dislike of sumitomo by si

THIS IS FROM DEC2010

The Bugotu Landowners Association the (BLA) represents the true and rightful landowners of those lands and takes this opportunity to put the true and historical wishes of the Bugotu peoples it constitutionally represents before the governments and the people of the Solomon Islands.

As early as 2005, the Chairman and then Secretary of the BLA issued a press release which was reported widely clearly stating that the BLA and its members would not support the granting of mineral rights to the Japanese multinational Sumitomo.

In 2007 when Sumitomo appeared to have been issued with a Letter of Intent to grant a Prospecting License over the Isabel nickel deposits the BLA again voiced its strong opposition to this Japanese multinational being granted rights by the then national government without any consideration of the customary landowners' expressed wishes.

The customary landowners, represented by the BLA, rejected Sumitomo as an applicant and had clearly evidenced their position by not signing a surface access agreement as was their right.

The BLA through one of its corporate entities, Bugotu Minerals Limited (BML, then lodged and paid for an Application for Mineral Right over the deposits, which successive governments have simply ignored!

The national government was then sued in a High Court case brought by Sumitomo because it could not comply with the terms of the letter of intent. Several customary landowners as members of the BLA were joined as defendants to the High Court case and vigorously fought alongside the Attorney General against Sumitomo.

On 14 December 2008 Sumitomo lost the case and was ordered to pay the government and the BLA's legal costs. As yet, Sumitomo still has not paid those legal costs!

The BLA then and many times since has publically and clearly stated it DOES NOT accept Sumitomo and NEVER will.