Reef Wreckers Want Another Go In Fiji
Keen readers of Swellnet may recall that back in 2019 the spotlight was thrust onto Freesoul, a Chinese property developer caught tearing up coral reef at Mololo Island, Fiji. Freesoul's plans to build a casino were hindered by a fringing reef and thus the reef was bulldozed.
If that alone wasn't bad enough, Freesoul employees were caught on film manhandling Aussie surfers Nav Fox and Woody Jack, who part-own the neighbouring property. That footage was shot by Mel Reid from Newsroom, a plucky NZ news outlet that fearlessly punch above their weight.
Shortly afterwards, Mel and her film crew attempted to interview Freesoul employees in Suva when they were arrested and detained; the story suddenly taking on a new and more sinister dimension, especially in a country with a troubled history of military coups and press censorship.
When he heard of the journalists plight, then-PM Frank Bainimarama released the trio, issued an apology, and blamed a, “small group of rogue police officers.” Subsequently, Freesoul was fined AUD $1 million and ordered to clean up the site. Bainimarama also attempted to remove Freesoul from Fiji, though it didn't happen before his party lost power, replaced by Sitiveni Rabuka.
Far from chastened, Mel Reid returned to Fiji last month and found Freesoul are playing the long game. Having paid their fine - though ignored the clean up order - they still intending to build their casino, however they're waiting for the political and social situation to change in their favour.
With phone calls and emails going unanswered, Nav Fox and Woody Jack visited the Fijian parliament requesting information on Freesoul. When a minister met them, it became clear that despite their appalling environmnetal record, Freesoul had no intention of leaving Malolo alone, and in fact were planning to increase their presence in Fiji.
“I will not disclose the position of the government, but so far as I am concerned [the developers] have applied to undertake development on (Malolo) Island," said Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Hon Sakiusa Tubuna. "And also they are looking at some alternative sites particularly in the Nausori Highlands where they’re going to develop a hotel. As you know there’s huge demand on hotel space in this country. Of course we encourage foreign investors to come and invest in one.”
Comments
You are dealing with people that have no idea what the consequences are and really do not care . Plus they are being bought out by the CHINESE
Their only comment is the "huge demand on hotel space in this country." Dumb shit .
Another 3rd world buy out >
Island politics and foreign money from a power that is looking to exert greater influence for their own benefit is bound to end up in a conflict like this. I'd love to see the Fijian's take the land away from any and every Chinese corporation and fine them again for failure to remedy the reef.
How's Nauru's style!!?? Honestly, ChyNa's dictatorship know that money in the pocket goes a looong way on these islands. (It's the straight faced explanations and logic of those with bulging pockets that's so hilarious... Fkn Hilarious.
Its prime real estate. Land clearing is happening everywhere along our coasts and hinterland. It sucks for locals, the environment & society. It just cheaper to deal & get away with destroying ecosystems in financially poor countries.
eg. The current incentives in Fiji for hotel developers; promises of employment, revenue & later..... sell the land....or in this case, pre-sell the dream....
Fiji Corporate Tax Incentives (below)
" Hotel industry incentives"
The following hotel incentives may be available, subject to certain conditions:
Investment allowance equal to a certain percentage of the total approved capital expenditure incurred in the hotel project in addition to normal depreciation.
Short Life Investment Package (SLIP) for approved project, with an income tax exemption for up to 20 years for tax on profits derived from the operation of the hotel depending on the level of capital investment.
Duty concessions are also available on the importation of certain capital equipment, plant and machinery, and other items subject to approval.
The recipients of provisional approval for hotel investment incentives are required to complete the hotel projects within two years from the date provisional approval is granted."
https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/fiji/corporate/tax-credits-and-incentives
" Freesoul started in Fiji in 2002, going from a telecoms business (its executive director Dickson Peng still operates from a mobile phone shop in Suva) to now reportedly owning 6000 acres of land in Fiji, with 1200 under development and priority given to tourism properties since 2017."
https://newsroom.co.nz/2019/04/11/how-chinese-is-fiji-developer-freesou…
"The buyers of around 200 (Malolo bungalow) units paid a similar amount each to the combined total of about $40 million."
https://newsroom.co.nz/2020/12/06/investors-sue-fiji-resort-vandal/
The next cat 4-5 cyclone should sort them out .
We bunkered down in Momi Bay years ago waiting for a cat 4 cyclone to pass back years ago .
When we emerged the place looked like a war zone . Nothing left that wasn't bolted or welded down .
What a bunch of C@#ts.........
Yeah, the Chinese colonisers have got a lot to learn about colonising... hmmm, dunno where they'll find a quality education, but, if they were looking for a "successful" example, the biggest indicator of "success" would first be to find is a population that is ignorantly compliant and apathetic to their own ruling class, and who are brainwashed into "knowing" how evil "other" autocratic colonisers are, while their own ruling class owners are on the right side of history.... again and again.... as in, no way are 'our' colonising ruling class owners are 'worse' than the other.
Nevermind the 20 MILLION people our side has killed through military means since 9/11 - yes, 20 million since twin towers.
"we" just keep being on the right side of history.... again and again....
Jack two wrongs don't make a right, yes all colonisers through history are arseholes however autocratic ones in my opinion are bigger ones.
The democratic colonisers have been vastly more murderous than the autocratic colonisers over the past 2 decades.
Of course, clearly there is a ruling class problem regardless of the window dressing: be it democratic, autocratic, ...
And of course, from what I can tell, pretty much every swellnetter, my self included, deeply values the natural world ,
My comment is not about 2 wrongs making a right; it is on this comment section calling out the destructive practices of the 'other' colonisers in a manner which is void of the context of the destruction caused by the West. Such a lack of context reeks of sinophobia, as is the norm modern mainstream Australian consciousness, which of course, again, is downstream from the most sophisticated propaganda machinery ever used by a ruling class against a population. - IMV
Thank you for engaging Memla. I hope you and yours are well.
Actually the new government (just over 12 months in) have rejected having casino’s in Fiji full stop.. This was a idea from previous from just after the coup. Never managed to make it happen thank goodness despite 14 years in power. So that ain’t going to be a casino but might be a shitty hotel.
So do Nav and Woody still own land there ?
Ah , just go onto satellite view and have a gawk . We used to go over every year for a couple of weeks and stayed at either PI or at Seashell Cove . Back then there was no Google Maps . Just did a reality check via satellite view .
F... me , its been 15 years since I was there .
If you scout around looks like the whole place has been has been crowded out with small to medium 'resorts' .
And , that bit of reef isnt the only one thats been scoured out . Fuckers have carved out channels and man made anchorages everywhere .
That said , these people have probably one of the worst track records regarding respect for the enviroment .
Exactly, the island's reefs have been scoured out for many resorts in the area. This one is just one of dozens already done.
Done without permission would be the major distinction.
Also, done without following enviro guidelines.
According to this May 2023 Vanity Affair article, Freesoul asked Shaw Mead for environmental impact advice: https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/05/fiji-surf-wars
reference above
"The battle of the Freesoul development starts with the Indigenous Fijians. They comprise about half of the million people who populate the country. Most of the rest are the descendants of the Indian laborers who served the former British colonial rulers. The Indigenous locals like Joseva live off the land in poor coastal villages—growing kava roots, hunting for pigs, fishing for wahoo. This turned crucial during the first years of the coronavirus; it shuttered the nation’s more than $1 billion tourism industry, which accounts for 40 percent of the $4.3 billion Fijian GDP."
Whilst I agree with what you're saying Stu, to mention the obvious: on the whole, legal and regulatory systems appear to ultimately serve the ruling class, and thereby fail the environment and the people - by design.
We've got a ruling ruling class problem.
Location, location? ....https://maps.app.goo.gl/Y3A9JAPhRBGh4M4i7
“Reef Wreckers want another go in Fiji”
Nice title. But in reality no more or less environmentally damaging than what was the proposed wave pool on the Sunshine Coast which came with an article with a far less inflammatory title “Sunshine Coast to get first KSWC Wavepool”
wowee, nice conflation, forever changing the political and environmental profile of a vulnerable paradise vs living in a toilet and complaining the rim isn't clean? 1950s Sunny Coast would have been quite a place to be protective of, no doubt.
If you think this sort of crap is restricted to islands in the Pacific, check out my island home.
JBS is one of three foreign owners of Tassie's salmon industry and each of them have a history that puts them in the same league as these Chinese vandals.
The owners of JBS, the Batista's (aka The Butchers from Brazil) have spent more time in a cage than their salmon. Cooke from Canada have a record of environmental vandalism and are not even welcome in their own country. The third player - are our cousins from across the ditch, Sealord who've teamed up with Japanese whalers Nissui.
With the blessing of Albo and Potato Head this cartel are wrecking havoc on our waterways. We've had enough and are calling for the salmon industry to stop treating our ocean like a septic tank.
The surf community can help by taking salmon off the table and telling the industry to go on land or go away.
Don't touch the stuff, seems like Tassie is the new Queensland for corruption do they have a minister for everything down there?
Nah! We only have Ministers for Nothing.
Idk much about Tassie politics save to say that Andrew Wilkie seems to do OK in regards to corruption. I am guessing he is one of a rare few.
Wilkie and the Greens are our last hope. The two party system is broke, out of warranty and lacking spare parts.
But how good was the kingfish fishing off Newy when their trial pens got blown apart by an ECL
Good on ya Mick. Keep fighting the fight, mob I’m involved with have just penned a letter to the Prime Minister, these companies and these types of detrimental enterprises have no place in places like Tassie or any other remaining part of the rapidly disappearing biological world.
None of my mates or families buy Tassie salmon anymore, we’ve all spread the word.
Back to the old days of purchasing fish caught locally and not from a shelf in your local Stupormarket. AW
FYI Tasmania is governed by the Liberal Party & donation$.
Fish farms are regulated by the State.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasmanian_Liberal_Party
Taz Govt Salmon farming rules; independently reviewed by Environmental Defenders Office (EDO)
https://www.edo.org.au/why-salmon-farming-needs-new-rules/
NSW Community Protest Laws
https://www.edo.org.au/2023/12/13/supreme-court-rules-parts-of-nsw-anti…
Offshore Gas drilling proposal vs Tiwi locals
https://www.edo.org.au/tiwi-islands-barossa-gas-drilling-challenge/
Responses: Cut off funding of community legal challenges to big business
Coal Ltd vs farmers
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-22/lnp-vows-to-strip-funding-from-e…
Gas Ltd vs Islanders
https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/peter-dutton-to-end-federal-funding-to-e…
Now I’m bloody angry
You've gotta love a Newsroom that not only isn't scared to punch above its weight but also goes back for round two. That's one worth a subscription, go Mel
Totally agree. Speaking truth to power is super rare these days. Journalism used to be a peoples' trade before it got flooded with the children of elite families, as a way for these trust fund leeches to rub shoulders with the powerful.
The rightly earned the title of 'Presstitutes'.
Sound similar to the Maldives (and Australia, US etc etc)...
Although he refers to Americans, Lou Reed summed up these kinds of organisations pretty well way back when!!
"Well Americans don't care for much of anything
land and water the least
And animal life is low on the totem pole
with human life not worth much more than infected yeast
Americans don't care too much for beauty
They'll shit in a river, dump battery acid in a stream
They'll watch dead rats wash up on the beach
and complain if they can't swim"
Last great Lou Reed album in my opinion 'New York' corker.
Ah humans , at it again . More , more , more .
a market solution might follow on from this
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-29/evergrande-liquidation-may-derai…
and hopefully their offshore developers get vaporised as well
Nuts to think a building company has debt on par with Australia’s pre COVID number
It's like a debt death star.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-29/evergrande-liquidation-may-derai…
As much as finarmageddon would be a good movie, if it were to happen lots of silly projects would just stop.