Caribbean Net News: Suriname government to stiffen sanctions on backtrack-route

PARAMARIBO, Suriname: Authorities in Suriname are imposing stiffer sanctions against boat operators on the semi-legal backtrack route between Suriname and Guyana who are violating their licences.

The sanctions come on the heels of a boat accident last Friday on the Corentyne River, in which two Guyanese women perished. Boat operators who are violating the regulations will have to pay a fine or have their licence revoked.

Meanwhile, Members of Parliament are calling for a total close down of this border crossing.

This river crossing is very dangerous due to unpredictable circumstances at the mouth of the Corentyne River. Moreover there is a lack of surveillance by the authorities, while most boat operators adhere to the necessary safety conditions for their vessels.

�I have witnessed this situation on many occasions,� said a member of the coalition, Carmelita Ferreira, in the television talkshow Suriname Vandaag. On several occasions she asked the government to explain its policy regarding to the back track route.

On Tuesday, district commissioner Bhagwat Shankar and other officials in Nickerie where the boat mishap occurred, had a meeting with boat operators to announce the new regulations.

According to the district commissioner, the backtrack route shouldn�t be closed down by the government. �The boat operators should adhere to the regulations,� he argued.

From now on all the vessels are required to have life jackets, life belts and sculls on board, while overcrowding is prohibited.

Within a month, the Maritime Authority will check if the vessels are seaworthy and if they are safe to carry passengers. Furthermore, the authorities will register all the vessels, which from now on should carry the Surinamese flag.

Transport services of these vessels are only allowed between 7.00 am and 6.00 pm. �Traveling at night is strictly forbidden, without explicit permission of the authorities,� Shankar told the boat operators.

Stakeholders are applauding the new measures, claiming that, due to the lack of supervision from the authorities, some operators are being careless in carrying passengers.

Two Guyanese women drowned last Friday when the propeller of the boat they were traveling in got stuck in a fishing seine and sank. The seven other passengers were rescued by other boat operators who rushed to the scene.

"If persons involved had adhered to the regulations, the boat accident of last week Friday with two deaths wouldn�t have happened,� said Guyana�s consul-general Arlington Bancroft.

A number of persons prefer the faster backtrack route instead of the official border crossing at the ferry terminal at South-Drain/Moleson Creek, since this is much cheaper. Smuggling of goods, including medicines, cigarettes, food items, illegal drugs, small arms and other contraband is rampant, while fugitive criminals use the back route to seek refuge either in Suriname or Guyana.

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