In the past few weeks, the tubi issue has been widely debated on the main stream and even the social media.
It leads to an export done under a cancelled license by the Southern Pacific Wood Trading Ltd.
On 13th of July, 19 containers worth at around SBD $2m dollars were exported to Taiwan.
On the 4th of August, another fifty tubi round log containers were exported again to the same destination.
Despite of the endless calls made by landowners to the company and even the responsible authorities to intervene, another two shipments did arrive this week and berthed at the Lunga log pond for unloading as well as to be immediately loaded in containers.
A landowner Nolan Jolo from Isabel whose land the tubi species were harvested said it was daylight robbery.
“On Monday this week, MV Atlantic Puffin did arrive and offloaded volumes of tubi logs from San Jorge. They then come on again today (Wednesday), with another load on-board the same ship.
“These Asian never care about the laws of the Solomon Islands.
“Despite of the high court ruling to stop harvesting Tubi on that area, they keep doing it without fear of our laws”.
In his response to an article on this paper Monday this week, he described Mr Lao as a crook and an Asian conman.
“If Mr Lao was buying from landowners, who were those landowners? I’m the land owner, and there was a high court ruling on the issue. “They entered in my land illegally, and operated under a cancelled milling license.
“To say he has a felling license has been a total big fat lie. Documents are here showing that the milling license they were operating under was cancelled in 12 July 2013.”
He said Mr Lao is not telling the truth.
Loading of containers is continuing today, and expected to be transported to the Ports area by the end of this week.
Southern Pacific wood Trading Ltd could not be reached yesterday to comment on their continuous harvesting of the endangered species.
Documents from the ministry of forest’s commissioner who previously authorised the export permit stated that Government is selling the recently exported 50 tubi containers, where the landowners will have a share.
But questions have been raised whether government will live up to its promise or not.
By CHARLEY PIRINGI
