The Solomon Islands Indigenous People Human Rights Advocacy Association (SIIPHRA) has defended the recent call by the Tandai Landowners Association and Guadalcanal Province for any developers of the Honiara seafront and high water marks to consult them before any development.
President of the Association, Moses Ramo told SIBC News it is legal for both the Association and Guadalcanal Province to claim legal rights over the disputed areas as they are customary land.
“It’s right to talk about it and it’s about time that we also put things right and I would like to say that they are building on it and from my view as well as legally, they are trespassing because from the map I have with me, the lands allocated by the Ministry of Lands has allocated never reached the high water mark, and when you talk about the high water marks, they belong the resource owners and indegenous people of Guadalcanal.”
