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  • 1 year ago
It's been one year since the February 7th oil spill disaster in Tobago and Lambeau fisherfolk are today calling for their outstanding compensation monies.

During a media briefing called by the All Tobago Fisherfolk Association at the Lambeau Fish Facility, PDP leader Watson Duke turned up and called for the revocation of the position of Chief Secretary Farley Augustine. Elizabeth Williams was there and has this report.
Transcript
00:00We want our money right now. We want our money right now. We want our money right now. We
00:13want our money right now.
00:14Fisherwoman and the president of the Lambeau Fisher Folk Association, Sumathi Ramkissoon
00:18said, after over one year of awaiting outstanding compensation monies for losses during the
00:24February 7th oil spill disaster, she remains disappointed with the Chief Secretary Fahli
00:30Agustin.
00:49I lost everything in my boat. My cooler, my line, my nets,
00:53my engine was even damaged. I had to let the mechanic sort it out,
00:57all them things, the amount of money. I even borrowed money to buy back fishing gear for my
01:02partner. When you check up everything with the loss in the boat alone, it's like 60,000.
01:12I ain't gonna want to lie for that. It's like 60,000 and then I had to pay the mechanic to
01:19fix this.
01:21PDP leader Watson Duke was on hand during the media briefing
01:25and called for the revocation of the appointment of Chief Secretary Fahli Agustin.
01:29We have enough of a nonsense Fahli. Respond to this thing before next week, Monday,
01:36because from next week, Monday, we are going to put a series of action to revoke your appointment.
01:43President of the old Tobago Fisher Folk Association, Curtis Douglas,
01:47wanted to make it clear that $1.9 million was given by the THA to the association for
01:54persons who were contracted to work on the oil spill, but not fisher folk affected by the oil
02:00spill. When Mr. Chavez is making his utterances about how much money Mr. Douglas have or receive,
02:10it's not Mr. Douglas would have received any money.
02:14The old Tobago Fisher Folk, who worked as a contractor with the oil spill,
02:20these were the money was allocated to ADFA to pay the fisher folk. And he would have said he
02:26would have give us $2 million. It wasn't $2 million, $1.9 something dollars.
02:31THA Chief Secretary Fahli Agustin, when asked to comment on the matter, told the TV6 News quote,
02:37So far, the THA has accounted for every single cent spent on the oil spill cleanup and has taken
02:44the unusual step of showing publicly every single vendor service provider that was paid and how much
02:52was paid to said service provider. With regards to the promised assistance to fisher folk to be
02:58made available this month, that too will be published along with the criteria used. Further,
03:05the head of both fisher folk associations are part of the compensation committee and they will
03:11get to see and participate in spearheading the operations. So it will be done completely in the
03:17public's view. I'm not hiding how a single cent is spent and every cent spent paid will be made
03:25public so that the public can make their own judgments on who's being fair. End quote.
03:31Elizabeth Williams, TV6 News.
03:35you
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