Bring it on...Sumitomo: Chief Loke. Friday, 01 April 2011 NIGEL...

Bring it on...Sumitomo: Chief Loke.

Friday, 01 April 2011
NIGEL SANDY

A SENIOR chief from Bugotu has called on Sumitomo Company to bring on its plans to take legal actions the landowners whom it alleged had signed an agreement with Axiom Company of Australia. Chief Francis Loke a landowner from Takata in Bugotu told Island Sun in an interview yesterday that the proposed action by Sumitomo to take legal action Bugotu landowners who signed an agreement with Axiom Company was just a mere noting to the landowners.

"We the true landowners who signed the agreement with Axiom Company are more than willing enough to go to the courts if Sumitomo wants to bring the case up".

"Actually we would be more than willing if they could take the case up to the highest court in Great Britain, as if they take the case to our local courts here they just going to lose".

"We are more than willing to meet their fares if they want to take the case to the court in Great Britain", Chief Loke said.

Chief Loke stated that the landowners who had gone and signed the agreement with Axiom Company of Australia made that move because Axiom was more able to listen and adhere to the demands which the local landowners want.

Sumitomo on the other hand has failed miserably to listen and work along with the demands which the landowners had set before them.

Chief Loke cited an example of Sumitomo's ignorance in the case where the landowners demand for a higher percentage share from the company's earnings was denied by Sumitomo.

"When we asked for how much percentage we were going to receive from Sumitomo, the company never gave us an exact percentage and this to us shows that Sumitomo is not at all interested in the well being of all the landowners".

"All Sumitomo cares about is just to get our much demanded nickel and run away".

"Axiom on the other hand has agreed with us the Takata and San George landowners that they will give us a 20 percent share if they come to operate in our lands," Chief Loke said.

"This", Chief Loke said "shows the seriousness and commitment that Axiom has towards the real and genuine landowners of the San George and Takata areas and this is what we landowners want".

"We don't want to entertain companies who just want to come and steal our resources and go away and this is the main reason we have had to switch to Axiom Company" Chief Loke added.

Sumitomo Company was the winning bidder out of four companies to be given the right to do exploration for nickel in Isabel province, but in recent weeks the landowners from Bugotu have suddenly turned their backs to the might of the Japanese company and have now turned to the little known Australian company Axiom instead.

This has sparked outrage from Sumitomo Company and its supporters, prompting them to consider taking up a legal case against the local landowners from Takata and San Jorge.

http://www.islandsun.com.sb/
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