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Fishermen demand guns to protect themselves
-during meeting with President Ramotar
Fishermen are demanding the right to protect themselves with firearms out at sea,
Victims of the recent pirate attacks display their healing wounds
days after one of the worst pirate attacks of recent times.
Yesterday, more than two dozen fishermen took their protest to the Office of the President where they met with the Head of State to highlight their plight.
This was after they had initially raised their concerns during a similar exercise at the Meadow Bank wharf.
Between Friday and Saturday last, 15 fishing boats were attacked and robbed by pirates, just off the Pomeroon River.
Following that attack, four men left Port Georgetown to rescue one of the stranded crew but their boat capsized.
One of the rescuers managed to cling unto a plastic bottle and made it ashore off the Essequibo Coast, while the bodies of two of his colleagues were recovered in the same general area.
The search is still on for the bodies of two other rescuers who are feared dead.
The fishermen, who were involved in a picketing exercise at the Meadow Bank Wharf yesterday, contended that the Home Affairs Ministry, the Guyana Police
A victim of the pirate attack enters the Office of the President compound, displaying bruises on his back.
Force and the Coast Guard have all failed in protecting fishermen at sea and they stressed that it is time they take their safety into their own hands.
A similar request to arm individual fishing crew with firearms was previously made but permission was denied, since those in authority believe fishermen would shoot themselves, the men contended.
Armed with placards, the fishermen highlighted several additional issues, including the poor management and deplorable condition of the Meadow Bank Wharf as well as unfulfilled promises of former Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud.
Maladministration by the Georgetown Fishermen Co-op Society and neglect by Government, particularly the Ministry of Labour, were cited as the main reasons for the wharf’s continuous deterioration.
Some of the men admitted that they have stopped paying morgage fees to the Society, because money which was raised by fishermen to repair the wharf disappeared two years ago. They noted that only a few planks were changed while the super structure of the wharf is rotted.
In addition, a section of the wharf has severe accretion, which needs to be dredged urgently to accommodate boats.
The men lamented that in the past when the Agriculture Ministry hosted Fishermen’s Day, the event is not held at the Meadow Bank Wharf, where the largest contingent of fishermen operates in Guyana, but on a private wharf opposite the facility.
Fishermen conduct picketing exercise at the Meadow Bank Wharf.
The fishermen further emphasized that Robert Persaud had promised them duty free concessions on nets, lead and cords but that did not materialize. In addition, attempts to access cheap fuel like the Trawler Association also failed because Persaud and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds refused to make a decision.
According to a fisherman, the meeting with the President yesterday was fruitful. The man related that the President appeared understanding of their need for security and has promised to consider their request firearms licences.
He asserted, “We feel satisfied that our President has listened to us and is willing to visit the facility with an Engineer to carry out firsthand inspections.”
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