Fishermen petition President Mills

A group of fishermen in Tema has petitioned President J.E.A Mills to intervene in the unlawful arrest of innocent residents of the area in a recent demonstration they embarked upon.

The Anchovies Dryers Association of the Tema Canoe Beach, Tema Manhean, said it would go on a demonstration to protest the prosecution of innocent citizens of the community.

They have also condemned the action of the police, saying that a lot of their members were languishing in cells since September 17, 2010, when they were arrested.

The group accused Wilmor Edible Oil Refinery Project (WEORP), the company said to be operating on the land over which the fishermen demonstrated, of working with the support of the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority (GPHA), the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, Kempes Ofosu-Ware and the Tema Regional Police Commander, DCOP Augustine Gyening, to displace them (fishermen) from the land, the site for the proposed project.

The group, in their letter to the President, alleged that at the time the investor, the police and officials from T.M.A and GPHA decided to destroy their dried fish, they had not done an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), a Social Impact Assessment, and did not have the respective mitigation plans as required by the laws of Ghana.

The group stated that all these happened against the backdrop of Commodore Addison’s comprehensive report commissioned through T.M.A by the national security co-ordinator. The report had directed that all environmental concerns of the fisher folks as well as the community, needed to be addressed before the commencement of the project.

According to the group, on September 17, 2010, the Regional Police Commander decided to provide the workers of the investor with police escort, who without any provocation, started firing tear gas into the canoe beach and its environs to scare away the fisher folks and women who were at the time drying their anchovies. In the process, some fisher folks got hurt, prompting some youths to react.

In their letter, the group claimed that during the attack, the police shot and killed two innocent persons. They also arrested people from their rooms, which were nowhere near the scene. This situation caused some people to flee the area.

The group said the fisher folks were being solely blamed for the incident, which they felt was unfair as the police were equally culpable.

They are therefore asking that the role of the Metropolitan Chief Executive for Tema, Kempes Ofosu-Ware, the Tema Regional Police Commander for Tema, DCOP Augustine Gyening and the Director-General of GPHA be thoroughly investigated immediately. The Anchovies Dryers Association also notified the President of its intention to peacefully stage a procession on October 28.