Four linked companies - Cakara Alam (PNG) Ltd, Sumber Alam (PNG) Limited. Tzen Pacific Limited and Tzen Resource Limited - were together responsible for exporting 634954 m3 of logs during 2019-2021 from eight concessions in West New Britain Provinces and the Hawain Concession in East Sepik Province. Caraka Alam (PNG) Ltd and Sumber Alam (PNG) Limited are owned by Malaysian company C.A Investments Limited, which is registered in Lanuam, a tax haven.
Like several other logging companies in PNG, Caraka Alam appears to be a family business. All four companies share two common directors - Ed Fei Lee and Ee Tzen Lee, both Malaysian nationals and the sons of the late Chan Char Lee (also known as Francis Lee) and his wife Yap Po Lean. There are 16 companies registered n PNG with one of these family members as either director or shareholder.
According to cooperate records, logging, and palm oil company Tzen Nuigini Limited, which operates logging concession in East New Britain, was formerly part of the Caraka Alam corporate cluster. Between 2009 and 2019 shareholding shifted to British Virgin Islands holding company (Kenlox Global) and directors from East New Britain Resource Group joined the company. Tzen Nuigini now appears to be wholly controlled by the East New Britain Resource Group. In March 2022 the shares were transferred from Kenlox Global to Eng Kwee Tan, Chief Executive of East New Britain group.
There are two companies that are co-owned by Cakara Alam family members and Koh Woo Ling (Landex Sawmill Madang Limited and Karanas Investments (PNG)Limited). Ling is a former director of Cakara Alam (PNG) Limited and several other Caraka Alam companies. He is currently 60 percent owner of the logging company Ever Greed Limited, which previously exported logs from Hawain Concession in East Sepik.
You can find out more about all ten Timber Barons - PNG's largest log exporting groups - in the report The New Timber Barons
