The government still has plenty of work to do to redress the injustice of the SABL land grab and illegal logging.
ACT NOW! is cautiously optimistic the government is moving in the right direction by cancelling most SABL leases, if the statements by the Minister for Lands are true, but this is only a first step.
The government still has plenty of work to do to redress the injustice of the SABL land grab and illegal logging.
ACT NOW! is cautiously optimistic the government is moving in the right direction by cancelling the SABL leases, but this is only a first step.
The government still has plenty of work to do to redress the injustice of the SABL land grab and illegal logging, according to community advocacy group ACT NOW!
ACT NOW! says it is cautiously optimistic the government is moving in the right direction by cancelling the SABL leases, but this is only a first step.
“We welcome statements from the Minister for Lands that the government has cancelled all SABL leases; if it is true, it is a significant move”, says Program Manager Effrey Dademo.
Over fifty thousand square kilometers of land has been stolen from indigenous communities in a huge unlawful land grab.
This is both a human rights and an environmental disaster as hundreds of communities rely on the stolen land for their subsistence and incomes, and thousands of hectatres of tropical forest are being cleared by logging and oil plam companies.
People living in the Pomio district say the three local men who have been vocal in a logging company owned newspaper, supporting SABL leases and the operations of Rimbunan Hijau, do not represent the majority.
The local people say it is completely wrong to claim the Sigite Mukus Integrated Rural Development Project is an SABL success story, as claimed by Mathew Lila, James lelrea lutkal and Bruno Tevolman.
Dear Minister Benny Allen,
RE: ENDORSING THE SABL LAND GRAB
Thank you for your response through the media [copied below] to the demands of affected landholders and the Prime Minister for answers on the SABL land grab.
Someone must be held accountable for the failure to cancel unlawful SABL leases, says community advocacy group, ACT NOW!
“The Prime Minister has publicly blamed the Department of Lands for failing to cancel the leases, but unless people are made accountable, nothing is going to change” says Program Manager, Effrey Dademo.
The NEC decision cancelling the leases was made in June 2014, but since then not one lease has been revoked by the Department of Lands.
PM confirms cancellation of all licenses to thwart illegal land grabbing
By BARNEY ORERE, POST COURIER
PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill has confirmed that the National Executive Council has cancelled all licences and SABLs are illegal.
He said this in response to a community advocacy group Act Now which had been vocal about the land grab issue in relation to SABL – special agriculture and business leases.
Community advocay group, ACT NOW! says it appears Lands Minister Benny Allen is blocking the implementation of government decisions to end the SABL land grab and return stolen land to its customary owners.
Since 2013, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has repeatedly promised the unlawful SABL leases will be cancelled, and in June 2014 the National Executive Council endorsed the recommendation from the Commission of Inquiry that the leases be revoked.
But Minister Benny Allen and the Department of Lands are still stalling on any action and have failed to cancel any leases.
Lands Minister Benny Allen is blocking the implementation of government decisions to end the SABL land grab and return stolen land to its customary owners.
Since 2013, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has repeatedly promised the unlawful SABL leases will be cancelled, and in June 2014 the National Executive Council endorsed the recommendation from the Commission of Inquiry that the leases be revoked.