Early July this year
TSI ran a story on the case of Dr. Reginald Aipia, a victim of the unfair
treatment by officials holding important positions in the government offices
responsible to execute the laws pertaining to fisheries. TSI’s media article
served as a reminder to public officials abusing their official position for
their personal gain and those, they collude with to deny other citizens their
equal rights to benefit from bechedemer. It was based on the High Court Decision
(HCC: 483/2018) delivered on June this year which ruled that the police and MFMR
were guilty of unlawful arrest, malicious prosecution and false imprisonment of
Aipia, and unlawful detention of Aipia’s bechedemer. TSI cautioned public
officials of the repercussion the law may have on the government per HCC:
483/2018 which backfired on the government to pay $56 million for damage and
loss of business.
Hence,TSI believed that the case was served as a precedence
that the Ministry of Public Service and the Public Service Commission (PSC) to
be cautious and tight up discipline on government officials whose erroneous
decisions may incur huge cost on taxpayers.
TSI also believed that the case of
Dr. Reginald Aipia is just a tip of the iceberg, thus more is needed to be done
to stop corruption in the trading of bechedemer that denies the country and
citizens the much-needed benefit they deserved from this marine resource.
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| Heaps of Sea Cucumber being sun dried before it's packed by local Exporter to China. Photo: Ministry of Fisheries & Marine Resources - Solomon Islands |
Despite the case clearly shows how police, Attorney General (AG) office and
Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) colluded for the unlawful
arrest of Aipia in 2017, it seems none of those public officer care. Because on
February this year, three police officers again misused police dingy to approach
Aipia at Roncador reef for arrest on false report by same people in the Ministry
of Fisheries that he illegally harvesting bechedemer.
But Dr. Aipia in fact went
out fishing with his men on a hired vessel. As a result of the police intrusion
into their fishing activities, those fishermen were afraid and want to return
back to their families in Lord Howe. Aipia again incurred another big lose to
his business since he had hired two vessels and his fishing license wasted.
His
recruited fishermen were traumatized then by police interference and feared that
anything could happen to them and their families so they demand Aipia to cancel
the fishing trip and go back to Ontong Java. Furthermore, it is obvious to TSI
that Solomon Islands is always targeted by crooks when it comes to trading raw
materials that values in millions of dollars. Particularly the logging sector,
mining industry and bechedemer. Unlike forestry, bechedemer has a harvesting
period and closing season managed and control by Ministry of Fisheriesis.
However, there was and is always a practice of unfair treatment by MFMR and
police specifically on a local business man who strive as any other citizen to
equally benefit from bechedemer. As an indigenous person from Lord Howe, Dr.
Aipia have all the rights to harvest marine resources like others but
unfortunately, he is always the target of police and fisheries discriminately,
from other bechedemer dealers.
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| A poster displaying the minimum harvest, purchase and export sizes of Bech-de-mer products for the current open season. Photo: Ministry of Fisheries & Marine Resources - Solomon Islands |
Despite the fact that the magistrate court
acquitted him in 2017 for illegally harvesting bechedemer, MFMR instruct police
to again arrest him in February this year at Roncordor reef, but upon arrival
police learned that he was on a fishing trip and did not harvest bechedemer.
Prior to the lifting of the bechedemer ban, Transparency Solomon Islands also
received reports that there were small boats often travelling from Lord Howe to
Honiara transporting bechedemer to the Chinese buyers were never arrest and
monitored by police.
These boats using horse powered engine travel long distance
from Luangiua or Pelau for more than eight hours to reach Honiara. They continue
to do this because the ships were always raided by police upon arrival at the
Point Cruz wharf. Thus, using small boats powered by engine to secretly
transport bechedemer to their buyers in Honiara.
TSI urged police to tight up
monitoring on this practice once the bechedemer harvesting season close. It is a
normal practice for bechedemer poachers to continue do whatever means possible
to trade sea cucumber by evading police. Moreover, Transparency Solomon Islands
is aware of the ongoing scramble for sea cucumber in the largest chained of
inhabited fringing reef in the country.
These competitions to get the most
benefit out from this profitable marine product involve village-based resources
owners of Ontong Java, Chinese business men, some public servants who work as
agents for the Asian buyers and the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Malaita
Outer Islands (MOI).
As the case in Lord Howe was reported to our office, TSI is
compel to say that there should be no more form of discrimination against other
locals who wish to harvest bech-de-mer for commercial purposes or other uses.
Everyone must be given the equal opportunity to engage in the business of
bechedemer trading as long as they are from MOI. The unfair treatment and
injustice perpetrated on Dr. Aipia by ministry of fisheries and some
self-claimed chiefs on the atoll alleged to be serving the interest of the MP
must be discouraged.
TSI also aware of some government officials from Lord Howe
involving in Bechedemer trading reported to their office, however urging the
relevant integrity institution like the Leadership Code Commission (LCC), Public
Service Commission (PSC) and the Ombudsman office to ensure compliance. Lastly,
Transparency Solomon Islands again would share its view on reports of unfair
treatment by Ministry of Fisheries executed by the Royal Solomon Islands Police
Force (RSIPF) on a particular person.
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| Bech-de-mer local buying prices for the current year-long open season. Photo: Ministry of Fisheries & Marine Resources - Solomon Islands |
TSI think that the laws of Solomon Islands
must be applied to everyone indiscriminately. The past incidence in 2017 which
the patrol boat went and arrest Dr. Aipia and brought him to custody, while
allowing others including their Chinese buyers to harvest bechedemer was a gross
injustice we must not let it repeated. Given this open season for harvesting
bechedemer, everyone must be given the equal opportunity to harvest this
lucrative marine product and no one should be left out or denied.
MFMR and RSIPF
must ensure there is equal opportunity for all and do not show favoritism
towards Chinese buyers and their cronies as alleged to be the case in the past.
Prior to lifting of the bechedemer ban, Ministry of Fisheries and the RSIPF must
ensure everyone are well inform in advance, with tougher penalties on poaching
practices before the ban was lifted and after the harvesting season officially
closed. The laws should not be targeting just one man or a group to serve the
shellfish interest of someone. The police and Ministry of Fisheries should never
compromise their independence and integrity during this harvesting season of
bechedemer.
//end//
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