The Indian Guyanese Massacre at Wismar
It would be a mistake to accept that May 26, 1964, alone was the day hell descended upon Wismar with the massacre of Indian Guyanese that began weeks before. The blitzkrieg of terror, and the orgy of violence designed to cleanse the area of Indians continued on July 6 (Sun Chapman). The Wismar Massacre was the first cleansing of an ethnic group after the genocide of Jews in Europe. It was surprising to note that much of the violence against the Indian Guyanese occurred in broad daylight, early in the morning, and that many residents originated from Berbice, from as far away as Palmyra, Chesney, and Black Bush Polder. There were some familiar patterns of aggression: cutting off of the hair, women laughing and cheering their menfolk, and then the ultimate violation (mass rape) using bottles and other objects. The COI does not come close to capturing the enormity of the sequence of events – and the violence.
DR. SHEER RAHAMAN documented three cases of rape [there were others], at the Georgetown Public Hospital, of women who arrived on the MV Barima on May 26, 1964: (WOMAN #1), 17 yrs, (WOMAN #2), 23 yrs old and Miss Ramrattie Prashad. Ramrattie was admitted at 2:15pm on 26th May. [I think she wanted to give a voice to her violation, thus her name]. These girls were taken directly to the operation theatre, where dialating curitage surgery was performed. They were bleeding and in shock since the day before when the trauma occurred. There was no evidence that medical treatment was provided to them before leaving Wismar-Mackenzie. So traumatized were the “Wismar refugees” that when they arrived at the Georgetown harbor, they refused to heed Sase Narine’s (Maha Sabha) initial request for them to disembark, because the volunteers and police waiting to offer assistance were all Blacks.
This is Ramrattie Prashad’s testimony [which would have already been given twice, once to the medical personnel, and second, to the stenographers/interviewers who organized the testimonies!]
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: 61 Public Road, Kitty
RAMSAROOP: Are you single?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes.
RAMSAROOP: How old are you, Ramrattie?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: About nineteen
RAMSAROOP: Are you living with your father?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: I am living with my parents.
RAMSAROOP: What is the name of your father?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: My father is Tribawan Prashad.
RAMSAROOP: On the 25th of May of this year did anything happen to you? At anytime during the day or
night?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: About 5.00 to 5.30 p.m. I was upstairs.
RAMSAROOP: What happened?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: I heard a voice calling out to my father. As I looked through the window, I saw a
group of people outside the house, in front of the window.
[One page with about 15 questions and answers missing here]
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SHEPHERD: No questions.
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PRATAP N. SINGH: Where did those men rape you? In Mrs. Clarke’s yard?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes.
PRATAP N. SINGH: How long were you in Mrs. Clarke’s house before the crowd came and pulled you
out?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: I was there for about ten to fifteen minutes.
PRATAP N. SINGH: When you got to Mrs. Clarke’s house did she take you in willingly?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Did you hide in her home?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes. The door was closed.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Was it locked?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes. It was locked from the inside.
PRATAP N. SINGH: While you were running from your house to Mrs. Clarke’s house, did anybody see
you?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes
PRATAP N. SINGH: How did you get into Mrs. Clarke’s house?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: She opened the door for us. A few minutes later they started to tell Mrs. Clarke
that if she did not open the door they would burn the house. She opened the door and told us to get out.
She ran through the back, and they dragged me out.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Where were these people?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: They were all around.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Now, at the time when these men were doing these things to you, where was Mrs.
Clarke?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: I do not know.
PRATAP N. SINGH: About what time did this thing happen to you?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: At about 5.30.
PRATAP N. SINGH: At the time did you see any policemen, volunteers or soldiers around?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: No.
PRATAP N. SINGH: How far is Mrs. Clarke’s yard from the river?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: About thirty to thirty-five feet.
PRATAP N. SINGH: When you caught yourself you were in the river?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes.
PRATAP N. SINGH: You can’t remember how you got in the river?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: No.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Did you recognise any of the men and women who beat you up and left you?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes. But I don’t know their names.
PRATAP N. SINGH: How long were you living Wismar before this thing happened?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: About eighteen years.
PRATAP N. SINGH: You said that you do not know the names of the people but you would recognise
them?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes, they used to buy at the shop.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Did you at any time report to the police?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: While I was in hospital I gave a statement to the police.
PRATAP N. SINGH: In Georgetown Hospital?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Did anybody at any time ask you to go back to identify these men?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: No.
PRATAP N. SINGH: No police or volunteers?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: No.
PRATAP N. SINGH: If you were given police protection would you go?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Did you tell the police that you did not know the names but that you could recognise
them if you saw them?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Do you think that Mrs. Clarke would know their names?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: I do not know.
PRATAP N. SINGH: How many of you went to Mrs. Clarke’s house?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: My sister-in-law, my niece and myself.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Did any of these men assault you at the riverside?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Do you know the name of the man who pulled you back?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: No, but I know his wife’s name.
PRATAP N. SINGH: What is the name of his wife?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: I only know her first name. It is Yvonne.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Did this man have anything to do with you?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: No. He just dragged me back and beat me.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Did you tell the police that you would recognise the man who beat you?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Did any of the women beat you?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes. I know the name of one of the women. Her name is Miss Maud. She sells in
the Wismar market. She stripped me and cuffed me all over my body.
PRATAP N. SINGH: When you were thrown into the river the second time you did not have any clothes?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: No.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Did you tell the police the name of the person who stripped you?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Did you tell the police that men and women beat you?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Did the police to whom you gave your statement ask if you could recognise the people who beat you?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Was your sister-in-law nearby when this thing was happening to you?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: She was beaten too.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Did anything happen to her like what happened to you?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes. She told me so.
PRATAP N. SINGH: What of your niece? Did a similar fate befall her?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes. She told me so.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Did you ask her if she know the names of the men who did this thing to her?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes. She said she knew some of their names.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Do you know if she gave a statement to the police?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes.
PRATAP N. SINGH: Thank you.
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DRAYTON: Miss Ramrattie, were there a lot of people down by the riverside?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes. There were about ten to twelve of them by the riverside.
DRAYTON: How many were on the road?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: About four hundred.
DRAYTON: Were there any volunteers down by the riverside?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: No, I did not see any.
DRAYTON: Thank you.
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MOOTOO: Did your sister-in-law say if she saw any volunteers or policemen in the crowd?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: No.
MOOTOO: Do you know the man who took away your jewellery and your money?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: I do not know his name, but I could identify him.
MOOTOO: Is he a member of the Volunteer Force or the Police Force?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: No.
MOOTOO: You said that when they threw you into the river first you were unconscious, and when you
were aware of yourself you were in the river. That means that more than three men night have raped you, but you could only remember three men having done so.
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes.
MOOTOO: When the fellow dragged you back, did they rape you again?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes.
MOOTOO: About how many? About five or six?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes. And most of them belonged to the district.
MOOTOO: This woman who stripped you – did she strip you before they raped you?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes.
MOOTOO: What were they saying at the time when all this was going on? Did they try to stop what was
going on?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: No, they were happy about it.
MOOTOO: What was the crowd doing? Did they stop what was going on?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: No. They were happy about it.
MOOTOO: Were they people whom you knew?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes. Most of them used to buy from the shop.
MOOTOO: Your father had a shop?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes.
MOOTOO: How old is your niece?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Around fifteen years old.
MOOTOO: How many men do you think raped her?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: I can’t say. About three.
MOOTOO: Yes, about three first, but afterwards how many?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: About five or six afterwards.
MOOTOO: Then about ten or more men might have raped you?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes, about that number.
MOOTOO: Did the same thing happen to your sister-in-law and your niece?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: Yes about five,
MOOTOO: Did anybody say that these girls were unmarried and untouched, leave them alone?
RAMRATTIE PRASHAD: No. They started to laugh.
MOOTOO: Thank you very much.
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