People of Mamasa village in Central Guadalcanal are again demanding Gold ridge Company to address compensation claims over allegations that chemicals from the mining company have contaminated the river they depend on for their livelihood.
The issue, which was first raised last year, has remained largely unresolved.An elder in the area Charles Pai says the Gold Ridge management has not had any proper consultation with them and refused to recognize a survey, officials from the Ministry of Environment and Health conducted confirming the presence of chemicals in the water.
"When we want to meet with the company to produce what they want from us, they say sorry we don't have time to meet with you and the Manager is going overseas. And then another statement that is coming up from them is that they don't need any local surveyors to come and conduct a report, they want a group from Australia to come over."
While declining to say how much they are demanding from the company, Mr Pai says the amount should be satisfactory to all concerned.