Suriname police detain

by Caribbean Net News

Police in Suriname say they have arrested and detained several Guyanese fishermen, including a Surinamese national, who was born in Guyana. According to police spokesman inspector John Jones six suspects were arrested by police in the Saramacca district and along the Atlantic coast.

During the arrest police seized two shotguns and a handgun in the boat of the Surinamese suspect. This suspect is being incarcerated for violating the Firearms Act.

Inspector Jones disclosed that police acted upon information regarding recent pirate attacks on fishermen along the Guyanese coast, but it has yet to be determined, he said, whether the suspects could be linked to these attacks. Meanwhile the authorities are taking steps to expel the six illegal Guyanese fishermen.

Sources indicate that following requests from Guyanese authorities, security agencies in Suriname were on the lookout for any suspicious activities in relation to the pirate attacks in Guyana. The suspects were held Wednesday and Thursday.

Recently there was a surge in pirate attacks on fishing boats before Guyana’s Atlantic coast putting a severe stress on fishermen to sail out to sea. It is being alleged that most of the attackers are Guyanese nationals who are returning to safe havens in Suriname after committing their criminal trade in Guyanese waters.