A DESERTED CAMP?by Alfred SasakoBy Alfred Sasako AXIOM Mining...

A DESERTED CAMP? by Alfred Sasako By Alfred Sasako AXIOM Mining Ltd’s camp at San Jorge on Isabel appears to have been “deserted”, according to exclusive photographs obtained by Island Sun. A series of photographs taken on Sunday, August 4 by a landowner, who wished to remain anonymous, show there was little going on. It prompted someone to point out that given it was a weekend and Sunday for that matter, the mining camp was bound to be empty. “The camp appears to have been abandoned. There was no security in sight. Just about anyone could walk in and out from there – something very unusual for mining camps which are always guarded by security 24/7,” the landowner said. According to others familiar with Axiom’s operations on Isabel, the company is facing a lot of problems. “Workers have not been paid for some time now and the difficulties of obtaining a Provincial Business Licence to enable the company to operate legally are all contributing to a plethora of issues the company is faced with,” they said. “Now this is not the way to operate a mining company, especially it is your first stop in a country like Solomon Islands where expectations are high. Mining is a very complex and expensive operation which requires, among other things financial resources and landowners’ agreement. “If you overlook some areas, you will no doubt end up some place,” one observer said. Meanwhile Axiom Mining Limited maintains it has complied with the terms of its Surface Access Agreement (SAA) with landowners on San Jorge, Isabel Province. The company’s General Manager Dr Phil Tagini made the statement in response to claims by South San Jorge Land Trustees who claimed in a full page advertisement that the Australian mining company has failed to fulfil the terms of agreement of its SAA with landowners. “As far as Axiom’s SAA with landowners is concerned, the company has complied with the terms of the agreement and further subsequent agreements pertaining to milestone payments,” Mr Tagini said in a statement issued on Monday. “On the issue of Axiom’s Export Permit application, the Minerals Board’s decision to turn down the company’s application based on a consideration outside the Mines and Minerals Regulations was clearly wrong and untenable,” he said. “Those are the kinds of considerations the law attempts to preclude, yet that was exactly what happened. Those were political considerations, not legal ones and the company is considering the best way to deal with this matter is through the court process,” Tagini added. Alfred Sasako | August 6, 2019 at 12:22 pm | Categories: Honiara, Local News, News, Politics, Top Headlines | URL: https://wp.me/p938T3-7cj Comment See all comments