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Mauritius has asked Japan to pay about 3.6 billion yen (28.5 billion euros, $ 34 million) to support local fishermen whose livelihoods were negatively affected by an oil leak last month, according to a document. of the government of Mauritius to which the Japanese news agency Kyodo News had access. .
The spill occurred when the Japanese bulk carrier MV Wakashio, owned by Nagashiki Shipping Co., crashed into a reef off southeast Mauritius in July. More than 1,000 tons of oil spilled into waters that are home to mangroves and endangered species, prompting Mauritius to declare a “state of environmental emergency” on 7 August.
As the island nation tries to control the spread of the fuel, there has been considerable debate over who will pay for the damage done to marine life and those who depend on it for their livelihoods.
Read more: Who will pay for the Mauritius oil spill?
According to the document cited by Kyodo, Mauritius has estimated a cost of more than $ 30 million for the construction of 100 fishing boats, while more than $ 240,000 would be used to provide training to 475 fishermen and 60 skippers who may not have experience in fishing in rough seas.
More than $ 3 million has been requested to renovate the Mauritius Albion Fisheries Research Center, which was built in the 1980s with Japanese help.
According to the Japanese agency, an official from the Japanese Embassy in Mauritius confirmed that several requests had been received. The official said: “It is true that we are currently receiving several applications. Japan is working to quickly do everything it can.
Over the weekend, Mauritius witnessed large-scale demonstrations in the capital, the largest protests the country has seen in 40 years. About 75,000 protesters marched against Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth’s inaction to tackle the crisis, calling for the leader and many senior officials to resign.
Posters like “Your incompetence is destroying our island”, “You have no shame” and “I have seen better cabinets at IKEA” were carried by protesters, who were also outraged by the alarming discovery of dozens of dolphins killed in recent times. days.
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