SABL forest clearance in Pomio, East New Britain. Image: Greenpeace
Source: The National
Northern Governor Gary Juffa has called on Forest Minister Douglas Tomuriesa to explain the findings of the special agriculture business lease (SABL) inquiry.
We are all used to reading logging industry propaganda in The National, after all it is owned by Malaysian logging giant and infamous human rights abuser, Rimbunan Hijau. But now the Post Courier has found itself caught up peddling forestry industry misinformation.
Forest Minister Douglas Tomuriesa seems to be living in the past and to be unaware of all the current problems in the forestry sector in PNG
The Minister has gone public, see below, claiming all the issues of illegal and unsustainable logging in PNG have been dealt with starting in 1991 with the passing of the Forestry Act and establishment of the PNG Forest Authority.
ACT NOW!'s founder and Program Manager, Effrey Dademo, was in Norway last week to speak on a Norwegian television about the importance of land and forests in Papua New Guinea. She also spoke about the current threats from land grabbing and illegal and unsustainable logging and how ACT NOW is empowering grassroots leaders to disseminate the information required to empower local people to defend their land and resources.
APEC Forest Ministers are being urged to question the PNG government about widespread land grabbing and illegal and unsustainable logging and press for action when they meet in Port Moresby next week
Community advocacy group ACT NOW! has written to sixteen APEC Forest Ministers explaining the history of the SABL land grab and the continuing problems of illegal and unsustainable logging in PNG.
Limawo Holdings Limited has issued a highly misleading press statement [see pdf file attached below] on its legal challenge to a government decision to cancel the Special Purpose Agriculture and Business Lease over Section 144C in East Sepik Province.
Limawo Holdings owns a minority of the shares in Sepik Oil Palm Plantation Ltd, the holder of the SABL lease.
Limawo Holdings statement is highly misleading in three respects.
The government’s Chief Secretary, Manasupe Zurenuoc, has started issuing contradictory statements as he becomes increasingly desperate in his attempts to justify the inaction over the SABL land grab.
The Chief Secretary is back in the media [see below] offering more pathetic excuses for the government’s failure to cancel the unlawful SABL leases. Lets look line by line at what he has to say:
Manasupe: “And to be honest with them [vocal NGOs], I will ask them in so that I can explain to them”
