By SIMON ERORO
TWO Malaysian citizens were arrested on Thursday last week in West New Britain Province in what Police confirmed was related to illegal logging.
This comes after on-going investigations into the rampant illegal logging activities in the province exposed by Sunday Bulletin newspaper recently.
Police who were flown into the province to deal with these matters confirmed more arrests will be made soon and everyone including both citizens and foreigners collaborating in this business will all be dealt with.
The Governor for West New Britain Francis Maneke in an exclusive interview with this newspaper said the company in the center of the issue identified by the National Court Orders as Milton Limited must face the full blunt of the law.
Mr Maneke said his province is currently the biggest in logging activities and responsible State agencies like the Forestry, Environment and Conservation and Lands Departments must carry out their work not only diligently but must put the interest of the country first.
The police operation on the ground comes after landowners from the Lukubrook Land Group Incorporated (ILG) in the province came out publically calling for investigations into illegal logging by foreign companies on their land.
Chairman of a Landowner Company Matawat Plantation PNG (Ltd) Vitalis Lokoya also called on the Minister for Conservation Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) Wera Mori to set up investigations into his department as to how the department is issuing Environment Permits to purported foreign logging companies that do not have any agreements with landowners.
“I am making the same call to the Minister for Forestry and the Minister Police to investigate their officers on the ground in the province who seem to be running around with illegal loggers and suppressing and intimidating landowners’ rights in protecting their resources,” Mr Lokoya said.
Mr Lokoya confirmed sending a letter to the CEPA Managing Director, a copy obtained by this newspaper dated 29th July, 2020, requesting for Environment Permits issued to any other companies other than the their preferred company (named) to be cancelled forthwith.
He said the Matawat land Portion 2769C, 2770C and 2771C which they (landowners) gave their consent to another company following all processes under the Customary Land Act, the Department of Lands issued a 99 year Land Lease Title.
“This is the company that we landowners signed all necessary agreements with since 2015. We do not know these companies that have been awarded permits by CEPA and Forestry to come and operate on our land,” the chairman said.
The Sunday Bulletin newspaper uncovered that the land commonly known as Matawat Land, registered as Portion 2771C under the name Matawat Plantation (PNG) Limited pursuant to Section 340 of the Land Registration Act, 1981 and title issued on the 10th of November, 2016.
Matawat Plantation is owned by Lukubrook Incorporated Land Group (Reg ILG No: 130) of Hark Village, Talasea, which was incorporated on 1st of January, 2014. Included in Portion 2771C is a piece of land commonly known as Sakoron land comprised of 12,998 hectares.
On the 17th of March, 2017, the land was sub-leased to Ever Green Limited for 99 years and a sub – lease title issued by the department of lands to the company.
Documents obtained by this newspaper from the Department of Lands and Physical Planning, Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) heavily implicates the Department Conservation Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) and the PNG Forestry Authority (PNGFA).
While, there is a National Court Order in favour of Matawat Plantation (PNG) Limited and Ever Green Limited as First and Second Plaintiffs, confirming there was encroachment by Milton Limited (Defendants) and ordered the company to stop operating and exporting of logs, they have deliberately ignored the court orders.
Milton Ltd continued operations ignoring two court orders, first a District Court order and a National Court following that.
A valuation report dated 9th of September, 2020 also obtained confirms the company has illegally encroached into 43.35 hectares of Matawat land and with the illegal logging operations continuing despite the orders issued against them by the courts.
The PNG Forest Authority (PNGFA) officers traveled to the province to justify their innocence by not complying with these orders served on them and maintained that there was no encroachment.
The Sunday Bulletin has confirmed with Lands Department there was encroachment done and that, Forestry officers failed to engage a Lands officer either in the province or taken one from Port Moresby to confirm the boundaries now subject to court orders.
The investigations by Sunday Bulletin concluded that the legitimate company and holder of the sub –lease title from the Lands Department and a COC from DAL was never granted the Environment Permit.
It is alleged that the officers from both CEPA and PNGFA collaborated on the issuance of Environment Permit and FCA to illegal companies now questioned by the landowners.
Meanwhile, police officers enforcing the court orders confirmed every attempts will be made to stop the logging vessel loading outside Buluma Log Pond in WNBP where logs from the illegal harvest is suspected loaded for export.
It is very sad to see that PNGians ourselves are allowing entry of illegal loggers, facilitate the operation of illegal logging, provide security for illegal loggers and their equipment and ensure timber is exported illegally out of the country by all means.
If our policemen, CEPA officials, PNG Forest Authority and Forestry Department and other relevant government agency officials speak the same language and by all means work together in unity to fight against illegal logging in PNG, trust me there will be zero illegal logging in PNG.
The opposite is true when police, CEPA, PNGFA, Forest Department and other government agency officials resort to bribery, fraud and corruption. Genuine landowners will still fight a loosing battle and PNG will continue to loose our forest and timbers to illegal loggers, period!
Mipla yet tok na ol kam, na mipla yet tok orait na salim bush na diwai blong mipla. The illegal loggers will not come if all government agencies work together to strictly enforce laws against illegal logging. Otherwise, the illegal loggers will continue to come and destroy our forest and steal our logs and timbers. Em long wanem mipla yet tok na ol kam. Olsem ol Kerowagi Police save tok yah, “YU TOK NA MI KAM”.