Logging companies told to pay up in Solomon Islands province

Updated September 3, 2008 15:57:53

In Solomons Islands, a provincial government has issued an ultimatum to logging companes .. to pay up outstanding license fees and clean up their act or be shut down.The Supervising Premier of Isabel, Amos Gigini says some of the logging companies owe millions of dollars in licence fees dating back to the1990's

Presenter: Sam Seke
Speaker: Supervising Premier of Solomon Islands' Isabel Province, Amos Gigini

GIGINI: The arrears has been since from way back in the 1990s but we are taking the course with our lawyers to start from 1999 up to now where the situation is crucial because that is the biggest local revenue to be paid to the provincial government for services to the people.

SEKE: And why have these logging companies not been paying up the money that's due to the provincial government, why?

GIGINI: That is the question that we are trying to pursue with our lawyer because they should not fail to pay these logging license to the province, because at one time the province has taken this up to the as far as to the Court of Appeal with one of the companies, and the province was given the judgement. So that's the problem we are facing now. They have to honour the province has organised for to pay the business license.

SEKE: And how much money would you say is owing to the provincial government by these logging companies?

GIGINI: Well it's really a great amount of money and I just want to say that it is in the millions.

SEKE: Now do you the provincial government have any problems with destructive or unsustainable logging practices in Isabel Province?

GIGINI: Yes I think we have to comply with these logging practices where the Forestry Act is putting across to us, but not being monitored properly by the forestry officers, because in the province we don't have these officers to monitor these operations carefully, except with the Ministry of Forestry. They should be more responsible to facilitate these sustainable logging operations in the province.

SEKE: And what about from the provincial government's stand? Does it have any policy of maybe going into more eco-timber kind of projects instead of round log exports?

GIGINI: The province has its policy on eco-timber but the problem is these logging companies are dealing with this landowner. So the province actually cannot say no, because we don't have any right over these customary lands.