Bai Shan Lin mum on log ban

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56519246
Stabroek News

Monday, April 30th 2007

Forest company Bai Shan Lin says it is not prepared to make a statement at this time on being banned from exporting logs for failing to comply with its processing commitments. The company had in January announced its US$4.5 million investment plan for wood processing but the Ministry of Agriculture, which has responsibility for forestry, got tough on the company. Speaking on the company's behalf on Tuesday, Bai Shan Lin's Administrative Manager Karen Canterbury would not confirm whether or not the company would be making a statement in the near future. The Ministry of Agriculture two weeks ago in a press release said that the Chinese-owned company, registered in Guyana, "was prevented from exporting round logs," since it was a move contrary to earlier commitments given by the company to the government. The company had appealed to Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud to allow a grace period of 12 months during which the export of round logs would be allowed, but the Minister did not budge. Instead, he reminded the company of the commitment it had expressed to become engaged immediately in value-added activities and encouraged it to move in this direction. According to the Ministry, during the past six months, senior personnel of Bai Shan Lin held several discussions with government representatives including Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Minister Persaud, the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) and the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest). The government is expected to release its policy on log exports shortly and is currently looking at recommendations from a consultation on log exports. Back in January, the company said that it plans to invest US$100M over the next three years for value added processing as well as timber harvesting. It had expressed the hope of having an annual production capacity of between 300,000 and 500,000 cubic metres To date, more than US$10M worth of various kinds of logging equipment has been brought in from China and other countries. The company has already received a sum of US$5.1M to facilitate the project. It plans to establish two large-scale timber processing factories in Linden and Georgetown and has purchased a sawmill in Linden which was previously owned by Jaling Company and discussions have commenced with government officials about the expansion of the factory site. The company is 49 per cent owned by BUCC, a construction company of China which has businesses in various countries of the world. Funding for Bai Shan Lin comes directly from BUCC.

Govt will use Cessna abandoned in Mazaruni -Benn

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56519248
Stabroek News

By Nigel Williams

Monday, April 30th 2007

Government will confiscate and put into use the single-engine Cessna aircraft that was found abandoned at Kwapau airstrip, Middle Mazaruni back in March 2005, Transport Minister, Robeson Benn has said. But he gave no clear indication when and how this would be done. Stabroek News was told that the plane, which landed illegally in the country could be confiscated under the Customs Act. New legislation is to be tabled in Parliament soon which will allow the confiscation of assets of convicted drug dealers and money launderers. Local police seemed to have closed off their investigation even though the owner of the plane was identified as a Venezuelan little over a year ago. The man according to reports acknowledged that the plane was his, but he said that he did not know about its flight to Guyana. He however has not approached local authorities to date to repossess the plane. Stabroek News was told that Caracas has not made any fuss about the incident, only ascertaining the owner of the craft. According to reports it is hardly likely that authorities in the neighbouring country have made any move to investigate why the plane was flown to Guyana and abandoned. This case is one of a number where local police have failed to make an impact despite tangible leads such as the plane. What became of the crew of the plane is also a big mystery. At present the aircraft is under the control of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and is parked at the Army's hangar at Timehri. Asked about the aircraft on Friday a senior GDF officer told Stabroek News that it was not in use and the army would not use it until permission was given by the government. The officer said that the aircraft has not taken off since it was flown from the interior to Timehri in 2005. It is not clear whether the plane is currently in serviceable condition, since it has been parked for such a long time and from all indications no maintenance work is usually done on it. Benn was adamant that the plane with compartments to traffic drugs was here on that mission. Back in March 2005 police had stumbled on the Cessna 206 aircraft with duplicate registration said to be used in Venezuela. The Cessna with black and grey stripes with an emblem suspected to be that of Venezuela on its tail was first observed to be bearing the number YV0880P. However, closer observation saw that another number YV2657P had been effaced using masking tape. Police were following leads that the craft may have been registered in the US State of Florida. Police had issued a wanted bulletin for Gary Anthony Grandison, whose address was given as Lot 13, Guyhoc Gardens and 13, Prince William Street Plaisance, East Coast Demerara. The force had also been investigating the discovery of a parked and locked 4x4 Tacoma vehicle approximately two miles away at Itaballi Landing and whether there was a possible link between the two. Several persons including a city businessman, who it was said formerly owned the Tacoma vehicle, were held as investigations into the discovery of the aircraft and vehicle were pursued. Two men for whom wanted bulletins had been issued later turned themselves over to police but no charges were laid in connection with the plane. The white single engine aircraft has among its features a special drop door, as well as on-board fuel tanks to facilitate long-range flights, an indication that it may have been used in some illegal activity including the trafficking in narcotics or persons. Aviation sources had told this newspaper at the time of the discovery of the plane that all of its controls were in take off mode, suggesting that either the occupants were caught off guard and hurriedly abandoned it or someone might have troubled it before the police visited the scene. The source also indicated that the occupants could have also been testing it, when time caught up with them. Reports also were that the radio frequency on the aircraft showed that it was linked to Venezuela's Ciudad Bolivar Airport, but this according to authorities did not mean the abandoned craft was operating out of that airport. When the aircraft was flown to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri officials of the US Drug Enforcement Agency had visited it and made checks. Fuel slips were found in the craft, which bore dates in January 2005. Police had arrested several men including a city businessman in connection with a Toyota Tacoma, which police had found locked and seemingly abandoned at Itaballi, Mazaruni a short distance away from the Kwapau airstrip where the aircraft was discovered. Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Zulfikar Mohamed told Stabroek News on Friday that after the police and other authorities had determined that the aircraft was registered to Venezuela, contact was made with Caracas to find out who owned the plane. Mohamed said that the owner of the craft was later found and this along with other details was dispatched to Guyana in a letter written in Spanish. Mohamed said that the letter was translated and it was revealed that the owner said that he did not know of the flight to Guyana. Mohamed said that there was no flight plan indicating that the plane was bound for Guyana. He believes that it was operating from a small airstrip in Venezuela close to the Guyana border and this may have allowed it quick and easy access to fly over to Guyana. Mohamed said that it is possible that the aircraft could have flown to this country before. He said that the plane had an engine problem, noting that when it was time for it to be flown to Timehri this had to be fixed. It is widely believe that drug traffickers have been using Guyana's expansive forest and unregulated interior airstrips to make airdrops of cocaine here. The US in its recently released drug strategy report alluded to this.

Sarawak Chief Minister - corruption allegations: Japanese NGO joint letter to PM Badawi & Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA)

Sarawak Chief Minister - corruption allegations: Japanese NGO joint
letter to PM Badawi & Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA)

The Sarawak Campaign Committee, Tokyo, Japan has faxed and e-mailed the
following letter to Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and
the
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency at 5:30 PM Japan Time, Friday 27th
2007,
with the endorsement of the undersigned Japanese NGOs and citizen's
groups,.

For any inquiries, please contact Sarawak Campaign Committee at
scc@kiwi.ne.jp

In solidarity,

Sarawak Campaign Committee, Tokyo, Japan
Related links:
Japan Times article that raised suspicions of corruption by CM Taib
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20070329a5.html
Related article in Asahi Shimbun English edition
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200703280084.html
Other related articles (Yomiuri and Asahi Japanese articles too)
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=126
Letter from CM Taib Mahmud's lawyersto Parti Keadilan Rakyat Sarawak
(People's Justice Party)
http://keadilan.no-ip.org/
Sarawak%20CM%20to%20sue

%20Parti%20keADILan%20Rakyat.htm
Statement of Parti Keadilan Rakyat Sarawak in response to CM Taib
Mahmud's letter
http://www.rengah.c2o.org/news/article.php?identifer=de0512t

-----

Dato’ Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad BadawiApril 27th
2007

Prime Minister of Malaysia

CC: Director, Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA)

Subject: Corruption allegations against Sarawak CM Taib Mahmud and
freedom
of speech in Malaysia

Your Excellency,


We, the undersigned Japanese non-governmental organizations and
citizen’s
groups, wish to express our profound concern regarding threats by the
Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Pehin Taib Mahmud to lodge a defamation
suit
against the Malaysiakini news service and leaders of Party Keadilan
Rakyat
Sarawak for raising allegations of his involvement in a RM 32 million
kickback scheme reported by the Japan Times and other Japanese
newspapers.



We understand that the corruption allegations raised against CM Taib
Mahmud
originated from a report in the Japan Times on Mar 29,, 2007 that nine
Japanese shipping companies which transport lumber from Sarawak failed
to
report some 1.1 billion yen (approximately RM 32 million) in income
paid as
remuneration to Regent Star, a Hong Kong-based agent with connections
to CM
Taib Mahmud and his family, during a period of seven years through last
March. According to the report, the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau
determined that these payments were rebates, not legitimate expenses,
and is
likely to impose well over 400 million in back taxes and penalties
against
the shipping companies.



The Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese) also reported the above facts in an
article on March 28th. Furthermore, the Asahi Shimbun English edition
reported on March 28th that the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau had
ordered
Kansai Line Co. to pay 50 million yen in back taxes and penalties for
falsely including so-called intermediation fees totaling 130 million
yen
paid to Regent Star over a seven year period until December 2005, in
its
cost of loading logs in ports in Sarawak, in an effort to hide the
payments.



The Asahi Shimbun Japanese edition further reported on March 27th that
shipping companies affiliated with the Nanyozai Freight Agreement (NFA)
cartel are suspected to have paid more than US $25 million (approx. 2.5
billion yen) in intermediation fees to Regent Star in the ten years up
to
2005. An anonymous industry source is quoted as admitting that “there
was
an understanding that these were payments to the Chief Minister’s
family”
and in essence, kickbacks. According to the article, the NFA admitted
that
it had in 1981 entered into an agreement with Dewaniaga Sarawak (DNS)
on log
exports to Japan, and had been instructed by DNS to pay intermediation
fees
to Regent Star in Hong Kong. The payments, which are said to have
continued
for 26 years since 1981, are said to have started at a rate of
approximately
US $1.50 per cubic meter of logs shipped, and to have increased over
the
years to the current rate of US $3.28, while the log shipments declined
from
a peak of 3.8 million m3 in 1990 to about 410,000 m3 in 2005. The
report
estimates that an average of one to four million dollars per year,
totaling
US $25,250,000 was paid to Regent Star between 1996 and 2005 alone.
The
article also mentions that an industry source alleged that DNS director
Dato’
Onn Bin Mahmud, brother of CM Taib Mahmud, sometimes participated in
person
in negotiations of the intermediation fees between Regent Star and the
NFA.



From the above, it should be crystal clear that the allegations lodged
against CM Taib Mahmud by Malaysiakini and Party Keadilan Rakyat
Sarawak are
not based on rumor or hearsay, but on information reported in a
consistent
manner by several leading Japanese newspapers. As organizations
working in
the Malaysian public interest, Malaysiakini and Party Keadilan have
merely
been exercising their freedom of expression and fulfilling their duty
to
raise concerns to the public and competent authorities regarding highly
disturbing information meriting further investigation. In fact, it
would
have been dereliction of their public duty not to have done so.



IF whistleblowers immediately face threats of litigation for
defamation, how
can citizens play an active role in eliminating corruption? Should not
CM
Taib Mahmud present a clear explanation rather than resort to such
intimidation? And if he disagrees with the allegations in the reports,
should he not question their sources in Japan and the Japanese tax
authorities, rather than Malaysian citizens who are merely bringing
them to
the public attention?



In light of your pledge to make anti-corruption a top policy priority
with
“zero tolerance for corruption,” we urge you to live up to your
reputation
by instructing the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) directly
under
your supervision to immediately commence a formal investigation into
the
allegations raised in these media reports, and to keep the public
informed
of developments thereof. Party Keadilan Rakyat Sarawak has already
lodged
two reports on this matter as of April 13th 2007, one with the Kuching
Central Police Station and another with the Anti-Corruption Agency in
Kuching, following your public statement advising that reports be
lodged so
that the ACA could take action. Japanese civil society will do its
most to
urge the Japanese tax authorities to cooperate with Malaysia in its
investigation, so that the truth can be revealed and justice served.



Furthermore, we ask you to ensure that Malaysian citizens do not face
undue
pressure or malicious litigation in an attempt to suppress their
freedom of
speech when raising issues in the public interest. Certainly such
transparency is crucial in upholding the honor and untarnished
reputation of
Malaysia in the international community.



Sincerely,

Sarawak Campaign Committee (SCC)
Friends of the Earth Japan (FOEJ)
Japan Tropical Forest Action Network (JATAN)
The Japan Citizens’ Coalition for the UN International Decade of the
World’s Indigenous Peoples (INDEC)
Japan Network on Human Rights in Malaysia
Pacific Asia Resource Center (PARC)
Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands Forest Protection Group in Japan
Y. Sakamoto, Global Environment Forum

Cops probing disappearance of TPL tax files from GRA

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56518864
Stabroek News

Thursday, April 26th 2007

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) yesterday said the police force is probing the disappearance of files related to Toolsie Persaud Limited (TPL) from the Customs and Trade Administration on Main Street and it also says that the company owes hundreds of millions in c-tax, a charge TPL last evening denied. A GRA statement yesterday said the files related to TPL have disappeared from Customs House even as the company and Customs officials have ongoing engagements on tax payments. "In addition, according to GRA's information, Mr. [Toolsie] Persaud has been evading the payment of Consumption Tax on quarry sales and the related files have disappeared from the Customs and Trade Administration. It is reported that the sums of Consumption Tax owed (are) in the vicinity of hundreds of millions of dollars," the GRA said in a release. The GRA said too that the Police have been called in to investigate the disappearance of the files. According to the release, Toolsie Persaud Limited has been submitting bids for government contracts and even though the company is required to obtain a tender compliance it has significant outstanding Corporation Tax liability to the GRA. Speaking on the company's behalf last evening, lawyer Sanjeev Datadin said that it is unfair for the GRA to lose the company's sensitive financial documents given the crime situation in the country. He said that those documents, containing sensitive financial records for the company were not protected in the manner that they should have been and he is not satisfied that the GRA allowed such documents to be out in the public domain. Datadin said that the company has cooperated fully with the GRA on the ongoing matter in relation to the interpretation of the laws regarding the company's payment of taxes. "We will not provide any further information [to the GRA] until we receive a guarantee in writing that documents will be protected in the manner that they should," Datadin said. He said that the tax matter has been engaging the attention of the two parties for the past two years. The engagement centres on whether or not Toolsie Persaud Limited was required to pay Consumption tax for stone. Datadin said that there were clear statements from the GRA stating that Consumption Tax was not due and then later there were statements to the contrary. "We entered into discussions with the GRA to resolve the matter. We differ substantially on the interpretation of the laws from the GRA," he said. He added that the company will be approaching the High Court to seek redress on the interpretation of the laws. He said that it was unfair for the GRA to state that the company owes "hundreds of millions of dollars" in Consumption Tax when they have provided no proof of that. He called unfair too the GRA's making of the statements in the midst of the engagement with the company. As a result of the actions of the GRA, the Board of Toolsie Persaud Limited has consulted its lawyers regarding possible redress against the GRA. "We have no intention of avoiding our tax obligation," Datadin said. The GRA said that companies which are limited liability companies are required to file annual returns and pay taxes to the GRA. "The taxes are imposed on profits made by companies, commercial and non-commercial, as provided for by the Corporation Tax Act Ch. 80.03," the GRA said. The release further stated that Corporation tax is imposed on commercial companies at a rate of 45% or a minimum tax of 2% on the turnover in excess of $1.2M. Non-commercial companies pay tax at a flat rate of 35%. A commercial company is one where at least 75% of the gross income is derived from trading in goods not manufactured by the company, the GRA said.

With international aid…...GFC pushing furniture manufacture from lesser known woods

http://www.guyanachronicle.com/ARCHIVES/archive%2018-04
-07.html#Anchor------------

-62438

With international aid…
GFC pushing furniture manufacture from lesser known woods

Guyana Chronicle
18 April 2007

THE International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO), working in
partnership with the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) and the Forest
Products Marketing Council (FPMC), is funding an initiative to promote
lesser used wood species.

The objective is to reduce demand for popular species, the Government
Information Agency (GINA) said.

GINA said local furniture manufacturers have expressed willingness to
utilise some of the less known types but are inhibited by the
inaccessibility of supplies and lack of technical information.

Consequently, the current project is intended to fill this gap by
providing data that would help stakeholders identify necessary criteria
for processing and marketing activities.

The 12-month exercise, which started in February, is part of the GFC
drive to ensure sustainable forestry operations and continued
development of the sector, GINA explained.

It said testing the lesser used woods at laboratories overseas,
promotional events and training people in the business on wood
properties are the main components of the scheme which is being funded
at a cost of about US$95,000.

GINA said Guyana has about 1,000 varieties of wood but the over
reliance on six is putting pressure on the forest resources and it
namedlimonimonaballi, huruasa, sarebebeballi, suya, black kakaralli
and kautaballi as some of the lesser used ones.

GFC is undertaking other activities to achieve the aim of strengthening
its inventory software in forest resources management and expanding the
scope of its monitoring operations, at both existing and newly
established locations, is also being done, GINA said.

It said 21 stations to monitor are situated countrywide, with the
newest being at Annai in Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) and
GFC is now reviewing the establishment of additional stations
elsewhere.

GFC is awaiting, as well, approval from the ITTO, of a remote sensing
and dark coding project, that targets the use of modern tracking
devices to combat illegal logging.

The technology is being used in many South American countries,
including neighbouring Brazil, GINA said, adding that the forestry
sector contributes about six per cent to the Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) locally and employs about 25,000 people.

It plays a significant role in the country’s development, too,
particularly in the rural and hinterland communities where forestry
activities generate income for many households, GINA said.

Govt charts firm course to halt Arapaima poaching

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56518746
Stabroek News
By Johan Earle

Tuesday, April 24th 2007

Government will be taking firm steps to ensure that illegal harvesting of the arapaima is curbed and will be working with the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) to tackle this problem which has been cropping up in recent months. So said Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud as he delivered the feature address at the launch of the Management Plan at Annai in the North Rupununi on Friday. The launching took place at the Bina Hill Institute, Annai, and was part of Minister Persaud's official visit to the North Rupununi with officials of the Ministry, the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) and the GFC. Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jungao, along with his wife, made the visit with the Minister to learn more about the people of Guyana's interior so as to be guided when considering cooperation programmes with the Government. He said that the Ministry and other agencies have been receiving reports about the species being illegally harvested. And during a visit in March this newspaper learnt from communities in the North Rupununi that persons are still poaching the arapaima and selling the meat. Many of the persons said that there is no one for them to complain to when these incidents occur. They said that they complained to the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB) but nothing has been done to correct the issue. "We are very concerned about the reports of poaching of arapaima and wildlife and we gave the strong assurance that the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Forestry Commission will be watching," Persaud assured. "Already an incident has occurred and is being handled by the Police in the region along with officers from my department. We must send a strong signal to persons who would not comply with the law that we would not condone any wrongdoings that will affect the plan," the Minister said. He noted the initial steps being made to start the restocking of arapaima in the South Rupununi and this effort, he said, must be commended. He said now that the plan is in place, the Committee in the North Rupununi will decide on the quotas and how the sustainable harvesting will go forward. Director General of the Iwokrama International Centre Dr David Singh said at the launching that the Arapaima Management Plan places the management of the arapaima squarely in the hands of the persons of the North Rupununi communities who will work with the Department of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture to implement a system of access, benefit sharing and monitoring. He said that the collaborative management envisioned in the plan does not restrict access to or reduce the powers of the regulatory body. "Rather, it ensures access to more people over time and allows for the application of the regulatory framework by and through the people who are directly connected to the resources, and who would therefore make choices that have more long term advantages," he said. Dr Singh added that real-time decisions on access and benefit sharing can be made on the ground without having to refer back to a centralised system. "As such regulation becomes far simpler as it involves people who are directly connected with the resources themselves," he pointed out. The Iwokrama Director General also said that the approval of the plan marks a significant step not only in the management of local fisheries, but also in cementing the principles of collaborative management of natural resources. He said that Guyana's laws have historically commoditised the natural resources, developed around a centralised system of management and regulation and in the case of fisheries, geared for the management of only a part of the resources they are meant to regulate. He also said that the launch of the Arapaima Management Plan comes at a critical time, saying that along with the Iwokrama forest, the North Rupununi is becoming known for its natural beauty. Dr Singh said that the plan has been developed from the start using a participatory approach that capitalises on the values that all stakeholders bring to the table. "Local communities bring ownership, social and cultural values, field skills and knowledge; organisations such as the Mamiraua Sustainable Development Institute - from which we learnt the techniques of management of the arapaima - and Iwokrama, provide scientific know how and advice; Government brings the regulatory framework that ensures all stakeholders function within a single frame of reference," he said. Minister Persaud said that recent increases in fishing pressure appear to have led to reduced catch sizes for some stocks, of which the arapaima has suffered severely over the last 30 years. He said that greater efforts are required to catch the same quantity of fish. According to the Minister, it has been observed that juvenile arapaimas have been harvested and this led to the destruction of stocks over the years. He said that the next step is to have an Inland Fisheries Management Plan developed so that in addition to arapaimas being sustainably utilised, ornamental fish will also be managed. Persaud said that it is his hope that at the end of the initial three years of the plan's implementation a better understanding of fisheries can be had and this will be followed by the updating of the plan for an additional three to five years.

Bai Shan Lin’s request to export logs denied

Bai Shan Lin’s request to export logs denied
Guyana Chronicle
23 April 2007
http://www.guyanachronicle.com/news.html

Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, who has responsibility for the
forestry sector, has refused a request by Bai Shan Lin, a Chinese
company, to export round logs for a period of 12 months, a release from
the Ministry of Agriculture said.

According to the release, during the past six months, in discussions
between the government and the company, the management of Bai Shan Lin
emphasised their interest was in promoting value added activities in
the forestry sector, and a commitment was made not to engage in the
export of round logs.

Based on these commitments, the government continued to talk with
officials of Bai Shan Lin on the procedures to be followed to acquire
suitable land for the establishment of value added facilities and to
access forest resources, the release said.

“Unfortunately, Bai Shan Lin did not comply with its commitment not to
export round logs. After observing requests for the exports of round
logs by the company, it was advised that this was in breach of their
commitment. No further export of round logs would be allowed by the
company and all relevant agencies have been so advised,” stated the
release.

It added that the company then appealed to the Agriculture Minister to
allow for a grace period of 12 months during which the export of round
logs would be allowed.

However, the minister declined to grant such a request, and reminded
the company of its commitment to become immediately engaged in value
added production.

Scaling up the Arapaima: Numbers climbing under North Rupununi conservation effort

http://www.stabroeknews.com./index.pl/article?id=56518413
Stabroek News

Scaling up the Arapaima: Numbers climbing under North Rupununi conservation effort

-communities geared for sustainable harvesting but poaching still an issue

Thursday, April 19th 2007

Arapaima The Arapaima (Arapaimas gigas) is found in the fresh waters of Guyana and Brazil. It is the largest scaled freshwater fish in the world. It is listed as Appendix II on the CITES list, meaning that it is currently threatened with extinction. However, with its numbers slowly on the increase in the North Rupununi, the Arapaima is targeted for sustainable utilisation and this is certainly good news for the area's Indigenous peoples, who are prepared to do their part in conserving the protected species through co-management as envisaged in the recently approved Arapaima Management Plan. Written in 2002 with major input from the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Develop-ment, the plan received the approval of Cabinet earlier this year. Designed through a series of participatory meetings between community fishermen and both governmental and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the plan aims to increase the Arapaima populations and the lot of fishermen through improved local institutions. As this article was being written, the government, through the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture was preparing to launch the plan in the Rupununi. Principal Fisheries Officer Dawn Mason told this newspaper recently that the ministry is to hire an officer to be stationed in the North Rupununi to manage the implementation of the plan. Management Plan The Arapaima Management Plan is based on a successful system used by the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Institutei (Mamirauá Institute) in Brazil. The system relies on determining the total harvest per annum, based on the annual counts of Arapaima. According to the plan, the number of Arapaima is to be counted in all managed lakes at the beginning of every dry season then the count would be analysed in relation to harvest information from previous years, thus determining whether the population is growing, unchanged or is decreasing. Based on the count and monitoring information, the Arapaima would then be harvested and shared among the fishermen and the harvest sold. Only the adults that are not reproducing would be harvested. Thirteen fishermen were trained in March 2001 to count Arapaima. The fishing quota is determined to ensure that sufficient adults are alive and reproducing so that enough Arapaima would be around to be harvested in the future. According to the plan, all fisheries committees, with guidance from the Ministry of Fisheries and Iwokrama, would determine the quota by common sense and the information available on the counts, previous fishing quotas and monitoring results. The Management Plan urges that fishermen always determine conservative fishing quotas in order to ensure the Arapaima stock can increase. "Fishermen should always harvest less than they want to, rather than as many as they can. It is by controlling the fishing quota that it is possible to control the size of the Arapaima stock. In this sense, it is suggested that fishing quotas are no bigger than 20 per cent of the number of adults counted in the same year. This suggestion is based on experiences of a Brazilian system, similar to this system, which, after three years, increased the number of Arapaima counted up to three times its initial size," the Plan states. The people of the North Rupununi recognise that they have a vested economic interest in the species' conservation. Many of them are of the view that if the Arapaima population is harvested on a continuous basis in an unsustainable manner, then there will be none for them in the future. For the most part they told this newspaper that though there is less money to go around since the ban on harvesting the Arapaima, they understand why it was necessary and they look forward to sustainable harvesting. Rewa expedition Toshao of the village of Rewa, David Haynes said that is has been more than ten years since the village last harvested Arapaima. Haynes spoke of the community's enthusiasm to conserve the Arapaima since in the end they stand to benefit from the sustained harvesting. "I don't hear of anyone from Rewa harvesting or selling Arapaima, but the new jobs are not sufficient to fill the gaps left from Arapaima fishing…we are getting some jobs but those are mostly for men," Haynes said. He said potential employers in the area usually want skilled persons to work in the forestry sector. Though they do not experience a lot of exploitation from large companies, when opportunities for work come, many of the men have to leave the community. Audrey Simon, also of Rewa, said the village is actively involved in Arapaima conservation. She said long ago, people were up and down trying to hunt the threatened species. "I don't hear about the Arapaima being sold now… in the past people used to sell them," she said. Simon said that in the past, harvesting the Arapaima was important because people hardly had jobs. "The Arapaima fetched higher prices than the other fish," she said. But she pointed out that because of the efforts of Arapaima conservation some people are in a worse-off economic situation. People in the community sell farine (granular roasted cassava) and small fish, but these could never be as lucrative as selling Arapaima. Roy Williams, another 'Rewan', said he does not see anybody catching Arapaima today and feels that the message of conservation is really getting across. "People who used to fish for Arapaima now turn to farming and catching smaller fishes to make a living," he said. Williams also is of the view that the conservation efforts are important to get the numbers of the Arapaima back up. But he is also concerned that at night, people from other communities would go and poach Arapaima from Rewa. "We raised this with the NRDDB, but we did not receive any satisfaction," Williams said. The NRDDB or the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB) is located at the Bina Hill Institute, near Annai, and Rewa. Another man from the village said persons from the Rupununi Savannah would go at night and harvest the Arapaima. "They stealing our Arapaima but they would come night-time… the other day they took about 600 lbs of Arapaima. We do report it to Bina Hill but they can't do anything because they do not have the powers to," the man said. Haynes said some people are taking the conservation efforts seriously and trying to implement the advice of various experts who teach them about wildlife conservation. Haynes told this newspaper that in order to instill an attitude of conservation for the Arapaima and other species from an early age, the community, together with others of the North Rupununi have commissioned several wildlife clubs for children of all ages. "The children go to wildlife clubs and they learn to do monitoring…so from small they know what is it…how to conserve," Haynes said. Deputy Toshao Patrick Honorio said the Grasspond, which is some distance away from the centre of activity in the village, is where a lot of the conservation activities take place. The Grasspond is a large, relatively shallow body of water with heavy vegetation growing in it. It sustains all manner of fish, plants and other life forms. Visiting the Grasspond, it is evident to anyone with a pulse that life itself flowed from this Wetland site's rich biodiversity. With dense foliage and hilly, steep, and sometimes dizzying terrain, the land around the Grasspond is just as home to some as it is 'anything but' to others. An early morning boat ride on the Grasspond is a serene and uplifting experience. Before the crack of dawn, all one hears is the sound of nature and one cannot help but feel a renewed commitment to conserving such beauty for future generations. Occasionally, an Arapaima would bob up to the surface and make a splash, disturbing for a fleeting moment the tranquil atmosphere. Haynes said they feed the Arapaima and the Giant River Otter at Grasspond, which is one of the designated Wetlands sites and where studies are done to assess the success of conservation programmes. The team samples the water, examines specimens of birds and animals found in the Wetlands. These include the Otter, Caiman and various fish including the Arapaima. Honorio said that back in 2004 he was a part of a team of Wetlands surveyors that found that only 90 adult Arapaima specimens were present in the community. He said with the continued conservation effort, the population might have increased to around 200 today. He is of the view that 200 is a good figure to have to commence sustainable harvesting as the Management Plan envisages. And he too is of the view that attitudes towards conservation have changed from years gone. The NRDDB's Coordinating Role Rodney Davis, an executive of the NRDDB, said that in the 1960s the Arapaima was not harvested at all by the communities of the North Rupununi. "When the Brazilians came here for the Caimans they discovered the Arapaima," he said. Afterwards, Guyanese began to harvest the Arapaima. According to Davis, in 1970, the government officially placed a ban on the harvesting of Arapaima. He said that in 1998, the communities of the North Rupununi had a series of community-based wildlife management workshops facilitated by Iwokrama where the issue of Arapaima harvesting was raised. He said that at the first workshop the members of the communities outlined all the issues seen as hindrances to conservation, as well as alternatives to harvesting the protected species like honey and aquarium fishing. Based on the partnership with Iwokrama, "we worked to come up with ideas to combat the problem of over-harvesting," he said, adding that the workshop dealt with aquarium fish, aquaculture and Arapaima conservation. According to Davis, a task force was set up at the level of the NRDDB to take on the responsibility and at this point, Iwokrama and the Mamiraua Institute of Brazil got involved and persons from the North Rupununi went to learn conservation techniques from the Brazilian Institute. Mamiraua Institute personnel travelled to Guyana and counted the Arapaima with persons from the North Rupununi. The count showed a very low population at around 400. He said the second count showed an increase of 100 per cent while the last count in 2004 showed an almost 100 per cent increase over the previous count - over 1,500. To ensure reliability, the Arapaima counts take place around the same time every year. Davis said that because of the lack of funding there is yet to be a further count. He said that the counting takes place in the North Rupununi's 200 ponds and lasts for about 30 days. Davis said that as part of the Management Plan there would be a community fishermen's committee to represent the respective communities at the level of the NRDDB. "We wanted government to understand that what we were doing was working in the best interest of the North Rupununi," he said. According to Davis, it took some time for government "to acknowledge the importance of what we were doing. We had to target this fish because we didn't want to lose it." Although there is a need for wider conservation of more fish species, such a plan will take a considerable amount of time to conceptualize. He said the NRDDB has written a proposal to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to fund counts for the next two years. This proposal, in the vicinity of US$38,000, is still pending with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And the NRDDB is working with the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) for funding of a year of Arapaima counting. To ensure that these projects are well managed, the NRDDB is looking to have a technical advisor who will be based in an office at the NRDDB. The Ministry of Agriculture is to put an officer on location in the North Rupununi. According to the Management Plan, persons could be penalized for harvesting the Arapaima, which could cause communities to lose quotas. But this still happens on a reduced scale in most of the North Rupununi communities, Davis said. He said that because of the length of time it took for the plan to be approved, it has gone out of sight for some people. "People are very excited that the plan has been approved and they are now looking forward to when they can harvest the Arapaima. When the Arapaima is harvested, the Executive Fisheries Committee will buy from the fishermen and look for markets. Davis is concerned about whether the fishermen will get the right price for the Arapaima. Aranaputa's Experience Virgil Harding, Vice-Chairman of the village of Aranaputa said most of the men in that village are fishermen and conservation of the source of their livelihoods was of prime importance. "We were concerned not only for the Arapaima but also for all kinds of fish because we observed fishing on the whole was not like before… first you would go fishing and be back home in a short while and with a lot of fish," Harding said. Things changed; fishing takes longer and there are fewer fish at the end of the expedition. He said one of the possible solutions is changing the size of the hooks and nets that fishermen use to reduce the incidence of accidental harvesting of the protected species. He said the management plan has enabled the villagers to understand the life cycle of the various species of fish and their spawning season. "They get to understand that if they catch at a certain time the gains will be very small," he said. According to Harding, the villagers of Aranaputa understand that from the surveys carried out there is a significant reduction in the quantity and size of fish and this has been on the downward slide for some time now. As for the Arapaima, he said villagers from the 16 villages of the North Rupununi realised that for the survival of the Arapaima to be possible they had to do without harvesting the species for about three years. He said all of the villages agreed to the self-imposed ban and "mostly" obeyed it. But he said that some persons were ignorant of the Management Plan. There are some cases where persons unwittingly caught Arapaima in the nets or on their hooks, and when this happens, they would consume the meat of the fish. "The plan is still working for the conservation of the Arapaima and for its sustainable harvesting as well," Harding said. While there is much enthusiasm for the commencement of sustainable harvesting, the problem of poaching continues and if left unchecked, the situation could return to what it was before the imposition of the ban.

China company banned from log exports

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56518583
Stabroek News

Saturday, April 21st 2007

Bai Shan Lin International Forest Development Inc, which announced its US$4.5M investment plan for wood processing earlier this year, has been banned from exporting round logs. An Agriculture Ministry press release yesterday said the Chinese-owned company, registered in Guyana, "was prevented from exporting round logs," since it was a move contrary to earlier commitments given by the company to the government. The release said that unfortunately, Bai Shan Lin did not comply with its commitment and after observing requests for the export of logs, the company was advised that it was in breach of its commitment. The release said no further export of round logs would be allowed by the company and all relevant agencies have been advised. The number of logs Bai Shan Lin exported contrary to its commitments was not stated nor the types of logs exported. Bai Shan Lin has been advertising heavily for the supply of logs to it. The company had appealed to Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud to allow a grace period of 12 months during which the export of round logs would be allowed, but this was denied by the minister. "The minister with responsibility for forestry has declined to grant this request," the release said, adding that the minister has reminded the company of the commitment it had expressed to become engaged immediately in value-added activities and encouraged it to move in this direction. The ministry release said that during the past six months, senior personnel of Bai Shan Lin held several discussions with government representatives including Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Minister Persaud, the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) and the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest). At these meetings, the management of Bai Shan Lin repeatedly emphasized that its interest was in the promotion of value-added activities in the forestry sector. A commitment was said to be given that the company would not engage in the export of round logs. Based on these commitments, the government continued to have dialogue with officials of Bai Shan Lin on the procedures to be followed such as re-acquisition of land suitable for the establishment of value-added facilities, and to access forest resources. Earlier this year when it was reported that Bai Shan Lin intended to focus on "finished" lumber and was investing US$4.5 million in a wood-processing plant to process logs cut from the Jaling concession, the partnership of these two companies had been viewed somewhat warily by some stakeholders since Jaling had been in trouble last year for exporting logs rather then complying with its wood processing investment commitments. Bai Shan Lin, it had seemed, had acquired a percentage of the interests of Jaling and would have been investing in lumber processing on behalf of Jaling. Bai Shan Lin International has the rights to 400,000 hectares of forest for a period of 20 years, the company website had said. Officials of the company in Guyana were reluctant to speak to the press. The website had noted that the company would be processing logs harvested from the Jaling Forest Industries Inc concession. A source from Bai Shan Lin had said that in addition to this, the company would be purchasing lumber for processing and resale both locally and overseas. According to advertisements in the press earlier this year, the company had invited local companies to submit proposals to supply it with lumber for processing. The company's website had noted as well that it would be making flooring, multi-layer and multi-wood parquet surface materials, furniture and solid doors. The ministry announcement comes amid an intense local debate on log exports - mainly in the letter pages of the Stabroek News. The government has been severely criticized for allowing foreign-owned companies such as Barama Company Limited, Demerara Timbers Limited, Jaling and Bai Shan Lin to export logs and to breach value-added provisions of their management plans among other transgressions. Several of the letter writers have complained that there has been transfer pricing in relation to the export of timber and the government has promised to investigate. The administration has also come under pressure to ban the export of logs. The government is expected to release its policy on log exports shortly and is currently looking at recommendations from a consultation on log exports. The recommendation that the ministry is considering has three options: A: A full ban of the export of 15 species of logs with two already having restrictions placed on them i.e. Locust and Crabwood from March 1, 2007. (The 15 species would be Purpleheart, Locust, Crabwood, Red Cedar, Washiba, Tonika Bean, Letterwood, Bulletwood, Cow wood, Tatabu, Kabu-kalli, Shibadan, Tauroniro, Hububalli, and Darina). B - The banning of ten species of logs under square dimensions (dimension 8"x 8" and greater) commencing January 2008. (These species would be Purpleheart, Red Cedar, Letterwood, Crabwood, Locust, Kabukalli, Shibaban, Washiba, Hububalli, Tonka Bean). C - A 50% ban on 12 species of logs in 2008; a 75% ban in 2009 and a 100% ban in 2010. (The species here would be Greenheart, Brown Silverballi, Itikiboroballi, Determa, Wamara, Hakia, Mora, Dukali, Kereti, Silverballi, Wallaba, Fukadi, Futui). Over the years, the local wood processing sector has suffered as a result of large-scale log exports, leaving some furniture makers to import woods like Locust from Brazil to fulfil export quotas, owing to its unavailability on the local market.

Was this alleged exploitation of young Amerindian girls reported to the police?

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56518426
Stabroek News

Thursday, April 19th 2007

Dear Editor, I wish to refer to a letters under the caption "Churches, human rights groups must speak out against the exploitation of children" (07.04.02) by Seelochan Beharry. In relation to the letter, I wish to state the following: The accusation by Mr Beharry that Barama's expatriate workers engaged in sexual exploitation of young Amerindian girls does not hold water because it is merely an "allegation" . Dr Gail Whiteman's book "International businesses and the challenges of poverty in the developing world" which Mr Beharry refers to said "social problems related to the alleged sexual exploitation of young Amerindian girls by Barama employees also were reported in interviews." (Chapter 11 Forest, Gold Mining and Amerindians) Mr Beharry is therefore unable to tell the difference between a 'fact' and an 'allegation' and continues his misleading campaign against the Barama company. Can Mr Beharry tell the Guyanese people in what year and where the allegations of sexual exploitation took place? Did the 'victims' and their parents make reports to the Guyana Police Force, Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, Ministry of Human Services, GHRA, Red Thread, APA, GOIP TAAMOG and the National Amerindian Foundation? If reports were made to these bodies what actions were taken? Dr Gail Whiteman did not conduct interviews with the 'victims' and their parents, neither with Barama's top management on the matter of sexual exploitation. This demonstrates clearly that her book is unprofessional, mischievous and misleading and so is Mr Beharry. The fact that Mr Beharry is unable to tell the Guyanese people the year and location of his accusation against Barama's employees is clearly not a violation of FSC principle # 1 (Violation of National Laws), worst of all Mr Beharry's accusation is based on pure 'allegations'. Mr Beharry is not an authority on FSC principles and criteria, neither is he in a position to give an interpretation of these principles. Barama made significant contributions to Port Kaituma but Mr Beharry tells the Guyanese people that Barama violated FSC principles # 4 (Community relations and workers rights). Further, while being at Port Kaituma, Barama appointed an Amerindian liaison officer to promote good community relations with the company which were effectively maintained. At Port Kaituma, Amerindians' expectations of improved health care re-mained problematic because with the shift of Barama's operations from Port Kaituma to Buckhall and with the handing over of the management of its hospital to the Ministry of Health they wanted to know if there would have been a continuity of the health care delivery system practised by the Barama company. This also goes for the education system which was resuscitated and maintained by the Barama company. In the pursuit of his vendetta on behalf of a group in Guyana, Mr Beharry is mischievously manipulating and distorting information to discredit the Barama Company. Dr. Gail Whiteman's research is not credible and cannot be the basis for any sound judgment against the Barama Company. While Mr Beharry quotes from Dr Gail's Book in chapter 11 on "Forestry, Mining and Amerindians" he has refused to tell the Guyanese people about the social ills caused by mining at Port Kaituma which continue to dislocate the social structure of the Amerindian communities. If Mr Beharry is concerned about the exploitation of children in Guyana why is he "lip-silent" on the damaging effects of gold mining on Amerindian children in the North West region? Mr Beharry never visited Port Kaituma that is why his writing on this hinterland location is sourced from misleading information which is often flawed. Yours faithfully, Trevor Atkinson

Wood Matters

Kaieteur News
Editorial
11 April 2007

Wood Matters
We all know that practically three quarters of our country
is covered with trees of one type or another. We all know too, after
being assured by every politician even before independence, that this
offers us great “potential” for lifting us out of poverty since trees
translate into wood and wood products that are in great demand in the
rest of the world. Yet we still remain an officially recognised Highly
Indebted Poor Country while our forest resource is, at the very best,
mostly exported as logs for other countries to reap the benefits of
high value added wood products. There has been a heated debate about
the merits and demerits of our forestry policy but we believe that the
focus of the debate needs to be widened somewhat to include what we
ought to be doing in a pro-active way to make better use of our forest
resource.


There is no dearth of Guyanese trying to add value to our
logs. All across Guyana, in every village there is at least one
enterprising citizen who has established a furniture manufacturing
facility. We therefore have a resource and we also have the people have
the will to exploit that resource so as to improve their lot.
Unfortunately, the quality of the products is, by and large, very
spotty: we do not, evidently, have the requisite capacity. There are a
few companies, however, amongst the forest of producers who have
demonstrated that it is possible to achieve standards that can satisfy
the most stringent demands of the world market. Precision Woodworking
is one of those companies. After shipping garden furniture directly
into the European market for years, they announced last week that some
new regional markets were secured. While the latter may seem to be an
easier undertaking, the reverse is actually true because of the
entrenched lack of respect for Guyanese manufacturing capabilities and
standards in Caricom.


The question is, how can we transfer the sterling example
shown by the Bulkans of Precision to the rest of our manufacturers? One
way would be to let the “know-how” slowly filter into the field as
workers from Precision move into other companies or open up their own
companies. The benefits through this “externality” route, however, are
very uncertain especially given our extremely high emigration rates.
The Newly Industrialising Countries (NIC’s) in the Far East have
executed a different strategy that suggests a path for us.


When there is an identified industry that shows promise for
generating exports, profits and employment, those governments took an
active role in ensuring that the industry was nurtured and allowed to
take root and grow. They accomplished this task through several
stratagems. One, which could be adopted by us, was to provide funds to
create facilities to provide key services in industrial estates centred
on the given activity so that the costs of those services could be
shared.


Take, for instance, the manufacture of quality wood products for the
world market as demonstrated by Precision. The wood must be kiln dried
to the specifications of the importing country. This is one of the most
glaring omission of the bulk of our Guyanese manufacturing community
and has earned the ire of many importers (this was the major cause of
our regional black mark) who discovered too late that beautiful pieces
of furniture bought in Guyana quickly shrunk and separated. But it is
beyond the capability of vast majority of our manufacturers to
establish and maintain kilns on their own. The answer may seem obvious
that the costs could be shared but it just has not happened. Given the
nascent state of the industry, it is unlikely that it will occur soon.


This is where governments come in. When the community linkages and the
market forces have failed to institute necessary coordination to
produce a good, then the government must intervene to correct the
obvious market failure. Not that the government has to enter the
production process itself, but just to facilitate it through soft
loans, as it in a sense did in the necessary construction of Buddy’s
Hotel for the World Cup. The Government itself mentioned the creation
of a coordinated industrial estate for the wood industry a short while
back and it is time that it makes a concrete move.

The exploitation of our children by foreign forestry workers

http://www.kaieteurnewsgy.com/Archive/april%2007/14/index.htm#Letters

The exploitation of our children by
foreign forestry workers
Kaieteur News, 14 April 2007

In a letter in the Kaieteur News (13th Jan, 2007, Titled: ‘Protect the
children of Guyana from Predators'), I had written: “The children of
any nation are its most prized possessions/assets.

“It is therefore every citizen/parent's responsibility to do everything
possible to protect our children from danger.”

That letter was written in the hope that Guyana would take precautions
to avoid one of the most undesirable evils of the tourist traffic, that
is, the sexual exploitation of our children. Little did I realize that
my warning was already too late for some of our most vulnerable
children in Guyana .

Dr. Gail Whiteman in her book (Chapter 11, pages 180 to 204) titled:
“Forestry, Gold Mining and Amerindians: The Troubling Example of
Samling in Guyana ” (in “International businesses and the challenges of
poverty in the developing world,” wrote (page 190): ‘Direct impacts of
Barama (Samling is the parent company of Barama)'.

“Interviews indicate that the economic benefits for local Amerindians
from large-scale forestry were not significant…Moreover, despite
community expectations of improved health care, as reported in the
Edinburgh Centre for Tropical Forests (ECTF) study, the health
situation for Amerindians in Region One has remained problematic.

“Amerindians also continue to lack proper education facilities. While
Port Kaituma did have a school and Amerindian teachers, they were
poorly paid and under-utilized. Social problems related to the alleged
sexual exploitation of young Amerindian girls by Barama employees also
were reported in interviews: ‘It happened in this community, not with
mining but with the Barama Company.

“They take the young girls and stay overnight and bring them back to
school.' ‘I heard that they take rude pictures…'‘It's true. It's the
Malaysians [from Barama] that do these things…The young girls are
kicked out of school…These Malaysians take these young Amerindian girls
and leave them pregnant.'”

These actions make a bad situation even worse: Dr. G. Whiteman wrote: -
“Extreme poverty follows ethnic heritage, Amerindians being by far the
poorest; 88 per cent of Guyana 's Amerindians live below the poverty
line.

“In Region One, the focus of this study, 95 per cent of local
Amerindians live in extreme poverty (IMF, 2000). The majority of the
Amerindians is illiterate and has limited access to higher education
(Government of Guyana, 1996).

“Amerindian women are particularly susceptible to the impacts of
poverty. A report commissioned by the National Commission on Women in
Guyana identified Amerindian women as one of the most economically,
socially, politically and culturally marginalized groups in Guyana
(National Commission on Women, 2001).”

In addition, The Guyana Human Rights Association's (GHRA) reports
called “ Without Conviction ,” and its most recent study titled: “
Getting Serious: Detecting and Protecting Against crimes of sexual
violence in Guyana ” revealed that sexual violence against girls is
most prevalent among girls under 16 years, and that young Amerindian
girls between ages 12 and 16 years are the most vulnerable in the
country, especially in Region One (with the most reported cases). (That
is, sexual violence highest against girls 12 to 16 years - GHRA study
finds – is about three-fold higher in Amerindian Girls of Region One.
(Thursday, March 8th 2007, SN)

In the Western hemisphere, if an employee is sexually harassed at the
work place, the employer can be held legally responsible. How can
Barama not know that children were being exploited by its imported
foreign workers?

If the company's executives do not know that their employees are
breaking the laws of Guyana , then is it not fair to ask what other
illegalities they do not know about in their business operations.

If they do know what are going on their company's premises, then why
were/are these legal, ethical, and internationally abhorrent and
illegal practices not stopped?

Why are the Barama Company and its executives not being held
responsible for violations by their employees of Guyanese law? Why are
Barama's employees allowed to violate the most sacred laws of any
modern country - the sexual and physical abuse of its children?

In addition, these are clear violations of the Forestry Stewardship
Council (FSC) principles: For example - Principle #1: Compliance with
Laws and FSC principles: Forest management shall respect all applicable
laws of the country in which they occur, and international treaties and
agreements to which the country is a signatory, and comply with all FSC
Principles and Criteria. ( Guyana is a signatory to the Convention of
the Rights of the Child (CRC), and therefore, Guyana also has an
international obligation to take preventative action in regard to
preventing the abuse and exploitation of its children.)

Secondly, FSC Principle #4: Community relations and workers' rights.
Forest management operations shall maintain or enhance the long-term
social and economic well being of forest workers and local communities.
How do the abuse and sexual exploitation of local Guyanese children,
build community relations? Is this not the beginning of a most
destructive cycle of our children?

From the abovementioned research of Dr Gail Whiteman and recent
revelations in the local press, not only does Barama Company Ltd
exploit the forests, but its employees exploit our children for their
gratification and entertainment – leaving the devastating social and
health consequences, personal tragedies, etc. for this impoverished
nation to correct.

What kind of a nation is Guyana that allows this to happen in this day
and age? Have we sunk so low that we cannot even protect our children
from predators?

I remember reading (during my childhood days) some work of Dr (Cheddi)
Jagan, where he mentioned that the “Indian women/indentured servants”
were good enough to be used to warm the beds/bodies of the plantation
overseers, but were not good enough to be made wives or given legal
standings.

The situation is worse here. These are children being used, abused, and
discarded. How can this be right? I cannot see how the late Dr Jagan,
Ms. Janet Jagan, and the PPP of yesteryear would condone these current
violations of our children, especially when they stood up so valiantly
on the side of the victims of abuse in the aftermath of the Rupununi
Uprising.

In my humble opinion, that was one of their finest hours of the PPP of
yesteryear. They always stood up for the underprivileged and the
downtrodden. Where is the PPP of today, and why does it fail to address
these issues?

The allowing of this disgraceful exploitation of children will probably
be recorded as one of the current PPP Govt.'s most shameful acts.

Similarly, previously the female slaves were called in to gratify the
sexual lusts and pleasures of their owners, and then discarded. Today,
we rightly condemned these heinous acts of yesteryear. Why are our
voices silent now on the current acts of evil? Should our voices not be
raised in protest?

We proudly claim our ancestry to those who fought the battles of
yesteryear, but are silent and/or ignore the battles against the
injustices of our own time. Where are the voices of protest by the
current PNC? Where are the young vibrant voices of the GYSM? Are the
exploited children (Amerindian) not youths and students? Or is that
they are now being viewed as Children of a lesser god like our own
ancestral mothers?

Dr Gail Whiteman's work continues to document the abuse, exploitation,
degradation, and impoverishment of Guyanese women and children with
impunity (by foresters and miners) in their own country. Her work
supports and extends the findings of Dr Marcus Colchester. It is a must
read for all Guyanese who should know what is going on in their home
country.

I can quote more of this work, but the readings are so depressing that
it may not be suitable for a family newspaper. We might be too
embarrassed to hear the questions of our children – e.g. Daddy/Mommy,
how can we allow this to happen here?

If we cannot find common ground and speak up for vulnerable children,
then we are not worthy of being a nation and deserve the disrespect we
get from our own CARICOM community brethren and also from the
International Community.

I expect that all the various groups that speak for children to take up
this challenge and speak out. We can no longer be silent. I also expect
all those (local and foreign) organizations and individuals who support
SN in its struggles to also do the same for even more vulnerable
victims - children. Our leaders are busy fighting for power, and in the
mean time our resources and children are being plundered and ravaged!

This is a human rights issue - the abuse and exploitation of Children.
The officials who should be aware of this and have done nothing should
also be charged with negligence or dereliction of duty. The sign must
be up that no one is allowed to exploit any of our children anywhere in
this country!

Seelochan Beharry



Editor's note :

Efforts to secure a comment for Barama failed. However, Kaieteur News
is prepared to accept a reaction from the timber company

ALERT - Imminent police action against 5 Penan Blockades

ALERT - Imminent police action against 5 Penan Blockades

SAHABAT ALAM MALAYSIA ALERT

SAM would like to alert concerned parties on five Penan blockades which
have been recently set up by four villages and one nomadic community in
lower Baram river basin, Miri Division, Sarawak. The villages involved
are Long Lutin (Sungai Patah), Long Sayan and Long Belok (Sungai Apoh)
and Long Kevok (Sungai Layun, Tutoh) while the nomadic group, whose two
representatives were in Marudi to report on the matter to SAM, is from
Ba' Bevan, Sungai Si'ang, Tutoh.

The Ba' Bevan people are blockading against KTS Logging, while Long
Sayan and Long Kevok are blockading against RIMBUNAN HIJAU and Long
Lutin and Long Kevok villagers are blockading against SAMLING.

This alert would like to draw your attention that police personnel from
Marudi have reportedly been fetched to Long Kevok as of today. We have
reason to believe that the Long Kevok blockade, which began in the
middle of this week, is being treated more urgently by the authorities
since it is set up on a main logging route used by several companies.

We hope that this decision will not lead to any untoward incidents for
the community members.

SAM is gravely concerned over the fast speed in which the authorities
tend to react against peaceful protests by logging-affected communities
and their lack of response to protect the peoples' rights prior to them
resorting to protests. That new blockades are being set up barely one
week after the long-standing Long Benalih blockade against a SAMLING
road was dismantled by the authorities for the second time in the year,
indicates that the governance and legal framework of the forestry
sector in Sarawak is in serious need of reform.

We should also further note that the Apoh-Tutoh villagers are
blockading not only to prevent further logging encroachments into their
land but also to protect it from being accessed by new plantation
schemes.

It is well-known that logging operations in most parts of Sarawak have
reached their final stages with the issuance of numerous plantation
licences from the Forests Department and the Department of Lands and
Surveys since the late 1990s. If the people's protests are not heeded,
then close to a fourth of Sarawak land area may be converted into oil
palm and wood monoculture, which will strip off the people's land
rights, resources and livelihood forever.

We ask for your solidarity for the people during the weeks to come. A
statement on the matter will be issued by SAM next week.





______________________________

____________________________
Theivanai Amarthalingam
Legal Advisor
Consumers' Association of Penang [CAP]
& Sahabat Alam Malaysia [SAM - FoE Malaysia]
No. 10, Jalan Masjid Negeri
11600 Penang
Malaysia

Tel: +6 04 829 9 511
Fax: +6 04 829 8 109
Email: theiva.lingam@gmail.com

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that
matter" - Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.

More Forest Rangers to reduce illegal logging- two implicated Forestry Officers disciplined

http://www.guyanachronicle.com/ARCHIVES/archive%2015-04-07.html#Anchor-
Taku-33282

More Forest Rangers to reduce illegal logging
- two implicated Forestry Officers disciplined
Guyana Chronicle, 15 April 2007

THE Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) intends to enforce the law against
illegal logging operations with the addition of 46 Forest Rangers to
its Forest Monitoring Unit to ensure the sustainable exploitation of
forest resources, the Agriculture Ministry reported yesterday.

It said this was announced during a two-day visit to Region One
(Barima/Waini) by Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud and a team of
technical officers to address forest issues in the communities of
White Water and the Wauna Land Development Scheme.

During the meeting, the ministry said, the issue of a seizure of a
shipment of logs from the region to Georgetown was raised, in which
several lumber dealers and two forest officers were implicated and
disciplined.

The illegal shipment was uncovered following discrepancies in the
documents which warranted an investigation and Amerindian communities
and others have complained about the illegal activity, the ministry
said.

It reported that the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs is investigating
reports of a village Captain colluding with illegal foresters.

According to the Agriculture Ministry, loggers and saw millers from the
Wauna Land Development Scheme explained that several applications were
made to harvest logs from available lands, but the process was stalled
due to other applications made by Amerindian communities for title to
the same lands.

It said Mr. Persaud urged loggers and saw millers to form an
association and the Guyana Forestry Commission will explore the
possibility of allocating timber concessions to reduce illegal logging
and provide for better monitoring.

In addition, the Guyana Forestry Commission was tasked with making
available a list of certified individuals and Amerindian communities in
the region who will be eligible to harvest and sell lumber.

The ministry said farmers and residents within the community were
assured by Persaud of the Ministry of Agriculture’s commitment to
provide assistance for the desired agricultural activity suitable to
the area.

Persaud was accompanied by Mr. Tasreef Khan, Deputy Commissioner,
Guyana Forestry Commission and a team of technical and regional
officers.

Illegality of landlording forest concessions equals likelihood of false declarations for log exports

http://www.kaieteurnewsgy.com/letters.htm

Illegality of landlording forest concessions equals likelihood of false
declarations for log exports
Kaieteur News, 13 April 2007

Dear Editor,


May I clarify some errors in the letter by Trevor Atkinson captioned
“Patriotism or Hypocrisy?” published in Kaieteur News on 10 April, in
which he refers to some of my notes on the forest sector.

“Landlording” is the practice in which the legal holder of a forest
harvesting concession gives up managerial control and rents it out to
another enterprise. This practice is

Illegal under Forest Regulations 1953, Article 12, which states - “No
transfer of any lease or timber sales agreement shall be made by any
forest officer without the prior approval of the President where such
lease or timber sales agreement grants exclusive rights to any person
over an

area estimated to exceed 3,000 acres or is for an unexpired period
exceeding three years”.

Landlording is illegal under Condition 13 of Timber Sales Agreement
which states - “The grantee shall not transfer, sub-let, mortgage or
otherwise dispose of any interest arising under this agreement, except
in accordance with the Forest Regulations, and any purported
disposition made, except in accordance with such regulations, shall be
null and void.”

Mr. Atkinson and a previous writer, Paul Taylor, claim that Condition
14 of the Timber Sales Agreement allows sub-letting. It does not.
Landlording is differentiated from “sprinting,” which was a
longstanding practice by which concession holders would contract in
labour for specific tasks, but without, in any way, passing on
managerial control. “Sprinting” is a way of keeping recurrent costs low
but being able to respond to specific orders for timber.

Sprinting is useful to companies which have limited marketing skills
and so respond to orders but do not positively market Guyana 's
wonderful timbers.

The recent Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the Hong Kong Stock
Exchange by SamLing Global Limited, the parent company of Barama,
specifically mentions 445,000 hectares of Guyana 's forest over which
it claims to hold timber “rights” in addition to the 1.61 million
hectares of its own concession TSA 04/1991. These 445,000 hectares
include the Amerindian titled Village Lands of Akawini and St Monica,
over which the Guyana Forestry Commission has no mandate and for which
Barama negotiated “in bad faith” agreements. Consequently, under the
Amerindian Act 2006, these two agreements are void, yet the Government
allows logging to continue!

This illegality was one of several which led to the suspension, in
January this year, of the FSC certification of Barama.

Does this distinction between sprinting and landlording matter? Yes,
because Government neglect has allowed Barama to extend its legal
control of 26 per cent of State Production Forest allocated for
harvesting by a further and mostly illegal 7 per cent.

The four largest Asian-owned loggers control legally, and by renting
landlorded concessions, well over half of Guyana 's allocated State
Production Forest .

SamLing's IPO documents show that Barama is preferentially logging
outside its own concession in these landlorded areas. In the last five
years, Barama has drawn 56-72 per cent of its logs from landlorded
areas, and exported almost all of the logs unprocessed to Asia . This
log export is entirely against the spirit of the generous tax
concessions given by our Government, and contrary to the value-added
policies of Guyana and of the PPP/C (in its 2006 election manifesto).
In addition, the IPO documents show that Barama has no intention of
sustainable forest management in these landlorded areas, reckoning to
log them out by 2015.

This diversion of logs to Asia inevitably reduces possibilities for
adding value in Guyana by our nationally-owned companies. So, is Guyana
recovering some value by taxing the excess profit on logs? No, even
though this profit is vast and the Caribbean regional forest officer of
the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has agreed with me that
a variable rate tax is more economically beneficial to Guyana than the
complicated ban proposed by the GFC. And is this booming trade in logs
to Asia being properly recorded, as promised by the Minister for
Forestry at the log export meeting on 17th February 2007?

No, logs are being loaded without GFC or Customs oversight on
unsupervised wharves.

And what is the effect? The discrepancies between Guyana's official
export data and Chinese Customs' import data are so great that our
situation will be exposed as an example of bad export practice at a
meeting in Europe in early May on “Illegal Logging and Related Trade:

Measuring the Local Response.” How shameful that our Government allows
our country to be held up as an international example of bad practice.

Janette Bulkan

Guyana visit to learn about forestry sector-Eliasch

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56518206
Stabroek News

Sunday, April 15th 2007

Swedish Tycoon Johan Eliasch insists that the purpose of his trip to Guyana the week before last in the company of His Royal Highness Prince Andrew was to learn more about Guyana's forestry sector, including eco-tourism. But criticism from some quarters suggests that the visit had on the agenda the brokering of a forestry deal to trade in carbon credits for a company Eliasch controls. Eliasch and the Prince had arrived in Guyana on Wednesday April 4 for a two-day visit. Speaking to Stabroek News via email on Thursday, Eliasch said that the discussions held in Guyana with the private and public sectors had been on a purely exploratory basis. He insisted that his interest was in the conservation of the rainforest. He said that he had discussions about carbon credits in the context of the difference it would make for Guyana financially, were the standing rainforests included under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. "Unless the economic paradigm is changed for the rainforest - such that it is more valuable standing (through carbon credits) than logged - economic pressures will make rainforest conservation impossible," Eliasch said. He said that the Government of Guyana had an innovative and forward-thinking view of the capital values of its rainforests, "which I personally endorse and wish the government success with…it could make a very important, much needed contribution to the climate change agenda." Businessman Hamley Case, a friend of Eliasch explained last week that both Prince Andrew and Eliasch share a passion for the environment. In 2006 Eliasch purchased 400,000 acres in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest from a logging company in Brazil. The plot is located just north of the Madeira River and 1,600 miles (2600 km) northwest of Rio de Janeiro. Eliasch was quoted in news reports as citing environmental reasons as his motivation saying, "The Amazon is the lung of the world" and has invited scientists to explore the land in search of undiscovered species. The plot is estimated to have cost £8M. Eliasch, who is based in London, is also a banker and film producer, as well as deputy treasurer of the Conservative Party. He also serves as advisor to William Hague, the current Shadow Foreign Secretary and on the advisory board of the Centre for Social Justice, a conservative think-tank set up by former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith.

Forest officers disciplined over illegal log shipment

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56518208
Stabroek News

Sunday, April 15th 2007

Two forest officers have been disciplined after they were implicated in an illegal shipment of logs from Region One (Barima/Waini) to the city. According to the Agriculture Ministry, the illegal log shipment was uncovered after discrepancies were detected in the related documents. The two officers were implicated, as were several lumber dealers. Amerindian communities and others have complained about such occurrences and Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, is investigating reports that a village captain is colluding with illegal foresters. During a two-day visit to White Water and the Wauna Land Development Scheme, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud told villagers that the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) intends to enforce the law against illegal logging operations. He disclosed that there are 46 new rangers in the GFC's Forest Monitoring Unit to ensure the sustainable exploitation of forest resources. Loggers and saw millers from the Wauna Land Development Scheme said several applications were made to harvest logs from the available land, but the process was stalled because of other applications made by Amerindian communities for title to the lands. Persaud urged loggers and saw millers to form an association and noted that the GFC would explore the possibility of allocating timber concessions to reduce illegal logging and provide for better monitoring. Additionally, the GFC was tasked with providing a list of certified individuals and Amerindian communities in the region who would be eligible to harvest and sell lumber. Persaud assured the farmers and other residents that the Ministry of Agriculture would continue to provide assistance for the desired agriculture activity suitable for the area.

No longer Guns, Germs and Steel but deceit and bribery

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56518178
Stabroek News

Saturday, April 14th 2007

Dear Editor, One very astute Papua New Guinean asked Prof Jared Diamond: 'Why the 'white man' has so much cargo (material goods) and we have so little?' The answer to that direct question took several years to accomplish and resulted in the much celebrated work - "Guns, Germs, and Steel - The Fates of Human Societies." ( Pub. 1997, 1999 by W. W. Norton and Co. NY.) In that work, Professor Diamond (UCLA) postulated that the Europeans conquered the New World and Africa with "Guns, Germs, and Steel" - that is, better weaponry (e.g. guns, swords, cannons), new deadly diseases (e.g. smallpox, cholera, syphilis), and new superior technology (e.g. agriculture, cattle, horses, wagons, carts, trains, ships, etc.). In the third world, e.g., in Guyana our people may well ask a similar question: "Why are the foreign companies (Forestry and Mining) so rich and we remain poor or are getting poorer?" The answer is somewhat analogous to that of Prof Diamond. In today's world, the developing world and its resources are being taken from the local inhabitants not forcefully by "guns, germs and steel," but more cleverly by the employment of "Deceit, bribery, and local collaborators." I shall now outline the general modus operandi (gathered from the experiences of Africa, Asia, and Latin America) through which certain companies operate to exploit the resources (e.g. forestry - timber, non timber forestry products, biopharmaceuticals; mineral resources - gold, diamonds, bauxite, sand, etc; and people - cheap labour (avoidance of international labour and environmental regulations and or conventions); etc.) of the host country. It is necessary that we understand how the predators operate, since according to the rules of war - to be forewarned is to be forearmed. From the experience of developing countries we learn some general principles and methods of the predatory companies. (1) Deceit: The 'invaders' make outlandish promises of providing:(1) Education and job (higher skills) training for the locals; (2) Jobs (high paying) for local workers; (3) Foreign investments in infrastructure (factories, roads, harbours, towns) so that local resources can be utilised for the benefit of locals; (4) Wealth creation for the country and local inhabitants; (5) Better health care for the locals in the vicinity of the company's operations; (6) Freedom from poverty since workers are now gainfully employed; (7) Modernization of the local economy; (8) Income to pay for social, health, and education programs; (9) Efficient harvesting of the resources in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way; (10 ) Last but not least, a lot of happy and rich politicians and officials of the ruling party. In fact the companies tell the locals (or more correctly their representatives) exactly what they want to hear. (2) Bribery: The local, government and civic officials are seduced (wined, dined, and given generous 'gifts') to grant generous concessions in favour of the predators - some officials may really believe that what they are giving up is really in the best short and/or long term interests of the country. Of course these concessions are not made without the official host representative(s) receiving some form of rewards/incentives - financial or material. The foreign companies have deep pockets, hence their contributions can: be deposited in foreign accounts; pay overseas university and college tuition fees for children and relatives of local officials; pay for holidays; sponsor trips abroad; make donations to ruling party coffers, functions; etc.. In addition the negotiating/bargaining skills of the locals are not up to international standards; hence the deals are totally skewed in favour of the international company - with their highly skilled and higher priced negotiators. These overseas negotiators may flatter the locals by telling them that they drive a hard bargain! The foreign companies can even promise the local negotiator(s) lucrative employment after the contract with them is signed, or should they ever need employment. What is also ridiculous is that the foreign companies would negotiate contracts that make the foreign companies above or exempt from the local laws (taxes, duties, environmental) of the land. The companies are treated as a state within the host country! These deals are more often negotiated in secret and are never subject to public and/or parliamentary scrutiny when being made. (3) Collaborators: These are the local officials and/or employees who demonstrate their loyalties to their new found personal benefactor(s). These locals are the most vociferous defenders of the alleged virtues of their "Foreign Gods." They make very good local allies and do not want to see their own personal financial or socio-economic status questioned and or compromised. These local collaborators have access to the highest state and government officials. They assign to themselves the right to speak on behalf of the relevant officials. These company and state officials and politicians all make up the conduit through with financial incentives and favours flow in one direction or another. It must be pointed out that not all foreign companies are disreputable and not all local companies are honourable. Dishonourable companies have a way of finding out who are the officials who wield the real power, and sooner or later are able to purchase illegal influence that will be useful to their business interests. The first thing these hired guns want to know is who is in charge; secondly how can they be introduced; thirdly, what is the price to purchase influence or how many people will have to be bought; and lastly, what is the ongoing price for favours. Disreputable companies thrive on local corruption and therefore promote the corruption of the local officials. Yours faithfully, Seelochan Beharry