[UPDATED] They killed my boy

WHEN the news broke that a body had been found yesterday, scores of villagers rushed to the Orange Valley fishing port.

Among them was Samo Ali, 59, the mother of fisherman Anand Rampersad, 39.

It was his body that was found floating two miles off Carli Bay in the wee hours of yesterday.

Relatives had to restrain an inconsolable Ali.

“Since my son was 15 years he working in this sea, and today they kill him and he (was) trying to make an honest living,” Ali cried out. She was held by her husband Nizam Ali. Rampersad’s widow Shaida Khan was called to identify his body.

Rampersad’s father Premchand Rampersad, 60, said his son was the father of three and lived in his house.

“He loved the sea and he was never fearful for his life. Imagine, for the past 20 years he going out at night and catching his fish to be sold in the early morning,” Premchand said.

With tears in his eyes, he said there was once a time when the fishing port was a busy place with no worry of violence.

“Today the drug trade is big and men are prepared to kill innocent hard-working fishermen and seize their boats so that they can sell the engines for drugs,” Premchand said, adding that the government has failed the fishermen by refusing to provide protection for them while at sea.

Councillor for the Perseverance area Dubraj Persad called on the Minister of National Security to protect the borders.

“Apart from paying a big cost for gas, the fishermen have to work under bad conditions. As it is, there are too many fishermen losing their lives at sea. Too many hard-working citizens are victims of violence in the Carli Bay and Orange Valley ports.”

The government, he said, should put marine posts at these ports to protect the scores of fishermen who earn a living there.

Rampersad was one of a group of fishermen who were attacked by pirates on Monday night in the Gulf of Paria off Carli Bay and Orange Valley.

The Coast Guard and other fishermen are still looking for the missing men – Shiva “Aries” Ramdeo, 27; Brandon Kissoon, 21; Jason Baptiste, 30; Justin Kissoon, 19; Hemraj Alex Sooknanan, 18, and Leslie De Boulet.

Police reported three fishermen survived the attack and swam ashore. They are Brian Seemungal, Robbie Jaggernath and Dillon Mendoza.