TIRANA, Feb. 22 – Forty residents of the village of Zharrez, some of whom have carried a hunger strike, have started an 100 km march to Tirana on foot and on wheelchairs in silent protest against the government’s refusal to find a solution to the earth tremors allegedly caused by the oil extraction carried out by Bankers Petroleum, which the protesters say have made their village uninhabitable.
Nine of the residents have been on a hunger strike for over twenty days. They were taken on wheelchairs, accompanied by their relatives said they will walk to Tirana in what they called “a march for justice.”
They were joined by dozens of other citizens who oppose the government’s lack of assistance.
Residents of the village demand from Bankers Petroleum to end drilling and fracking near their homes, because the processes have caused earth tremors damaging their homes.
Company workers have not stopped the drilling and protesters claim that earth tremors continue making it impossible for them to live in unsuitable housing and unsafe environment.
Protesters said they would walk to the prime minister’s office and accused the government of protecting the interests of “a very powerful clientele.”
Earlier this week, protesters met with Albania’s chief prosecutor, Adriatik Llalla. The impromptu meeting was held after Prosecutor General visited the local prosecution office in Fier. Protesters heard the news of his arrival and gathered in front of the building.
They called on Llalla to launch an investigation against Bankers Petroleum. Llalla had erlier made public that a prior investigations against the oil company were concluded following pressures from the U.S. Embassy.
The company was headquartered in Canada at at the time and was publicly traded on international stock exchanges, with many Canadian and U.S. investors owning shares. It has since been sold to Chinese private owners and withdrawn from the stock exchanges.
Bankers Petroleum claims that the tremors are natural occurrences. A work team set by the prime minister’s office has called on Civil Emergencies Unit to repair the damaged houses, while Bankers Petroleum is expected to hire an international expert, whose opinion will determine if the oil company will pay compensations and cover the damage claims by residents of the area.
Llalla said that the investigation against Bankers Petroleum would be reopened and the probe would include not only recent events but also those that were not investigated when it was Canadian owned.
“Everything will be investigated, previous rulings will be canceled,” Llalla said in a televised interview.
