Dr Aipia on value of rare earth metals found in salvage operations in Ontong Java
Opposition Leader, Matthew Wale and one time Prime Minister, Rick Houenipwela, have accused Prime Minister Sogavare of engaging in ‘mythical solutions’ to fix the economy. They made the accusations in the debate on the no-confidence motion in the Prime Minister on Monday.
Both men made reference for example to iron materials – owned by Dr. Reginald Aipia – who retrieved them in salvage operations undertaken between November 2015 and 16th March 2016.
Dr Aipia, a medical doctor with a background in Science, Chemistry and Physics was stopped at every turn in his efforts to realize this potential multi-million dollar windfall.
“I don’t want to discredit anyone. I simply want to put the record straight,” Dr. Aipia told Solomon Star.
Here is Dr. Aipia’s story.
“I would like to take this opportunity to respond to Hon. Wale and Hon. Hou on the matters of the metallic materials which were obtained in salvaging operations in Ontong Java.
“The salvaging operation was done personally by our company, Ontong Java Development Company Limited since November 2015 to 16th March 2016 when we first came to Honiara to sell the materials with the potential buyers at that the time.
“However, I was wrongly arrested at the wharf by members of our Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) under the current Police Commissioner who was Assistant Police Commissioner, Operations, at that time.
He alerted the former commissioner that I was involved in illegal harvesting of sea cucumber and not in salvaging operations.
“The former Police commissioner Mathew Varley sought and received permission from the Office of the Prime Minister to use a Patrol boat to intercept my boat that carried the metals to Honiara stating that I had brought sea cucumber products.
“Luckily for us, our consultant and agent Mr. Joseph Douglas told PMO that I brought only the metals from the salvaging operation and not sea cucumber products as alluded to by then the Police Commissioner.
“Despite that, I was apprehended at the Point Cruz wharf on arrival and taken to the Rove Police Headquarters when our Metallic materials (1 ton) were sent to the Central Bank of Solomon Islands (CBSI) for safe keeping. After questioning I was released. I later learned that my materials are in the CBSI vault.
“Mr. Joseph Douglas and I then went to speak to the PMO regarding my materials. I told the officials that I was engaged in salvaging operation and not sea cucumber harvesting – the charge I was falsely accused of.
“My company has to stop the salvaging operations because of political involvement and personal interest from the community’s self-proclaimed leaders in the islands.
That situation remains unresolved today.
“To prove my innocence, I asked the SIG for funds so that I can charter a ship to bring the rest of the salvaged materials to Honiara for confirmation that I was not involved in the sea cucumber harvesting as alluded to by the Police Commissioner.
“My request was granted and I used the SB$500,000 to charter the ship MV Liberty III (at the cost of $120,000 per trip) to bring the metallic materials. The ship made three trips to and from Honiara.
“But the support from the government funding only covered the cost of chartering of the vessel to bring the materials from Lord Howe to Honiara. This is to prove to police and the government that the alleged claim of illegal harvesting of beche-de-mer was false. The total consignment that is sitting in the bank vault at the CBSI in Honiara now totals 7.6 tonnes.
“I simply do not wish to discredit Hon Wale and Hon Hou in my response. I can only show the proof that our metallic materials are not pure irons as stated. The metals contained rare earth metals that are more valuable in terms of price than gold.
The results from the various tests undertaken both here and overseas have been positive.
Tests undertaken in a renowned laboratory in Australia such as the current ABC refinery test in early January this year show a good result in the metallic material.
“My humble appeal to both Hon. Wale and Hon. Hou is to refrain from making belittling statements regarding our metallic materials, because with the test results that we got from the Solomon Islands Ministry of Mines laboratory and ABC refinery laboratory in Brisbane, Australia, we are satisfied that the metallic materials are valuable.
In addition to the test result, I am confident that the information I declare is trustworthy and bankable based on my Science Chemistry and Physics knowledge of metals.
“I am still negotiating the price with potential buyers in Turkey and Japan. This is the reason I have not sold the materials yet.
“I have promised the government that I will reimburse its funding grants of half a million dollars and I will,” Dr. Aipia said.
“We will reimburse the SIG the total of the SB$500,000 grant that was given to us to assist us in terms of transportation in bringing the metallic material from Lord Howe Island to Honiara.
By Alfred Sasako
Newsroom, Honiara
