Corentyne piracy attack leaves 1 dead

…2 escape unhurt

The captain of a fishing boat is now dead following a reported piracy attack on the Corentyne River, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on Tuesday night.

Dead is Mahadeo Ramdial, also called “Chico”, 46, of Lot 146 Kilcoy Squatting Area, Corentyne.

Reports are two survivors of the alleged attack swam to shore following the incident. Surviving the alleged ordeal are Parmanand Nandan, 21, of Tain, Corentyne and Arjune Permaul, 45, of Kilcoy Squatting Area.

According to reports, the two survivors reported to Police that they were thrown overboard while the captain was lashed in his head with a cutlass and told to jump overboard during the attack. The now dead captain reportedly swam half the distance to the shore before disappearing under the water. Nandan in recalling the incident said that at about 18:30h, he, along with the now dead man and Permaul were aboard MV Varuni 4 when a smaller fishing boat crashed into theirs. He related that there were two masked pirates in the boat.

At the time of the alleged attack, they were fishing in the vicinity of Tain about one mile into the Corentyne River.

“A small boat approach an hit we and they tell we that everybody got to go in the cabin,” Nandan related.

According to the man, they were all instructed to keep their heads down. The next instruction was for the captain and one of the workers to loosen the boat engine and place it into the pirate’s boat.

Being more able-bodied, Nandan and Ramdial loosened the boat’s engine and took it into the other boat.

Meanwhile, Permaul said he was instructed to take some of the catch and place it into the pirate’s boat. “They didn’t want all just some… like they didn’t have time or something. Then dem tell we jump overboard. We beg “Oh Uncle don’t throw abe overboard”, dem say “Allyu got to go over or we gon chap and shoot you all”. So me an that one boy jump overboard,” he said.

Permaul in relating the story said Ramdial was lashed in the head with a cutlass and told to jump into the water which was about 24-feet deep. When he got into the water the three men started swimming towards the shore.

Reports are Ramdial said he could not make it to shore before disappearing.

“I call he like three times an he answer and the next two times no answer,” the 45-year-old Permaul told this publication.

Both men said they swam until they saw another fishing vessel in the vicinity of Port Mourant. “We hold on to the anchor rope and call them and they rescue we,” the younger of the two explained.

The men said they swam for two hours before they were rescued.

Meanwhile, the missing fisherman has been working at sea for the past 17 years. The crew left on Monday and were expected back today (Thursday). The boat is owned by Permaul Persaud Samaroo of Kilcoy.

Samaroo told this newspaper that boats and crew have come under piracy attack on three previous occasions and each time he lost a 40hp Yamaha outboard engine.

Meanwhile, the dead fisherman’s father is of the view that foul play may have been involved. According to the 65-year-old Bhudram Mahadeo, he cannot believe that two pirates can successfully carryout an attack on a fishing boat. Based on experience, he noted, one has to control the boat leaving one to execute the attack.

“One time we hearing two pirates attack them and they were asleep and then the next time we hearing that they were eating or just finish eating.”

Meanwhile, at about 15:30h Ramdial’s body was discovered along the Tain Foreshore. A post-mortem examination is expected to be performed on the body.

The boat in which the men were fishing was later found at Rose Hall foreshore. The grieving father is calling for a thorough investigation. (Andrew Carmichael)