NEWS out of neighbouring Suriname is that the Minister of Justice and Police there, Mr Stuart Getrouw has agreed to grant legal status to those Guyanese fishermen living and operating there illegally.

“We are pleased that you are frank about the illegality; we are working on it because we cannot just take you out of the country. You
need us and we also need you,” Getrouw was quoted by the Surinamese daily, Starnieuws, as saying last Friday during a meeting with the fishermen.

The minister has also given the go-ahead for the men to return to sea the following day, and his word that their safety will be guaranteed both aerially and on the ground by way of coast guard patrols.

The announcement was reportedly met with mixed emotion, as everyone at the meeting was in agreement that they needed to get back to work, but were more afraid of what awaited them if they dared.

Said Hemanlall Ramsarran, one of whose vessels was involved in the April 27 mayhem:
“The minister said they will have aerial support and boats in the water; I am hoping we can get enough to guarantee the safety of everyone, because every day the boats were docked we lost money.

“But lives are more important, so safety comes first.”
The decision to grant the Guyanese an amnesty of sorts is reportedly in recognition of their invaluable contribution to the Surinamese economy, more particularly the fishing sector which contributes some $45M annually to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Reports are that of the approximately 6,500 persons employed in the Surinamese fishing industry, most are either Guyanese or have Guyanese roots. Chairman of the Surinamese fishermen’s coop, Mr Willem Mohamedhoesein puts the number of illegals in the Surinamese fishing industry closer to over 80%.

ON HIGH ALERT
He was quoted in Monday’s edition of Starnieuws as saying that he is pleased with the way the Surinamese authorites have handled the matter, in that they’ve put safety measures in place to protect fishermen, whether Guyanese or not. The presence of the Navy, the Coast Guard, the police and helicopters, he said, is clearly visible, particularly the Nieuw Amsterdam police station where police are on high alert.

Mohamedhoesein made the point that while the Surinamese fishermen are generally not interested in going to sea, the Guyanese are the mainstay of the industry and are needed to be able to continue the economic activity, so that the sector does not collapse.
According to Starnieuws, the first fishing boats set sail on Saturday, and are now obliged to put together a crew list as mandated by the fishermen’s cooperative, the Visserscollectief.
The Maritime Authority of Suriname also has the crew list of vessels that go to sea, says Mr Mark Lall, secretary of the fishermen’s cooperative.
He says that with a crew list, it can safely be assumed that there will no longer be any confusion about who is or is not on the intended vessel.

Starnieuws said that after the pirate attack of April 27, it was an uphill task for the authorities to find out who exactly was on the attacked boats.
Up to now, it has been assumed that there were at least 20 people on the four vessels. Five fishermen survived the brutal attack off the coast near the Wia Wiabank. There are four corpses, three in Suriname that have not yet been identified, and one in Guyana, where the family has already confirmed who it is. It is assumed that there are still 11 fishermen missing from the attack.

The newspaper quotes Lall as saying that the presence of the coastguard and defense in inland navigation has somewhat restored a sense of security among fishermen, and that the expectation is that in the coming days, the other vessels will also depart for the sea again.
Lall says that the Surinamese authorities have not given up the search for the missing fishermen, as the coastguard and defense are still on the lookout, as are the fishermen who are setting back out to sea.