Pirates are fishermen who threatened to kill victims if identities revealed – boat owner

CoI into deadly piracy attack
Many of the pirates who prey on fishermen are fishermen themselves.

This was revealed to the Commission of Inquiry (Col) into the deadly piracy attack in the Corentyne River, off the coast of Suriname, last year.
The one-man CoI into the April 2018 piracy attacks on several boats manned by Guyanese fishermen commenced public hearings on Monday in Berbice.
The sole Commissioner, Dr Rishi Thakur, has the power to summon witnesses and investigate and present the findings with respect to the piracy attack. He is also tasked with determining the identities of those killed, the motive for the attack, and possible prosecution of those culpable.
In the first two days, three persons testified, including fisherman Mohammed Hussain Arron— who testified on Tuesday.
He told the Commission that his boats have been attacked. In fact, in 2016, four of his workers were killed during a piracy attack. He said he was personally a victim of a piracy attack once and he knew his attackers.
Days later, on the Corentyne Coast, he was confronted by a man who threatened him, saying that they were going to take his life if he revealed their identity.
He said you could not give fisherman guns or they would kill themselves because of the competition at sea.
Aaron also told the Commission that many of the fishermen going out to sea use marijuana and cocaine. He said sometimes the drug use led to them striking and then refusing to work. On some occasions, this will result in them attacking boats to take their catch.
Aaron also expressed frustration over the lengthy time the judicial process took in Guyana. He noted that no one has been prosecuted for any of the four attacks on his boats. He is recommending the death penalty for pirates. He also said radio sets were also needed on the high seas.
Asked by Commissioner Thakur why he continued to go out at sea when he keeps losing, he replied that there was nothing else to do in Guyana.
According to Aaron, 50 per cent of those who go to sea use illegal drugs. He is recommending that the Government of Guyana and the Government of Suriname come together to address piracy, noting that when the fishermen leave the shores of the Corentyne, they have to first go to Suriname for ice and then go to sea. This is so because the boats are all licenced with the Suriname Government.

Also taking the stand Tuesday was former Magistrate Krisondat Persaud, who said that persons going out to sea should be of good character and they should be subjected to background checks. He is advocating firearms for fishermen and that ports be monitored, while he told the Commission that those found guilty of the offence should be given the death penalty.
The COI is being held at the Number 68 Primary School.
On Monday, Upper Corentyne Fishermen’s Co-op Chairman Parmeshwar Jainarine spoke of the costliness of fishing in modern times and the huge losses many trawler owners incur with no guarantees of a recovery; since they don’t have the requisite insurance and the risk to life and limb they take just to make an honest dollar.
He noted that Guyanese who ply their trade in neighbouring Suriname are subject to the regulations governing the industry of that country, and reiterated calls for protection, preferably bilateral arrangements in the form of military or Police patrols in the areas where fishing takes place.
According to Commissioner Thakur, “The President insists that he wants to know who are the authors in this thing, because we are of the view he wasn’t sufficiently convinced that it was simply a matter of tit-for-tat. It may be that, but there is another story to be told there, and he wants to know what that story is; not only to bring to a closure for the families who had to suffer as a result of what occurred, but also as a nation to tell ourselves we can’t allow this to happen – our own citizens doing this to each other”.
He said that among the challenges he encountered while doing his preliminary investigations was the difficulty posed in policing the river for the fishermen and fear of providing information publicly. He noted that since the CoI commenced its work, he, himself, was able to meet and talk with some 30 to 40 persons.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Thakur is also tasked with providing the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the probe, including the role of State agencies with respect to security of the firemen. The findings have to be submitted to President David Granger by September 2, 2019.
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.
Currently, two persons are before the local courts for those attacks. (Andrew Carmichael)