BY SYLVANA TEKUMAHA

Concerns have been raised over Selwyn College accepting 140 form-6 students when its capacity is only 70-80 students.

Parents and guardians raised their concern to Island Sun this week after it was announced that 140 students which the Ministry of Education (MEHRD) had listed for Selwyn College have been accepted despite only being able to accommodate 70-80 form-6 students.

The Anglican Church of Melanesia (ACOM) Education Provider (EP) questioned MEHRD in a facebook post on Friday, Jan 17, why 140 form-6 students were listed for Selwyn college when the school can only accommodate 70-80 form 6 students.

“There appears to be a lapse in communication between MEHRD and ACOM EP regarding the total number of students officially placed in Year 12 (Form 6) at Selwyn College this year,” ACOM EP Education Secretary Desmond Waita said in the post.

“The approved and available school capacity for Form 6 is 70–80 students only, not 140 students as stated on the MEHRD Facebook page.”

However, early this week Mr Waita posted on the Selwyn College facebook page announcing that the ACOM EP has agreed to accept the 140 form-6 students. These posts have since been removed.

Waita has not responded to attempts by this paper for comments.

A teacher who requested anonymity told Island Sun on Wednesday this week that accepting 70-plus students above the school’s capacity for form-6 will cause a lot of rippling effects for the school and students.

“First is overcrowding at the dormitories and classrooms. The dining hall, assembly hall and chapel will also struggle to accommodate the extra numbers,” the teacher said.

He said the excessive number of students will strain available materials for learning such as science lab apparatuses and chemicals.

“Textbooks will have to be shared among the students which could lead to three students sharing a textbook and stationeries will not be enough,” he said.

He added that the school will have to budget extra for food rations, medicine supplies at the clinic could be overwhelmed, and extra work for teachers to adjust their teaching plans for 2026.

“I feel that the Anglican Church of Melanesia (ACOM) Education Provider is bending to pressure from politicians and church leaders and is sacrificing quality education which the school is well-known for,” he said.

BY BEN BILUA
Gizo

THE President of the Vella House of Chiefs has refused to attend the recent enthronement of chiefs at Paraso, sparking questions over the legality and recognition of the newly enthroned leaders.

Reports reaching Island Sun indicate that the disagreement stemmed from the appointment of chiefs to lead various tribes, with concerns that the latest enthronement contradicts the roles and authority of other chiefs who were enthroned last year.

According to the report, the president’s absence was interpreted by some as a rejection of the process, raising uncertainty among communities about whether the newly appointed chiefs would be formally recognised by the Vella House of Chiefs.

However, Chief Rence Sore has dismissed claims that the president’s decision represented the position of the Vella House of Chiefs as a whole.

He said any decision to boycott or oppose a chiefs’ enthronement must be collectively agreed upon by the entire Vella House of Chiefs body.

Sore said the action had overshadowed the integrity and leadership expected of the office.

“The Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Vella House of Chiefs were present during our chiefs’ enthronement programme.

“Only the president was not present, and I do not know the reasons for his absence,” he said.

Sore said the dispute highlights growing divisions within the Vella House of Chiefs and has raised broader concerns about unity, customary leadership, and the proper processes for enthroning chiefs in the area.

BY SYLVANA TEKUMAHA

Minister of Health and Medical Services Dr Paul Popora Bosawai has clarified the confusion surrounding licensing requirement related to methamphetamine after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions issued a statement on Tuesday.

In practice, there is no licence for Meth, Mr Bosawai said.

Speaking to Island Sun on Tuesday, Bosawai said licensing is mentioned because some of the precursor chemicals used in methamphetamine production is also used for medical purposes and these pre-cursors require licence to handle.

“If we do not put licence to methamphetamine and ban it, that means we are banning the use of precursors used for medical purposes,” he said.

There is a board that governs the issuing of licence called the ‘Drugs and Poisons Board’, chaired by the Deputy Secretary of Health, he is also the Chairman who provides permit.

“You cannot possess a licence until it goes through a process. The board can then grant you permit, moreover the board cannot issue licence unless it is strictly for medical use.

“In practice no one can have the licence for methylamphetamine, because our laws do not allow for a licence for specific drugs or medications,” he said.

He added that in order to have medication in the county, one will also need a permit to import and licence to dispense the medications.

“With the question as to why one with licence can possess methamphetamine or sell, it is solely for medical use,” he said.

Bosawai said that it is when one abuses it that the drug is called ‘illicit drugs’, otherwise it is still a dangerous drug covered under the Dangerous Drug and Poisons Act 1942.

“Rules and penalties were changed after November 5, 2025, but the overall law of the Drugs and Poisons Act were not in the amendment,” he said.

Director of the Public Prosecution Office (DPP) Andrew Kelesi explained to Island Sun that one reason those who were found linked to methamphetamine in the past years were not taken to court was because under the Dangerous Drug Act there were no laws to criminalise it.

“There were no amendments of the Dangerous Drug Act the past years and it leaves a lot of gap, that is why this is the new regulation in placed after November 5,” he said.

There will be a review of the Dangerous Act and is expected to be tabled in Parliament during its first meeting for 2025.

Bosawai acknowledges the concerns raised by the public however he advised there is also a need to understand the importance of precursors since it is still used for medical purposes. 

Under the Dangerous Drugs (Methamphetamine) Rules November 2025, distribution, possessing, supplying and manufacturing of methamphetamine without proper licence breaches the Dangerous Act (Cap. 98) of the Pharmacy and Poisons Act (Cap. 105).

BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Leader of Opposition Matthew Wale has strongly condemned the recent burning and destruction of company property at the Gold Ridge Mine site and urges government to address grievances.

Wale, in a statement yesterday [Jan 22] said arson and the willful destruction of private property are serious criminal offences with penalties that include imprisonment.

“While there may be long-standing landowner grievances and frustrations over the operations and land issues, there are avenues and laws available for dealing with such concerns. Resorting to violence and intimidation only worsens the situation by harming ordinary citizens, workers, and landowning communities who depend on stability for their livelihoods, hence, cannot be tolerated by society at large,” Wale said.

He urged the Government to take this incident seriously and carry out robust investigations that not only look at the criminal aspects but also all underlying issues which continue to fuel tension around the Gold Ridge project.

He adds that this incident paints a negative picture for investment in the mining sector, hence it must not be ignored.

He said that the Government must now engage openly with landowners and community leaders to quickly restore trust, uphold justice, and prevent further escalation.

“Our nation cannot afford actions that threaten peace, investment confidence, and social cohesion,” he said.

He also appealed to the parties involved to remain calm and address their grievances through a more peaceful and lawful means for settling issues and avoiding a repeat.

BY MORRIS NAFU

Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele has expressed serious concern following unrest at the Gold Ridge Mine site and has called on all parties to remain calm, exercise restraint, and prioritise community safety.

The Prime Minister is aware of damage to machinery at the site and emphasised that his immediate message is one of dialogue, mutual understanding and cooperation, a statement by the PM Press Secretariat yesterday said.

“As a nation, land is central to our identity and way of life. While property destruction is illegal, these actions reflect strong emotions and a desire to be heard,” Mr Manele said.

“And to take these forward, we (all parties) must come together to dialogue and seek solutions within law and custom,” Manele said.

The Prime Minister appealed to GRML, chiefs, community leaders, and youth across Central Guadalcanal to maintain peace and prevent any further escalation, the statement said.

The Prime Minister encouraged patience and restraint while efforts continue to identify a path forward based on respect, dialogue, and understanding.

More than 30 machines belonging to the Gold Ridge Mining Ltd company were burnt and damaged on Tuesday night by a group of unknown people, police reported.

Police has since said it has the situation at the mine site under control.

Landowners speaking to Island Sun on Wednesday said the unfortunate incident was a result of growing frustration among members of the surrounding communities from continuous mistreatment by the company and police officers, outstanding issues between landowners and company.

The GRML company in a statement on Wednesday while condemning the incident, called for communities to cooperate with police and assured it was working with all stakeholders to identify and resolve the root causes.

BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Gordon Darcy Lilo has expressed deep concerns regarding the recent incident involving the burning of machinery and equipment at the Gold Ridge mining site.

The Member of Parliament for Central Honiara and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) raised his concern in a statement yesterday.

Lilo said that the situation could have been avoided if an open discussion had been held between the relevant parties and landowners regarding their complaints.

He described the event as a grave situation.

The PAC Chairman said the possible involvement of competing foreign companies, with interests seeking tenements within the larger Gold Ridge area, cannot be ignored.

He called for a stop to issuing consents to companies seeking to procure a prospective license from the Ministry of Mines and the Mining Board, and to address the ongoing discussions surrounding the mining policy framework as part of the current legislative reforms.

Lilo also called for the suspension of all applications and an immediate halt to the issuance of prospecting licences.

He said that this allows the government to work towards legislative reform to reinstate its commitment to international regulatory standards and comply with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

Lilo adds that this approach will ensure that the concerns of landowners and other stakeholders are addressed fairly and within the bounds of the law.

He cautions that the current operational status at Gold Ridge is unsustainable, and the government must take decisive, transparent and responsible action to rectify the situation.

-Gold Ridge mine stands still following burning and damage of company properties by unknown ‘group of people’
-Cost of damage still assessed

BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Gold Ridge Mining Ltd (GRML) operation in Central Guadalcanal has been placed on hold following the burning and damage of machines that occurred on Tuesday night this week.

It is still unclear how much the damage is worth, but the company said it is quite substantial since a huge number of its properties were burnt.

Speaking in an exclusive interview yesterday, Chairman of Gold Ridge Community Investment Limited (GCIL) and a Director of GRML, Walton Naezon said that a dialogue was held yesterday between Government representatives, the company, and the Gold Ridge Land Owners Council to identify a solution to the cause of the problem.

“Stakeholders come together to identify the cause of the problem. So those are the areas of concern. Work still halted since there are things yet to be settled. We have to re-structure work place, repair machine,” Mr Naezon said.

He said that those involved in the burning should go through their council rather than taking things into their own hands.

“The situation has now returned to normalcy and is under control. Work will continue as things are settled,” he said.

He calls on the government, leaders, Land Owners (LOs), chiefs, women, and youth to work together for a safe, smooth future operation.

“I regret and am sad about what happened. GRML contributed more than 40 percent of GDP -it’s a national project, and thus, everyone should have a concern over it,” he said.

He said that the Gold Ridge Landowners (LO) council is responsible for dealing with the LO concerns to the company and the Government.

He said the GRML is operated through a government taskforce, the Gold Ridge Task Force, co-chaired by the Minister of Mines and the Minister of Police.

“All these things are inside a matrix. For example, the issue raised by LO should have been addressed by the Government, not the company. Under the matrix, each party has its priority areas, the company, Government, the LO council, the Ministry of Mines etc,” he said.

He adds that the operation is conducted under three agreements; agreement between LO and the Company, the LO and the Government and the Company and the Government.

“For example, the government is responsible to pave way for the company’s development for Los concerns. However blame always goes to the company when issues arise, which should not be the case,” he said.

-Around 30 machines damaged, burnt at Gold Ridge mine site; police say situation under control and investigations underway
-Landowners say incident is the result of mistreatment, false promises and long-outstanding issues

BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Around 30 machines on the Gold Ridge Mining sites were damaged and burnt on Tuesday night, Jan 20 by a group of ‘unknown individuals’.
Police have said it has the situation under control, and the company has said it is working closely with police and community leaders to ‘investigate the root cause of the incident and identify those responsible’.
Meanwhile, people from the communitie on Gold Ridge say the incident was a result of peaked frustration among landowners over false promises and long-outstanding issues.
Jerry Tisili, who took a video of the burning at Bita village, not far from the mining site, said the incident occurred between 9pm and 10pm.
He said that a number of the company’s machines were burnt during the incident.
“The main reason behind the incident is the issues that the company promised to address, but was halted and delayed. One of the common ones is the Royalty, which always comes in half, including the mistreatment of landowners (LO),” Tisili said.
He said that the company promised to build a clinic, water supply, school, and road access – but has not done so to this day.
“Every stream and river at Gold Ridge is polluted with cyanide. Previous companies built something here, not like this one,” he said.
Aldrin Smith an elder at Bita village told Island Sun that one of the leading factors in the incident is the unfair treatment by the police.
“They treat us LOs badly. Sometimes they chase us. When they treated us like that, we could not go back to work the other day because of fear, though that’s what we depend on for money,” he said.
“When they chased us, they took our bags of high mineral content soil to pan them for themselves, leaving us with nothing at the end of the day when we returned home,” he said.
He alleged that when police officers take the high mineral content soil, they don’t return it to the company but take it for their own benefit.
“So, we always work with fear. Whenever we saw a police vehicle, we must escape,” he said.
Yesterday Premier of Guadalcanal Province Willie Atu appealed for calm and constructive engagement over the Gold Ridge unrest in a press statement.
He expressed deep concerns over the burning of machines and properties at Gold Ridge Mining Limited.
He assured the public that the Provincial Government is firmly committed to collectively engage with Gold Ridge Mining Limited, Gold Ridge Investment Company Limited, the chiefs and elders of the surrounding communities at Gold Ridge, the Ministry of Police and National Security, the Ministry of Mines and Energy and other stakeholders to seek a peaceful and amicable resolution to the issues at hand.
About 30 machines were burnt down, according to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) yesterday, which has commenced its investigation into the incident.
It was alleged that those unknown people who burnt down those machines were not happy with the company for not addressing their long-outstanding issues, RSIPF said.
Acting Commissioner of the RSIPF Mathias Lenialu, said police have contained the situation and will deal with those who are responsible for the burning incident.
The Gold Ridge Mining Company issued a statement last night condemning the incident and calling for cooperation with the police and restoring of stability in the communities.
“We take this incident seriously. Our focus is on safety, cooperation with the police, and restoring stability while investigations continue.”
At this stage, there is no immediate risk to surrounding communities, the statement said.
While a full investigation is ongoing, overall operations at the Gold Ridge Mine continue. Safety protocols have been reinforced, and additional monitoring measures are being implemented across the site.
Leaders across Guadalcanal are proactively working with the Company to manage the situation, including:
-Peter Shanel Agovaka, Member of Parliament for Central Guadalcanal
-Bradley Tovosia, Member of Parliament for East Guadalcanal
-Willie Dai, Member of the Provincial Assembly for Vulolo Ward
-The Guadalcanal Provincial Government
-Chiefs, landowners, and community leaders, including the Gold Ridge Community & Landowners Council (GRCLC)
These engagements are aimed at sharing verified information, promoting calm, and ensuring that communities understand the importance of cooperation and lawful processes while investigations are underway, the Gold Ridge mining company statement said.