A CHIEF and logging licence holder in Choiseul Province has called on the government to allow only genuine logging investors to operate in the country.
Bingo customary land licence holder, Chief Kollish Leketo Tutua made the call when accusing Xiang Lin logging company of not paying for the remaining round logs it left at various locations.
Chief Tutua said such bad practice amounts to high destruction of forest resources and the environment and loses of economic returns for resource owners.
“They cut down our tress and left without paying for them thus their actions are unacceptable and illegal,” he said.
He said attempts to talk with the boss of the company regarding the issue were futile because they banned him from entering the office even to the extent of having blacklisted his cell phone number.
“As a license holder I always see these bad practises committed by most logging companies or investors.
“They come only to take what they want and leave whatever they don’t want in total disregard of compensating resource owners for the destruction done to their land and forest resources,” he said.
Mr Tutua said such bad practice shows blatant neglect and disregard for the laws of the land by those responsible.
He said the government needs to take that seriously and punish reckless investors who are only interested in serving their own needs by terminating their business licenses or even to the extent of deporting them from the country.
By LESLEY SANGA
