28 Jul 2009

Solomons Premier condemns burning of Palm Oil company

1:52 pm on 28 July 2009

The headquarters of the newly opened Guadalcanal Plains Palm Oil Limited in Solomon Islands has been burnt to the ground.

The Solomon Star reports that police say the cause of the incident is still unknown, but they suspect it is arson. No suspects have been identified yet.

The Premier of Guadalcanal Province, Stephen Panga has condemned the burning of the building, which is believed to be worth millions of Solomon Islands dollars.

Guadalcanal Plains Palm Oil is owned by a Papua New Guinea company, and the Premier says the incident could scare other foreign investors who would want to invest in the province.

He has called on the police to investigate and says if people are involved, they must face the full force of the law.

The company replaced Solomon Islands Plantations which closed down in 1999 during the ethnic tensions.