Another fisherman’s body floats up – 2 still missing

Oct 14, 2019 News

---

The families of a number of Berbice fishermen are in despair.
This came after another bound body washed ashore on the West Coast Berbice.
Police sources in Region 5 confirmed with Kaieteur News that the body was discovered on the Good Faith, WCB foreshore. The body was bound at the hands and feet.
He has since been identified as Lamar Petrie, 20, of Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant.
According to a police source, the mother of Petrie ventured over to the Bailey’s Funeral Home where his body was taken to be stored. She went along with the relatives of the other two missing men.
It was there that she confirmed her worst fears and told the police that it was her son.
The source indicated that there were no wounds on the body or marks of violence.
“It appears that he was tied up and dumped overboard while alive,” the police said.
The police are said to be investigating the case as another piracy attack since the engine of a boat recovered was missing and the bodies that were found were bound.
Previously, it was reported that five men ventured out to sea but the police have since confirmed that only four went on the trip.
However, as the police in Guyana together with authorities from Suriname continue to investigate the circumstances where the four fishermen left for sea a week ago and disappeared, relatives of the men told reporters that they are starved for information on the progress of the probe.

The mother of Vishnu Seeram called “Kevin” was not pleased with the manner in which the police informed her that her son was missing.
She disclosed that Friday night, a jeep-load of police showed up to her house without uniform, ran up her steps, banged on her front door and demanded that they open the door.
She added that the police appeared to be hostile and “I got scared because I told them I can’t let you in my house because my baby (5-month-old) is sleeping but my other daughter was also scared and then the neighbours come out. That is how we opened the door because the neighbours dem come out, but that is not the way to do things.”
Meanwhile, at the home of Ajai Kissoon whose body washed up at Abary and was identified by his wife by a tattoo on his wrist, relatives had gathered go mourn his untimely death.
His wife, Tasha Seecharran, told reporters that her husband was not too keen on going on the fishing trip and had promised her it would be his last venture out to sea.
What she never expected was that the last time she would see him alive was Saturday October 5th. Brandishing a tattoo on her wrist that read “Queen”, she relayed that her husband took a matching tattoo with her on the wrist as well that read “King”- it was by that mark that she identified his body on Saturday.
Seecharran said that the only time she was visited by the police was Friday night to inform her that the boat that her husband went fishing on was found.
She learnt of the body that was found at Abary through a Facebook post.
According to her, she took it upon herself to venture over to the WCB in the company of Vishnu Seeram’s relatives to identify the body since the police had not made any contact with her.
She stated that she also visited the location where the boat was found and also saw “blood” underneath the fishing net on the boat along with the clothing her husband left with on Saturday.
The mother of one said that on Saturday, October 5th, when her husband left for sea, he made contact with her via a video call later that day and told her that they were moored in Suriname and will work their way from there back to Guyana- the trip was scheduled to run for two weeks.

She explained that on the 20th September her husband ventured out to sea with the said vessel but returned back to Guyana on the 28th September claiming that the boat was leaking and the fishing net was damaged “so the little bit of fish that they sell it didn’t cover for the expense but this is only the second time he working with this boat. The Captain (Vishnu Seeram) come and collect him saying that he needed workmen”.
She added that the owners for the boat have not made contact with her or any other relatives. Meanwhile, Presidential Candidate of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP/C), Irfaan Ali, along with party officials inclusive of Zulfikar Mustapha and Zamal Hussain paid a visit to the families of the fishermen. The relatives expressed their gratitude for his visit and shared their stories.
Ali upon conclusion of the string of visits from Port Mourant to Letter Kenny, told reporters that it is a very sad situation “but the stories I have heard from the families tells us how much more we have to do as a people and as a country in the way we approach situations also.”
He was at the time making reference to how the police approached one of the relatives to inform them.
“Sometime last year we heard about the quick response task force in situations like these and what we are seeing is a very limited response… in the words of the communities and families.”
He called on all Guyanese to lend their support to the families suffering from the tragic attack, to “reach out to these families- they are in need of a lot of comfort and support during this difficult time.”
Persons willing to make contact to offer assistance or support to the relatives can do so on numbers 626-3370 (Ajai Kissoon’s wife) and 655-8441 (mother of Lamar Petrie).
Still to be found are Marvin Tamasar and the boat captain, Vishnu Seeram.
The attack would come days after two brothers were killed at Shell Beach, Region 1, by men suspected to be pirates.
There had been a lull in the incidents with Suriname and Guyana authorities collaborating.

---

---