A piracy attack in Berbice over the weekend saw armed fishermen on Sunday almost subduing their attackers and recovering a boat containing stolen fish and glue.Yesterday, angry members of a Berbice anti-piracy squad also criticised the no-show response of the Coast Guard. They said that it was only after the suspected pirates were spotted and calls were made for police back-up that help was forthcoming.Head of the Berbice anti-piracy team, Pravinchandra Deodat, disclosed that pirates, armed with a shot-gun, “long gun” and a hand gun, robbed an East Coast Demerara fisherman and his five crew members while they were at sea in the vicinity of Number 43 Village, Berbice. They helped themselves to fish, fish glue, a GPS device,Cheap NFL Jerseys, fuel and clothing belonging to the men.Deodat disclosed that on Sunday, around 10:00hrs, he received a call about the robbery at Number 43 Village.Calls were made to the Coast Guard in the area but a rank there said that the authorisation for back-up would have to come from senior officials. However, despite a promise for a rank to be made available, none was forthcoming.At 12:00hrs, a team of fishermen, armed with guns, took to sea, all alone, to track down the pirates.It was in the vicinity of Adventure, Corentyne Coast, that the armed fishermen spotted a boat anchored just off the shore. On approaching, they saw three persons on board who jumped off and started heading off toward the shore.According to Deodat, the party decided to pull back and from about half a mile away began observations of the suspicious boat. Their reconnaissance paid off.The three men returned to the boat and restarted their activities.“We decided that we will investigate as the men appeared suspicious.”According to Deodat, calls were made to the Berbice Commander of Police, Steve Merai, who immediately took action and sent off a team of police to the area.The armed fishermen approached the boat again and this time the men on board hurriedly jumped overboard and disappeared into the bushes lining the shore.On board the suspicious boat, several items, including fuel, gasoline and fish, later identified by the hijacked fishermen, were found. The boat was taken to the Number 43 Village fishing co-operatives. A search in the bushes found no traces of the men and no weapons were recovered. According to Deodat, yesterday a woman turned up at the co-operative and claimed that the boat belonged to her.However, the anti-piracy official said that they will be asking the police to fully investigate the claim.Piracy attacks were rampant three years ago in the Berbice area. There have been suspicions that some of the pirates were actually Berbicians who pretended to be fishermen.Suriname authorities had met with local officials here to address the piracy issue as it is believed that pirates would cross the border after committing acts in the two countries.A major suspect fingered in many hijackings, was captured in Suriname two years ago.
