1 dead, 3 missing in suspected piracy attack

A fisherman is now dead and three of his crewmen are missing after a suspected piracy attack on a fishing vessel in Suriname waters.

The four fishermen, all from the Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), were on a fishing expedition but their boat was found without them in it.
Dead is 36-year-old Kawal Kissoon also called “Ajai” of Letter Kenny Village, Corentyne. Missing are Marvin Tamesar also called “Buddy” and “Bin Laden”, 20, of Lot 305 Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant; Vishnu Seeram, also called “Kevin”, 20, of Lot 76 Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant; and Otto Lemar Petrie, 20, of Lot 90 Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant.
The four men departed the wharf for the sea at Number 65 Village last Saturday aboard Sara 1 – a fishing vessel owned by Sharanand Rabindranath called “Jerry” of Number 68 Village, Corentyne. They were expected to return before the end of the month.

However, Kissoon’s body was discovered on the foreshore at Abary on Friday with his hands bound behind his back and his feet tied together. However, it was not until Saturday that his body was identified.
Sara 1 was found on the foreshore at Wellington Park, Corentyne, on Friday afternoon. None of the crew members was seen in it. The owner was contacted and the boat was inspected by Police.
A villager told this newspaper that the boat was seen on the foreshore since Wednesday but none of the crew members was seen.
“I see the boat there but did not take it for anything,” a villager said. Other villagers reported seeing the boat on Monday at a fair distance offshore, drifting.

Speaking with this publication, Seeram’s mother, Shamwatie Inderjit, said that Police arrived at her home on Friday evening and informed her that the fishing vessel was found on the seashore. She said she was then informed that none of the crewmembers was found.
Meanwhile, a fifth fisherman, who was thought to have been on the boat, did not make the trip.
“I went to see if I could identify my son’s clothes because I wanted to know if it was them. I really don’t know the boat but when I go inside the boat, I see my son’s clothes. When I go and check the boat, I see all my son’s stuff in the boat. All his clothes and just how I pack the bag for him to go to sea with. His hat was left on the cabin and when the check the seine, they had a lot of blood. I wanted to know if they beat them or if they chop them because the police said they check the boat but they did not say if they saw blood,” the worried mother said.

Other family members were able to identify items belonging to their loved ones, confirming that it was the vessel that the four men left in to go fishing.
At the time of the discovery of the boat, there were two fish and two chickens in the icebox on the vessel. The boat’s engine is missing.
Kissoon, a father of two, had been a seaman for eight years while Petrie was on his maiden voyage to the deep sea.
According to his mother, Onicka Simon, Petrie had been in the industry for the past three years. She said he worked on small boats but did not go far into the sea. However, since the family moved to the Corentyne late last year, he was unable to find work and last week he was contacted by Seeram.
“He came and told Lemar that they need one more person to go out to fish and when Lemar told me, I tell him that it is okay because he ain’t getting no work,” the woman said.
Seeram had captained several boats before but it was his second trip on Sara 1. The first trip was unsuccessful and the crew went back to sea to make up for their losses.
Police are still investigating while search parties have been formed to look for the missing men. Up to late Saturday evening, they were still searching.
Last April and May, five fishing vessels were attacked in two separate instances. A total of 25 fishermen were affected and six survived. The bodies of three were recovered and 16 are still missing.
Two persons were subsequently charged for the attacks. Those cases are still ongoing.