Landowners want action, page-33

LANDOWNERS REFUTE KULI’S PAID ARTICLEBungusule Customary Landowner Trustees have refuted the claim made against Axiom Mining Limited in a paid advertisement by the so-called elder and landowner on South San Jorge Nicholas Kuli in the Solomon Star and Island Sun on Friday.Spokeswoman for the Bungusule Customary Landowner Trustees Janet Voda said the allegations are totally baseless and is part and parcel of the Bintan-Lawrence Maena network to defame Axiom following the decision of the Customary Land Appeal Court judgment on Tenement G7 which recognises their -Bungusule Customary Landowner Trustees- rights of ownership of the tenement and Axiom’s exposure of the unscrupulous dealings of the Chinese mining company in the media.The CLAC judgment which was recently handed upholds a 2003 Chiefs’ Court Hearing determined the Bungusule Customary Landowner Trustees as the owners of Tenement G7. Unhappy with the Chiefs’ Court decision, Mr Maena ignored Bugotu House of Chiefs’ advise to appeal the decision in the Local Court and instead took it up for a Timber Rights Hearing in a process with a number of irregularities as stated in the CLAC and under quite suspicious circumstances.“Kuli is a frustrated man. Understandably he is a supporter of Mr Maena who is an associate of the controversial mining company Bintan. Maena’s attempt to have Bintan’s minerals Prospecting Licence extended to Tenement G7 has been frustrated by the CLAC judgement and furthermore Bintan was certainly not happy with Axiom’s exposure of its unscrupulous dealings in the mining industry.“So you can just connect the dots there and see for yourselves that the Bintan-Maena network is behind the paid advertisement by the so-called elder and landowner of South San Jorge Mr Kuli.”Mrs Voda said as far as the Bungusule Customary Landowner Trustees are concerned, Mr Kuli does not at all own any land on San Jorge because he has no documents to prove his ownership of any portion of land like we-the Bungusule Customary Landowner Trustees-do.She said the Bungusule Customary Landowner Trustees know Mr Kuli as a person with untoward and fraudulent behaviour that can be never trusted, adding that he was removed as a Chief of Sepi many years ago by the Chiefly authorities because of his lack of integrity.Mrs Voda said Axiom has reported a case of fraud against Kuli for defrauding the company of fuel payments and Kuli should get himself prepared to answer for his action soon.The Bungusule Customary Landowner Trustee spokesman woman also said she is very happy for the employment, benefits and training Axiom has provided her tribe at the mine site. She stated that all of her men and women on site have been paid their salaries unlike what Mr Kuli falsely claimed. She said the Bungusule Customary Landowner Trustees are united in their support for Axiom Mining Limited and its operation on San Jorge and will maintain this support into the foreseeable future.Ends///SOURCE: PRESS RELEASE