Three more fishermen are missing (and possibly dead)

Date: October 8th , 2019
Dear Editor/Newsroom,

Three of our Icacos fishermen went to sea early this morning and are now kidnapped. An hour ago, a ransom of 10,000USD was called in. Their vessel has been found but the engine has been taken. Fisherman and captain
Sneider, also known as “Carlo”, and two others are missing. Who will pay this ransom?

Where were the Cedros based Coast Guard? Do we have any radars? Where are the 14 Coast Guard interceptors which Minister Young promised to be repaired since last November? FFOS and the families of “Seven of the best” murdered fishers (from the Orange Valley mass murder in July 2019) continue to appeal to our esteemed Prime Minister Rowley and Minister of National Security Young to appoint a multi stakeholder committee to
examine “safety at sea” issues and to report back to Cabinet. To date, even after writing the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Security on numerous occasions, we have not had the courtesy even of an acknowledgement or of a reply.

Why are they silent on our safety? Why are our citizens being locked out, abandoned and being put in grave danger?
We continue to appeal to Prime Minister Rowley and Minister Young of National Security to advise the Nation as to what steps are being taken to ensure safety at sea. The Government owes us a duty of care to ensure that they are able to safeguard our men at sea and to respond in a timely manner to emergencies. To date we still don’t know whether there are any working radars and our borders are wide open to the free flow of
every type of mafia, contraband and human cargo.

Now that the 2019/2020 Budget promises are made, we appeal to Prime Minister Rowley to speak out on this matter of safety at sea because our men are being brutally taken and murdered. Until the Prime Minister acts, more vulnerable lives will be lost and their blood, regretfully, will be on his hands.

FFOS stand ready to serve and appeal to our Government to break its silence and to ACT before any more lives are taken.

Sincerely,
Gary Aboud
Corporate Secretary