17/02/2012 (The Inquirer) - An inter-ministerial team headed by the Land Commission at the weekend held talks with residents of the affected communities at the Sime Darby Plantation Company.  

The meeting, which took place in Gonda Town, brought together, chiefs, elders, women and youth groups of the affected communities to discuss with government representatives on the way forward in resolving the impasse that exists at the Sime Darby Plantation Company.

The meeting, which was described as peaceful and successful by the Chairman of the affected communities, Mr. Mustapha Foboi focused primarily on three main issues of contention.

Firstly, to improvise livelihood support for the affected residents; secondly,to allow the company restart the planting of the oil palm seedlings, and thirdly to retract the letter that was sent to the Responsible Sustainable Palm Oil Production (RSPO).

RSPO has evolved in ensuring that palmoil is produced according to the set standards of responsibleproduction practices and sustainablepalmoilproduction, whichshould lead to a major reduction of negative environmental and social impacts.

During the meeting, the residents said that Sime Darby has cleared their reserves and desecrated their creeks and waterways thus leaving them with no farm land to cultivate their crops and no safe drinking water and stream to do fishing.  

Chairman Brandy acknowledged that the indigenous people have right to their land, while at the same time government also has right to land.

He however appealed to the residents to remain calm and law abiding as government was doing all it could to resolve the problem.

Some of the residents expressed thanks and appreciation to Chairman Brandy and his team for their mediatory roles and considered the meeting in Gonda Town as the most successful since negotiations started between the residents and Sime Darby.

A follow-up meeting with key representatives of the affected communities took place Wednesday February 15, 2012 at the Land Commission's Office in Monrovia.