(Trinidad Guardian) Police are expected to make a breakthrough when it comes to crimes affecting fishermen.
This assurance came from Nigel Taitt, Assistant Secretary in the Division of Food Security, Natural Resources and Sustainable Development on the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), when he and other officials toured the newly renovated fishing facility in Buccoo on Friday.
For security reasons, Taitt said he did not want to reveal much about the investigations.
“Those who are involved in criminal activities, thiefing of vessels and thiefing of engines, please stop, a breakthrough will take place very soon,” he said.
“I do not want to comment very much on it. Let the T&T Police Service do their job and I must commend the TTPS for a job well done thus far.”
Apart from raising concerns about minor infrastructural problems at the fishing facility, fishermen wanted to know when they would be compensated for the oil spill that took place off the southern coast of Tobago in February.
Smokey, a popular Tobago fisherman, said he and others remain in the dark.
“They are supposed to come out and tell us something. They are not telling nobody nothing, so we are just hanging by a piece of thread,” he complained.
Smokey said fishermen lost income and equipment and are seeking a meeting with THA officials.
On the issue of compensation, THA Assemblyman Sonny Craig, the representative for Buccoo/Mt Pleasant/ Cannan, said he is amazed that the MPs for Tobago East and Tobago West, Ayanna Webster-Roy and Shamfa Cudjoe, remain silent on the issue.
“We know that monies have been passed around. Monies have been sent to the country to deal with those issues. Unfortunately because of the status quo, those monies are sent through Trinidad and they never meet Tobago,” he said.
“We cannot really have a deep conversation with all the stakeholders in Tobago because from that point the process is being interfered with.”
Nickocy Phillips, leader of the Unity of the People, a Buccoo-based political party, called on the MPs to address the compensation matter.
“We cannot continue to force the hand and play political battle with the THA and blame Farley (Chief Secretary Farley Augustine) or blame the THA for responsibilities that need to be shared with the Tobago West MP as well,” Phillips said.
The facility is expected to be opened on Friday and will accommodate around two dozen fishermen from the area.
