Birthday celebrations for murdered Orange Valley fisherman

RELATIVES and friends of murdered fisherman Hemraj Alex Sooknanan hosted a birthday celebration for him on Tuesday in Orange Village where they sang the traditional happy birthday song and even cut a cake in his honour.

Sooknanan, who lived at Bay Road Extension North, would have turned 20. The celebration started at the family’s home and continued in the streets. At about 7 pm, the bereaved friends and relatives cut the cake which had a photo of him.

Sooknanan was one of seven fishermen attacked and killed at sea by pirates on July 22.

Armed pirates beat the fishermen, threw them overboard in the Gulf of Paria and stole four boats, six engines, cellphones and fuel in containers. The murder victims went missing and five bodies later resurfaced.

Justin Kissoon, 19, and Jason Baptiste, 30, also called Trevor and Jewel are still missing and presumed dead.

Sooknanan’s parents, Harry Sooknanan and Jassodra Lallack, and the couple's five other children joined with relatives of the other victims to celebrate the birthday.

“Relatives of the other victims are here. We are Hindus so we did not light deyas or anything for Divali. None of the families did anything. Villagers always light candles and say prayers for the fishermen,” Lallack’s niece Reesa Sooklal told Newsday.

“Alex was my cousin, but I grew up with his mum. I am like a sister to him and his siblings. His mother always says she does not know how long she would live, so she decided to keep a grand birthday party for him this year.”

Apart from Sooknanan, the other murder victims were Anand “Beula” Rampersad, 39, Shiva “Aries” Ramdeo, 27, Kissoon’s cousin Brandon “Curry” Kissoon, 21, and Leslie “Shortman” De Boulet, 61.

Two Sea Lots men have been jointly charged with five counts of murder.

The case is pending at the Couva Magistrates’ Court.