Seized passengers were searched for drugs, guns -Guyanese captain By Daniel DaCosta Stabroek News October 18, 1999 Twenty-five passengers who were arrested two Thursdays ago by Surinamese coast guards and taken to the neighbouring district of Nickerie in Suriname, have returned home. Most of the passengers returned on Thursday afternoon, while the remainder returned yesterday morning. The Suriname Coast Guard had intercepted three boats with passengers, and not four as originally reported, some 200 yards from the Corentyne coast at around 0900 hrs on Wednesday last. Roy Ramdass, the owner and captain of one of the speed boats intercepted, explained that the other two boats were owned by Surinamese. Recounting the early morning incident, the boat owner told Stabroek News that they were approaching the shore in the vicinity of a privately-owned landing when they were intercepted by two patrol boats from the Suriname Coast Guard. According to Ramdass, shots were fired in the air by the coast guard officer in response to taunts and provocative words from persons on the landing. "We were then escorted to Nickerie by the two boats. Arriving there at around 1400 hrs," he recalled. On arrival at Nickerie, Ramdass said, they were handed over to the military police who turned them over to the police at the Nickerie Police Station. "At the station we were all searched for drugs and guns." Nothing was found, he said. "It was then we were told that the marines had made a mistake by taking us back to Nickerie. We learnt that they were deployed to check for drugs, guns and fishing licences, but not finding any offenders (the marines) were expected to return to their base," he told Stabroek News at his Corriverton home. Following the search, the 25 passengers were released and told to return the following Friday. However, according to Ramdass, most of the passengers returned home on Thursday afternoon after they were freed. Six or seven of them who remained, he said, returned to Guyana on Friday after being told they were free to do so by the police on Friday morning. "The captains of the two Surinamese boats were also released but myself and the two Surinamese owners were held overnight." Two passengers who had uncustomed goods in Ramdass's boat were fined 100,000 guilders and had their goods seized by the authorities, before being released. According to Ramdass, the two Surinamese owners were fined 500,000 guilders each, while he was fined 750,000 guilders for transporting uncustomed goods and passengers. The operator noted that they were "well treated" by the Surinamese, while their boats and engines were also "well taken care of". This newspaper was unable to contact any of the passengers since they had all dispersed to their homes in various locations throughout the region and country. The Government of Guyana has protested to the Suriname authorities over the incident on the Corentyne River. A note verbale has been sent to the Suriname Government seeking an explanation, according to Foreign Minister, Clement Rohee. A © page from: Guyana: Land of Six Peoples