It’s been 33 days since Able Seaman Kieron Simon disappeared in a narco-submarine as it sank off the coast of Grenada and his family continues to anxiously await word from the Ministry of National Security as to recovery efforts of the deep sea vessel.
Relatives say they feel abandoned and dismissed.
Simon, a father of two boys aged three and seven, disappeared in the semi-submersible on February 21, as he participated in a drug bust during a multi-national training exercise.
The decorated officer was part of a T&T contingent of security officials collaborating with regional counterparts out at sea, when the submarine which contained three Colombian nationals and a quantity of cocaine, allegedly surfaced.
It was reported that as Simon and another officer boarded the vessel to apprehend the alleged traffickers and recover the narcotics – someone pulled the plug, causing the submarine’s hatch to close, trapping Simon on board as the vessel sank.
The second coastguard officer was reportedly thrown into the sea but was later rescued.
One day after the incident, former National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds assured Simon’s family and the nation, that all arms of national security were working to locate the submarine and rescue Simon.
However, that assurance has not materialised and according to Simon’s brother Kevlon Simon, “Something is not right.”
In an interview with Guardian Media on Tuesday, Kevlon begged for answers as to what really happened to his brother.
Claiming the family had only been apprised once by local Coast Guard officials, early after the incident occurred, Kevlon said they were told then that efforts would have been made to procure a vessel from South Africa, which had the capability of bringing the submarine up from a depth of 300 metres or 1,000 feet which is where it was alleged to have sunk.
Since then to now, he said there has been no word from anyone at the Ministry of National Security (MNS) including the former and current ministers.
Choking back tears, Kevlon said, “If I don’t call the Coast Guard, there are no answers…and still even when I call, there are no answers.”
He criticised the authorities as he said, “My brother served for 18 years in the T&T Coast Guard and he doesn’t deserve this.”
Revealing Kieron had joined the TTCG in 2009 and had served in various posts during that time to now, he said, “He was not a normal officer and I find that there is no thanks.”
“He spent 18 years dedicated to the job, serving faithfully and now…to this? This is the thanks he getting?”
Kevlon said his family had been left with too many questions and not enough answers, and that, “Nobody had reached out to us.”
Indicating Kieron’s two children had now been left without a father, Kevlon said the family was still reeling from the death of their mother a year ago, which had been preceded by the passing of their father a year before her.
Kevlon cried as he said the family had not been offered any sort of emergency or temporary compensation, despite the years of service to country.
“Coast Guard not calling. The Minister of National Security not calling. Office of the Prime Minister not calling. Look today (yesterday) had football and the Prime Minister jumping up with two fingers in the air,” he said.
He demanded, “Nobody not saying nothing and they keeping it hush-hush.”
Vowing to keep up the pressure until answers are provided to the family as to what really happened, Kevlon said he does not believe his brother’s body is actually in the submarine.
Pressed to provide an update on the situation on Tuesday, acting Police Commissioner Junior Benjamin said the investigation was ongoing and that results should be forthcoming soon.
Unable to simply accept this, Kevlon went on, “I don’t believe nothing they saying up to now. It is just not adding up.”
Asked how Keiron’s children were doing since their father’s disappearance, Kevlon said the younger child lived abroad while his eldest son had been asking to see his father.
“What is taking them this long to get this equipment to bring a man who served 18 years? What stopping them from doing that?
“This is not right or just or fair. This man served his country and now his country has abandoned him.”
On Tuesday, Kevlon posted a heartfelt tribute in honour of Kieron on social media, in which he wrote, “My brother Kieron was not just a name on a roster. He was a son, a brother, a father, a cousin, a friend and a dedicated servant to his country.
“If this is how they handle the loss of someone who dedicated his life to service, who will stand for you when your time comes? My brother is being treated as just another casualty, another name lost at sea, without care, without urgency, without respect.”
To those who were present with Kieron on the morning, Kevlon appealed for answers.
“You were with him that morning, you know something. Silence does not erase the truth. My brother’s mantra was that nobody gets left behind. If it were any of you in trouble, he would have risked his life to bring you back home. And yet, here we are, watching as his life is disregarded as if it never mattered.”
He ended, “Kieron, my dear brother, our hearts ache for you. We miss you, we love you and we hold onto the hope that one day, we will see you again. Until then, we will not stop speaking your name, and we will not stop demanding answers. Dear brother, you are not forgotten.”
