Increasing Squatter Settlements within Bloody Ridge Boundary Concerning
BY ALEX DADAMU
THE growing number of Squatter settlements, building permanent homes within the bloody ridge boundary east of Honiara is very concerning.
This was according to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in its report on the 2021 Appropriation Bill 2021 (No. 2 of 2021) released recently.
PAC when questioning the Ministry responsible for Culture and Tourism, said they are very concerned with the issue.
Culture and Tourism Ministry in response to PAC confirmed that they are facing some challenges with squatter settlement in the area.
“Last year the ministry wanted to fully fence the area, but was not possible due to a lack of funding,” the Ministry said.
The Ministry however confirmed that a contractor to do the fencing has already been identified last year (2020) and will also engage surrounding communities to assist with the fencing.
Bloody Ridge, or Edson’s Ridge, was fought over by Japanese and American troops during the Battle of Guadalcanal, which claimed nearly 40,000 lives.
The national government previously proposed to develop a WWII memorial park at Bloody Ridge area after they declared the site “one of the most brutal battlegrounds of World War Two on Guadalcanal.”
In 2017, a WWII memorial plaque was installed during the previous commemorations to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal during the Second World War.
However, in that same year, the plaque was stolen and was later confiscated by police in Honiara.
According to residents, just recently, a notice board in front of the bloody Ridge WWII memorial compound had also been vandalized by drunkards.
“It is sad to see locals who showed no respect to the area’s already remarkable WWII historical site,” a concerned resident from Malango ward, Central Guadalcanal expressed.
