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PAPUA NEW GUINEA RAINFOREST CAMPAIGN NEWS

Prime Minister Chan's Visit to Malaysia Condemned

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

5/5/96

OVERVIEW & SOURCE by EE

A leading PNG rainforest activist has joined the chorus of dismay

over Prime Minister Chan's forest policy; and recent Malaysian

junket, reportedly courtesy of Malaysian timber giant Rimbunan

Hijau. Once again the claim is made that current forest policy

sells off forest resources with little in return. This item was

posted in econet's reg.newguinea conference, and was originally an

article in the University of PNG Uni Tavur newspaper.

g.b.

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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

/* Written 8:01 AM May 3, 1996 by drobie@pactok.peg.apc.org in

igc:reg.newguinea */

/* ---------- "Chan's visit to Malaysia condemned" ---------- */

Title -- Chan's visit condemned

Author -- Lynna Miniru and Dick Sorariba

Origin -- SPCenCIID <journupng@pactok.peg.apc.org> April 26, 1996

Source -- Uni Tavur

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CHAN'S VISIT CONDEMNED: 'MALAYSIANS SEE PNG AS TIMBER YARD'

By LYNNA MINIRU and DICK SORARIBA

A leading environmental campaigner has condemned Prime Minister

Sir Julius Chan's recent visit to Malaysia, claiming he is

"selling out" Papua New Guinea to Malaysian investors.

"Malaysians regard PNG as a timber yard where they can get cheap

timber, make a quick profit and walk out, they don't care about

the people," said Mary Toliman, coordinator of the Melanesian

Environment Foundation.

Stressing that her view was personal as MEF had not adopted a

stand over the Malaysian visit when Sir Julius was feted by giant

Malaysian logger Rimbunan Hijau, she was critical of the "look

north" policy.

"The Prime Minister is selling our country to the Malaysians," she

said, adding that the visit served to accelerate the selling

process. She claimed the practices of some Malaysian companies

inflicted "social injustice" on Papua New Guineans.

Ms Toliman contrasted Malaysian investment "aid" with traditional

Australian "boomerang aid", saying this needed to be looked at

critically. "What is money if people don't get the social

services they deserve?"

MEF was founded in 1986 by the Melanesian Council of Churches to

address environmental issues affecting the country.

Ms Toliman said MEF found it challenging to translate

environmental issues so that they could be easily understood by

Papua New Guineans.

Logging was one of the most difficult issues.

"One way to keep the people aware of what is happening is to go to

them and talk about the long and short term effects of logging,"

she said.

Since 1993 several forest ministers had wanted power for

themselves and not in the landowner interests.

Mining also needed to be carefully watched. MEF was working

closely with landowners in Porgera, Fly River, Lihir and Lake

Kutubu.

"The mining industry is not correctly monitored. They are not

building tailings dams, as required in other countries, and they

dump the toxic waste into the river system."

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