| By Rustom SeegopaulSickened by the actions of the Surinamese military on Thursday last in detaining the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) contracted vessel, the MV Lady Chandra 1, many Guyanese have voiced a call for action.“Too long (the Surinamese) been bullyin we,” said a West Coast Demerara resident. He added that some sort of action needs to be taken by the Government. Other residents of that area supported this view. They noted that if the Government of Guyana does not take some sort of action, then Suriname would not be inclined to stop ‘bullying’ Guyana.One of the residents hatched a plan which, if implemented, would see the group rallying support from the speed boat operators who ply both the Demerara and Essequibo Rivers and fishing vessels that sail down the Corentyne River. The vessels will have white flags flying in a fleet of some 500 boats.“They gun lock up all ah we?” he asked. “Dem can’t do that! And as we got white flags, how dem gun shoot we?”This, he said, would show the Surinamese that Guyanese people would not be bullied any longer.In the past, the Guyana Government had diplomatically forwarded communications to the Surinamese Government against such actions,NFL Jerseys Outlet, but no response was ever received.In recent years, the United Nations (UN) International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea, which had ruled on the maritime dispute between Guyana and Suriname, found that the resort to the use of force by Suriname offended international norms and practices.The recent detention of the ship has been drawn to the attention of both the United Nations and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The ministry has also said that there have been a series of recurrent interventions by the Surinamese against Guyanese ships in the Corentyne River. According to the Surinamese, if a ship is to sail in the Corentyne River, it must be piloted by a Surinamese national.According to President Bharrat Jagdeo, this is not something which is supported by Guyana. The President is also on record saying that Guyana is committed to resolving all disputes by peaceful means, but Guyana will take all measures necessary to safeguard its interests.In her statement to the National Assembly, Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett said that Guyana’s reaction to Suriname, following the detention of the Guyanese-registered vessel, was swift but peaceful.According to the minister, “Guyana dispatched a Note Verbal to the Surinamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs protesting the illegal and unwarranted detention of the vessel.”The minister added that Suriname was also reminded that the UN International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea had already dealt with the maritime boundary dispute, and stated that using force was to be avoided.The Tribunal had also condemned Suriname’s naval actions in 2000.In addition, Minister Rodrigues-Birkett said that she had met with the Surinamese Ambassador to Guyana and had expressed deep concern, on behalf of the Guyanese Government, in relation to the detention of the Guyanese vessel.“The Government of Guyana will therefore pursue this matter vigorously,” said the minister.Despite this, the owner of the MV Lady Chandra 1, Kampta Persaud, explained to this newspaper that, while his ship has been released after he had paid the US$400 fine which the Surinamese had levied, he had heard nothing from anyone in the Government.“The Government needs to get its act together,” said Persaud. “There needs to be less talking and more working.”In an effort to prevent further seizures of his ship, Persaud said, he has already made arrangements with an agency in Paramaribo to get a Surinamese pilot for the ship the next time it ventures to Skeldon.In Paramaribo, the cost for a pilot, Persaud explained, ranges between US$800 and US$900. However, in Nickerie, which is closer to Skeldon, Persaud said, he was unsure about the cost of a pilot. Added to this, the agent would also charge a finder’s fee in locating the pilot. |
