BY BEN BILUA
Far East Mining Company has injected more than SBD$40,000 in a final bid to convince landowners of San Jorge Island to sign the long-pending Surface Access Right Agreement (SARA).
The company met with members of the San Jorge Landowners Association yesterday with one key objective – to secure signatures for the SARA before the scheduled signing date on September 18.
Following the meeting, each Land Trustee reportedly received SBD$3,000 to facilitate consultations with their respective groups. The consultations are expected to take place next week in preparation for the official signing.
However, questions remain as to whether the SARA signing will proceed as planned, as tension continues to grow among landowners.
Some have expressed dissatisfaction with the level of support provided by Far East, claiming the funds fall short of what is needed to effectively conduct consultations.
“To facilitate consultation, we need to bring all our members to a designated meeting venue.
“This requires fuel, boats, engines, and meals to cater for participants. Our members are scattered across different areas, so bringing them together is very expensive.
“The amount given is simply not enough,” one landowner said.
Another landowner criticized the company’s handling of previous financial requests, accusing Far East of undermining landowner proposals and ignoring legitimate concerns.
“Our people have been fooled by this company, yet they fail to see the truth. It is sad to see that landowners are acting cheaply while the mining company enjoys the ride,” he said.
He also raised doubts about the company’s financial and technical capacity to carry out mining operations on San Jorge Island.
With just weeks before the proposed signing, uncertainty lingers over whether the agreement will materialize or collapse under mounting mistrust and division among resource owners.
Island Sun understands that Far East have been trying to sign the SARA since it set foot on San Jorge Islands in 2024.
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