SABL

Commercializing land must be in the interest and benefit of people: Research

On 20 Dec, 2013 By Tim

By Pasifika Wardrobes Media Consultancy

Customary owned land is the secure source of sustaining livelihood and must be utilized well for the benefit of local Papua New Guineans.

This was one of the key conclusions from a rapid qualitative assessment report titled “Gender and Economic Choices in Papua New Guinea” which was commissioned by the World Bank, Papua New Guinea.

KL Kepong, withdraw from Collingwood Bay

On 19 Dec, 2013 By Tim

Source: Upreshal Singh, FMT news

Despite staunch protests, Malaysian palm oil giant Kuala Lumpur Kepong (KLK) has illegally forced its way forward to try develop almost 40,000 hectares of customary land in the Collingwood Bay region of Papua New Guinea. The indigenous communities of Collingwood Bay have made themselves clear, they do not want their lands to be cleared for palm oil or anything else, but instead want KLK out of their lands with immediate effect.

Papua New Guineans still waiting outcome of SABL taskforce

On 19 Dec, 2013 By Tim

By Pasifika Wardrobes Media Consultancy

Landowners and interested citizens are still anticipating the outcome of the Special Agriculture Business Lease (SABL) taskforce, since the appointment of the taskforce in late October this year by Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill.

Many who have followed the issue of SABL since the Commission of Inquiry have questioned the Government why it has taken too long to cancel all SABLs and return land titles to the rightful landowners.

Court restrains logging firm

On 18 Dec, 2013 By Tim

Source: The National

THE National Court in Waigani has issued an interim order restraining an oil palm company operating in Northern from transporting any equipment, material or property into the Collingwood Bay area.

Landowners successfully obtained the restraining order last week.

Governor Gary Juffa yesterday congratulated the landowners for their persistence in pursuing what he suspected was an illegal Special Agriculture Business Lease in the province.

Our Furniture's Dirty Secret: Illegal Land Grabs and Logging Are Robbing Papua New Guineans

On 17 Dec, 2013 By Tim

By Nina Wegner in The Huffington Post

Sad but true: the mahogany desk in your study or the merbau flooring in your living room probably came from illegal timber logged on tropical lands. It's a dirty trade that's been happening for decades, but a new report finds that Papua New Guinea, one of the main exporters of illegal timber in the world, is now leasing out its ancestral lands to foreign loggers and investors in one of the fastest and largest land grabs in recent history.

SABL Case Study 11: The Kassman family and their fraudulent LNG land deals

On 16 Dec, 2013 By Tim

From PNGexposed blog

SABL Commission of Inquiry Report 1: Pages 143 – 166

Gerrard Kassman and his sons Charles and John are the beneficiaries of two illegal and fraudulent SABL land deals close to Port Moresby that seek to cash in on the Exxon-Mobil LNG project.

”There was misrepresentation and fraud involved in the whole process” [p164]

The forging of landowner signatures “borders on fraud and is a criminal act” [p151]

SABL Case Study No.10: Neville Harsley and the Trans Papuan Highway fraud

On 14 Dec, 2013 By Tim

SABL Commission of Inquiry Report 2: Pages 390 – 530

There were “serious defects in the process that we observe are fraudulent and corruptible” [p505]

On the increase in the forest clearance corridor from 40m to 10,000m: ”The C.O.I finds this to be erroneous, misleading and mischievous.. [it also] contradicts the statutory requirements” [p397]

It was “illegal or fraudulent” [p405]

Liberian land grab sounds all too familiar - Malaysian loggers, oil palm and false promises

On 12 Dec, 2013 By Tim

How familiar does this sound... Malaysian logging companies offering promises of oil palm to get access to vast areas of forest for logging.

PNG is not alone in suffering from a huge illegal land grab by foreign companies...

SABL Case Study No.9: Continental Venture and the Middle Ramu

On 11 Dec, 2013 By Tim

From PNGexposed Blog

SABL Commission of Inquiry Report 2: Pages 867-899

Continental Ventures Limited “failed completely to ensure transparency and good governance in its dealings with the landowners of the SABL project area.” [p875].

WNB villagers to take developer to court over SABL

On 11 Dec, 2013 By Tim

From EMTV news

Failure to produce and implement a full Commission of Inquiry recommendation over the controversial Special Agricultural Business Leases (SABL’s) is causing distress for innocent landowning communities in rural areas.

The people of West Pomio in the East New Britain Province, are one among those facing the plight of losing their land and suffering ill treatment to their forests by foreign developers under SABL agreements.

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