Bangladeshi owned stores in Guadalcanal closed

Bangladeshi owned stores that operated outside of Kakabona in west and Tenaru in the east of Honiara have been ordered to close, says premier of Guadalcanal Francis Sade.

Premier Sade said Bangladeshi shops that were opened in his province outside of Kakabona (west) and Tenaru (east) were operating outside the approved area have been shutdown.

According to the premier, the approval was only granted for shops, owned by foreigners, to operate between Kakabona in the west to Tenaru in the east. He adds anyone operating outside this zone is illegal.

According to the premier, the Foreign Investment Board had already penalized the shops that operated outside the approved areas and they were also closed.

Bangladeshi owned stores had been opened on the west side beyond Visale and others also stretching into the eastern end of Honiara into the Guadalcanal Plains.

The Premier said their operations in his province has resulted in a lot of locally owned shops closing down as they could not compete with them.

Permanent Secretary of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration Riley Mesepitu confirmed that all the shops in the areas had been closed and his officers penalized them.

The influx of Bangladeshi owned shops into the communities have drawn widespread concern and there were calls for the government take a tougher stance against the foreigners.

The running of small shops/stores is a reserved business for indigenous Solomon Islanders.

Speaking this week, Sade said his government is working hard to ensure that the investment interest of his people are protected.

News@SBMOnline2020