BY NED GAGAHE
The highly anticipated signing of the Surface Access Right Agreement (SARA) is set to take place tomorrow, September 18, 3pm at Bungusule Camp, with Far East Resources Company ready to formalize its agreement with the landowners of San Jorge Island.
However, as the clock ticks down to the signing, local community members are raising alarms over a lack of adequate consultation and awareness, calling for greater transparency before they commit to the agreement.
“I’m asking, why wasn’t there more awareness about this SARA? Why wasn’t it explained properly to our landowners, trustees, and communities before these formalities? The company seems only interested in securing the mining lease,” one concerned landowner commented, echoing growing frustration within the community.
Another local said, “This is wrong, why the rush to sign? We should have had a broader consultation and a real awareness session about what this SARA means for us.”
The signing ceremony will be attended by key stakeholders, including trustees, company representatives, landowners and government officials from the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
The event will begin with informal networking and an awareness session on topics such as Surface Access Rights, legal implications, and the roles of stakeholders.
Despite these efforts to inform the community, many residents remain unconvinced, with some questioning the company’s true intentions and capacity.
In a last-ditch attempt to secure signatures before the ceremony, Far East Resources has injected over SBD$40,000 to encourage landowners to sign the agreement.
The company met with the San Jorge Landowners Association in recent days, offering each Land Trustee SBD$3,000 to facilitate consultations with their groups, which will take place today.
However, the amount provided has sparked further discontent, with some landowners stating that the funds are insufficient to cover the high costs of bringing scattered members together for consultations.
Tensions have only escalated as community members accuse Far East Resources of disregarding their concerns.
There are also growing questions about the company’s ability to deliver on its promises. Some landowners have raised concerns about Far East’s financial and technical capacity to effectively carry out mining operations on San Jorge Island.
Despite the company’s best efforts to secure the agreement since its arrival on San Jorge Island in 2024, growing mistrust among the landowners casts doubt on the future of the project.
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