No news on missing fishermen

SEETA PERSAD

NATIONAL Security Minister Edmund Dillon has said there have always been “problems” on both side of TT and Venezuela’s maritime borders in terms of protecting fishermen and ensuring maritime laws are adhered to.

He made this observation as he confirmed there has been no word on the fate of two fishermen missing at sea since last month. With no word on the men either at home or from Venezuela, they are presumed to have drowned.

Dillon said their whereabouts “remains a mystery at this point.”

Vishnu Ramkissoon, the father of three, from Coromandel Village in Cedros, Adrian Guy of Bonasse Village, Cedros, and Ronald Seethe of Teemul Trace, Clarke Road, Penal, left the Otaheite Fishing facility in Oropouche on May 28. The three have not been seen since.

There are reports that Guy is in Venezuela but Ramkissoon and Seethe remain unaccounted for.

“There are two areas of focus right now: one by way of the work done by the TT Coast Guard in finding these fishermen and the other by reports from the Guardia Nacional in Caracas,” Dillon said.

There was a period where talks between the governments on border security had stopped, he said, adding that in recent times there had been arrests on both sides of the border.

“Our coast guards also arrest Venezuelans who come to our borders posing as fishermen but who are bent on carrying out illegal activities,” he said.

He said the police have contacted the Guardia Nacional for help in finding the missing fishermen and that he had spoken to the wife of Vishnu

Two months ago, Cedros fishermen Awardnath Hajarie, 52, his son Nicholas, 26, and friend Shami Seepersad, 35, were arrested by the Guardia Nacional near the Soldado Rock. They were released 16 days later and are back home.

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