Heermatie Sanker waited anxiously for her phone to ring yesterday, hoping that there would be news that her common-law husband Awardnath Hajarie and their son Nicholas would be coming home soon.
But by yesterday afternoon, Sanker felt dejected as the prospect of spending another lonely night at her Fullerton Village, Cedros home became more of a reality.
Speaking by telephone yesterday, she said she was yet to get a call from her eldest son, Vicky Sanker, who went to Venezuela on Sunday to secure the men’s release.
“I have not gotten any calls, all we heard was what was said on the news last night. I don’t know if they got released or not, their phones cannot respond from down there. Right now I am not feeling good so I just went to lie down and take a rest,” Sanker said.
Sanker’s brother-in-law Indar Hajarie said Vicky’s in-laws live in Venezuela so they would handle whatever is needed. Indar said that in Venezuelan prisons, the prisoner’s family is responsible for providing food and clothing. He said there was no information on whether Awardnath and Nicholas were released or on their way back. On Thursday, Awardnath, 52, Nicholas, 26 and fellow villager Shami Seepersad, 35, went fishing in the Soldado Main Field, off the coast of Cedros, when they claimed they were chased and arrested by the Venezuelan national guard. A worker aboard a Trinmar offshore installation recorded the incident on his cellphone and posted the video on Facebook.
The fishermen were taken to the mainland where they were detained for illegally fishing in Venezuelan waters.
According to the Ministry of National Security, they were expected to be charged and taken to court on an unknown date.
National Security Minister Edmund Dillon said yesterday the three T&T fishermen are still in Tucupita.
He said the matter is before the Venezuelan courts and both the Guardia Nacional and T&T Defence Force are both probing the matter.
However, Cedros fishermen said La Guardia Nacional has been arresting local fishermen in Trinidad waters for years in order to extort money from their families.
As the recession in Venezuela worsens, they said the La Guardia Nacional is demanding US currency and food supplies in exchange for the release and safe return of the fishermen they capture.
If the family does not pay, the fishermen would be taken back to Venezuela and charged.
The Ministry of National Security on Friday stated that based on the reports it received from Venezuelan authorities, several T&T vessels were being pursued for fishing illegally in their waters. That chase encroached into T&T waters.
The Ministry referenced the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which made it illegal to enter the waters of a sovereign state without permission of that state.
Defence Force sources said they did not receive any request for assistance or permission from La Guardia Nacional to enter T&T waters.
The source said that anywhere else in the world, military forces entering sovereign territory without permission can be considered an act of war.
Local coast guard had reported that during routine operations, two unidentified pirogues were seen crossing between Venezuela and T&T waters.
However, it appeared that when the chasing vessels observed the T&T Coast Guard vessel, they retreated to Venezuelan waters.
The Coast Guard vessel, in accordance with international law, did not pursue those vessels into Venezuelan waters.
