19 Sep 2008

Saipan residents demonstrate against local power company

9:26 am on 19 September 2008

Hundreds of residents of Saipan, dressed in black with bandages plastered on their bodies, have protested against what they called the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation's band-aid approach to the island's power crisis.

The island has been plagued for months by power outages.

There are also complaints about the high prices the corporation charges for electricity.

Many people carried signs with slogans, such as "Will fight for light," and "Customers Using Candles

Meanwhile, more than 400 people have signed a petition that will be given to the Director of the Office Insular Affairs, when he visits the island next week.

The petition seeks federal intervention and oversight of the Corporation.