Another major player in the Indonesian palm oil industry has adopted a zero deforestation policy; now it's time for the government of Indonesia [and Papua New Guinea] to catch up.
Dr Kristian Lasslett | International State Crime Initiative
With characteristic insight, last week Oro Governor Gary Juffa MP took aim at Papua New Guinea’s media.
Juffa asked:
Source: Radio New Zealand
The governor of Papua New Guinea's Oro province, Gary Juffa, says illegal logging and deforestation continue under the Special Agriculture and Business Lease system.
The leases, commonly known as SABLs, have been consistently criticised as being a front for land grabbing.
Source: PNG Exposed
Secretary for Lands Romily Kila-Pat has finally been suspended – you can read some of the newspaper coverage from last week below – but the corruption in the Lands Department has yet to be properly addressed.
Kila-Pat, like his predecessor Pepi Kimas, has overseen numerous illegal lands deals and was infamously involved in many of the unlawful SABL leases – but the corruption in the Lands Department runs far deeper and two important questions need answering:
Vilages in the Aitape Lumi District of West Sepik are sending a message to the Prime Minister they want the SABL land grab reversed and the leases cancelled.
"the Australian government, through its aid programme, could invest a lot more in NGOs in PNG"
Source: Radio New Zealand
Mercury and arsenic to be dumped into the sea at Lae, Madang and Port Moresby
Sulphur and fine particles to fill the air and lungs of nearby populations
Carbon emissions to increase climate change impacts
Photo: Port Moresby CBD. RNZI / Koro Vaka'uta
Source: Radio New Zealand
Australia's aid programme in Papua New Guinea has been described as having enabled rather than remedied state fraud and market distortions in PNG
The damning indictment came in a submission by the International State Crime Initiative at an Australian senate inquiry into the aid programme in PNG.
SABL awareness continues on to the East Sepik Province. More and more people, mostly women and children are signing SABL postcards addressed to the Prime Minister calling for an end to the land grab. Signing has been ongoing in the West Coast area of Araimi, Kotai, Dogur and Makopin villagers.
By JOHN FOWKE
Papua New Guinea's seasonal production of coffee has declined substantially since 2011.
The annual crop has dropped from an average established over 24 years from 1987 of one million 60kg bags per annum, down to 800,000 last year.
A crop of no more than 700,000 bags is estimated for this year ending in December.
The crop is expected to fall again by a significant factor in 2016.