Source: Post Courier

Tue March 6, 2012

Have police gone against a direct order not to be deployed at logging camps?

It seems the picturesque Jacquinot Bay in the West Pomio area of East New Britain Province has not seen the last of them yet.

Information received from prominent local landowner Paul Pavol yesterday was that up to four policemen are back at the logging camp at Drina.

Pavol, speaking by phone from Pomio yesterday claimed that the policemen have picked up people from Mauna and Drina for questioning over their eco-forestry operations.

They said the policemen are questioning the locals on the role of NGO Forcert in the area. Forcert have been actively involved in the area setting up of successful eco-projects with the European Union (EU) and IERAP since 1996.

The policemen are summoning people and allegedly intimidating them over their involvement in the setting up of roadblocks to block the operation. This is direct abuse of power, especially when the Police Commissioner Tom Kulunga issued a nationwide withdrawal of police personnel at logging sites on December 6, last year.

He stated this directive had to be taken out due to continuous allegations of abuse of powers leveled against police in logging camps around the country. He further stated that any future deployment will now be strictly sanctioned by the police hierarchy in strict compliance with the Constabulary’s Standard Operational Procedures (SOP).

It is however not known whether his operation is sanctioned.

Villagers have been setting up roadblocks on the access roads through their own land, where the timber needs to pass through to the log pond at Drina Village.

Key clan members are also allegedly being threatened to sign agreements to allow for the operation. Village people from Bairaman have also expressed their concern or fear.

In early October last year, it was alleged that a team of policemen were brought into the area by the logging company to curb lawlessness, but were then allegedly attacking unarmed villagers who had set up roadblocks in protest of the government sanctioned logging operation set up at Drina.

This heightened with the arrival of Greenpeace ship MV Esperanza with journalists that took the issue to the international audience.

The area in question is still under investigation by the governments Commission of Inquiry team into the alleged acquiring of the Special Agriculture Business Lease from the Ralopal to Pomata concession areas through illegal means.