Pirates in murderous attack on Waini boat
Sailor killed, captain injured
By Iana Seales
Stabroek News
November 24, 2003
Pirates raided a trawler in the Waini River and killed a crew member before making off with some $1.5M in goods last Thursday.
Dead is twenty-nine-year-old Mark Prass of 142 West Ruimveldt. Prass is said to have died minutes after the men stormed the trawler and opened fire.
Recounting what she was told of the attack, Prass' widow, Janet said the crew was sailing in the Waini River in the north west and were about to pull in its sail when a suspicious looking boat approached theirs. According to her, two crew members went into hiding upon seeing the boat.
Seven heavily armed men believed to be Venezuelans then boarded the trawler and enquired of the missing crew members' whereabouts. The men called out in their native spanish tongue and the two crew members returned. The bandits then ordered the crew to lie flat on the ground.
The woman related that everyone quickly complied while Mark went down with some hesitation. At that point the bandits opened fire hitting her husband in the stomach. The men then demanded cash among other things.
Sherwin Hopkins
With the booty in hand the men left the trawler. She told Stabroek News that while on the way out one of the men turned back and signalled to the others to kill the remaining crew members. The captain, Sherwin Hopkins then switched off the lights on the trawler and steered the vessel in the opposite direction.
The bandits opened fire and exited the trawler. According to Janet, Hopkins was injured during the rapid gunfire. The boat was steered to Mabaruma where a report was lodged at the local station.
Janet said she received word of her husband's death on Friday when Hopkins, who is also her uncle, called home. The woman collapsed after learning of Mark's passing. She had seen Mark on the Wednesday before he left for sea.
She said that Mark was self-employed making television antennas before he started working at sea five months ago. Mark leaves to mourn his wife of three years and three young daughters.
Stabroek News yesterday visited the home of Mark's employer and spoke with his employer's wife, Nalini Persaud.
The woman said that her husband, Manichand Singh was at his home in La Grange, West Bank Demerara when the robbery occurred.
She said that he flew to the North West on Friday after learning of the attack and his employee's passing. Accord-ing to Persaud, Singh has acquired documents from Venezuela and is presently searching the neighbouring waters for the boat's sail which is yet to be recovered.
The woman said the attack is the second on her husband's boat for the year. Earlier this year, gun-toting bandits attacked the trawler and carted off the catch.
Singh who was on the trawler at the time of the attack had pleaded with the men to take the goods and they left without harming anyone.
Persaud related that a few years ago bandits attacked a small vessel Singh owned before he bought the trawler and carted off equipment and goods.
Persaud said further that a relative who also owns a boat lost almost everything when bandits robbed his vessel three weeks ago in the same Waini area. No one was injured in the attack.
According to her, Guyana Defence Force coast guard patrols were not present in the area when her husband's and her relative's trawlers were raided despite pleas for increased surveillance.
She said that her husband was told that he has to charter a flight and have Prass' body brought to Georgetown for burial. According to her, Singh is unable airlift the body and is calling on the authorities to arrange the flight.
Efforts to reach the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard and the GDF Public Relations Department on the incident yesterday proved futile.