By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News|
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — The Executive Director of the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), Jean La Rose, is insisting that the government must salvage the sunken M.V. Barima, maintaining that the wreckage holds critical physical evidence and offers the only path to genuine closure for grieving families.
Speaking during a peaceful picketing exercise outside the Office of the President on Wednesday—one day prior to the official swearing-in of the five-member international Commission of Inquiry (COI)—La Rose pushed back against suggestions that the 87-year-old ferry remain resting on the Essequibo seabed.
Critical Evidence and Family Closure Require Salvage
La Rose’s demands follow recent disclosures by Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, who acknowledged that victims’ remains likely remain trapped inside the submerged hull. While the Prime Minister indicated that the administration would prioritize the wishes of affected families in deciding whether to raise the vessel, La Rose argued that leaving the wreck untouched compromises both forensic justice and human dignity.
- Preservation of Key Evidence: La Rose emphasized that physical access to the vessel is essential for marine accident reconstruction, auditing cargo weight, and verifying mechanical failures before the COI.
- Retrieval of Victims’ Remains: For riverine and indigenous communities across Region One (Barima-Waini) who suffered the greatest loss of life, recovering the remains of loved ones is a non-negotiable step toward final closure.
- A Resting Place Requiring Answers: Leaving the wreck 50 feet underwater without exhausting recovery efforts deprives families of the right to conduct proper burials.
[ APA DEMANDS FOR SALVAGE & COI INCLUSIVITY ]
│
┌─────────────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────────────┐
▼ ▼
[ Physical Salvage Mandate ] [ COI Governance & Consultation ]
- Recover remains of missing riverine passengers - Involve civil society & indigenous representation
- Preserve primary hull, cargo, and engine evidence - Ensure broad public confidence in panel terms
- Provide complete closure for grieving families - Prevent unilateral government-driven inquiry
APA Criticizes Lack of Consultation in COI Establishment
In addition to advocating for the ship’s salvage, the APA Executive Director expressed deep disappointment over the government’s process in setting up the international Commission of Inquiry chaired by Justice Godfrey Smith.
La Rose noted that despite the APA actively campaigning for an independent investigation on behalf of impacted indigenous communities, the organization was never consulted regarding the panel’s terms of reference or composition.
“We feel strongly about the lives lost—they should never have been lost in the first place,” APA Executive Director Jean La Rose stated during the protest. “We expected that civil society and indigenous bodies representing affected communities would have been consulted in constituting the Commission of Inquiry. A credible commission should reflect broad national participation to build public confidence rather than being established solely by the government.”
Broad Participation Key to Public Trust
While the five-member international commission has officially taken its oath before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman, La Rose stressed that inclusivity remains vital if the inquiry’s final findings are to command widespread credibility across Guyana.
As legal proceedings against three remanded crew members continue in court and public demonstrations persist, civil society groups maintain that physical salvage of the M.V. Barima remains indispensable to uncovering the uncompromised truth.
