Claude Mills, Staff Reporter
A RENEGADE executive committee of the Half Moon Bay Fishermen's Co-operative Society is attempting to extort thousands of dollars from overseas film crews and the Jamaica Tourist Board, for use of the Hellshire Beach in St. Catherine, according to a liaison for the JTB.
"In 1998, an Argentinean film crew came here to do a news story on Jamaica's qualification for the World Cup (football), but when they got to Hellshire, they were surrounded by a whole host of men demanding money," Tony Laing, a resource person and liaison of the Jamaica Tourist Board, said recently. "I actually saw the (Argentinean) guys shivering.
"The men on the beach over-charged the crew for food, drinks and for the use of a domino table. They were intimidated into paying hundreds of U.S. dollars for the return of a piece of equipment. These men harassed the film crew no end, and at the end of the day, a co-op representative turned up at the Jamaica Tourist Board's office with a claim for payment of monies owed to the co-operative," Mr. Laing added.
The JTB does not pay money for locations, extras or any assignment it facilitates. Nevertheless, the claim was submitted more than two years ago, and the committee is still trying to collect money allegedly owed, even though a new executive was elected in December 1999.
The Sunday Gleaner was able to obtain a faxed copy of an invoice which lists six members, of a "committee of management" indicating that they should be paid $3,000 each. The invoice, under the letterhead and displaying the seal of the Half Moon Fishermen's Co-operative Society, also lists the names of five persons who "should get paid for boats and sheds involved in the film" amounting to $16,500.
A notation on the bill declares, "the cost for the venue that we (the Half Moon Bay Fishermen's Co-operative Society) agree at is $30,000...we hope the next time the Jamaica Tourist Board sends visitors to Hellshire to make movies or advertisement they call connecting with the committee of management. Thanks in advance."
The total amount of the bill is $64,500.
Angela Anderson, JTB promotions manager, confirmed that a bill had been submitted by the fishermen's co-operative, but was unable to comment on the matter.
The Sunday Gleaner visited the beach two Fridays ago, and spoke to Doreen Cox, president of the Half Moon Bay Fishermen's Co-operative. She denied any knowledge about the money demand.
"I don't know anything about this bill," she said.
She explained that a member of the executive, whose name is linked to the committee, had been removed from the co-operative, "because we found out he was doing things on the behalf of the co-operative without us knowing." She added, "he is not on the present committee...we've threatened him a couple of times that he might go prison. This time, he might."
The Sunday Gleaner also spoke to Desmond Abrahams, vice-chairman of the co-operative, who is one of the persons named on the invoice as one of the "committee of management".
"If a man put my name on any document for any bill and put my signature then he has to answer to the police," Mr. Abrahams said. "I don't know anything about that, everywhere yu go, yu have ginnalship.
"When the Argentineans came to do the video, I took myself out of it. The co-op is not trying to kill anyone with high fees for use of the beach, but we should get a contribution. Nobody not supposed to charge for the beach, but people can't just appear and start filming."
"We had to make a new seal recently as we are unable to find our seal - which is a man with a spear and a fish - and now it is appearing on documents which we know nothing about...this is serious," Mr. Abrahams added.
A representative of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), which owns the titles for the Hellshire area, has disavowed any knowledge of this activity.
"Nobody at the UDC was made aware that it was happening. The UDC still owns the titles of the land at the Half Moon Bay area, and the fishermen are not supposed to charge anyone to use the beach. Further, there are no facilities on the beach for anyone to make use of so the fishermen should not be charging anyone," said a representative in the Corporate Affairs department of the UDC, who did not want her name used in this story.
Trevor Riley, deputy director of tourism, admitted that he was aware of the memorandum written by Mr. Laing and the bill, but was unable to address the matter now.
"I am trying to get background leading up to the incident, and until that time, I cannot make a comment until I have been debriefed (by the relevant people)," Mr. Riley said.
