Dear Fijileaks Editor:
(1) Please investigate or at least make public about Sigatoka sand dunes mining near the river mouth by Dome, mostly CHINESE shareholders.
(2) The Fiji media is not covering this, reasons we all know. But there have been small protest by some Sigatokians which was also not covered by media but people are talking /protesting about this on Facebook.
(3) This is not only Fiji's icon but also hold cultural significance and historical value to native Fijians.
(4) The Fiji EIA prepared a report that Sigatoka River mouth is DEAD and not WORTH saving it and should go ahead with mining. It is well known that the Fijian guy who did this report allegedly takes lot of bribes.
(5) The Government officials did come for ''public consultation'' but only handful of CHOSEN public persons were asked to come for so-called consultation.
(6) Lots of Fijian rely on the river mouth for their daily fresh seafood and most of them have posted pics of the wild catches near the mouth telling people on Facebook that River mouth is rich in seafood and they rely on this for food.
PRIME Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has made an SOS call to one of the world's industrialised nations, China. Speaking at the 40th anniversary of the Fiji-China diplomatic relations, Mr Bainimarama said Fiji looked to China as one of the leaders in the climate change talks in Paris later this month.
"China understands that while we have negligible contributions as Pacific Islanders to the carbon emissions that are warming the planet, we are enduring most of the negative impact through rising seas and extreme weather events. And we ask China to side with us in this struggle as we try to persuade the industrialised nations to embrace drastic cuts in carbon emissions," Mr Bainimarama said.
He said everyone understood the grave fears of the Pacific people if their calls for change went unheeded.
The fear was on the survival of some nations and the loss of valuable coastal land in others.
"No nation can afford to be part of what I have called the coalition of the selfish. No nation can presume to put its economic interests before the wider interests of global citizens the world over.
"So I am asking China and the other industrial nations not only to consider the disastrous consequences of failing to do what is necessary in Paris to arrest carbon emissions."
He has called on industrialised nations to consider the positive consequences of embracing change and reconfigure their economies for a more sustainable energy future.
"To embrace the use of sustainable energy sources such as hydroelectric and solar power instead of fossil fuels and especially coal. For their own sakes, as much as for ours."
He said if the hard decisions were made now there would be a chance to save the Pacific and the planet rather than sacrificing interests in Paris.
"Because it is abundantly clear that the whole world cannot continue on its present course. We must choose a more sustainable energy future now.
"We must not let the opportunity that Paris presents escape us. We must not fail our people or our planet." Source: Fiji Times