illegal logging

Bainings win SABL court battle

On 30 Aug, 2016 By ACTNOW

Source: Isaac Nicholas, Post Courier

LANDOWNERS in East New Britain Province have won a landmark legal battle to retake their “hijacked” land from the controversial Special Agriculture and Business Lease (SABL).

The people of Baining in Gazelle district had taken the State and developer to court over the SABL deal which has now been declared null and void by the National Court in Kokopo last Thursday.

SABL Slavery! Pomio land grab fails to deliver on promises

On 30 Aug, 2016 By ACTNOW

SABL Story Project*

The Pomio West Special Agriculture Business Leases have failed to bring the promised economic development and financial benefits. Instead, whole villages have been taken over as the property of the lease holder along with everything standing on the land. The people have been left trapped as slaves.

Three years but still no action to cancel SABL leases

On 24 Jun, 2016 By ACTNOW

For three years Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has failed to cancel unlawful SABL leases affecting over 5 million hectares of land and has failed to deliver on his promises to return the land to its customary owners.

Today, June 24, is the three-year anniversary of the Commission of Inquiry reports that exposed the whole scam and confirmed the leases are unlawful.

East Sepik calls for government action on SABL land grab

On 01 Jun, 2016 By ACTNOW

Wamsok locals from East Sepik have made their stand to the government to cancel all SABL leases and return land back to landowners.

After awareness by the Tropical Gem group on SABL and land grab, they realised that ilegal logging has been eating away their forest and land has been taken away from customary landowners under fraudulent SABL leases.

Government must act on international criticism over human rights

On 13 May, 2016 By ACTNOW

Civil society organisations are urging the Papua New Guinea government to take immediate action to end pervasive land grabbing and illegal logging after these issues were highlighted by governments around the world in formal recommendations put before the United Nations yesterday. (1)

Nations call for action on SABL land grab

On 09 May, 2016 By ACTNOW

The government needs to urgently take action on the SABL land grab and increase scrutiny of the logging industry. This was one of the messages from the international community during a review of human rights in PNG by the United Nations in Geneva on Friday.

Countries from Central and South America, Asia and Europe all spoke of the need for the PNG government to do more to protect the rights of customary landowners.

Civil society reviews PNG UPR outcomes

On 07 May, 2016 By ACTNOW

Photo: Ronny Hansen, Rainforest Foundation Norway

A group of civil society organisations, including ACT NOW!, Global Witness and Rainforest Foundation Norway, held a panel discussion inside the Palace of Nations in Geneva on Friday to review the outcomes from Papua New Guinea’s Universal Periodic Review.

PNG human rights record to be reviewed by United Nations

On 06 May, 2016 By ACTNOW

Source: United Nations

Papua New Guinea’s human rights record will be examined by the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the second time on Friday, 6 May 2016 in a meeting that will be webcast live.

Government to endorse unlawful SABL land grab

On 04 Apr, 2016 By ACTNOW

The government is to ignore the SABL Commission of Inquiry and endorse the SABL land grab by converting the unlawful leases into registered land and issuing new leases to the logging companies.

PNG Forest Minister urged to allow audit

On 10 Mar, 2016 By ACTNOW

Source: Radio NZ

The Papua New Guinea Forest Minister has been urged by a transparency and environmental NGO to allow an audit of financial reporting by the logging industry.

Despite a new report by the Oakland Institute tracking massive tax evasion by foreign companies involved in PNG forestry, the minister Douglas Torumiesa has defended the loggers.

Mr Tomuriesa attacked the report's findings as being inaccurate because the companies do pay log export taxes.

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