Several fishermen rescued by Joint Services’ efforts
–military response being prepared for incident
IN the wake of the brazen piracy attacks which occurred off the coast of the Pomeroon River, Public Works Minister, Robeson Benn yesterday said that overnight on Saturday, a number of fishermen were rescued just east off the Pomeroon River by the police and GDF Coast Guard. He added that after the helicopter mission, a number of stranded fishermen were identified along with some damaged boats, but some of the fishermen were rescued by local efforts and boats passing in the area. Benn told the Guyana Chronicle that the police went out again on Saturday night and brought in a number of fishermen.
The minister said there is a Joint Services’ operation ongoing with the police and GDF Coast Guard, along with other agencies, examining the landing sites and kokers on the Pomeroon Coast to determine what activities are engaged in there and what might have transpired in relation to the piracy incident.
According to him, the situation is being monitored out of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, and some contact has been made with the Ministry of Agriculture. A number of meetings with representatives from the Fisheries Department are imminent to address the activities of the fishermen and determine how best to organise security for the fisher folk and make contact with officials in the event of acts of piracy.
Benn said, “We are asking persons out there in the fishing industry and around areas to report any suspicious or untoward activities, and to cooperate with coast guard and police in this effort.”
The minister pointed out that the Maritime Administration Department, the Coast Guards and the police will be going out to the area in which the attacks occurred to compile detailed statements and again review and evaluate the incident to see how best responses can be improved to incidents of piracy.
“I say that we were better prepared in terms of being notified by the people who were impacted, in being able to set up the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, and being able to get out there (fly out) and send out assistance by sea and river, to be able to provide help and some protection,” Minister Benn said.
He told this newspaper yesterday that there is still some confusion whether the piracy attacks are continuing, because some people called in and a particular woman telephoned and said something again had happened, and that her husband had gone out to recover his nets.
“We were trying to tell them that it had ended. I think everybody saw the helicopter out there and the activities with coast guard and police; and it would probably have gone on longer, if we were able to respond earlier. This is something we have to work on altogether with the stakeholders and the various agencies,” the minister posited.
He stated that the administration has to be aware of the current fishing grounds, who are currently at sea, and for how long and what activities are being engaged in. Those, he thinks, are the areas critical to improving the information flow and response readiness.
Benn said that with regard to support for the fishermen who were attacked and robbed by pirates, the administration’s core responsibility ends at providing security and search-and-rescue surveillance. He could not pronounce on additional interventions, but suggested that the affected parties work along with the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security and the Ministry of Agriculture’s Fisheries Department.
He noted that the various ministries have been informed and alerted to the piracy attacks on fisherfolk in the Pomeroon River, and cooperation is on stream to address the situation.
From all indications thus far, it is believed that the piracy attacks were carried out by locals in what appeared to be a well orchestrated plan.
Harbour Master, Velton Skeete, Chief Navigation Officer, Michael Tennent, Coast Guard Commander Porter, and Jermaine Braithwaite of the Ministry of Public Works met with Minister Robeson Benn to update him on the search and rescue operation mounted on behalf of the stranded fishermen.

THE PIRACY ATTACKS
Pirates targeted approximately 15 fishing boats off the coast of the Pomeroon River in a spate of attacks which started at around 08:00 hrs on Friday and ended at around the same time on Saturday.
During a media briefing at the Maritime Administration Department’s Stabroek office on Saturday, Minister Benn said, “The Maritime Administration and Coast Guard received reports this morning of acts of piracy off the coast of the Pomeroon River going up to an area called Kamwatta Beach… The reports indicated that up to 15 boats with fisher folk were intercepted by persons who beat them, tied them up and imprisoned them in their boats.”
It was further reported that the pirates had stolen the boat engines and other materials, worth millions in total.
“The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre was activated, with Harbour Master Skeete, Pilot Tennent and Coast Guard Commander Porter… After an evaluation of the situation and contact being made with some boat owners and the police, a helicopter mission was flown off (Saturday) to the area in question, and it was evident that there were sunken boats… sailors were found adrift in the area east of the mouth of the Pomeroon River,” Minister Benn said.

FISHERMEN BEATEN, ROBBED THEN RESCUED
Meanwhile, fishermen from Better Success, on the Essequibo Coast, yesterday related how they were beaten with cutlasses, robbed, locked in a small cabin and begged for water and fresh air during a 12-hour ordeal by pirates in the High Seas over the weekend.
Four fishermen of Better Success Village, who spoke with the Chronicle yesterday, said they were severely beaten with cutlasses and forced into a small cabin of a fishing boat with about 19 other fishermen early Friday morning.
Owner and Captain of one of the fishing boats hijacked,  Ghandhan Bacyhu, known as ‘KK’, said the pirates, dressed in black clothing and masked, with just their eyes visible, slammed into his boat while himself and crew were fishing just off the Cozier sea coast.
Bacyhu recalled that the pirates jumped on his boat and started to lash him and the three other fishermen with cutlasses. He said one of his crew member was lashed across his mouth, head, back, arms and feet.
According to the Captain, he was also ‘broad sided’ with a cutlass on his back, several times, while another worker, 55-year-old Gobin Ram was hit across his legs. Baychu said they were ordered to lie face down on some seines in his boat, while the pirates continued to terrorise them.
The fisherman said the cabin was very small and more than 20 men were tightly packed together. Ram and Baychu said they were suffocating for fresh air and many of the other fishermen cried for water.
Ram said he endured the hardship and hoped for the best. He said when they called and begged for water the pirates came and brought a little water in a basin which was just enough to wet their tongues.
Baychu said the pirates nailed the door of the cabin they were in and threatened to burn them alive. He said the ordeal lasted some 12 hours.
However, last Friday afternoon, they were taken out of the cabin and placed on the boat and ordered not to look at the pirates or what they were doing or else they would be killed.
Baychu said the cruiser boat they were on drifted to the mouth of the Pomeroon river with the washing tide and grounded.

He said they spent the night there and were rescued by boats the following day. According to the captain he has lost more than $600,000 in worth and his boat was broken and damaged.
The fisherman said the pirates took all the stolen outboard engines, fuels tanks, fish and glue and put them in another boat and escaped in the Atlantic Ocean.