Why Somare became an O'Neill Groupie

[Tree]

Best explanation as to why Somare went from calls to jailing O'Neill one day to comrade coalition the next yet.

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PNG's forest sell-off revealed

By Online Editor
10:03 am GMT+12, 30/07/2012, Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea's former Somare government introduced a controversial concession that allegedly accelerated deforestation of its tropical forests and gave away a potential $US23 billion in carbon-trading rights to foreign interests, according to a Greenpeace report.

The political time-bomb that awaits PNG's new government, in a report by Greenpeace Australia Pacific released today, gives details of how a new type of concession introduced by the Somare government in 2003 called Special Agricultural and Business Leases has hastened the deforestation of the country.

Immediately after he ousted predecessor Sir Michael Somare from the prime ministership last August, the present caretaker prime minister, Peter O'Neill, initiated a commission of inquiry into controversial forestry concessions granted over the previous decade when Sir Michael held power.

The commission's report was completed in May, just before recent elections, and will be tabled in the new parliament. It is believed to include damning criticisms of the granting of a new form of lease for more than 5 million hectares of forest owned by locals under traditional title.

With results of the recent election expected this week, O'Neill is almost certain to lead the new government, but with Sir Michael and his party members as part of the governing coalition.

The Greenpeace report says that since 2003, 72 “special” leases have been granted, in many cases to Malaysian and other foreign logging companies in alliance with dummy landowner companies or co-operatives. PNG log exports grew almost 20 per cent in 2011 due almost entirely to logging within these special leases, Greenpeace said in the report, titled Up for Grabs.

The conversion to palm oil plantation of the cleared land is increasing the felling rate. In many cases, loggers pay for forestry and other officials to carry out compliance inspections. “'In one case, they even paid police to intimidate and brutalise landowner opposition to their land being stolen,”' Greenpeace said.

The group has obtained expert analysis saying that the forests covered by the leases contain about 12 per cent of the nearly 7 billion tonnes of above-ground carbon stored in Papua New Guinea's forests.

As well as selling off forests and land for little return to government revenue or local landowner income, the Somare government gave away the potentially more lucrative sale of 630 million tonnes of carbon rights, worth up to $US23 billion.

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Let's get something straight here, Somare didn't 'give away' anything!

[admin]

This is terrible. Much of the Indonesian and Malaysian logger and palm-oil companies are mafia type organizations that "cozy up" to the powers that be and then they raze their countries natural resources to the ground (often by burning, remember those Indonesian fires?) and when that's done (like in much of these countries), they start all-over at a soft target like PNG or Africa.

[Palm]

And Namah did same in Green River:
"TREVOR FREESTONE

LOGGING IN THE VANIMO GREEN RIVER region of the West Sepik province in Papua New Guinea has shown a complete disregard for the rights or welfare of the villagers.

In 1990 logging rights were sold to a Malaysian logging company for an unknown sum. The extraction was supervised by the Forest Authority under the direction of then forestry minister, now deputy prime minister, Belden Namah.

It has been demonstrated that 70% of this logging was illegal. It is claimed that only 15% of timber cut down actually makes its way to Vanimo, most being used to fill in swamps and build bridges.

The local people have stated that, even though they were uneducated and unable to read or write Pidgin, they were forced to sign legal documents in English which they had no idea meant that they were signing away their rights to their timber.

They were employed on very low wages to help log timber in their traditionally owned forests. Once their timber had been harvested they were sacked.

The people were encouraged to buy their food and other supplies from the company’s supermarket in Vanimo, where exorbitant prices were charged.

They needed to buy these supplies because the logging operation had destroyed their traditional sources of food within the rainforest.

In spite of the Forest Authority claiming that logging companies offer training and safety equipment for chainsaw operators, evidence clearly shows this is untrue. One can see video evidence of villagers working as chainsaw operators with no safety equipment. Not even boots.

The claim that they have been trained in the correct method of felling timber is also incorrect. Anyone who knows how to fell a large tree would be horrified watching them.

The pristine rainforest has not only been destroyed; the rivers and creeks have been so polluted that the local villagers put their lives at risk whenever they wash or drink the water.

Diarrhoea and cholera are now common illnesses. Video evidence shows machinery being washed and the runoff going into the river system. Lack of toilet facilities also means that waste finds its way into creeks and rivers.

Now that the forest has been destroyed, plans are underway to create oil palm plantations – an economic activity of dubious benefit to the local people.

The villagers have stated they are now far worse off than they have ever been and no longer have their beautiful rainforest to supply them with sago and other foods.

I know hindsight is useless but it is sad to know that if the rainforest had been left alone the villagers could in today’s world receive millions of dollars under various carbon trading schemes."
http://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/20...andal.html

[ArtM72]

Another trajedy is that palm oil's market explosion is due to it being sold as a "renewable biofuel" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Studies done for the EU show when the impact of deforestation is considered palm oil is about as bad as tar sands in that regard.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/da...l-palm-oil

Little does as well in limiting greenhouse gas emissions as the efficient use of natural gas when reliable energy is required. It makes no sense anymore for PNG to deforest in order to supply energy to the world.

[Palm]

C'mon Art. Take it easy on Palm Oil. My ancestors worked hard to establish that industry. Recently I applied for permission to change the meaning of Palm Oil to be any liquids that come out of IOC wells. The stuff you are referring to will be changed to "Somare/Namah Greased Palm Oil" to give it the reputation it deserves.

[ArtM72]

I stand humbled in the face of your revelation and wisdom. I'd go prostrate, but without my little pill today "going" and "prostrate" are two words that just don't seem to fit together.