We share the heartbreak and sorrow being felt by the families and community in central Trinidad now mourning the tragic deaths of seven sons to yet another heinous episode of murder.
While news about the untimely deaths and the ensuing grief for the seven fishermen – Anand Rampersad, Brandon Kissoon, Leslie de Boulet, Shiva Ramdeo, Justin Kissoon, Hemraj Sooknanan, and Jason Trevor Baptiste – have dominated Trinidad in the past weeks, its ripples in the diaspora also, putting many of us in the GTA, and elsewhere, into mourning and grief.
It is beyond doubt that many of us living abroad are familiar with the Orange Valley and Carli Bay areas of central Trinidad, and are likely connected with the bereaved families through kinship. It makes their loss our loss; the pain being endured over the murders of these hardworking men making an honest living at sea has also profoundly touched us abroad.
Last Friday, while the moving scene of a silent march through the streets of central Trinidad in a candlelight vigil highlighted not only the poignancy of the loss being felt by the bereaved families, friends, and the wider community, at the same time it also focused the light from these flames on the runaway crime now engulfing Trinidad and Tobago.
The scope of the inhumanity leading to the deaths of the fishermen remains particularly troubling. According to the reports, ten fishermen were attacked, a few of them beaten and stabbed, while night fishing in the Gulf of Paria, the boats and outboard engines then stolen. Then, in one of the worst displays of inhumanity, the fishermen were thrown overboard. Three of the uninjured and capable men swam to shore; however, seven of the victims perished by drowning.
Later, the authorities located the engines in an area in north Trinidad known for its criminal gangs. It is also believed the stolen boats were later deployed as getaway vehicles following the murder of a drug lord, his wife, and henchmen, in northern, coastal Trinidad.
What transpired in those moments of pure terror during the assault at sea is a nightmare no surviving parent, spouse, or sons and daughters of the dead men should have to endure for the rest of their lives. But what is even more troubling, both for Trinidad and Tobago, and for us abroad, is how little was done by the authorities to help the affected families during this dire time of need.
According to grief-stricken relatives of the dead men, the lethargic, unapathetic responses by authorities, such as the Coast Guard, when frantic calls were made for help, were far from reassuring and proactive. The report from a relative of a dying fisherman that the Coast Guard said no fuel was available for a search helicopter is an unconscionable response. At that time, the fishermen may have still been afloat and struggling to stay alive.
The response from the government was similarly insensitive, and reinforces claims by family members that there was no support forthcoming from the authorities. As the Sunday Express editorialised earlier this week, “a swifter set of responses from representatives of the government in the face of this community, devastated as it has been by this multiple tragedy” was needed. It added, “Relevant members of the administration should have taken it as a responsibility to brief themselves on the actual occurrences, and on their impact on the members of the community, especially those directly affected.”
As we mourn abroad with the families in central Trinidad, sharing their grief in coping with the loss of sons, husbands, and fathers, at the same time our sorrow should be a reminder of what remains a major issue with personal safety.
This safety is not only for relatives struggling with virulent crime back home, but a priority for our own well-being whenever we visit a homeland now under siege by criminals.