to the kitchen, and in doing so, I failed to close the inner door dividing the restaurant and the kitchen. One viced me while another, both sporting dreadlocks, cuffed me in my eye and beat me. And they asked, ‘Whey the money deh!’
“They break the drawers and took out cash, an Alcatel cellular phone valued $40,000, and $56,000 in phone cards. Not satisfied with what they got, they took me upstairs where my 14-year-old daughter Daulisa was asleep. One of the bandits began choking her (whilst) asking for more money. After they started to beat her, I opened the chest-of-drawers and gave them money totalling $365,000.

“One of the bandits fired a chop to my left hand and right eye, before escaping in a yellow car HC 214,” Fen detailed.

The injured father and daughter were taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where they were treated and sent away. The restaurateur said his business would be closed for a few days until he fully recuperates from the ordeal.

This is the second robbery attack on Mr. Fen. The first was committed in 2002 when he was operating a business at Rose Hall Town during the period of a bandit rampage wherein three persons were killed. During that ordeal, one of the bandits dressed as a member of the Police Black Clothes Squad had ordered Fen out of his business premises, claiming that he was wanted at the police outpost just next door.

Fen, operating the Jen Fu Chinese restaurant, said he was serving customers from the bar when he noticed that someone looking like a “Black Clothes” Police carrying “a long rifle” had entered his premises.

“They said they wanted me at the station, so I went across”, Fen related.
He said that while he was at the outpost, he saw four other men dressed like the “Black Clothes” Police, who suddenly ordered him not to scream “and everything will be alright”. He said they proceeded to remove his gold chain, valued at $35,000 along with cash totalling $145,000 which was in his trousers pocket.

At about that time, the gunmen had already been holding the ranks on duty at gunpoint. Fen said he and Constable Chetram were placed in the lockups at the outpost, while the now deceased Constable Pardat was held hostage.

The men had severed all communication links, including telephone lines and radio.

Chetram was relieved of his uniform and revolver; and Pardatt was forced to accompany the men to where they eventually escaped via the Atlantic Ocean.

Given the timing of the events, it appears that after the attack on the Police outpost, the gang then attacked the premises of two businessmen, brothers who lived in the same yard at Rose Hall Town.
Following that Rose Hall incident, Fen moved to New Amsterdam, then to Edinburgh where he recommenced his business operation a year ago.

Investigations are continuing.