Oistins grapples with silence, unanswered questions over missing men

Two weeks after two Oistins fishermen disappeared at sea, the small south coast community is bracing for the worst, as search efforts yield no trace of the men or their vessel and questions mount over silence from the police and maritime authorities.

The search for Othneil Harewood and Chinese national Zhi Cai Su has reached a sombre turning point. Leaders within the Oistins fishing community say hope is fading fast that the men will be found alive.

The pair failed to return to shore a fortnight ago after setting out on what was expected to be a routine one-and-a-half-day fishing trip. The outing was kept short because one of the men had commitments with a class at the Fisheries Division.

Despite the passing days, no debris, sightings or official updates have surfaced to indicate the location of their vessel.

Neil Bourne, president of the Oistins Fisherfolk Association, spoke candidly about the growing sense of loss facing the families and the wider community.

Asked whether the search was being scaled back, Bourne said the mood had shifted to reluctant acceptance.

“They still have to look for the boat and nobody reports anything back,” he said. When pressed on whether hope of finding the men alive remained, Bourne was blunt: “Yes.”

At the Oistins market, Harewood’s sister, also a vendor, declined to comment. In Bridgetown, Barbados TODAY spoke to Zhi’s wife, Lee Hong Su, at her food stall.

Visibly distraught, Lee Hong — who has maintained constant contact with the police and the Coast Guard — declined an interview but managed to say her husband was “a kind person to everyone”.

Su, a long-term resident of Barbados since the 1980s, met Lee Hong when she arrived in 2000. She still holds out hope that the men will be found alive.

Questions have arisen over the apparent lack of a formal police statement about the disappearance. 

“The police, let them check it out… The police deal with the marine police, so marine police and the police service might be two different entities,” Bourne said, noting the matter remains in the hands of maritime authorities.