Ranks should suffer worse fate than our brother – relatives

Aug 23, 2009 News

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– “he went into their boat like a lamb to the slaughter”

$17 Million river heist…

Relatives of Dweive Kant Ramdass would like to see the three soldiers suffer a worst fate than their victim.
“I wish that they could die. I wish that they could get hang, whatever it is, and I wish that our government would resume hanging,” said Stephen Persaud, an older brother of the victim.
Dwieve Kant Ramdass’ body was found floating in the Essequibo River yesterday, several yards from where his killers dumped him after relieving him of $17M.

The three Coast Guard ranks have confessed to robbing him and dumping him overboard at a place called Caiman Hole.
Persaud, speaking to this newspaper a few hours after recovering his youngest brother’s body, said that the reported mastermind of the crime, a corporal, appeared to show no remorse even after confessing to the crime.
“The other two guys, you could see they show like they sorry but this guy was performing. He had a lot of power. Even when you face to face with him, he’s ready to confront you and I think he should die a worse death than my brother,” Persaud told his newspaper.
“But I must say that Jesus loves him, there’s a place for repentance and he can repent and give his heart to God but other than that he deserves to die,” he added.
He believes that the soldiers betrayed the trust of his brother who he said was very harmless and would have never expected them to kill him.
Persaud came to this conclusion after he had received information that after collecting his brother at Parika, the soldiers stopped at a popular boat landing further up river to collect fuel.
He said that persons reported seeing his brother sitting comfortably in the Coast Guard boat as if nothing was wrong.
Persaud suggested that his brother must have felt safe with the soldiers not suspecting that they were going to kill him.
“I guess he begged for mercy, I guess he cried. But knowing that they are our armed forces, they had our state boat, they had our state guns, he trusted them. Maybe they told him that since he had this large sum of money, they had to take him to base for their boss to check him out. He went into the boat and like a lamb to the slaughter, he sat in that boat,” Persaud stated.
At the time, Persaud and the rest of the dead man’s relatives were waiting to meet with Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Commodore Gary Best.
According to Persaud, there were also reports that after killing his brother, the ranks were seen by their sergeant who was in another boat, speeding along the Essequibo River.
“The man saw them and waved to them. They saw the Sergeant and they deliberately switched off their phones. They didn’t want no contact,” Persaud stated.
He said that he is satisfied with the response and assistance pledged by Commodore Gary Best.
The Chief of Staff told the family that the army was shocked by the actions of its ranks.
“Perhaps if you’re taking any positives out of this is the fact that the Coast Guards ranks in custody have already confessed to this heinous crime and at least we’ve recovered the body. But for us it’s really a shocking moment, something that has really rocked the Guyana Defence Force,” the Chief of Staff told the family.
“I just want you to know that this is not the Guyana Defence Force, this is not the army, it’s not what we are set up for, neither do we train anybody to do these kind of things,” he added.
Commodore Best said that the army is prepared to search internally to ferret out those persons who may have criminal minds.
He said that boat owners and other persons who ply the rivers must feel safe whenever they see the Coast Guard, since the Coast Guard has the authority to operate in the rivers.
Best said that while it may not be enough, the Guyana Defence Force will assist the family financially with the funeral arrangements.
“I can’t feel your pain but I feel the pain for the force and what those men have done to us,” the Chief of Staff said.
He assured that the GDF will continue to discharge its duties since as an organization it will have to rise above the incident.
“We’re not going to separate ourselves from this activity but I’ll say this, this is not the face of the GDF, this is just some rogue elements in the Defence Force and we have to look internally and deal with the others,” Best told the grieving family.
On Thursday last, Dweive Kant Ramdass was on his way to Bartica when he was taken off a passenger boat by three ranks from the GDF Coast Guard.
When he did not arrive at his destination, alarms bells began ringing and immediately fingers began pointing to the Coast Guard ranks.
His brother Stephen Persaud recalled, “We met some people along the river who told us that they saw the Coast Guard boat heading towards Caiman Hole with him inside.”
He said that on Thursday afternoon he was in Georgetown when he received a call from someone at the Parika Stelling who informed him that is brother and the Coast Guard ranks were seen arguing.
“I don’t know my brother had a problem with the Coast Guards. But then someone from the beach who had the Coast Guard number called them and asked them, “where are you taking my partner’. They said that they were giving him a drop up to Bonasika,” Persaud said.
He explained that he finds it very strange that although they were seen by persons taking his brother away that they would continue to carry out their plans.
“I couldn’t believe that they would’a kill this guy, knowing that people see them and call them and they confirmed that he was with them. It’s like this chap (Corporal) is possessed or he’s on drugs,” Persaud told this newspaper.
Meanwhile Ramdass will be buried in Bartica on Monday.

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