Attacks by PNG not caused by forest industry

PETALING JAYA: The attacks against the Chi­nese in Papua New Guinea are due to an influx of illegal workers from China and not caused by the forest industry, say industry officials.

PNG Forest Industries Association executive officer Bob Tate said news reports alleging that the forest industry had promoted social disturbance was wrong, and risked inflaming a dangerous situation.

Reports that problems in the forest industry, where the biggest operators were Malay­sian-owned, had promoted social disturbance in the past were irresponsible and risked further inflaming a dangerous situation.

For a start, there has not been any significant social disturbance from the forest industry in PNG, except foreign or foreign-finance environmental NGOs who are opposed to commercial forestry, he said in a statement.

Tate accused Greenpeace of leading an organised campaign to stop commercial forestry, calling the campaign unethical and opportunistic.

It risks fanning anti-Chinese sentiment, both in Europe as well as PNG, he said, citing a 2005 report titled Partners in Crime: The UK Timber Trade, Chinese Sweatshops and Malaysian Robber Barons in Papua New Guineas rainforests.

As well as branding the Malaysian-owned forest businesses in PNG as Robber Barons, it also persistently referred to them as Malaysian-Chinese, he said.

Tate said foreign investment from Malaysian companies was very important to the PNG economy, and that Greenpeace had no regard for the loss of income and jobs if commercial forestry in PNG was stopped.

Timber operator Rimbunan Hijau (PNG) Group, which hires more than 5,000 people, said it was a responsible company that was committed to improving livelihood in PNG. The company, a subsidiary of Rimbunan Hijau in Sarawak, said it had invested heavily in PNG by building schools, healthcare facilities, bridges and roads.

Rimbunan Hijau was the first company in PNG to introduce a management system that verifies the legality of timber harvesting. We have worked closely with the International Timber Organisation and auditing company SGS to implement this system and other businesses are following suit, said its managing director James Lau.

He said the companys operations were audited and that it operates within the letter of the law, complying with national labour laws, human rights, and the customs and traditions of indigenous peoples.

Look on the internet or ask anyone who lived where RH operates.

RH cheats the landowners by poor road construction.

They cheat on how much tax they should pay the png government and they cheat on the landowner royalties.

Once they give us what little money they do then they set up a local store so they can take all the money back into their hands again.

They have literally logged and destroyed forests that could have generated income thru small scale village logging for generations.

They are one of the worst of the invading devils.

Last I heard, more than 10% of the workers in logging camps were foreigners. Taking lots of low paid jobs at the expense of Papua New Guineans. Pathetic!