Fifteen fishermen from Pakistan in Marabella are now calling for justice, after they alleged they were detained by the T&T Coast Guard, stripped naked and jokes made about their private parts at the Point Lisas Transshipping port on Wednesday morning.
The men, who were fishing off the Point Lisas port in the Gulf of Paria around 9 pm on Tuesday, said they were detained by the officers for six hours before being allowed to return home. No one was charged but they were given a stern warning not to fish near the port.
Fisherman Whazid Hammid said he was disturbed at the humiliation they went through.
“It was about 2 o clock in the morning. We were wet and cold, shivering and they laughed at us. Women were watching. It was embarrassing,” Hammid said during an interview at Bayshore, Marabella.
Recalling the incident, Hammid said they were hunting cutlass fish aboard five pirogues near the Oldendorff Carriers ship, which was docked near the Point Lisas port, when two launch boats from the ship came towards them.
“The men told us we not supposed to be fishing so close to the Oldendorff ship, which brings iron ore to Point Lisas, so we agreed to move away about a mile and a half off the ship,” Hammid said.
While fishing further out, he said a Coast Guard interceptor vessel arrived and ordered them to return to the port. Two jeeploads of police officers, including female constables, arrived shortly afterwards.
“When we got there they had already detained the other fishing pirogues. The Coast Guard said they towed us in because they heard we were protesting, but this was not so. Then the police and Coast Guard officers stripped us all naked and laughed at us,” Hammid said.
President of the Marabella Fishing Association Nathaniel Rodney said the fishermen deserved justice. He said the Coast Guard had apparently responded to a complaint from the Oldendorff crew and had responded quickly to detain the group of fishermen.
Expressing disgust at the Coast Guard’s behaviour, Rodney said many times fishermen called for help after being robbed by pirates and never got such quick response.
“It is amazing that they will respond when the big companies call but not to us. We want a thorough investigation into this,” Rodney said. He added that the fishermen went to make a report at the Marabella police station yesterday but officers refused to take the report. He said they planned to lodge a complaints to the Police Complaints Authority.
Rodney said they also met with an Oldendorff official who promised to investigate the matter.
