New Asian Mining faces tough times with land owners in East Malaita with its mineral prospecting activity as land owners demand compensation and threaten workers with knives.
Sources on the ground told this paper that some of the real land-owning tribes have just woken up to the reality surrounding the New Asian Mining prospecting activities in East Malaita and are taking matters into their own hands.
It was reported that the reality surrounding the New Asia Mining presence in East Malaita started to surface as some people have used fake names to sign the Surface Access Agreement (SAA) against customary land that does not belong to them.
Sources claimed that just a week ago a land-owning group from Ward 16 demanded compensation from people in Ward 15 for signing the SAA allowing the mining company access to their customary land.
On Thursday last week, an Asian who works for the New Asia Mining Company was threatened with knives and demanded to pay $3000 spot compensation to the land owners.
The worker was stopped by landowners after he collected mineral samples from a place called Makakwai.
The New Asia Mining worker following the threat encounter took off to Auki on Friday on a land cruiser and left for Honiara.
Sources warned that issues surrounding the presence of the New Asia Mining company in East Malaita are very sensitive given the dishonesty surrounding the signing of the SAA.
In the meantime, the usual looking vehicle used by the New Mining Company was then rushed to take shelter at the Atori Police station as of Thursday last week as landowners threatened to burn and damage the vehicle.
This paper was told that the vehicle had already suffered some damage as some people had broken into the vehicle and removed food stuff.
The vehicle is still at Atori police station.
The New Asian Mining Company started its mineral prospecting in East Malaita in April this year after the New Government for Fundamental Redirection (MNGFR) under the leadership of Premier Martin Fini granted them a business license worth $250k.
The business license issued by the new MNGFR government will allow the New Asian Mining Company to do its prospecting activities on 24 customary lands from April this year until the end of March in 2024.
So far, eleven customary lands have been withdrawn and did not allow the mining company to do mineral prospecting in their customary lands.
With the current tension on the ground, it is not clear if the new Asia Mining Company will continue with its prospecting activities in East Malaita.
By WILSON SAENI
in Auki
