BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
A concerned landowner of San Jorge Island has spoken out against the San Jorge Landowners Association (JLA), accusing the group of acting against the interests of genuine resource owners and allowing what he calls a “cheap mining company” to take over their resources.
Allan Tavake, a vocal member of the landowning groups on the island, said many resource owners have been sceptical of the mining company and the association since the beginning of the engagement process.
He claimed that most decisions made between the company and the JLA did not reflect the views of the actual landowners but were pushed forward by the association.
“From the beginning we have seen incompatible issues such as the Surface Access Right Agreement, Landing Fees, exploration conducts, and benefit sharing,” Tavake said.
He further alleged that the association has continuously sided with the company because few individuals within the JLA have been benefitting from the operation from day one.
Tavake warned that unresolved issues between landowners and the company could jeopardise the successful implementation of the proposed mining project.
“There are existing issues between landowners and the company that will threaten the project. Only a few within the Association are benefiting from this operation, and I must warn them that time will come and they will see what needs to be done,” he added.
Earlier this week, Secretary of the San Jorge Landowners Association, John Kabu, announced on the association’s Facebook page that Far East Resource Company has been granted a mining lease over South San Jorge in Isabel Province.
Kabu described the mining lease as a long-anticipated achievement for both the mining company and the JLA.
He also highlighted the proposed consolidation of prospecting licences and a new payment arrangement that would shift previous fees into a single-stream lease payment along with upfront support funds — part of what the company claims is an effort to ease tensions and demonstrate shared benefits.
The company’s representative, Johny Shu, reportedly confirmed the development, calling it “great and much awaited,”.
While the association and the company celebrate the milestone, surrounding communities remain anxious about potential environmental damage.
Residents have pointed to the pollution at the Suma mining site as a grim reminder of the destructive legacy mining operations can leave behind.
Many fear that San Jorge could face similar consequences if concerns raised by landowners continue to be ignored.
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