A major tribe in Central Guadalcanal, CHACHA, will take the first peace initiative to compensate Paramount Chief Walton Naezon after his vehicle was stoned during a confrontation at Obo Obo village near Gold Ridge on Wednesday, 21 January.
The incident occurred after rioters—made up of youths, men and women—burnt about 30 machines belonging to Gold Ridge Mining Limited (GRML) at the mine pit on the night of Tuesday 20th January.
Chief Titua Sopa, who is leading the peace initiative, blamed police heavy-handedness for triggering the unrest.
He said police actions were very different from the approach taken by officers stationed at Gold Ridge over the past two years.
“They went to the extreme by removing minerals that people had dug from the pit and searching their belongings,” Sopa said.
“I told them at a meeting held at Capital Park to go easy, but the police did not follow.”
He said this resulted in the people reacting violently, leading to the burning of mining machinery and the stoning of the vehicle belonging to his “big brother,” Paramount Chief Naezon.
Sopa said Chief Naezon was unhappy with the incident, which prompted the CHACHA tribe to take the first step toward compensation.
“This is because the rioters disrespected the paramount chief,” he said.
Sopa also said tensions had been building due to landowners’ experiences with GRML, which is currently owned by China’s Wanguo Gold Group.
Wanguo owns 90 per cent of GRML, while the remaining 10 per cent is held by Gold Ridge Community Investment Limited (GRCIL). GRCIL purchased the Gold Ridge mine for AUD$100 from Australian miner St Barbara after the company exited in 2014 following severe flash flooding.
GRCIL later floated the company on the stock market, and in 2016 a young Chinese businessman, Richard Ngu, connected with Paramount Chief Naezon.
Ngu later established connection with Wanguo International Mining Group Limited and AXF Group in 2018 to redevelop the mine.
A relaunch ceremony was held in October 2019, but operations were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Heap leaching trial production began in 2021, followed by flotation test runs in November 2022.
The official reopening ceremony in December 2022 marked the full resumption of mining operations.
Sopa said many landowners counted the mine’s operations from 2015, without realising that full operations had only been underway for about two and a half years.
He said landowners had raised concerns about benefits.
“They reflected on Ross Mining, which focused first on living benefits, relocation, and building schools at Tenaru,” Sopa said.
“St Barbara also did the same with relocation.”
However, he said Wanguo applied what he described as an “Asian way,” prioritising development and mining before addressing social benefits.
“This contributed to what has happened now,” he said.
Sopa said the Landowners Council had also been paralysed and was not liaising effectively. As a result, chiefs agreed over the past two years to allow landowners to pan for gold in the mine pit to meet people’s needs.
However, the activity expanded, with people from other provinces joining landowners at the pit.
“This resulted in a lot of illegal activities, including selling alcohol, illegal driving, illegal marriages, and illegal buying and selling of gold,” Sopa said.
He said chiefs had called on the government to intervene and help control the situation, but police actions ignored cultural sensitivities.
“The police acted beyond the culture of the people, which resulted in the reaction that led to the burning of machinery, roadblocks and riots,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) confirmed it has launched an investigation into the wilful damage of machinery at Gold Ridge Mining Limited, which occurred on the night of 20 January 2026.
Police said investigations are underway to identify and apprehend those responsible, with an initial assessment currently being conducted.
Acting Commissioner of Police Mathias Lenialu said, the situation has been contained and public order restored.
National leaders have also called on the company and the government to work together to address the issue.
Gold Ridge mine is expected to contribute up to 20 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
