President intervenes to curb harassment of Guyanese fishermen in Suriname

President Dr. Irfaan Ali on Wednesday said he has contacted the President of Suriname Chandrikapersad Santokhi to iron out issues faced by Guyanese fishermen in neighbouring Suriname. Specifically, Dr. Ali discussed the fishing vessels stranded in Suriname.

“I reached out directly to President Santokhi, there is active work going on right now in relation to the boats that were kept on the Surinamese side, that matter is being resolved as I speak to you,” he told members of the press on Wednesday.

Guyanese fishermen residing in communities closer to the Guyana-Suriname border have been forced to rent licenses from the Surinamese authorities to ply their trade in waters claimed by that country. This continues to happen despite the Guyanese government alluding to commitments made by that country’s President.

In a statement recently, Guyana’s Government noted that recently, Zulfikar Mustapha, Minister of Agriculture of Guyana, met with Parmanand Sewdien, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Suriname and requested the issuance of 150 SK licences which will allow Guyanese fishermen to ply their trade in Suriname Ocean waters. According to the statement, Minister Sewdien also indicated that his government would form a company that will deal with the issuing of licences to the Guyanese fishermen.

To date, the Government said it has not been advised on the status of the establishment of the company referred to, nor on the issuances of the licenses.

It was agreed that by 1 January 2022, arrangements would have been put in place to facilitate the issuance of the licences but instead, local fishermen were made to install the surveillance devices valued at US$500 (GUY$100,000) on their fishing vessels.

The Guyana Government in its statement condemned the harassment being meted out to our Guyanese fisherfolk by the Surinamese government, inclusive of its failure to grant licenses.

President Ali on Wednesday noted that following his conversation with President Santokhi, an agreement was reached that a high level meeting will occur within the next two weeks to not only look at the current issues but to address the issuance of licenses.

“There are some concerns from their side, we’ve made the case very clear, we’ve given the data so I am pleased at the efforts that was made in the last 24hrs to address the vessels that were kept there and I am now looking forward to the meeting that will be held between the two foreign Ministers within the next 14 days on the long term solutions,” he told the media.

The President concluded; “We treat everyone equal and similar treatment should be given to Guyanese.”