No air support to find missing men

NIXON Kissoon, the father of Orange Valley fisherman Brandon Kissoon, one of seven fishermen attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Paria on July 22, has disputed accounts that Coast Guard helicopters were involved in the search for the fishermen. Kissoon’s body, which was recovered last week, was cremated according to Hindu rites on Monday.

Speaking to reporters at the family’s McBean village, Couva home yesterday, Kissoon said they had asked for air support a few hours after the attack. “The Gulf (of Paria) does look small. The Gulf is not small, because this is a needle we are looking for in a haystack. You think you can see far, but you can’t.

“All we was asking for is air support, because that is a crucial time to find out what is happening. Yes, we have the helicopter, but they said the helicopter have no fuel…We said fuel is not the issue, and up to today they say helicopters fly…It have no helicopters, I was there outside for the first four days. There was no helicopter.”

He said the only air support was from a businessman who paid for a private plane to help in the search. The obviously frustrated father also had some choice words for the Coast Guard vessel used in the search efforts, saying it was not equipped to participate in any search.

“Yes, they send a Coast Guard boat, but they send Coast Guard boat for a show.” Kissoon, who has previously helped search for people lost in the gulf, never believed that he would have to lead a search party for his son. “It is a tragedy I have to go and look for my son.”