Eyewitnesses confirm Suriname Navy intrusion
By Daniel DaCosta
Eyewitnesses have confirmed that three Surinamese soldiers encroached on the Scotsburg Beach shortly after 0700 hrs on August 25, in pursuit of a boat with five passengers. The boat was travelling from neighbouring Suriname when two Surinamese patrol boats attempted to intercept it by firing several shots in the Corentyne River close to the speed boat. On Sunday, Stabroek News visited the Scotsburg area at Corriverton and spoke with two eyewitnesses who were on the beach when the intrusion took place. Christopher Lynch who lives just off the Scotsburg Beach told this newspaper that just before 0700 hrs he heard shots coming from the river and upon investigating saw the two patrol boats in pursuit of the passenger boat. "The larger of the two vessels stopped when it apparently reached shallow water while the smaller vessel came a little closer. By this time the passenger boat had run aground and its crew and passengers quickly disembarked but not before the crew had removed the engine and loosened its rope attachment." The elderly man recalled that a dinghy was then launched from one of the vessels with three soldiers aboard. "The dinghy was used to transport the soldiers to the beach as they continued their pursuit." According to the farmer, the soldiers disembarked the dinghy and attempted to push the boat back into the water. "At this time they [the soldiers] were standing on the beach and a tussle ensued between the soldiers and the crew members as the two sides attempted to gain and/or retain possession of the passenger boat." He said the "tug-of-war" continued for some 20-25 minutes. The second eyewitness, Valerie Alves, who lives about 200 metres from the shore, said that "some 60-odd persons had converged on the scene. People from Scotsburg, Dukestown, Number 78 and Springlands ran down to the beach to see what was happening." The crowd, she said, included several cane cutters. "A bus load of people from Number 78 Village which included individuals connected to the owner of the boat, about four Tapir vans and three cars also converged on the scene. The crowd which had gathered insisted that the Surinamese soldiers had no right being on the beach and that they could not remove the boat." According to both eyewitnesses as the crowd began moving closer to the boat and grew more vociferous the Surinamese soldiers fired about seven to eight shots in the air in an attempt to disperse the crowd. They both concurred that the soldiers left after they saw the bus and the other vehicles moving closer to the boat. According to the eyewitnesses, members of the Berbice Anti-Smuggling Squad (BASS) arrived on the scene some 30 minutes after the initial intrusion. "The entire incident lasted for about 45 minutes with the soldiers remaining on the beach for some 30 minutes," the eyewitnesses said. According to Alves and Lynch the three soldiers left after failing to take possession of the wooden boat and returned to the two larger vessels. The witnesses also recalled that some time later, the two patrol boats again chased the passenger boat as it attempted to return to its Shameerah Landing base at Number 78 Village. However, the crew succeeded in eluding the vessels and reached the landing safely. According to Lynch a Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard member visited the scene at around 1100 hrs and spoke with him. Lynch said he related what had transpired to the officer. Stabroek News had earlier reported that the Surinamese soldiers had indeed intruded into Guyana's territory after launching a dinghy. This newspaper had also reported that a large crowd had confronted the invaders on the beach and that several shots were fired in the air by the Surinamese. One source at Corriverton had told this newspaper that the two Suriname vessels bore the markings PO6 and PO1, with PO1 being the larger of the two. This newspaper had been reliably informed that a GDF Coast Guard member had observed the entire incident from a distance and that the police at Springlands were informed while the intrusion was in progress. The GDF has a Coast Guard base at Benab, Number 63 Village. The boat captain and the owner of the boat Shameerah Khaton had also confirmed that the intrusion had taken place and that shots were fired in the air. `B' Division Commander, Assistant Commissioner David George told Stabroek News last week that the division had not received any report of an intrusion. The army said it was investigating the report. Suriname's President Ronald Venetiaan was quoted as saying in Brazil that from his knowledge "the Surinamese soldiers who were attempting to apprehend a Guyanese boat handled the matter in a peaceful and friendly way contrary to reports in the Stabroek News." President Bharrat Jagdeo is yet to receive a report on the incident from the Defence Board.
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