SABLs, resource madness and land criminality in Papua New Guinea

By PAUL BARKER l FACEBOOK.

We all know, as from the findings of the SABL (Special Agriculture and Business Leases) inquiry, that the land (some 5.3 million hectares of customary land) was leased illegally, without free, prior informed consent of the owners.

We realize that the Government has made a commitment of returning it to the landowners (legally it belongs to them anyway), but there's another angle also to consider.

This action, or attempt to disenfranchise the landowners and steal their logs in many cases, was knowingly perpetrated across the country in a short period of time by a band of people.

This entailed officials working with a few landowners, sometime from elsewhere and purporting to be landowners from that land, together with a group of foreigners, who sometimes had the privilege of travelling back and forth from Malaysia in considerable executive comfort, we're led to understand.

If one robs a bank, or burgles a house and are caught there's inevitably a long spell in Bomana, Baisu or such facilities.

So, what about these land grabbers, is anyone (i.e the police) progressing to put them behind bars?

It's not exactly a secret who they all were.

Tropical Rainforests in PNG are owned by customariy landowners. Image: Neomi Necolina Nikints Mhan