Passengers are pulling a passenger truck after being stuck in mud along South Road that connects West Kwaio and West Are Are to Auki.Photo Clifford Huta.
BY SAMIE WAIKORI
MAINTENANCE work for Malaita’s South Road that connects Auki town to West Kwaio as far as Hauhui in West Are Are is set to begin next month.
This road maintenance is funded by Australia’s DFAT under the emergency road programme for Malaita province and will be carried out by Island Engineering company.
According to information received from the company yesterday, they are working on required paper work ahead of commencing the project.
The company said the road maintenance project will begin in Auki and stretch to the head-road at Hauhui, roughly around 80 kilometres.
“We will begin mobilizing machineries by now as we expect to begin the project next week,” they said.
“Considering the significant deteriorating condition of the road, they will see if they can meet the timeframe of the project.
“Thus, road-upgrade work in the province is not new to us and we hope to deliver the project within its given time,” they said.
The company called upon communities along South Road to support the upgrade of the road which has been in dire condition over the past months.
Also in the province, road upgrades are underway in certain segments of north and east roads connecting to Auki.
Work on the 17km road maintenance from Gwounaruu to Dala started months ago and is nearing completion.
The project is implemented by Exodus Trading company under the SIRAP programme which is funded by World Bank through the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) and Ministry of Communication Aviation (MCA).
Another project is in East Road, where a 21km road upgrade from Forcim Market to Kware is implementing by Trades Transformation Company Ltd.
The project is funded under the SIRAP program. Also, under the SIRAP programme, construction is underway on Kwa bridge and next will be Bio bridge in West Kwara’ae.
There are also number of bridges along south and north roads will be funded under the SIRAP next year.
Premiers briefed on Malaita’s amended ordinance on Forest Business Licence
BY JENNIFER KUSAPA
MALAITA province has shared with other provinces its amended Forest Business Licence ordinance, marking a significant step in ongoing efforts to address challenges posed by logging.
Malaita is the first province to establish a well-defined law to keep logging operations at bay.
This was possible through the support of the US-funded programme in Malaita, the SCALE-NRM project.
The Forest Business License Ordinance (FBLO) empowers Malaita’s provincial government to regulate the use and protection of forests.
This initiative also contributes to the reduction of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and will generate revenue for the province.
Yesterday, premiers of some of the provinces in the country gathered to discuss the adoption of FBLO into their own jurisdictions.
James Apaniai, a legal expert and private consultant, addressed the provincial premiers, emphasising the significant challenges posed by the logging industry to both communities and the environment.
“We need to do a lot of things on our laws for the benefit of our people and province,” Apaniai said.
He said the policy development on Forest Business Licence Ordinances was initiated by WINROCK to support the province in terms of logging operations.
Apaniai said there is no province in the Solomon Islands without logging operations all provinces have been logged, and problems associated with logging is huge.
He said under the Provincial Government Act 1997 there is a provision that gives powers to the provinces to pass legislation in the form of ordinances on some areas, and one of the areas is business.
Therefore, the FBLO was drafted under that provision and was passed in the previous weeks and awaits gazetting by the Minister of Provincial Government (MPGIS) to become law in Malaita province.
Apaniai discussed the draft ordinance of Malaita province, emphasising the need for legislative review in forest business licences. He highlighted the lack of enforcement in existing laws and proposed the development of manuals to guide implementation and enforcement.
Apaniai acknowledged the challenges posed by logging, including environmental degradation and financial instability after logging activities ceased.
Meanwhile Dr Eric Katovai a Forest Ecologist of the Solomon Islands National University emphasising the critical role Forest plays in the Solomon Islands.
He stressed the need for a balanced approach, considering ecological and economic factors.
He said the absence of sustainability in logging practices has led to a huge decline in forest levels. He urged for a shift towards sustainable logging and the exploration of alternative resources within the forests.
Meanwhile Premier for Choiseul province acknowledged the work of the Malaita province in drafting such ordinance to control logging and save the environment.
He highlighted logging activities is also one of the challenges in his province and he hopes that through consultation and dialogue with his colleague premiers can also help to make ordinances that will benefit his province.
PERMANENT Secretary of the Ministry of Provincial Government Stanely Pirione has urged premiers to actively participate in the review of the Provincial Government Act.
The premiers are in Honiara, engaging in reviewing some provisions of the Provincial Government Act.
Mr Pirione highlighted the vital role that premiers play, particularly in the context of potential changes related to the dissolution of Parliament and Provincial Assemblies.
“Premiers, I believe you are interested in the dissolution of the Parliament and the Provincial Assemblies,” Pirione said.
He also highlighted the past challenges experienced in Choiseul and Western Province, where there was no government for a period of six months.
“We do not want to experience what we went through with Choiseul and Western Province. We want our people to be governed until the eve of elections,” he said.
He said there are some arguments that will be put forward to the Bills and Legislation Committee a desire for continuous governance until the point of elections to prevent a recurrence of the past issues.
The aim is to ensure that citizens are not left without effective governance, mitigating the risks of neglect and instability.
Therefore, Pirione called on Premiers to make use of the opportunity and contribute fully to the review of the Provincial Government Act.
TEAM Solomon encountered a shortage of meal cards for athletes, coaches and team managers earlier this week.
This was reportedly due to members of ‘a number of federations’ abusing their privilege to free meals at the Games mess, ‘using the meal cards for friends and family members’.
Island Sun sighted an email by Team Solomon Management over the weekend, cautioning the contingent to refrain from this practice.
“Team Solomon is currently facing an issue with Meal Cards,” the email said.
“If you are not aware, meal cards are issued according to the total number of athletes, coaches and team managers as per the numerical entries regulated and qualified by the Pacific Games Organizers (This includes PGC and GOC).
“We have submitted these numbers to them therefore the number of meal cards issued to respective Team Managers are set.”
“As of today [Sunday, November 26] we have run out of meal cards and are short as some federations are still requesting meal cards.
“We have received information that a number of federations are bringing persons apart from the Team Contingent to the Meal Venues and are using the meal cards for friends and family members.
“Therefore, there is a shortage of meal cards and we now have to ask for more from the relevant authorities.
“Please we would like you to control the number of meal cards you have as these are counted already according to the number of your athletes, coaches and team managers.
“This does not include PGA staff, Guests, friends or relatives!”
The email went on to ask team managers and officials if anyone has spare meal cards to return them to Team Solomon Management to give to those who do not have any.
“If you have extra meal cards with you then please return them to Team Solomon Management so that we can re distribute them.
“We are having difficulties with GOC not releasing new cards for the second week of competitions,” the email said.
Island Sun understands that this matter has been resolved, according to a senior official in the Team Solomon management, who requested anonymity.
The official adds that this is a concern shared by other hard-working team officials who are tax-payers.
“Yes, this matter has been addressed, those who did not have meal cards have received theirs.
“However, we are wary the concerns contained in the email will continue despite management’s plea for those doing it to stop.
“We are concerned because we know this Games has chewed a lot of Solomon Islands’ taxpayer money, and it is not good seeing this irresponsible and careless behaviour.”
Island Sun earlier this week sought comments from the Team Solomons Chef De Mission Fay Indu Ghemu. She expressed concern on how the issue ended up with the media, and that the paper did not have her permission to publish on the issue.
SOLOMON Islands Netball’s Coach is confident that her team has greatly improved despite suffering a heavy loss to Fiji 25:90 at the Friendship hall yesterday.
Coach, Martha Tolia commented on the performance of her team after the game.
“The performance of my girls is so good despite going down to Fiji who is ranked 18th in the world, we haven’t got any rank at all. This game will give us the rank but the team management is happy that the girls are improving a lot” she said.
Though the girls have demonstrated strength and teamwork throughout the game, they were no match for the well-coordinated Fijians.
Tolia also said that one of biggest disadvantage is that compared to the Fijian team, most of her girls lack the height.
She also highlighted that her girls need to work harder on their passes.
“We need to improve on our passes, we mostly do high passes we should just focus on passes that matches our height so we will work on that” she said.
Solomon Islands will be taking on Norfolk later today and Tolia said she is counting on her team for better results.
A woman who had faced court for domestic violence has had counselling.
Court closed her case yesterday after receiving confirmation from the counsellor that Delight Mae had successfully undergone her counselling.
Delight Mae had been found guilty of domestic violence.
Court ordered that she went through 10 hours of counselling.
Yesterday, Mae told court that she had learnt a lot from the counselling, making her realise her mistakes.
On September 3, 2022, the victim and her husband were arguing about their own family issue when Mae interfered leading to an argument between her and the victim.
Mae then took a bush knife and used the flat side of it to whip the victim’s left side shoulder twice.
Mae then grabbed the victim’s basket and other belongings and threw them outside the house.
The following day Mae was arrested and dealt with accordingly.
Police Prosecution Department appeared for the Crown and Public Solicitor Officer appears for the defendant.
The Solomon Islands’ bodybuilding team significantly bolstered the nation’s medal count to 10 after a stellar performance in the XVII Pacific Games at Maranatha Hall last night.
Tome Kelesi, Barnabas Waga – renowned as ‘Mr. Solomons’ – and Allen Atai secured gold medals in their respective weight categories, with Kelesi dominating the 65kg division, Waga claiming victory in the 80kg, and Atai triumphing in the 90kg category.
Though Mustafa Rade, Silas Kiu Alpheus Fiuramo, David Ama, and Corina Dettke settled for silver medals, Rex Billy and Yuchen Gou proudly collected bronze medals.
Kelesi, Waga, and Atai attributed their success to relentless hard work, emphasizing the arduous journey of strict diets and intense training that culminated in their achievements.
They acknowledged the physical and mental challenges encountered during training, highlighting the satisfaction derived from overcoming obstacles to achieve their competition goals.
Corina Dettke acknowledged the intense nature of the competition and voiced a hope for better organization within the Solomon Islands Bodybuilding Federation.
Dettke highlighted the athletes’ extensive dedication, investing months of effort, time, energy, and finances to prepare for the competition.
She stressed the need for improved facilities and a structured approach to relieve athletes’ stress and enhance performance in future events.
Reflecting on the missed opportunities, Dettke emphasized the significance of discipline, a change in mindset, sacrifice, and dedicated training while underscoring the role of coaches in guiding athletes to success.
Despite setbacks caused by the pandemic disrupting her preparation since her win in the Oceania competition some years back, Dettke expressed optimism about future endeavors, aiming for a gold medal at the next Pacific Games in Tahiti in 2027, since there are proper facilities and support.
The competition saw strong performances from Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Tahiti, and Samoa, with PNG securing three gold medals in the eventful night.
Coach Enoch Mani Ilisia expressed elation over the team’s performance, attributing the success to the athletes’ hard work, which culminated in a total of 10 medals.
Coach Andrew Noel lamented missing the ‘Mr. Pacific’ gold medal by a single point to Samoa’s bodybuilding representative but affirmed the team’s commitment to continued training for upcoming championships beyond the Pacific Games.
Mr Comeau has saluted the Solomon Noni Corporation Ltd for making a breakthrough to the US markets.
Chargé d’affaires of the US Embassy in Solomon Islands Russell Comeau has saluted the Solomon Noni Corporation Ltd for making a breakthrough into the US markets.
Mr Comeau visited the Solomon Noni Corporation Ltd factory recently and was excited to note that Solomon Islands noni products is now in high demand in the US markets.
The founder and owner of Solomon Noni Corporation Ltd Bodo Dettke met the US government representative on arrival and escorted him around the factory.
Comeau said he was pleased that the Wild Noni drink is now being sold directly to US consumers in hundreds of stores across the west coast, a number that continues to grow everyday.
“This is no small accomplishment given how competitive the fruit drinks space is in the US market place, and serves as a testament to the persistence and inventiveness of Wild Noni’s leadership.
“This also stands as an example to others looking to enter the US market place,” he said.
Comeau said it was a tremendous pleasure to visit Wild Noni’s processing facility in Honiara and learn more about the enterprising work being undertaken there.
He said under the leadership of Bodo Dettke, the company continues to grow exponentially, most recently with the exportation or nearly ten tons of processed noni juice bound for further processing and bottling in the United States.
“This represents jobs for Solomon Islanders, jobs for Americans, and brings the wonderful flavours of Solomon Islands to the people of the United States,” he said.
The US Chargé d’Affaires said the United States remains committed to working with Solomon Islands to increase export opportunities as such.
He said most recently they had the pleasure to send a delegation consisting of six Solomon Islands business representatives and the Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) on travel to the United States from October 21-27, 2023, for a market linkages and business networking study tour.
-Choiseul gov’t and landowning tribe decry operations by company without provincial business licence
-Company says its actions based on ‘verbal agreement’
BY IRWIN ANGIKI
A logging company has landed and is operating in South Choiseul without any business licence from the province’s government.
A tribe in Choiseul Province is making an urgent call on responsible authorities to probe and halt this “illegal logging operation” on its land.
And, the Choiseul province government has condemned the company for what it says is a clear breach of its ordinance and laws.
The company, Sonic Phase, has denied any wrong-doing claiming that it was given the “verbal” greenlight by the Choiseul provincial government to land and start operations despite not having a business licence.
On October 5, 2023, Sonic Phase landed its machinery at the Magara beach in South Choiseul. Five days later, its makeshift logging pond at Magara beach was filled with logs.
Kibi Sopere (Roqepota) tribesmen of Kakaza village in South Choiseul, close to Magara beach, and Pangoe village in North Choiseul have rallied to oppose this logging operation.
This tribe lays claim on lands in which the company is operating, including Magara beach.
A Kibi Sopere spokesperson, who requests anonymity, says they are calling on the government through its responsible ministries including the ministry of forestry (MOFR) and the police (RSIPF) to step in and help settle the matter.
The land on which Sonic Phase is operating is under dispute and the locals who have led the company there do not have any right to do so, the Kibi Sopere spokesperson said.
“The tribe is appealing to the Commissioner of Forests, the Commissioner of Lands and the Registrar of Titles to look into their case with urgency.”
Clearance work at the Magara log pond. Photo supplied.
Operations first, licence later – a ‘reverse order’
The company landed on October 5 without any provincial business licence, and without having carried out any survey nor submitted any plans according to the country’s forestry laws, the spokesperson adds.
“These licences and plans are requirements under the country’s forestry laws and provincial ordinances.
“The logging company should have completed all these plans and obtained the relevant provincial licence before it even landed its operation within Choiseul Province’s jurisdiction,” the spokesperson added.
Reports received by Island Sun say workers of the company began carrying out an inventory survey three days after their machinery were landed at Magara beach.
Sonic Phase is trying to fulfil requirements for a provincial business licence in reverse order, the Kibi Sopere spokesperson said.
“It landed and began operations before it began seeking out how to meet requirements for a provincial business licence,” the spokesperson said.
Reports claim that the sequence of the company’s actions are as follows:
-The company landed on October 5.
-It carried out a survey on October 8.
-It began felling on October 10. (The company has denied this, saying they started harvesting on October 24)
-Following this, it began pursuing the Annual Harvesting Plan (AHP).
-It received its Coupe Plans on October 26 from MOFR.
-It is still without a provincial business (operational) licence and is reportedly trying to get one.
The AHP and Coupe Plans are meant to guide harvesting within concession areas so that taboo sites, environmental concerns, gardens, etc are avoided.
The AHP and Coupe Plan are granted after a physical survey is carried out, and is basically the approval to begin harvesting.
Clearance work at the Magara log pond. Photo supplied.
Illegal operation, says Choiseul government
The Choiseul provincial government has also condemned the company’s action in landing its machinery and starting operations without a provincial business licence.
Speaking to Island Sun last week, Deputy Premier Harrison Pitakaka said the company does not have a business licence to operate in Choiseul province.
Therefore, it should not land its machinery, clear any log pond or harvest trees for logs, he said.
“The company is operating without having acquired any business licence from the Choiseul provincial government, therefore this company’s operation here is illegal. This is the stand of the Choiseul provincial government.
“The Choiseul provincial government had reached out to the company to satisfy the process of getting a business licence but the company has not responded.”
Some of the felled logs at Magara log pond. Photo supplied.
Deputy premier Pitakaka says the Choiseul executive is aware that the company is using documents endorsed by MOFR which involved a statement of approval from the province’s Treasurer, which is not the correct channel of process, therefore is deemed illegal by the provincial government.
“The correct channel is that this approval must come from the provincial executive after it has deliberated on any application by the company. But, to just simply say that it had received approval from the provincial treasurer, we totally reject that and therefore any document from the MOFR stemming from it are null and void.
Not doing anything wrong – normal practice
Island Sun interviewed Sonic Phase management and locals who are supporting it at the Glen Grow Solomon Islands office compound in Ranadi this week.
The company rejects the idea that it is acting illegally.
It admits however that it does not have a provincial business licence. It also admits that it is currently harvesting trees and stockpiling logs at its Magara log pond despite not having a licence. And, it admits that it is pursuing a business licence via reverse order.
Logs at the company’s log pond. Photo taken on October 26, 2023. Photo supplied.
The company justifies its actions saying it had received “verbal approval” from the provincial finance minister of the Choiseul government allowing it to land its machinery at the site and start operations before pursuing a business licence.
The finance minister for Choiseul province could not be reached for comments before this article went to print.
The company explains that it had sought permission to land first before obtaining a business licence because it was wary of the risks involved.
“This particular area in the past has experienced strong disputes to logging operations,” says a Malaysian company official who preferred to be called ‘Jimmy’.
“So, in the company’s interest, it would be less risky to land first and observe the reactions by landowners before we proceed with formalities. We don’t want to pay fees and land our machinery then face opposition which could force us out, then we end up losing money.”
The company adds that it has all the legal documents from the Ministry of Forestry.
It also alleges that the Choiseul provincial government is not communicating with it.
“After we land and operate we expect the Choiseul province government to reach out to us and tell us where to pay our fees, provide us information such as the bank account to pay to, the amount of money that we should pay, etc,” says another Malaysian company official who requested anonymity.
“But it has not,” he said. This has not been verified by the Choiseul provincial government.
Representatives of landowners who support the company said as far as they are concerned, there is nothing wrong with the company’s operations.
Some of the piled logs at the Magara beach company log pond. Photo taken on October 26, 2023. Photo supplied.
“It is normal practice in all logging operations for logging companies to land their machinery, start operating then pay the provincial business licence fee later,” the landowners said.
“Apart from that, Sonic Phase has all the required legal documents from the authorities to operate.
“Lastly, the tribe disputing the company is from North Choiseul, and we are in South Choiseul. We do not recognise them.”
According to Company Haus records, Sonic Phase was registered in September 2008, and re-registered in March 2011. Its directors are Malaysians Yien King Shou and Yien Chin Sing.
Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands contest on the line out during their final Pool D Match in the Rugby Union 7s competition at the National Stadium yesterday.
By EDDIE OSIFELO
The journey of Solomon Islands’ men’s rugby 7s team at the XVII Pacific Games came to a halt in the quarterfinals, as they faced a crushing defeat against flying Fiji with a score of 74-0 at the National Stadium last night.
Reflecting on the emphatic triumph, Fiji Rugby Union 7s team manager, Rokolua Lala, highlighted the team’s extensive preparation over the past six weeks. “We prepare really well. We don’t underestimate any team, that’s why we are so hungry and the result speaks for itself,” Lala expressed.
Lala further mentioned that the development team aims to perform at their best and make their way into the senior national team.
While acknowledging the respect Fiji holds for Solomon Islands, he likened the match to playing against their own brothers, indicating the fierce competition on the field.
Facing disappointment in the quarterfinals, Solomon Islands coach, Australian Chris Nay, noted the team’s struggle in scoring. Nay emphasized the need for improvement in defense and stressed the significance of being able to score against a full team of seven players.
Moving forward in the tournament, the teams that have secured places in the semifinals are Tahiti, Tuvalu, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea (PNG), and Fiji.
Tahiti emerged victorious with a 12-0 win against Kiribati, while Tuvalu defeated Nauru 15-10.
Samoa dominated Cook Islands with a convincing 36-0 victory, and Tonga outplayed Vanuatu with a scoreline of 43-5.
PNG showcased their prowess by overwhelming American Samoa with a 34-5 win.
In the meantime, the Solomon Islands female Rugby Union 7s team faced a narrow loss of 10-7 against Wallis and Futuna in their last Pool A match, thus failing to secure a spot in the semifinals.
