Dead Guyanese fisherman’s wife, five children stranded in Suriname

May 08, 2018 News

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“He told me he will make me happy with this trip”. This was the last thing fisherman Hardeo Beechan’s wife remembered him telling her before he left.
Still heartbroken and struggling to come to grips with the reality that her husband is no more, she is now left with the responsibility of taking care of their five children, ages 2, 4, 6, 11 and 14.
Lorette Daniel, 31, in a very emotional state recounted that since her husband left for his fishing trip on Monday, April 30th, she has not heard from him since. She said the last thing he told her was ” babe, this trip gon big; me gon make you happy with this trip”.
Daniel, originally from Moruca, North West District, Guyana and who currently resides in a one-bedroom shack in Zaagmolenweg #24 Commewijne/Meerzorg, Suriname, said it has been difficult since her husband left, but noted that it is her neighbours who have been taking care of them, since she has no family in Suriname.
At the tender age of eleven she was taken by a relative to the Dutch-speaking territory to live but after some years had elapsed, the relative died, and she was left to fend for herself. A few years later she met Hardeo Beechan on one of his fishing trips from Guyana. They struck up a relationship and the union bore five children.
The tearful wife and mother said that her children have not been able to attend school since Beechan went missing, “it is hard for me, but my neighbour dem does help me with little food now and then, dem does help buy lil coffee, sugar, you know, just to keep us for the nights and so”.

Daniel said that she believes her husband could not have survived because he could not swim.
“Because right here in front of we get a lil gutter like and one time he fall in it and he nearly drown,” she explained.
Together for over fifteen years, she said that they didn’t have much, but lived a “comfortable and happy life” when he was alive. He had told her that he wanted a SIM card to keep in contact with her when he was out at sea and she had gotten one for him before he left, however, she never received a call or never got the chance to speak with him until the news broke that there was another attack at sea and the boat her husband worked on was attacked.
“Me buy de SIM fuh he, me never get contact, me never hear from he back, but all what me hear Thursday morning, me hear he dead, me hear de pirate dem kill he,” Daniel said.
Her neighbour, Gaitree Hiralall who has been assisting Daniel and her children to get by said that the woman’s living situation is very sad, while explaining that Beechan’s relatives never attempted to lend a helping hand to Daniel and the children after the tragedy.
“The only time they contacted her was when they come and bring the message that he dead at sea

and that is it. The children haven’t gone to school since he gone, but you know it’s myself and three other neighbours are trying our best to help her out”, Hiralall said. She added that the four year old has been constantly asking for her father.
Daniel currently pays $300 SRD for rent and has no toilet or bath facilities. There is very little space to even facilitate a kitchen.
According to Hiralall, Surinamese authorities visited Daniel on Saturday and informed her that four bodies were found but because of the state they were in it would be hard to identify them. They then told her that only a DNA test would determine the identities. The neighbour said that if Beechan is found and identified Daniel would most likely let his relatives keep the body, since she cannot afford to bury the remains on her own.
“Dem told her how the face and so eat out and some of dem bodies nah got inside and so, it eat away. But she tell dem that he (Beechan) got a mole on forehead, so she can identify him with that, but dem seh all the face dem eat out bad”, a source said.
Hiralall further added that they also sat in at the meeting at the Guyana Embassy in Suriname where Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan and police officials from Guyana met with them and other relatives of the missing fishermen. She said that the minister asked for them to give them (Guyana government) a week “to see what we can do”.
Anyone desirous of making contact with Daniel or to assist in any way can do so on number +597 8700 991.
Hardeo Beechan went missing after pirates attacked the boat he was working on, on Wednesday last. The fishermen were beaten, shot, robbed and dumped overboard in the Matapica Canal, Suriname, approximately eight miles from the Paramaribo River mouth. Four other crew members were reportedly injured during the encounter.
Four boats were attacked by pirates in Suriname waters a little less than two weeks ago, with each boat carrying fishermen and a boat captain. Twelve fishermen are still reported missing from the first attack at sea.

 

 

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