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NGO: PNG Forest Authority should Focus on irradicating illegal logging rather than trying to silence its critics

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Campaign Manager for Act Now Eddie Tanago is now more then ever, adamant to hold the PNG Forest Authority accountable for Papua New Guineans who have lost their land rights due to logging.

These were the sentiments he shared after the Waigani Committal Court struck out his Cyber Crime Charge.

A criminal charge of Identity Theft against Tanago was struck out by Magistrate Mr. Paul Puri Nii, as there were insufficient evidence to proceed to the National Court.

A prominent civil society advocate, Tanago was arrested and charged by police in December 2024 following a complaint made by the Managing Director of the PNG Forest Authority.

This was after ACT NOW had hosted a public seminar highlighting the abuse of Forest Clearing Authorities by foreign-owned logging companies who use the licences as a cover for large-scale illegal logging.

The charge against Tanago alleged that he had committed identity theft by reposting on social media an advertisement for an FM100 talk-back show where the Managing Director was due to appear and which included his photograph.

Eddie Tanago says he is delighted that the court has dismissed the charge against him and thanked his family and all those who have supported his fight for justice.

Tanago says that he was always convinced that justice would be done and that the charge against him would be dismissed.

He has also expressed his gratitude to his lawyer, Carlos Tsora from Posman Kua Asi Lawyers.

Tanago says that the criminal charge against him has only reinforced his determination to speak out against corruption, widespread illegal logging and the abuse of FCA licences.

He also says the criminal charge against him was a further example of the growing use of SLAPP lawsuits in PNG.

SLAPP lawsuits, or Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation, are a misuse of the legal system by people in positions of power who want to silence their critics through intimidation and unwarranted but costly legal proceedings.

While common in some overseas countries, SLAPPS have until recently been rare in PNG.

In 2024, ACT NOW was the victim of two civil SLAPP lawsuits brought by Malaysian logging companies trying to prevent circulation of reports about their logging activities. Neither of those lawsuits was successful.

Tanago says the dismissal of the case against him is another win for freedom of speech and democracy in Papua New Guinea.

Tanago is urging the PNGFA to take effective action to prevent illegal logging under FCA licences rather than trying to intimidate and silence public debate on a national issue of critical importance.

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Government Allowing Landowner Abuse to Flourish

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It’s the same story shared by many landowners where logging activities are rampant. Landowners claiming to be spectators in their own land while their forest is being stripped off tropical logs in the name of development.

The major setback for most of these landowners is that Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) is nonexistence.

It was shared during a public seminar that not all landowners give their Free Prior and Informed Consent to companies but are shocked later on when logging trucks entre their village.

Most times, attempts to stop the company from cutting down logs are met with police resistance.

Sam Vegogo from Wanigela in Oro Province says his community was devasted to learn a foreign logging company has been given permission to log their forests without informing his people or obtaining their consent.

“The people of Collingwood Bay have been fighting against illegal logging for decades. But despite numerous court victories we see the PNG Forest Authority continually siding with Asian companies to try and steal our forests.”

David Mitchel from Eco-Custodian Advocates in Alotau, Milne Bay Province shared similar views and questioned why government agencies responsible for monitoring and compliance and are not diligently doing their jobs.

Eddie Tanago from Act Now! echoed concerns adding that monitoring and compliance by government authorities does not end after the license has been issued. It continues all through the project’s life.

Act Now! who hosted the seminar to demand a stop for Forest Clearing Authorities (FCA) licenses are calling out all these agencies to take action. Among the demands are;

· The National Forest Board to impose a moratorium on new FCA licenses until a full government inquiry has been conducted and any recommendations have been implemented
· The government to suspend all log exports from FCA’s areas until an independent, transparent and public inquiry into the legality of all existing FAC’s
· The Fraud Squad, UNODC and Interpol to identify what criminal laws may have been broken in the submission and approval of fraudulent FCA’s applications and the removal of timber without the consent of forest owners
· Commercial Banks to identify any customers linked to FCA logging operations and ensure full compliance with all AML regulations and bank ESR policies.

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PNG Logging Volumes Fail to Meet Reduction Targets

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Export Logging failing targets

Papua New Guinea (PNG) continues export logging at an unsustainable rate, falling short of the government’s reduction targets, according to ACT NOW!, a community advocacy group. The group’s analysis of official data reveals that the PNG Forest Authority has not been able to maintain export volumes within the limits set by the government.

Prime Minister James Marape has consistently spoken of his government’s goal to eliminate all round log exports by 2025. Instead, Marape has urged the forest industry to shift their focus to downstream processing and value addition. This change is projected to increase employment, generate more export revenues, and help PNG uphold its international commitments to reduce deforestation and preserve forests.

The Medium Term Development Plan IV (MTDP IV), released in May, backs the government’s policy by setting annual log export limitations. Starting from 1,695,000 cubic metres in 2024, these limits are slated to decrease each year to a maximum of 200,000 cubic metres by 2027.

ACT NOW!’s analysis of official log export data, however, suggests that the PNG Forest Authority is not meeting these targets.

“Over 1.1 million cubic metres of logs were exported in the first half of 2023 alone,” says Eddie Tanago, ACT NOW!’s Campaign Manager. “This volume is equivalent to 66% of the maximum limit set for the entire year.”

Unless immediate action is taken to decrease log export volumes, ACT NOW! predicts that the government’s limit will be exceeded by more than 500,000 cubic metres by the end of 2023.

ACT NOW! additionally reports that one-third of log exports originate from logging projects authorised under a Forest Clearance Authority (FCA), despite a moratorium on new FCA projects implemented by the National Forest Board in December last year.

FCAs are intended to permit the clearance of small, discrete forest areas for agricultural planting or other land use changes under the Forest Act. ACT NOW! alleges, however, that FCAs are being misused to enable the exportation of large volumes of logs from areas not designated for agriculture over extended periods.

In a recent report on the Wammy Rural Development Project, ACT NOW! highlighted an instance of continuous logging under an FCA for eight years with no evidence of promised agricultural planting.

The advocacy group insists that the immediate cessation of log exports from fraudulent FCA projects could significantly help reduce export volume to within government limits.

“The PNGFA should immediately suspend all logging and log exports from FCA areas,” Tanago advises. “A public review should then be conducted to determine the legitimacy of these projects.”

Such efforts, ACT NOW! believes, will not only address the issue of widespread illegal logging but also help bring down the volume of log exports to within government targets.

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DDA WATCH Website Lures Keen Interest from the Public

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ACTNOW! an advocacy group in Papua New Guinea has recently launched a website called the “DDA Watch”.

The website is designed to be an information hub for district developments in Papua New Guinea, targeting to promote transparency with the use of the District Services Improvement Program funds.

The website has gained massive interest from diplomatic missions, other non-governmental organizations and the general public who are concerned about developments in their districts.

The launch itself saw attendants from the PNG Anti-Corruption Movement for Change, Catholic Professionals, Independent Commission Against Corruption, US Aid, ABC’s Media Development Initiative and the Media Council of Papua New Guinea.

They all shared similar views that such a website is timely as the Government increases DSIP funding from K10 million to K20million per year.

Other supporters sent messages via the DDA website itself seeking to find out more and how they can contribute in supplying information about developments in their respective Districts.

ACTNOW Campaign Manager Eddie Tanago stressed the importance of social auditing by the public as a crucial component of the website.

The DDA watch website has a landing page for each of the 94 District Development Authorities in the country and allows the public to upload pictures of DSIP funded projects in the district as well as comment on whether there is development in their districts or not.

District Development Authorities are encouraged to utilize the website in sharing their 5-year district development plans and other necessary auditing reports so that their people are aware of how the DSIP funds are being spent.

The public can also rank their DDA based on key documents such as the 5 year development plans, annual budgets, acquittal reports, Inspection reports and audit reports.

The website can be reached through www.ddawatch.org

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