26 October 2011

Community advocacy group, ACT NOW! says more than 2,000 emails have been sent to the government over the last five days calling for a suspension of logging within disputed Special Agriculture lease areas.

“This response to is the biggest we have ever seen to an on-line petition”, says Effrey Dademo, Program Manager for ACT NOW! “People from all over the world have been getting involved”.

Ms Dademo says the response reflects the amount of concern there is, not just in PNG but internationally as well, that the government is allowing logging to continue while a Commission of Inquiry has already uncovered widespread allegations of fraud, forgery and a failure to properly obtain the consent of local landowners.

ACT NOW! is calling on the government to suspend all Forest Clearance Authorities issued in relation to Special-purpose Agriculture and Business lease areas until the Commission of Inquiry has completed its investigations and determined if the logging is legal.

“The government has already shown it wants to do the right thing by reversing the previous government’s amendments to the Environment Act and extending the time-frame for the SABL Commission of Inquiry”, says Ms Dademo. “

“We now wait to see if they will maintain their good record and the support they have generated all across the country by suspending the logging.”

The email action is can be found on the ACT NOW! website at www.actnowpng.org/action

For further information and comment contact Effrey Dademo on (675) 321 6354