Thanks for the link LeglessReading the following extract from it...

Thanks for the link Legless
Reading the following extract from it you wouldn't be liking SMMs chances of ever mining Isabel regardless of what happens in the courtroom...


From Solomon Star Monday 22 April (sorry if posted before but quite relevant with battle conmencing tomorrow)
Landowners of Kolosori land; a potential earmarked tenement area for nickel prospecting on Isabel have revoked their support for Sumitomo metal mining (SMM) company to operate on their land.

They also demanded fair treatment if their support is required.
The landowner also calls on the government to respect landowners’ wishes and rights as the resource owners on whatever decisions they make.

Spokesperson of the Kolosori land trustees Elliot Curtis said with the current controversial stand on their earmarked land for nickel mining, they want a fair treatment for landowners.

He said as resource owners, they want the government to listen to their cries and let them have the opportunity to choose the best investor onto their land.

“What we want is a fair treatment that is base on partnership in the operations when actual nickel mining kicks off.”

Mr Curtis said from observation since Sumitomo Metal mining has been granted the letter of intent (LOI) for prospecting; there is nothing tangible and seen forthcoming for the future benefit of landowners.

He said they welcomed foreign investors to invest on their land but there are guidelines within the local society that needs to be upheld by those foreign investors when on the ground.

“The Sumitomo Metal mining company although have been here for over seven years did little to our communities and have since working the opposite to our desires,” he said.

He highlighted that what as landowners of the Kolosori land want to see is partnership, respect to their cultural society and an environmental friendly approach from the mining company.

“This does not speak well of what Sumitomo is currently doing and we strongly oppose to its presence on our land.

“In seven years SMM has been on Isabel and they have never accepted our request to work in partnership, so we will never let them on our land and we never ever will.

“SMM also refuse to acknowledge our constitutional rights as custodians of the land, instead they instigate division to our families and tribes.”

Mr Curtis further claimed that workers of SMM on Isabel are mistreating resource owners and have since been not in the best interest of working together with the landowners.

“We landowners have been chased by the Japanese in choppers and boats including being harassed in Honiara, we are sick of it. They took us to court 5 years ago and we beat them and they are taking us to court again over our same land. We do not know why our government continues to let this happen to us.”

“Thus we are calling on the government of the day to be more considerate to us the landowners, to give ample fair treatment in this cause.”