Customary landowners in Papua New Guinea have been meeting to discuss their next steps following last month's National Court decision to halt the cancellation of flawed land leases.

Source: Jimmy Kalebe

The current logging operations in Turubu LLG in Wewak District and parts of Sausso LLG in Yangoru Saussia District East Sepik Province are still going despite it being nullified by the national government last year.

During the 6years of massive logging and round log export, millions of Kina damages were done to the environment, affecting livelihoods of local people.

To date, promises of improved infrastructure and other benefits as stated by the landowner company in the beginning were never materialized.

Looks like a great step ahead. Finally the Prime Minister is supporting an initiative that will definetly call for sustinance for the local population.

Source: Post Courier

Source: PNGexposed

Unless corruption is an ideology that bureacrats, politicians and the ellite dismiss in decision making to acumulate better service delivery and the people's money (tax payers money especially) are put into providing for the people where economic benefits can be seen on a tangible level, than and only than can we say our government is truely one 'for' the people. A government struggling to survive is one that cannot look after those that depend on it. Moreover, how does it help to disable the very machine that supports life it needs to survive?

With all the hype happening around SABL, are we sure land owners are driven to timber processing projects? Could this be another SABL scheme on SABL debated land? It is important we know what we are inexpensively signing before everyone pays the hefty price of recouping one mans mistake. 

The cancellation of controversial flawed land leases in Papua New Guinea has been halted, leaving traditional landowners unsure of when they will get their land back.

Source: ABC Australia

Source: "Red Soil"

Jimmy is from the Junk-Aral District of the Jiwaka Province, and he walks from Jiwaka out to the Madang Province to sell his bags of coffee beans and peanuts once or twice every month. From where Jimmy’s village is located, one has to climb very rugged steep mountains, brave the thick jungles and cross some of the fastest flowing rivers to get to town and back home.

Source: Jimmy Kalebe

The latest logging and oil palm operations in Tring village of Turubu in East Sepik Province were claimed by landowners as destructive, unbeneficial and illegal.

The claims come after proper procedures were not followed, no real benefits shared among landowners and consent was not sought through the immediate landowners before trespassing into customary land by the logging company.

Source: "Red Soil"

The Prime Minister Peter O’Neil has not responded to the appeal made by more than 2 million Lutherans nationwide, to not go ahead with the said Experimental Seabed Mining (ESM) to happen in Papua New Guinea.

Picture: Lutheran followers gather in protest against the Experimental Seabed Mining