BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
COMMUNITY Leaders of San Jorge Island call on the government to take action on foreign investors who fail to comply with the laws of the country.
The call comes after reports that Sunrise Company Limited has attempted for the second time to export tubi logs without following the proper legal process.
Community leaders claim the company tried to bypass established export procedures in order to ship out the high-value timber species.
Speaking on behalf of the leaders, Chief Paul Fota said companies that breach Solomon Islands laws should be dealt with immediately.
He calls on the government and the responsible ministry to take decisive action against investors who fail to comply with the country’s laws.
“I’ve told you plain and clear when I talked to media earlier this year. I told you that this company is harvesting tubi trees.
“Instead of investigating the issue, you attacked me with your press release.
“Come on, it’s good to listen and take action rather than sitting in offices and sending press releases,” Fota said.
Earlier this month, Island Sun obtained a copy of a letter from an unidentified source addressed to the Commissioner of Forestry raising concerns over the shipment of tubi logs.
“Dear Commissioner Moveni,
“For your information, the tubi logs from Lelegia have been loaded onto MV Eternal Joy with a reported volume of over 4,000 cubic metres. However, they are not declared as tubi in order to save on export duty.
“Please do your part in enforcement and not help foreign loggers deceive the revenue meant for SIG,” the letter stated.
Island Sun understands that the Commissioner of Forestry is aware of the issue and has notified relevant authorities.
Media reports indicate that the company submitted two separate export permit applications, one for commercial species and another for tubi logs.
While the export permit for commercial species was reportedly granted, the application to export tubi species was rejected.
Earlier this year, Island Sun raised concerns and called on the Ministry of Forestry to investigate the issue.
However, the ministry responded with a press release instead of conducting an investigation.
The latest development suggests the company may have repeated the same act for the second time, raising serious concerns about compliance and enforcement within the logging industry.
Community of Leaders of San Jorge say the incident highlights growing failures in monitoring and enforcing forestry regulations in the country and that firm action needs to be taken to protect national resources and ensure investors operating in the sector respect Solomon Islands laws.
For feedback, contact: [email protected]
Editor: [email protected]
