A Chinese company, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) is being accused by locals in Tanna for extracting minerals in a sacred site without proper consent.
Local authorities and landowners are voicing their concerns of the way CCECC is using cyclone PAM recovery period as cover to undergo some operations outside of its contract.
The local government reps have asked CCECC to respect traditional areas and to always consult with local authorities during operations.
A sacred area was drilled and rock samples were sent to China for testing, and when approached by the Tafea Provincial authorities on the matter, CCECC said the area was already drilled.
The activities carried out are very suspicious as the area is outside the road construction plan and all work being done around the area.
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