00:00200 days ago we were told that the investigation was coming to a close and in the meantime
00:07none of the families or anyone associated with the accident had been gotten in touch
00:14with. So we really were at a loss of what was happening.
00:18The predicament facing Qasem Ali Senior, the dad of deceased Qasem Ali Junior, and the
00:23other families of the divers who died in the subsea pipeline at birth 6 of the Paria Fuel
00:27Trading Company. The Committee for Justice for the Paria Divers in Wanting Answers has
00:33met with Acting Commissioner of Police Junior Benjamin and Deputy Commissioner in Charge
00:37of Investigations Suzette Martin.
00:40Supporter of the committee MP Rudranathan Dharasinghe says it was a cordial discussion.
00:45But it did not tell us in terms of when the investigations will come to an end. And the
00:54third anniversary will be on the 25th of February. And as active stakeholders in this
01:00exercise we thought it fit to get an update from the Acting Commissioner of Police. DCP
01:08Martin indicated to all that the investigations were at a sensitive stage. It was ongoing
01:17and that expert evidence would have to be sought.
01:23Dharasinghe says the committee was assured that the necessary resources for the expert
01:27evidence to be garnered would be put in place. And he adds that a commitment was given to
01:32bridge the communication gaps.
01:35The commissioner has committed himself to ensure that the investigative team meets with
01:42the families of the deceased divers and Christopher Boudram, the lone survivor, on an ongoing
01:48basis.
01:49The committee subsequently visited the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. And
01:54while they could not be accommodated for a meeting with DPP Roger Gaspard, senior counsel,
02:00Boudram was allowed to enter to deliver a letter asking for an update from that end.
02:05It was the DPP who gave the green light for a criminal investigation into the tragedy
02:09to be pursued in July of 2024.
02:13Boudram says the letter was received by Gaspard's secretary and they have discussed scheduling
02:19an appointment at a later date.
02:21TV6 News asked Boudram how he was coping amid what has been an ongoing process since February
02:27of 2022.
02:28I'm not doing too good. Most times I always relive the incident and because I have to
02:38fight this fight, I can't forget it. You know, I always had to be asking, pleading,
02:49the family and I always, in one way or the other, for justice, you know, for financial
02:56help, financial compensation.
02:58And in Darussingh is calling on Minister Van Ajeem, now Prime Minister in Waitings, Tochang
03:03for answers as to how many of the recommendations from the Commission of Inquiry have been implemented
03:09so far.
03:10The Commission of Inquiry made a recommendation that there should have been some kind of compensation,
03:18monetary, without accepting any culpability. Three years after, Minister Young continues
03:26to display the same sense of arrogance, lack of care and empathy.
03:30Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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