Source: Radio New Zealand

The National Court in Papua New Guinea has declared two special agriculture and business leases covering 38 thousand hectares of land in Oro Province null and void, ordering the state to cancel the title deeds.

The land is in part of the customary territory of nine indigenous tribes, who argued that they rely on it as the basis for their economy and subsistence livelihoods.

Source: PNG Loop

Forestry Minister Douglas Tomuriesa says a submission on the recommendations from the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into Special Agriculture Business leases will be presented to the National Executive Council this week.

He says the submission contains two recommendations from the Ministerial Committee on 94 SABLs held by logging companies across the country.

Source: PNG Loop

Landowners of the Collingwood Bay area in Oro Province say the government must act now on recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry into the handling  of Special Agriculture Business Leases.

Adelbert Gangai told PNG Loop that the order by the courts for land titles to be handed back to customary landowners in Collingwood Bay was a victory for all landowners in Papua New Guinea.

Source: Post Courier

The National Court has declared two special agriculture and business leases (SABL) covering 38,350 hectares of land in the Oro Province null and void and has ordered the Sate to cancel the title deeds.

The orders declaring the two leases null and void were through consent drawn up by the disputing parties and endorsed by the court.

Source: Environmental News

Papua New Guinea's National Court has declared two leases held by Malaysia-based Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad (KLK) null and void, and ordered the government to cancel the licenses to convert nearly 40,000 hectares of rainforest and community forest for oil palm plantations, reports the Rainforest Action Network (RAN). 

Source: The National

THE Northern government and the landowners of the Collingwood Bay area have cancelled two Special Agriculture Business Leases (SABL) through the National Court in Waigani.

Governor Gary Juffa announced that at a media conference in Port Moresby yesterday.

He did not elaborate on the court’s ruling but said Northern was the first province to be successful through the court of law in the cancellation of its SABLs.

Source: Rainforest Action Network

High court sides with Indigenous communities in battle over controversial Malaysian palm oil giant’s plan to develop large areas of ancestral territory and pristine forest

The people of Collingwood Bay in Oro Province are in a real celebratory mood after the Department of Lands conceded to giving back their customary land after 20 years of court battles.

The people have reclaimed their land – a total land area of 38,350 hectares, given away by the Department of Lands in two Special Agriculture Business Leases (SABL) for 50 years.

Source: OurLandOurBusiness

WHOSE LAND IS IT ANYWAY? Right now, millions of people are being thrown off their land because large corporations are being given special rights. The World Bank is driving this destructive trend with its Doing Business rankings, which force countries to compete with each other to do away with things like environmental protections, workers rights and corporation taxes. Sign on to demand the abolition of the rankings.

Follow Link to sign;http://ourlandourbusiness.org/#home

A new billboard with a clear message for the Prime Minister has been erected in central Waigani, right under the noses of Papau New Guinea's MPs.

The billboard is on the busy roundabout outside the Somare Foundation Building on Sir John Guise Drive - right in the path of everyone travelling to Parliament and infront of the offices of the Department of the Prime Minister and NEC.