モーリシャスで再び大規模デモ、流出事故対応めぐり政権に退陣要求

【マエブールＡＦＰ＝時事】インド洋の島国モーリシャスで12日、同国沖で日本の貨物船から大量の重油が流出した事故への政府の対応を非難する大規模デモが行われた。大規模デモは、8月29日以来2度目。（写真はモーリシャス南東部マエブールで、政権の退陣を要求するデモに参加する人々）
　デモの参加者らは、７月に発生し、重油１０００トン超が流出した事故の現場に近い南東部沿岸のマエブールに集結。旗を振ったりシュプレヒコールを上げたりしながら行進した。
　警察発表で２万５０００人がデモに参加したとされるが、主催者側は少なくともその２倍だと推定している。
　モーリシャスの国民１３０万人は、漁業でもエコツーリズムでも名高い海に依存しており、今回の流出事故で甚大な被害を受けた。
　プラビン・ジャグナット首相とその政権は、速やかな対応を怠り、同国史上最悪の環境危機を防げなかったとして批判されている。
　顔をペイントするなどしたデモ参加者らは、「ジャグナット首相は退陣せよ」とシュプレヒコールを上げたり、プラカードを振ったりして、流出事故への対応遅れの責任を取って退陣するよう求めた。
　デモに参加したマリーさんは、「私たちは政権の退陣を求めてここに来た。国民はもはやこの政権を信用していない」と述べた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/09/14-11:19）

Mauritians on Saturday marched for the second time in a month as public anger festers over the government's handling of a devastating oil spill off the coast.
A sea of colourful demonstrators waving flags and chanting slogans descended on Mahebourg on the southeast coast, where a cargo ship ran aground in July and leaked more than 1,000 tonnes of fuel into the pristine sea.
Police said 25,000 attended but organisers estimated the turn-out was at least double that.
The spill has inflicted untold damage on the Indian Ocean archipelago of 1.3 million people that depends on its fabled coastline for fishing and ecotourism.
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and his government have been accused of not acting fast enough to prevent the worst environmental crisis in the country's history.
Demonstrators thronging the coastline at Mahebourg, many with painted faces, chanted He Must Leave! and waved placards calling for the government to resign over the disaster.
We are here to call on the government to pack their things and go. The people no longer trust this government, said Marie, a protester who only gave her first name.
It was the second major rally over the spill after tens of thousands marched in the capital Port Louis on August 29 in the biggest demonstration witnessed in Mauritius in 40 years.
We will keep up the pressure on the unpopular government of Pravind Jugnauth, said Ashok Subron, one of the protest organisers
- 'Criminal negligence' -
The MV Wakashio crashed off Mauritius on July 25 with 4,000 tonnes of fuel aboard but did not begin leaking oil for more than a week.
By the time Jugnauth issued an urgent appeal for international help the slick had reached the shore, coating mangrove forests, fragile ecosystems and coral reefs.
An army of volunteers scrubbed the coastline but the stricken bulker kept leaking, even after salvage crews declared the last of the fuel aboard having been removed on August 12.
The MV Wakashio (incident) illustrates the incompetence of this government, said Bruno Laurette, another protest organiser.
Criminal negligence has had an impact on the flora and fauna of our country. Enough. They have to be put out of harm's way.
The ship eventually split and the larger piece was towed out to sea and sunk, further angering conservationists. The smaller section remains stranded on the reef and is visible from Mahebourg.
The washing ashore of nearly 50 dead melon-headed whales only spurred further outrage, as did the death of two sailors involved in the salvage process when their tugboat collided with a barge.
The Japanese owner of the MV Wakashio pledged this week to pay at least $9.4 million to help fix the damage caused by the spill.
It is still unclear why the Wakashio was so close to shore when the accident occurred. Jugnauth has commissioned a formal investigation and promised a full and transparent inquiry.