Georgetown: A suspected pirate has confessed to killing at least five fishermen in Surinamese waters just over a week ago on four fishing vessels with some 20 fishermen, most of whom are Guyanese.
The confession has come in wake of a visit by a local high-level team to the neighbouring country led by Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan.
The man was identified as “Crackhead” was taken in custody by Surinamese law-enforcement officials on Sunday.
The suspect was initially pointed out by survivors as being among alleged notorious pirates Sinbad, Bolo and Dick.
According to information, during interrogation, “Crackhead” initially admitted to killing one of the fisherman but under intense questioning, confessed to killing five of them.
Fishermen in Paramaribo, Suriname, captured and handed over the suspect to local police officials.
Meanwhile, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan on Sunday morning met with relatives and survivors of the missing Guyanese fishermen at the Guyana Embassy in Paramaribo, Suriname, as efforts intensify to nab the pirates in the attack.
The two countries are working around the clock to ensure that those responsible for last weekend’s brutal piracy attack off the Suriname coast are caught and brought to justice.
The minister who travelled to Suriname on Sunday morning, held a closed-door, “heart-to-heart” discussion with the small gathering in the presence of Guyana’s Ambassador to Suriname, Keith George.
Ramjattan disclosed that three senior officers of the Guyana Police Force who accompanied him on the visit are working closely with their Surinamese counterparts to help capture and to bring to justice, the men who orchestrated the deadly attack.
Minster Ramjattan confirmed that as of Sunday morning, three bodies were recovered and identified, but the names have not yet been made public.
He further revealed that there are five survivors and the remaining 12 fishermen are presumed dead, based on information from meeting.
“This whole episode is basically murder of the most gruesome circumstances, where pirate boats attacked four other innocent boats with 20 crew members in total. The pirate boat, the members therein, believed that these boats had done something wrong to them and they went out there to do in the most brutal and horrific fashion the killing of all those members of those boats which total about 20. Thank God there were some survivors that managed to tell the tale,” the public security minister said.
The minister said the main reason he travelled to the neighbouring country was to stand in solidarity with the families of those affected and to share information gathered by the security forces of the two countries to them.
He underscored the importance of collaboration by the two counties in tackling the heinous crime.
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