The Commission of Inquiry into the Special Agriculture Business Leases heard that an officer from the Department of Lands and Physical Planning illegally carried out a Land Investigation Report (LIR) on more than one thousand hectares of land which is the subject of the inquiry, reports the Post Courier.

The CoI also heard that he had conspired with another Lands officer in carrying out the LIR that covers 1058 hectares of land in portion 2485 C of Iarogala 1 and 2 in Papa Village of Central Province.

For 36 years this political system has not solved your problems yet somehow the sheeple continue to have blind faith in a failed system. It’s produced the Bougainville crisis, the World’s third largest Environmental Disaster at Fly River, 5.2 million hectares of land stolen, human rights abuses and police brutality, massive theft of public monies, an education system that fails to produce nation builders, a health system that doesn’t work and etc...

By John Pangkatana

LANDOWNERS not reflected in the Purari Development Authority (PDA) Inc. Special Agriculture Business Lease (SABL) for up to 700,000 hectares of land in the Baimuru District have won a psychological victory. The PDA land title is set to be revoked, reports the Post Courier.

This is understood to be one of the largest land leases issued under the SABL lease-lease back provisions for customary land instituted under the Government’s Lands Department’s new reform. 

ABC television Lateline:

By Luana Paniu

The Special Purpose Agriculture and Business Lease (SPABL) Inquiry scheduled to be heard in Popondetta has been deferred. This is due to bridges washed away by last week’s floods damage.

The Girua bridge, which links Oro Bay to Popondetta town was washed away in 2007 by flood waters of Cyclone Guba disaster and since then, people had resorted to using the Girua crossing into Popondetta.

A case study on land grab and deforestation in PNG was launched today (Wednesday), by the Accra Caucus on Forest and Climate Change. The study carried out by the PNG Eco Forestry Forum, highlights logging through SABLs are main drivers for deforestation in PNG, while REDD+ is expected to protect the forest and environment

Pacific civil society is calling on all non-government organisations and concerned citizens to help support a petition on experimental seabed mining at a crucial time in the Pacific. 

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) in collaboration with the Government of Fiji and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) SOPAC Division is currently hosting an International Workshop on the Exploitation of Deep Sea Minerals, from 29 November to 2 December 2011. 

By Gary Juffa*

Our simple folk ask for little - a road, a bridge perhaps, a school and a hospital. They fend for themselves as they have done for the last 50,000 years.

Since the commencement of the Commission of Inquiry (“the Commission”) into the granting of the Special Purpose Agriculture and Business Lease (“SABL”) a number of anomalies have become apparent, one of which has concerned the Land Investigation Report (“LIR”). An SABL cannot be granted unless an investigation is carried out on the parcel of land for which the SABL is sought. The LIR is an important pre-requisite for the granting of the SABL.