Drowned Icacos fisherman found

PRAYERS for a miracle turned into tears of mourning for the Bissoon family, when members of an indigenous Venezuelan tribe living along the coastline of that South American country, discovered the decomposing corpse of Icacos fisherman Rupert Bissoon floating in a river on Monday afternoon. Bissoon, 55, a father of one, disappeared under the water after he and two fellow fishermen were forced to jump into the sea by a band of pirates who boarded and took over their pirogue, while the Trinidadians were fishing for shrimp in Venezuelan waters on Saturday.

According to Cedros police, around 3 pm on Monday, Bissoon’s body was found by members of the Warahoon tribe, floating in the Macarao River, in Venezuela. The tribe members alerted the Venezuelan Guardia Nacional who took possession of the body and alerted the TT Coast Guard. TT Coast Guard officials accompanied by Bissoon’s nephew Brian Gopaul journeyed to Venezuela where Gopaul positively identified the corpse which was brought back to this country at 6 am yesterday. District Medical Officer Dr Carmona viewed the body at Icacos and ordered an autopsy. Up to midday yesterday, efforts were still being made for the autopsy to be carried out at the Forensic Science Centre in St James. Bissoon drowned after three armed pirates, two of whom were speaking Spanish, ordered him, his relative Deodath Bissoon, 17, and Denver Beharry, 28, to jump into the sea. The pirates threw a lifejacket and a pan into the sea before speeding off in the local fishermen’s pirogue and their (the pirates) vessel.

Efforts to speak to Bissoon’s wife Sirdaye yesterday, were futile as other relatives said both she and her daughter Amy, ten, (Bissoon’s only child) were in a state of shock. A relative told Newsday both mother and daughter were resting yesterday and being closely monitored by other family members. The relative said while funeral arrangements were yet to be finalised, the casket would be sealed since Bissoon’s body was in a state of decomposition. Police sources said while they could confirm that Bissoon’s death was as the result of foul play, it would be very difficult to make arrests since the pirates were not likely to be based in Trinidad. Sources also said since the incident occurred in Venezuelan territorial waters, all information pertaining to the pirate attack was given to the Guardia Nacional for follow up investigations. The vessel in which Bissoon and his colleagues were fishing has not yet been recovered.