Unearthing stories that matters |
by Ofani Eremae When Malaysian logger Richard Kong Sing Ngea pleaded guilty in December 2020 to the illegal harvesting of Tubi trees in Solomons’ Isabel Province, tribal leader Wilson Tohidi was thrilled. Ngea’s admittance of guilt, Tohidi believes, should prompt the Solomon Islands Government to seize the illegally felled logs…
by Charley Piringi A mining operation in Solomon Islands owes millions in unpaid taxes and royalties, according to a former senior government figure, with a report showing that the mining companies had not paid taxes or royalties on one-third of their exports over the last five years. According to a summary of…
by Charley Piringi AUD5.2 MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF GOLD ILLEGAL DEAL Nearly 80 Kilograms of gold worth around AUD 5.2 million (SBD30 million) dollars has been exported out from the Solomon Islands by Asians through local gold dealers license, Primo Kenny and Jeremy Rex of Guadalcanal. More than 20 kg…
by Ofani Eremae Villagers fight to reclaim stolen logs from Gov’t & Asian logger AT Korona logging base on San Jorge island in Solomon Islands’ Isabel province, the logging machinery lay quiet. Except for the movement of three local security guards, the silence in this once bustling log pond was deafening.…
The last pockets of bauxite-rich soil in Rennell are being dug up and shipped out, leaving residents with little land for agriculture. The bauxite mining operation in West Rennell has been dubbed “messed up” by the Solomon Island’s highest mining official. Ministry of Mines Director Nicholas Biliki told SIBC News that…
Questions are circulating about whether BMC mining was granted its license fairly and whether it should be paying taxes on all the bauxite it’s exporting. More than 100 shipments of bauxite have been exported from Rennell Atoll since Bintang Mining Company (SI) Ltd (BMC) began operations there in 2013, landowner…
