ACTION
ALERT
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PAPUA
NEW GUINEA RAINFOREST CAMPAIGN NEWS
Rimbunan
Hijau Timber Violations, Landowners Want Shutdown
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Forest
Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises
http://forests.org/
11/19/96
OVERVIEW
& SOURCE by EE
Rimbunan
Hijau's huge Wawoi Guavi timber concession in the Western
Province
(at 474,078 hectares, one of the largest industrial
rainforest
logging projects in the world) is once again in the news.
Landowners
in Block 3 (260,000 hectares) of the project have tried for
two
years to have the logging operation suspended based upon
environmental
and contractual concerns. The PNG
Forest Authority has
acknowledged
that RH is in violation of their timber permit; and as
such
should be issued a show cause letter, demanding compliance or
being
shut down. However, the PNG government
publicly states that it
will
not enforce its own timber laws because of fear that a shutdown
would
harm the economy.
Malaysian
company Rimbunan Hijau is being given free reign to plunder
PNG's
rainforests without concern for laws or landowner rights. The
bulldozing
of ancestral land, damaged rivers, and failure to provide
infrastructural
development found in Wawoi Guavi is indicative of the
present
state of the rainforest logging business in PNG, and much of
the
world. PNG, as one of four remaining
tropical forest
wildernesses,
is being liquidated as numerous forests have been
before. This despite a major local movement for
small scale,
ecoforestry
timber development. Please take the
time to read the
attached
newspaper article on the matter, and to write letters of
support
for Wawoi Guavi's peoples and forests.
Following is a small
sample
letter which should be expanded upon:
Dear
Sir:
The
timber company Rimbunan Hijau is running roughshod over PNG law in
the
Wawoi Guavi area of Western Province.
Wawoi Guavi landowners want
their
timber project to be issued a show cause order which could
result
in project suspension. I am writing to
request that Rimbunan
Hijau
be ordered to comply or else be shut down.
Western Province's
forests
are huge and have tremendous potential for bring development
to the
local people. Yet, reports of
bulldozing of ancestral land,
damaged
rivers, and failure to provide infrastructural development
remain
the norm. The PNG government and
Malaysian multi-nationals
should
not be sanctioning the clearing of PNG's rainforests for a once
off
timber boom to be followed by environmental and social
degradation. Please insure that Rimbunan Hijau is made to
follow PNG
timber
and environmental laws, that the landowners wishes are
respected,
and that small scale, sustainable operations be given
preference
to once over multi-nationally owned timber harvest. There
exist
numerous small scale alternative eco-forestry projects in PNG
which
would have minor ecological impact while providing for
significantly
more economic returns. These should be
supported.
Sincerely,
ADDRESSES
Prime
Minister Sir Julius Chan
Office
of the Prime Minister
PO Box
6055
Boroko,
NCD
Papua
New Guinea
Fax: 675 327 6696
The
Times of Papua New Guinea
Attn: Letters to the Editor
PO Box
1982
Boroko,
NCD
Papua
New Guinea
Fax: 675 325 4433 and 675 325 2579
Post
Courier
Attn: Letters to the Editor
PO Box
85
Port
Moresby, NCD
Papua
New Guinea
Fax: 675 321 2721
Mr.
Roger Hau'ofa
NBC
Radio
PO Box
1359
Boroko,
NCD
Papua
New Guinea
Fax: 675 321 3747
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RELAYED
TEXT STARTS HERE:
Headline: "Enough violations to permit a show
cause letter to
Rimbunan
Hijau"
Source: _The Independent_
Date: 11/8/96
Author: Harlyne Joku
Page: 7
BLOCK
landowners of Malaysian logging company Rimbunan Hijau's (RH)
largest
and most lucrative Timber Rights Permit (TRP) area, Wawoi
Guavi
in the Western province are still waiting for a response from
the PNG
National Forest Service on their requests for a show cause
notice
from RH, the developer.
They
carried a brief written by former director of the PNG National
Forest
Authority, Jean Kekedo which indicated there were enough
violations
to permit conditions for the insurance of a show cause
letter
to Rimbunan Hijau. Ms Kekedo commented
in a brief of May 16,
1995 to
the then acting Forest Minister Titus Philemon;
"There
are enough violations to permit for hte insurance of a show
cause
letter. I have asked for a show cause
letter to be drafted for
my
signature. But was advised that if I
take the show cause option, I
will
end up having to suspend the project.
The country cannot afford
suspending
projects during this difficult financial situation the PNG
government
faces. We still have to find a
compromise," Ms Kekedo
said.
The
landowner representatives of Kasuwa Development Co, John Donage
(Vice
Chairman) and Arty Waena (Secretary) to _The Independent_ in an
exclusive
interview last Thursday that Rimbuan Hijau's operations into
almost
20 kilometres of Block Three has caused a lot of destruction.
Ancestral
land has been bulldozed and the river water had turned
dirty. Mr Donage and Mr Waena said the villagers of
Kasigi, Musula,
Haivara,
Pariame, Diwame, Kuneai and Kapolasi were affected. These
villages
according to the two men are quite isolated, some 50
kilometres
away from Rimbunan Hijau's base at Kamusie situated at
Block
One of the TRP. There is no such thing
as a store which people
can buy
food from, no clinics, schools or aidposts nearby according to
the
landowners. The two said gardening and
fishing in the river are
their
only means of livelihood but this is now threatened by the
recent
logging activities. They fear that food
will soon be scarce.
The
total Wawoi Guavi Area covers 474,078 hectares and is largely
between
the Wawoi and Guavi rivers of the Western province.
The
timber area is identified by three separate blocks where Block 3
is the
largest of the 260,000 hectares. As
early as 1982 Timber
Permit
No-1-2 was issued to Wawoi Guavi Timbers Pty Ltd. Late in
1992,
Timber Permit No 1-7 was issued as a Consolidated Timber Permit
to
cover all three blocks.
Mr
Donage and Mr Waena travelled to Port Moresby to follow up their
people's
concerns which have been raised since 1994.
Apart from the
environmental
concerns, the landowners of Block 3 the, were unhappy
with
the permit holder not delivering infrastructural requirements and
other
permit obligations. So they called for
the suspension of the
operation.
The
following infrastructure is required to be established within the
first
stages of logging, a church, community hall, aidpost,
classrooms,
teachers houses, accomodation for aid post personnel and
the
improvement and upgrading including the basketball court. Most of
this
have been met by RH, but based at Kamusie which as mentioned
earlier
over 50 kilometres away from block three.
A fisheries project
and a
crocodile farm project is to be established for the people and
Rimbunan
Hijau is expected to submit plans on forest management,
agriculture
development and transport system.
According
to Ms Kekedo's brief, in January 1995, foresters from the
Southern
regional office were sent to the area to investigate and upon
return
confirm the landowners concerns. Block
3 landowners then
stopped
all operation in block 3 and demanded that PNGFA to send a
Show
Cause letter to the permit holder with the view to cancelling the
timber
permit.
However,
the landowers of the other Blocks, One and Two instead
preferred
a review of the project.
Two
meetings followed with representatives of Wawoi Guavi Block 3,
provincial
governments and Bromley and Menton.
Landowners were
advised
to sort out whether they preferred a review or a show cause.
The
landowner representatives agreed to return home and consult with
the
three blocks and then report back on Monday March 13, 1995. The
landowners
of block 3 preferred a show cause notice, while block 1 and
2
preferred a review, however the National Forest Authority officials
said it
will not deal with the matter until the landowners have
reached
an agreement among themselves. Block 4
landowners however,
wanted
their area developed.
Mr
Donage and Mr Waena travelled to Port Moresby to pursue their
concerns. They approached the National Forest
Authority reception to
make an
appointment on October 24 with General Manage Kanawi Pouoru.
They
went on Friday only to be told to return on Monday, then,
Tuesday,
then Wednesday. On Thursday out of
frustration, they decided
to air
their concerns through this newspaper.
They
said their trip to Port Moresby was funded by other concerned
landowners
from Wawoi Guavi. They said five of
them had made the
trip,
however, after having their appointments deferred, the other
three
returned back to their home because they could not bear to live
in Port
Moresby another day because food and accomodation had become
so
expensive.
###RELAYED
TEXT ENDS###
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