Georgetown: Twelve fishermen are still missing as a result of an attack on High Seas in April 2018, but seven Guyanese pirates were recently sentenced to serve 35 years in Suriname for the deadly piracy act.
Three others were acquitted due to the lack of evidence.
The men were sentenced by sub district Judge, Marie Meetendaf, in Parimaribo following over a year of court proceedings. Seven of the men have been sentenced to 35 years imprisonment each. They have been identified as Chris Parasaram, David Williams, Ganesh Beharry, Madre Kishoor, Ramdeo Persaud, Rameshwaru Roopnarine and Ray Torres. Feroze Baksh will serve 15 years and Terry Durga five years.
The Public Prosecution Service had made a five-year sentence proposal against the latter. They were present, but due to circumstances, their share in the legal and convincing evidence was not provided.
“It seems obvious to me, but I also need the solid proof. Then I should acquit the group of three,” the judge said, according to the Suriname news.
The Magistrate, Marie Mettendaf, delivered the verdict on Friday.
The convicted Feroz Bikash was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment with a deduction and Terry Durga was sentenced to five years.
The seized boats, shotguns and cutlasses were forfeited by the magistrate. “Paddy”, a boat captain, was shot dead in March 2018. After his death, various robberies and murder cases took place at sea.
Statements from witnesses indicate that many of the grisly acts that were carried out, took place after “Paddy’s” death. Victims were tied to anchors and thrown overboard with batteries. Others were forced to jump overboard. The victims were robbed of their fish, food and other goods.
Evidence presented to the court showed that 10 of the suspects were present when the act was carried out on April 27, 2018 while two were not.
Meanwhile, two other suspects Nakool “Fyah” Manohar and Premnauth “Sinbad” Persaud were committed to stand trial in the high court in Guyana recently.
Manohar is said to be the mastermind behind the attack in retaliation for his brother’s death. A third suspect Alexander Denheart still has his Preliminary Inquiry ongoing in the Magistrate’s court in Guyana.
According to the facts of the case, the four boats with 20 crewmembers were attacked by sea pirates that Friday evening in Surinamese waters in the vicinity of the Wia Wia bank. Only four of the crew members, including a captain of one of the boats, managed to make it to shore. The rest are believed to have perished.
The attack was in retaliation by pirates from Guyana for the shooting death of their leader, a Guyanese pirate called “Paddy” a few weeks before the attacks last year April.
The pirates blamed the fishermen. The pirate leader was reportedly shot dead during an attack on fishing vessels. The fishermen were thrown overboard or had to jump into the water themselves.
One of the crew members could not swim and he disappeared. Another person’s hands were tied, and a car battery was attached to his feet, after which he was thrown overboard.
Still missing are Tilaknauth Mohabir, 50, also known as ‘Kai’; Dinesh ‘Vickey’ Persaud, Ralph Anthony Couchman called ‘Burnham’, 19; Ramesh Sancharra, 48; Glenroy Jones, 21; Ramnarine Singh; Bharat Heeralall also known as “Record”, 49; Lalta Persaud known as “Paddock”, 42; Mahesh Sarjoo, 35; Rajkumar Bissessar; Looknarine Persaud; and Lokesh Decouite, 50.
Four fishermen survived the attack while four bodies were found.
The attacks had galvanised the authorities in Guyana and Suriname with visits made by investigators and increased cooperation.
Back in July this year, President David Granger ordered a Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the attack. Dr. Rishee Shri Thakur is currently conducting the inquiry. A final report was expected earlier this year, but Dr Thakur had asked for an extension. According to the Terms of Reference (ToR), the Commission shall determine the number and identities of the persons killed in the attack and determine the perpetrators’ motive with a view to holding the guilty accountable.
Further, the ToR stated that the role of state agencies in the security of fishermen in the area, as well as all persons or organisations deemed responsible for the death of those persons, will be investigated. It was noted that a report on a plan of action be undertaken, both at sea and onshore, to prevent and counter piracy and related activities by addressing root causes of the phenomenon. The Government of Guyana, in June 2018, made a one-off payment to relatives of five fishermen who suffered from the deadly pirate attack. Among those who each received the sum of $100,000, were Mary Rodrigues – the mother of Sherwin Lovell – and Chandroutie Dwarka, who is the wife of Deonarine Gobherdan.
Lovell and Gobherdan are the two men who survived the brutal attack.
The other beneficiaries were the relatives of Glenroy Jones, Sunil Ramotar and Vickey Persaud, who are still missing. The attack was described by President David Granger as a “massacre”. A national day of mourning was observed on June 25, 2018, as a solemn memorial to the Guyanese fishermen.
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