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Relocation of villagers
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Posted on Oct 17 2000
The Issue: A House resolution calling for the relocation of Tanapag Villagers to another venue.
Our View: With various contaminated sites in the village, relocation may be the only answer.
We can’t quite figure out how can the village be declared safe–in terms of PCB level–when recently, an announcement was issued urging villagers and others not to eat land crabs for having tested positive of this toxin/
Logic dictates that if high levels of PCB is found in land crabs, then it stands to reason that the area is still highly contaminated. Or is it a matter of how much is consumed by crab hunters and their families? We can’t understand the anomaly in the safety declaration subsequently followed by another that says land crabs are unsafe. Perhaps a better explanation is in order.
To engage in the blame game is to ignore the urgency of a health hazard that may have contributed to villagers who may have developed cancer who since have died in recent years. It makes it the more mandatory that villagers pursue either relocation or compensation from the responsible federal government agency or both.
This issue highlights how the US Department of Interior has failed to ensure inclusion of the CNMI in what’s known as Super Funds. This money is under the US Department of Defense, earmarked for clearance of military toxic wastes and ammunition left behind in various jurisdictions after World War II.
The CNMI is far from complete in the removal of both toxic waste and highly fatal ordnance dumped by the military in these isles during post World War II period. We beg our leaders to seek super fund allocation for these purposes, including compensation to victims of PCB. Si Yuus Maase`!
