by Handel Duncan
It’s now over a week since 12 Guyanese fishermen and their vessels have been detained by Venezuela in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
Despite international demands for the fishermen and their vessels to be released, Venezuela is not budging.
A mother of one of the detained fishermen is now calling on the Government of Guyana to do more to ensure the safe return of her son and the other crew members.
The woman, Beverly Ross, who resides on the Essequibo Coast explained that since the incident, she has been brief just once by the authorities and that briefing provided very little information.
The woman’s 29-year-old son, Ronier Christopher Shaw is among the crew members who have been detained in Venezuela on allegations of illegal fishing.
The mother said she was able to communicate with her son briefly via social media and he explained that he is not sure when they will be released.
“Based on my understanding, they have people guarding these boats that the boats can’t leave”, the emotional mother said.
She explained that though her son has given assurances that he is not being abused, she remains concerned.
“My days are not usual, because, it’s like every turn, I keep wondering what’s next…They passed them through Court on Monday and didn’t charge them, but they say that they can have them detained for 45 days”, the mother explained.
She said the families of the crew members are devastated by the situation and they need answers.
“These men have families, there is one of the detained persons on the vessel, his wife is about to give birth soon and she doesn’t have a pin as yet”.
The mother said her son has been working as a fisherman for the past two years.
Venezuela has claimed that the vessels were in its territory.
The Government of Guyana has dismissed that claim and has informed that the two seized vessels were actually operating within Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
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