PNG PM Minister must ensure justice for SABL landowners By Online Editor 1:48 pm GMT+12, 24/09/2013, Papua New Guinea pina.fj/index.php?p=pacnews&m=read&o=6194253685240ef541b13de94bda7e The Papua New Guinea Prime Minister must ensure justice for the thousands of landowners defrauded in the Special Agricultural Business Leases (SABLs) land grab by immediately cancelling the leases and stopping any further logging. This is the call being made by ACT NOW! and the Bismarck Ramu Group. “The Prime Minister has tabled the SABL Commission of Inquiry report in Parliament. He has told the Nation 38 out of 42 leases were fraudulently obtained. The leases were used to con the landowners and foreign companies have chopped down their forests and stolen the profits”, says Rosa Koian Campaign Manager with BRG. “But there has been no action taken to cancel the leases or stop the logging. This means we are allowing the fraud to continue and denying any justice for thousands of landowners. “The Prime Minister likes to claim his government is tough on corruption and will not tolerate fraud”, says Effrey Dademo, Program Manager for ACT NOW! “Yet we are still waiting to hear these leases, which the Prime Minister himself has denounced as fraudulent and a con, have been cancelled and the logging stopped”. In total, more than 5 million hectares of land have been swallowed up by foreign companies in SABL leases. The leases give the companies 99 year rights to occupy and use the land. SOURCE: ACT NOW/PACNEWS
Posted on: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 07:10:44 +0000