10th JUNE, 2009 PRESS STATEMENT FROM ORGANISED CITIZENS OF SOBO, UNION, VANCE RIVER, VESSIGNY, AND SQUARE DEAL VILLAGES: SOD TURNING A FARCE

The turning of the sod for Alutrint’s power plant is a farce.

The 4000 plus residents of the affected communities – Sobo, Vessigny, Vance River, and Union – are not the guests in the fancy tent erected for the event. The community is outside - organized in a peaceful protest. We are standing in solidarity with the people who are scheduled for relocation.

Our position is that the Alutrint smelter must go. Either you stop the smelter or move all of us. We are the ones who have to be “monitored” to see if we develop any sickness. We are not lab rats. We do not accept that as rightful citizens of Trinidad and Tobago we should be made to live with a risk that makes it necessary for us and our little children to have to be tested every two years for the development of a range of diseases including cancer.

We did not block any roads today and wish for our purpose not to be confused or buried underneath the position of the young men from La Brea and surrounding areas who want jobs on the smelter construction site, though our sympathies are with them. We hope that alternative safe industries that provide employment and actually build rather than destroy our communities could be brought to La Brea. We hope that these very young men on the streets today could have a choice between wholesome jobs not between getting a job and staying alive as a healthy human being.

The very many people who have found the time and resources to organize this extravagant sod turning event are the very people who have never had any time or resources to address the community concerns or even to come talk with us about the problems they have been causing us.

Every day we are eating and breathing dust. There is an epidemic of asthma, chest infections, and sinus illness in our villages. No children under the age of five will grow up healthy in the homes surrounding the plant. Their immunity is already compromised. The noise from Alutrint's works day and night have us jumping out of our sleep at night. We are sleep deprived and exhausted. Many of our houses are cracking and breaking from the vibrations caused by Alutrint and the power plant works. The conditions we are being put in are totally unhealthy, inhuman, and unfair.

Hundreds of us have already lost our livelihoods from farming, animal husbandry, hunting, bee keeping, and other activities because of the clearing of the land to build Alutrint. This smelter cannot bring jobs to compensate for our losses. There are no real benefits for our communities. Alutrint is an unfolding human rights tragedy.

This recent news about medical testing is the last straw. The State is trying to create the impression that all is well and that the smelter is moving ahead at pace and is unstoppable. They want the people of Trinidad to believe that we cannot stop it. This is not true. There is no plant on the ground yet. No plant will go on that ground.

We are calling on right minded citizens of Trinidad to support our call for justice and fairness. This is not just about the environment and is not only a local issue. We will continue our non-violent protests as long as it takes to safeguard our health and community.