Transcript
Paula Piukala: That conclusions were arrived due to availability of tools, satellite vessel tracking image from two different company, one from Canada and one from France. They both points to the oil tanker at the exact time of the cuts and the exact location of the boats were around the same space. So, the oil tanker was there for around two hours in the same area that caused the four cuts, both the international and domestic. And so far, we have forwarded it to the police commissioner and the investigation team and are hoping that they will investigate the criminal element of cable cut. I strongly believe it was it was intentional, it was clearly a sabotage. The question of motive, we don't know, people behind it, we don't know.
Mackenzie Smith: So, you're saying you believe it's deliberate sabotage. What evidence do you have to suggest that?
PP: It is clearly defined in maritime maps that that particular location is a no-anchor zone, is a cable zone. That's one. Two, the oil tanker is a regular oil delivery to Tonga. It's a regular boat, they are aware of where the no-go zone, they are aware of the Sunday is not a working day in Tonga. All the elements, and if you continue to go to that place having known that, that has to be some intention, isn't it?
MS: So, you're planning to make a legal claim against this company for the cost of the damage?
PP: Yes, that's the whole idea.
MS: How much would that be?
PP: So far for the repair work that has been done, they billed us only one segment at this stage. And it cost us about half a million by now, Tongan pa'anga, so we are waiting for the second segment and the final reports. Initially we estimated each would be around 2 million (pa'anga) in a sense because of previous experience from other events like cable cut from elsewhere. But because the efficiency that has come in place with the relocation of the (inaudible) port to Apia, it makes the costs a little bit cheaper for us.
