27 Jun 2006

Niue not sure whether Malaysian company will go ahead with logging proposal

7:22 pm on 27 June 2006

Niue is still waiting for a Malaysian timber company to take the next step towards setting up a logging project.

The company had expressed interest in setting up a hard wood operation.

A head agreement has been signed and the company has been making assessments.

But the acting Premier of Niue, Fisa Pihigia, says no details have been forthcoming and there are still a number of stages that need to be worked through:

"It's up to them. If the interest is still there they need to contact our officials and discuss a lot of those issues that we want them to follow, particularly the logging code that we have in Niue and the condition of the environment and the forestry people need to workr through those before any actual proposal is put to before cabinet."

The acting Premier of Niue, Fisa Pihigia