NGOs told not to halt project

Source: The National -Thursday 13th October, 2011 A LANDOWNER com­pany in Pomio has warned environmental campaign groups against resorting to violence in their attempt to halt an oil palm project that has majority support among landowners. The chairman of Memalo Holdings Ltd, John Parulria, also criticised NGO campaign groups for “smearing” the reputation of business firms and government agencies that were working together to bring deve­lopment in remote areas of the district. He was referring to allegations made by the PNG Eco-Forestry Forum of police brutality and harassment of landowners at the Memalo Integrated Development Project. The report prompted acting Police Commissioner Tom Kulunga to order an investigation. Parulria, whose company represented 121 clans, said that on Sept 30, two youths from Malai village in the West Pomio Mamusi LLG area assaulted an employee at the project operation site at Drina. Police were called in and from reports from the Pomio district admi­nistration, the two youths were arrested. And following a meeting with the company officials and the villagers, it was resolved that the youths pay for the damages they had caused. Parulria said the villagers also confirmed that there was no “harassment” as alleged in the NGO police report because the people themselves had requested for the police to go to the villages and carry out awareness programmes and also arrest leaders of a homebrew business. He alleged that chairman of Eco-Forestry, Ken Mondiai, had made the harassment claims to promote their own agenda and use all means possible to attack the oil palm project. Parulria urged all parties with a legitimate concern for the welfare and development of the villagers to come toget­her for talks. According to him, the NGO campaigners had failed in their attempt to get an injunction to stop the project. This was because the project was legitimate. Parulria also accused the campaigners of attempting to derail the Commission of Inquiry into Special Agricultural Business Leases by spreading disinformation about the Pomio project. “Statements made by spokesmen of the NGOs, Paul Palosualrea, Jacob Samo and Greenpeace have claimed that the majority of landowners in the Pomio and Pomata area do not support the oil palm plantation being developed in our area. “These statements are completely false. These people have misrepresented the views of the majority of landowners in Pomio. “The project has the support of the majority of landowners. “This is evidenced by the fully accountable legal process that the four landowner companies went through to document widespread majority support for the project,” he said. Parulria said the campaign groups should be held accountable if they took or promote actions that would inflame tensions between landowners in PNG, and that they should welcome law enforcement officers attempting to keep the peace in remote areas. “We support the action taken by the police force to maintain peace in our local area.”