via Post Courier p. 17

Landowners are committed to fight against the Pomio SABLs despite a court ruling yesterday. Pomio landowners are disappointed at yesterday's Supreme Court ruling that upheld the appeal by Memalo Holdings, the landowner company holding the two disputed  SABLs in West Pomio, but have resolved to continue their fight.

The full bench of the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Memalo Holdngs in their appeal against the Judicial Review by landowners opposing the SABLs, due to the delay in making the Court application.

The SABL was granted in 2008. Many landowners were unaware of the full implications the lease-lease back arrangement would bring to their villages.

Landowner representative Paul Palosuarea said

"The court was of the opinion that too much time had passed since the SABLs were granted before we lodged our application to the court in April last year. This is a bitter disappointment, but all the coastal villages of West Pomio are committed to continuing the fight against the SABLs and the injustices they have brought to our villages"

"West Pomio coastal village representatives will continue with their application to the Land Court which they lodged three months ago. Memalo Holdnigs were directed by the Land Court to hold consultation and dispute resolution meetings and the logging company was ordered to stop work while the dispute was resolved. Both these court directions have been ignored. Mr Palosuarea said 

"The Land Court issued a stop work over the logging operation by Gilfords Limited, an RH linked company, but they have ignored it and continue to log in breach. of the Land Court's direction. The Landowner Company has also failed to enter into any negotiations with those of us who oppose SABLs.  

"We will be taking the matter back to the Land Court in Kokopo for a ruling that the SABLs do not have the approval of the majority of the landowners whose land is being logged. We lost in the Supreme Court but there is more than one way to skin a cat. This fight is far from over," concluded Mr Palosuarea.