SABL

New video shows how PNG villagers have found better alternatives to oil palm

Submitted by rait man on Tue, 17/01/2012 - 19:41

Sausi village in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, is a community which resisted oil palm monoculture and has instead developed its own forms of co-finance and development. Relying on small-scale cocoa production, rice farming, fish breeding, peanut production and other cash crops, village cooperation is showing how communities can keep control of their land and use their own resources to build a better future.

Malaysian firm to make US$72m from Inland Pomio logging

Submitted by rait man on Fri, 13/01/2012 - 05:18

Kayu Mas (PNG) Ltd, which has a timber concession in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and is being acquired by Takaso Resources Bhd, has projected a net profit of US$72 million over nine years, reports the Sun Daily in Kuala Lumpur.

Kayu Mas executive chairman Datuk Abdul Manaf Hamid said the projected earnings from its timber concession of up to 42,000ha in PNG was based on the pricing of logs and sawn timber from that country.

Drekirir SABL illegal

Submitted by rait man on Thu, 12/01/2012 - 17:42

By Luana Paniu

A K3 million agriculture and business project in Drekirkir, East Sepik Province has not been recognized by the Government as a Special Agriculture and Business Lease (SABL) despite functioning as one.

Under an agreement signed between a Malaysian Logging Company (named) and a prominent Leader, a least 56,000 hectares of land was leased in 1998 under lease-lease back arrangement for the planting of Oil Palm.

Commission probes ITS over Western Province land deals

Submitted by rait man on Wed, 11/01/2012 - 10:24

By Jacob Pok

THE Commission of Inquiry into the Special Agriculture Business Lease (SABL) is investigating a foreign-owned company over the acquisition of more than two million hectares of land in Western.

The Independent Timber and Stevedoring Company, a subsidiary of a US-based company, was engaged by the government to construct a 600km Trans-Papua Highway from Kiunga into Central’s Hiritano  and through three other provinces.

Gadaisu villager complains over 99 year lease

Submitted by rait man on Wed, 11/01/2012 - 10:20

Gadaisu village is in Milne Bay province near the Central province border. The village is on state land which is being developed by Tamoua Estates Ltd under a 99-year leasehold. For the past 10 years villagers had been petitioning the government to return the land to them but have not received a favourable response from the Lands Department.

Another foreign company buys up forest rights in Papua New Guinea

Submitted by rait man on Tue, 10/01/2012 - 11:03

Malaysia's leading English language newspaper, The Star, is reporting that a Malaysian company, Takaso Resources, is buying the rights to log 40,000 hectares of forest in the Inland Pomio District of New Britain Island. There is no mention of how local people have been consulted about the sale or how they will benefit from the trade in their land rights.

Takaso into timber ops in Papua New Guinea

By Yvonne Tan

Logs don't lie: foreign corporations are pillaging Papua New Guinea

Submitted by rait man on Tue, 10/01/2012 - 08:45

By Hannah Brooks, VICE media

Papua New Guinea is currently experiencing what may be the most brazenly illegal land grab since its colonial days. Foreign corporations—specifically, logging companies—are allegedly falsifying signatures, paying off police, and lying to the government about their intentions to cut down every tree in the country.



Lands Officer approved SABL without Minister's consent

Submitted by rait man on Fri, 06/01/2012 - 12:02

By Luana Paniu

A senior Government officer signed SABL approvals without the knowledge of the Minister for Lands and Physical Planning, the Commission of Inquiry in SABLs heard yesterday.

The CoI Commissioners while questioning the officer were frustrated to learn that approvals were granted without due processes being followed.

Hundreds of new SABL cases popping up

Submitted by rait man on Tue, 03/01/2012 - 14:08

By Luana Paniu

The Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Special Agriculture and Business Leases (SABL’s) has revealed that there are hundreds more SABL’s beside the 75 cases now currently before them.

According to Chief Commissioner John Numapo about one million hectares of land under the SABL had suddenly ‘popped up’ throughout the five months that the inquiry had been conducting investigations into these matters.