BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
ANGRY landowners have given the government one month to address the ongoing controversy surrounding tubi harvesting at Korona Land, warning that they will take matters into their own hands if no action is taken.
In an interview with Island Sun, the landowners said they are frustrated with government’s poor decision-making and a lack of respect for customary resource owners not only on San Jorge but in Solomon Islands.
“If the government fails to address this issue, we will deal with it our way,” the landowners said.
They said their first action will be a peaceful protest at the Korona logging camp to seek clarity on how and why the logging company entered their land without their consent.
“We want a better understanding of how this company landed on our land without our approval. We have already made our demands clear, but the company ignored them, and we will deal with them accordingly,” they said.
The landowners said the protest will expose individuals who are benefiting from the controversial logging deal at the expense of the wider landowning group.
“It is time for the landowners to stand up for themselves instead of watching corrupt investors, backed by the government exploiting our resources,” they said.
“This is our traditional and democratic right, and we will not back down until our concerns are addressed.”
The landowners said the dispute with the logging company, now known as Sunrise Investments Limited, dates back to 2020 and 2023, when the company was found guilty of illegally harvesting tubi at Korona.
In December 2020, the director of a logging company was fined $50,000 after pleading guilty to illegal harvesting of restricted species.
The director, Richard Song Sing Ngea from Malaysia, was convicted on charges relating to the illegal harvesting, possession, and attempted export of restricted timber species without proper licences and permits.
The charges were laid under the Forest Resources and Timber Utilisation Act and the Wildlife Protection and Management Act, as amended.
However, on 6 November 2022, the Attorney General’s Office, together with senior officials from the Ministry of Environment and the Forestry Division, allowed Sunrise Investments Limited to export the seized logs—a decision that reportedly shocked the landowners.
Sunrise Investments Limited subsequently exported about 5,000 cubic metres of tubi logs to a buyer in China, Karridale Pty Ltd.
The company reportedly received approximately $4.9 million, the Free on Board (FOB) value of the logs, through a letter of credit from Pan Oceanic Bank.
“This is a case that only the devil knows to this day,” the landowners said.
They warned that patience has run out.
“Time for leniency is over. It is time for us, as resource owners, to stand up for our land and for our children’s future,” they said.
