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Help stop an environmental and human rights disaster

Your help is needed to STOP an environmental and human rights DISASTER.

Two million hectares of forest are being clear-felled within Special-purpose agriculture lease areas in PNG despite gowing evidence the leases and the logging are totally illegal and cause irreversible environmental damage.

Please send emails to Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, and Deputy Prime Minister and Forest Minister, Belden Namah, calling on them to suspend the logging until on-going investigations have been completed.

Please ACT NOW! - www.actnowpng.org/please-help

The existing Commission of Inquiry into the leases has already uncovered systemic problems including fraud, forgery and a failure to secure informed consent from traditional owners. [1]

But the leases have been used to get Forest Clearance Authorities that allow the clear-felling of 2 million hectares of forest within the lease areas.

If the leases are unlawful because proper processes have not been followed and traditional owners have not given their informed consent, then the logging is also illegal.

Traditional landowners are mounting their own protests against the logging but they need your help as their protests are being met with violence [2]

The term for the Commission of Inquiry has just been extended by 5 months [3] to allow a full investigation of all the issues and regional hearings - but while the Commission process grinds on the logging is continuing unabated, causing irreversable environmental damage, mounting community tensions [4] and human rights abuses [5]. 

The government must immediately suspend all Forest Clearance Authorities until the Commission of Inquiry has been completed and its recommendations implemented.

Please take a moment to send your email and help avert this disaster

Please ACT NOW! - www.actnowpng.org/please-help

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References
1. Inquiry reveals many flaws - http://www.actnowpng.org/content/inquiry-reveals-many-flaws
2. Police attack landowners for protest - http://www.actnowpng.org/content/police-attack-villagers-protesting-land...
3. Prime Minister extends Commission of Inquiry - http://www.actnowpng.org/content/prime-minister-extends-commission-inqui...
4. PNG's great landgrab sparks fightback by traditional owners - http://www.actnowpng.org/content/pngs-great-land-grab-sparks-fightback-t...
5. Police brutality to be investigated - http://pngexposed.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/police-brutality-targetting-a...

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Stop logging in PNG