over logging

Papua New Guinea

Concern raised over logging

A PROMINENT Papua New Guinea environmentalist says several European countries are becoming increasingly con cerned at destructive logging practices in PNG, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

The director of the Pacific Heritage Foundation, Max Henderson, was speaking on his return to Port Moresby from visits to Britain, German and Holland to seek support for so called community-based and ecologically-sustainable forestry operations. Henderson said that according to government figures, PNG received some US$500 million from log exports last year. However, had landowners opted for eco-based forestry operations with down-stream processing of logs into saw timber, the return to PNG would have been US$3.5 billion and the forests would be preserved for future generations.

Amnesty urges human

rights investigation

THE human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has urged the Papua New Guinea government to initiate a thorough and impartial investigation into alleged human rights violations in Bougainville.

Amnesty has issued its second report in eight months alleging that both government security forces and the self-styled Bougainville Revolution Army have been committing the worst kinds of human rights abuses.

Women challenged to

take up leadership roles

PAPUA New Guinea women have been challenged to take up prominent leadership roles in the political area. The challenge has come from Prime Minister Paias Wingti in a speech to the closing session of the week-long National Women’s Convention in Port Moresby which was attended by more than 3000 women from PNG.