Evironmental Impact Assessment for Barama Housing Inc Link to PDF file.
http://www.epaguyana.org/
Monday, March 12, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Barama sets up new company
Extracted from
http://guyanaforestry.blogspot.com/2007/03/barama-sets-up-new-company.html
Barama sets up new company for value-added timber processing
By Johann Earle
Monday, March 12th 2007
Barama Company Limited is gearing up for value-added timber processing with the establishment of a US$6 million sister company to focus on downstream production of wood-based products including furniture and houses for the local and overseas markets.
The new company has submitted its draft environmental study to the Environ-mental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval and the EPA has invited the public to review the Environmental Impact Assessment and make written submissions within 60 days from the publication of the notice. These submissions will help guide the decision either for or against the granting of an Environmental Permit for the project.
Barama Housing Inc (BHI) a locally registered private limited company wholly owned by Samling Strategic Corporation of Malaysia is the sister company to Barama Company Ltd (BCL).
According to the EIA draft, the proposed project site is an area of State Forest that is 47 314 ha, approximately 116 915 acres, located on the Right Bank Cuyuni River, Left Bank Waiarimpo River, Left Bank Ekabago River, Region 7 and bounded to the North and North-West by the Cuyuni River.
The report said the principal objective of the project is the production of timber to supply downstream processing to wood-based products. "BHI intends to invest US$6 million and to generate 25 jobs during the construction and mobilization phase and 149 during the operational phase," the document said.
The key question likely to be raised by this move is why Barama needs another forest concession for value-added processing when it has millions of acres in the north west.
To guide its activities and investment, BHI has commenced the preparation of a five-year Forest Management Plan for submission to GFC. "Based on this plan, Annual Operation Plans will be prepared to coordinate the forestry operations in detail taking into account immediate market opportunities and the species production schedule. BHI intends to harvest all merchantable timber species though it is generally believed that four major species, Baromalli, Greenheart, Purpleheart and Mora are likely to form the bulk of harvested species from the project area," the document stated.
As part of the permitting process, and in order to secure the Timber Sales Agreement (TSA) BHI was required by the EPA to conduct an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Study of the project. In June 2005, BHI appointed Environmental Management Consultants (EMC) as the independent consultant to undertake the study.
The draft document said the objectives of the study were to document the physical, ecological and socio-economic baseline conditions of the study area and to inform, obtain and address contributions from stakeholders including relevant authorities and the public.
It also hopes to assess in detail, the environmental and social impact that would result from the project, identify mitigation measures that would reduce the significance of predicted negative impacts or enhanced predicted benefits of the proposed project and develop an Environ- mental Management Plan and appropriate Monitoring Plan for the proposed project including a Conceptual Closure Plan.
The draft report said that as part of its mandate, the Guyana Forestry Commission has been encouraging sustainable forest operations for the promotion of social and economic development while at the same time safeguarding the integrity of forest resources.
"Barama Housing Inc. has responded to this effort by GFC to implement a project based on a sustained yield management program and to operate in accordance with GFC's Code of Practice for Forest Operations. The company intends to adopt best practice approaches in its operations which could eventually lead to forest certification," the report said.
It said too that BHI is in the advanced stages of acquiring its 47,311 hectares forest concession. It said that the forest concession contains viable standing volumes of commercial timber and other forest resources. "BHI intends to manage these resources on a sustainable basis for the production of timber and wood-based products thereby creating socio-economic benefits for Guyana and its people," the draft said.
Potential
environmental impacts
According to the draft report, threats to the environment could come from pollution to water systems from fuels stored for the operation of the project. It said that there could be reduction in certain species and the increased risk of soil compaction and erosion.
In terms of wildlife, the document cited disturbance from human activities associated with forestry activities. Increased human activity could also lead to increased levels of hunting, the study concluded.
According to the draft study, BHI in its operations will be expected to adhere to and comply with the GFC Code of Practice for Forest Operation and the principles of Reduced Impact Logging. "As is customary with forest operations of this nature, GFC will be expected to permanently station a Forest Officer at BHI's operations to monitor compliance against these and other GFC requirements," it said.
The company's Manage-ment and Mitigation Plan identifies activities to be undertaken in an effort to lessen the principal adverse effects envisaged from this project. The draft said the plan describes the way in which the main environmental impacts of the BHI project can be managed, and prescribes appropriate mitigation measures to be adopted during the mobilization phase as well as the operational life of the project.
It said that specific mitigation actions have been identified for the logging operations within the BHI concession area as well as at Pine Tree Landing, where the downstream activities will be done.
The draft report said that based on the principal issues and impacts identified during the study, and the mitigation measures for implementation, a number of parameters are to be monitored during the operations of the project.
The draft report said that of the total concession area, approximately 39,830 ha (85 per cent) is classified as productive for the purposes of timber harvesting. Of the total area, 2,129 ha (4.5 per cent) will be set aside as biodiversity reserves where no logging activity will occur.
It said that for the purposes of planning a sustainable management regime a logging period of 15 years is currently proposed, followed by a 25-year fallow period making a total cycle of 40 years, though this is subject to approval by the GFC.
http://guyanaforestry.blogspot.com/2007/03/barama-sets-up-new-company.html
Barama sets up new company for value-added timber processing
By Johann Earle
Monday, March 12th 2007
Barama Company Limited is gearing up for value-added timber processing with the establishment of a US$6 million sister company to focus on downstream production of wood-based products including furniture and houses for the local and overseas markets.
The new company has submitted its draft environmental study to the Environ-mental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval and the EPA has invited the public to review the Environmental Impact Assessment and make written submissions within 60 days from the publication of the notice. These submissions will help guide the decision either for or against the granting of an Environmental Permit for the project.
Barama Housing Inc (BHI) a locally registered private limited company wholly owned by Samling Strategic Corporation of Malaysia is the sister company to Barama Company Ltd (BCL).
According to the EIA draft, the proposed project site is an area of State Forest that is 47 314 ha, approximately 116 915 acres, located on the Right Bank Cuyuni River, Left Bank Waiarimpo River, Left Bank Ekabago River, Region 7 and bounded to the North and North-West by the Cuyuni River.
The report said the principal objective of the project is the production of timber to supply downstream processing to wood-based products. "BHI intends to invest US$6 million and to generate 25 jobs during the construction and mobilization phase and 149 during the operational phase," the document said.
The key question likely to be raised by this move is why Barama needs another forest concession for value-added processing when it has millions of acres in the north west.
To guide its activities and investment, BHI has commenced the preparation of a five-year Forest Management Plan for submission to GFC. "Based on this plan, Annual Operation Plans will be prepared to coordinate the forestry operations in detail taking into account immediate market opportunities and the species production schedule. BHI intends to harvest all merchantable timber species though it is generally believed that four major species, Baromalli, Greenheart, Purpleheart and Mora are likely to form the bulk of harvested species from the project area," the document stated.
As part of the permitting process, and in order to secure the Timber Sales Agreement (TSA) BHI was required by the EPA to conduct an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Study of the project. In June 2005, BHI appointed Environmental Management Consultants (EMC) as the independent consultant to undertake the study.
The draft document said the objectives of the study were to document the physical, ecological and socio-economic baseline conditions of the study area and to inform, obtain and address contributions from stakeholders including relevant authorities and the public.
It also hopes to assess in detail, the environmental and social impact that would result from the project, identify mitigation measures that would reduce the significance of predicted negative impacts or enhanced predicted benefits of the proposed project and develop an Environ- mental Management Plan and appropriate Monitoring Plan for the proposed project including a Conceptual Closure Plan.
The draft report said that as part of its mandate, the Guyana Forestry Commission has been encouraging sustainable forest operations for the promotion of social and economic development while at the same time safeguarding the integrity of forest resources.
"Barama Housing Inc. has responded to this effort by GFC to implement a project based on a sustained yield management program and to operate in accordance with GFC's Code of Practice for Forest Operations. The company intends to adopt best practice approaches in its operations which could eventually lead to forest certification," the report said.
It said too that BHI is in the advanced stages of acquiring its 47,311 hectares forest concession. It said that the forest concession contains viable standing volumes of commercial timber and other forest resources. "BHI intends to manage these resources on a sustainable basis for the production of timber and wood-based products thereby creating socio-economic benefits for Guyana and its people," the draft said.
Potential
environmental impacts
According to the draft report, threats to the environment could come from pollution to water systems from fuels stored for the operation of the project. It said that there could be reduction in certain species and the increased risk of soil compaction and erosion.
In terms of wildlife, the document cited disturbance from human activities associated with forestry activities. Increased human activity could also lead to increased levels of hunting, the study concluded.
According to the draft study, BHI in its operations will be expected to adhere to and comply with the GFC Code of Practice for Forest Operation and the principles of Reduced Impact Logging. "As is customary with forest operations of this nature, GFC will be expected to permanently station a Forest Officer at BHI's operations to monitor compliance against these and other GFC requirements," it said.
The company's Manage-ment and Mitigation Plan identifies activities to be undertaken in an effort to lessen the principal adverse effects envisaged from this project. The draft said the plan describes the way in which the main environmental impacts of the BHI project can be managed, and prescribes appropriate mitigation measures to be adopted during the mobilization phase as well as the operational life of the project.
It said that specific mitigation actions have been identified for the logging operations within the BHI concession area as well as at Pine Tree Landing, where the downstream activities will be done.
The draft report said that based on the principal issues and impacts identified during the study, and the mitigation measures for implementation, a number of parameters are to be monitored during the operations of the project.
The draft report said that of the total concession area, approximately 39,830 ha (85 per cent) is classified as productive for the purposes of timber harvesting. Of the total area, 2,129 ha (4.5 per cent) will be set aside as biodiversity reserves where no logging activity will occur.
It said that for the purposes of planning a sustainable management regime a logging period of 15 years is currently proposed, followed by a 25-year fallow period making a total cycle of 40 years, though this is subject to approval by the GFC.
Guyana and the wider world Part 6
http://guyanaforestry.blogspot.com/2007/03/guyana-and-wider-world-part-6.html
Guyana and the Wider World
Poverty and the forestry sector Part 6
By Janette Bulkan
Stabroek News
Sunday, March 11th 2007
The preceding five columns of 'Guyana and the Wider World' examined the disjunctures between Guyana's natural forest bounty and the stated national commitment to poverty eradication through sustainable use of our natural resources, including job creation and skills training. The brief overview of four areas singled out for attention by the Poverty Reduction Strategy Programme (PRSP) - economic policies, governance,
infrastructure and social services - confirmed the continuing disconnect between national policies and sectoral practices. The findings suggested that the structural underpinnings of endemic poverty, as described by Guyana's PRSP, still exert their
(strangle)hold in the forestry sector.
This column will conclude the discussion on the failure of the forestry sector to alleviate poverty, and introduce the subject of next week's column which will follow the supply chain to the principal destinations for Guyana's prime hardwood logs. In 2004, David Kaimowitz, then the Director General of CIFOR (Center for International Forestry Research)evocatively described the boom in imports of wood fibre into China, consequent on its 1998 partial ban on logging in natural forest and the
rapid expansion of wood-using industries, mostly geared to export markets, as "the giant sucking sound of Chinese forestry imports."China has been 'hoovering up' cheap timber from all sources, especially from countries with weak marketing skills like Guyana. In response,what measures did our policymakers take in those following eight years from 1998 to protect Guyana's own fledgling downstream processing wood-using industries, to guard against the over-cutting of prime timber species in large-scale concessions and to ensure the implementation of their business plans by FDI-benefiting (Foreign Direct Investment) logging companies? Talk is cheap, as the saying goes, but even the public record of 'talk' on the matter of increasing
log exports at the expense of local value-adding processing of forest products was sparse and episodic until the sheer volume of public debate in the independent press in the latter half of 2006 led to a belated government response, now being planned.
On the supply side, a laissez-faire approach in the matter of log exports has prevailed. In this policy vacuum the low-investment timber traders have been 'licking up' and shipping out our under-priced prime hardwood logs. Timber traders can hardly be expected to look out for Guyana's interests. However, national policy-makers and regulatory agencies are tasked to do so; it is an obligation in the act which created the Guyana Forestry Commission in 1979. As the previous columns on this issue detailed, Guyana's prime timber species, forest-dependent
citizens and industries have all suffered from the absence of preparedness to deal with monopsonistic FDI companies operating here and competing to export the same timber species used in local industries.
The lack of action in the national interest harkens back to a colonial situation when colonies existed for the benefit of the mother country,and marketing was done by the colonial owners. Guyana is willing to sell its resources cheaply, and it requires little effort in marketing to capture a substantial mark-up (the excess rent) simply by trading logs into the export market. However, there is no mother country to fall back on when the last useful log has left our shores. As for the
latest breed of neocolonial overlords who dominate both logging and log trading, they hold us in deserved contempt for the lack of stewardship and inter-generational responsibility which we display. Even their logging truck drivers force Guyanese drivers to give way.
According to Amartya Sen, the Indian-born Cambridge economist who won the 1998 Nobel Prize for Economic Science, poverty is not only about economic deprivation. Rather it is defined and sustained by a sense of helplessness, and the marginalization of the poor. Sen's theory is borne out by the lack of organic linkages between the citizenry in Guyana - from the forest-dependent to the Stabroek Market pavement
vendors - and the decision-making structures of the state. The parallel operations of regulatory agencies and project implementation units with overlapping mandates but lacking coordination among themselves, never mind with national constituencies, stifle the hope of improved governance. The Stabroek Market is a stone's throw away from City Hall and from the National Assembly, but it might as well be in the 'bush'
or 'backdam.' These interest groups bump visually and tangibly into the other, yet lacking structural linking mechanisms, generally only interact in situations of confrontation. This is the enduring tragedy of Guyana.
The introduction of the IMF-required Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in Guyana in the late 1980s included opening up the forestry sector to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The government-expressed view at the time was that FDI would lead to an influx of capital in Guyana, expansion of local value-added industries, and an increase in a trained and skilled workforce, in short, economic development based on
sustainable use of nature's bounty. However, in place of the envisaged forward development planning linked to in-country industrial processing, with pre-identified forest areas opened for open competitive bidding including the offering of premia for resources access rights, the forestry sector is now even more of an enclave
sector than it was in 1991. The forestry sector has retrogressed in the past two decades, now reduced to supplying Guyana's prime timbers in log form, at the lowest prices globally for equivalent species, to China and India principally. As one commentator ruefully noted, it is as if the Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guysuco) were to revert to selling sugar cane instead of sugar.
This retrogression of the forestry industry into supplier of a primary commodity (prime hardwood logs) to India and China principally has been accompanied by monopolization of the best-stocked State Production Forests by four Asian companies through secret Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) agreements; the importation of Asian forest workers who continue to displace Guyanese forestry workers even when the
foreigners have no more skill at using equipment than the Guyanese operators of bauxite mining equipment, and even after 15 years of in-country presence; and the starving of in-country downstream processors of wood supplies.
It is not predestination or a rule of nature that Guyana has to be poor. We have the timber resources which are being turned elsewhere into high-value products. We have had the policies since at least 1980 to say that is what we should be doing. I will explore in subsequent columns some reasons for why this logic seems to have no resonance at government level or for most national investors, while the same logic
drives efficient and profitable industries in India and China.
On the occasion of Chinese New Year, the Guyana Chronicle headlined Ambassador Zhang Jungao's message as 'Bound to be another fruitful year' (Guyana Chronicle, February 18, 2007). The ambassador was looking out for China's interests, as he well should. We ignore Guyana's interests at our collective peril.
Guyana and the Wider World
Poverty and the forestry sector Part 6
By Janette Bulkan
Stabroek News
Sunday, March 11th 2007
The preceding five columns of 'Guyana and the Wider World' examined the disjunctures between Guyana's natural forest bounty and the stated national commitment to poverty eradication through sustainable use of our natural resources, including job creation and skills training. The brief overview of four areas singled out for attention by the Poverty Reduction Strategy Programme (PRSP) - economic policies, governance,
infrastructure and social services - confirmed the continuing disconnect between national policies and sectoral practices. The findings suggested that the structural underpinnings of endemic poverty, as described by Guyana's PRSP, still exert their
(strangle)hold in the forestry sector.
This column will conclude the discussion on the failure of the forestry sector to alleviate poverty, and introduce the subject of next week's column which will follow the supply chain to the principal destinations for Guyana's prime hardwood logs. In 2004, David Kaimowitz, then the Director General of CIFOR (Center for International Forestry Research)evocatively described the boom in imports of wood fibre into China, consequent on its 1998 partial ban on logging in natural forest and the
rapid expansion of wood-using industries, mostly geared to export markets, as "the giant sucking sound of Chinese forestry imports."China has been 'hoovering up' cheap timber from all sources, especially from countries with weak marketing skills like Guyana. In response,what measures did our policymakers take in those following eight years from 1998 to protect Guyana's own fledgling downstream processing wood-using industries, to guard against the over-cutting of prime timber species in large-scale concessions and to ensure the implementation of their business plans by FDI-benefiting (Foreign Direct Investment) logging companies? Talk is cheap, as the saying goes, but even the public record of 'talk' on the matter of increasing
log exports at the expense of local value-adding processing of forest products was sparse and episodic until the sheer volume of public debate in the independent press in the latter half of 2006 led to a belated government response, now being planned.
On the supply side, a laissez-faire approach in the matter of log exports has prevailed. In this policy vacuum the low-investment timber traders have been 'licking up' and shipping out our under-priced prime hardwood logs. Timber traders can hardly be expected to look out for Guyana's interests. However, national policy-makers and regulatory agencies are tasked to do so; it is an obligation in the act which created the Guyana Forestry Commission in 1979. As the previous columns on this issue detailed, Guyana's prime timber species, forest-dependent
citizens and industries have all suffered from the absence of preparedness to deal with monopsonistic FDI companies operating here and competing to export the same timber species used in local industries.
The lack of action in the national interest harkens back to a colonial situation when colonies existed for the benefit of the mother country,and marketing was done by the colonial owners. Guyana is willing to sell its resources cheaply, and it requires little effort in marketing to capture a substantial mark-up (the excess rent) simply by trading logs into the export market. However, there is no mother country to fall back on when the last useful log has left our shores. As for the
latest breed of neocolonial overlords who dominate both logging and log trading, they hold us in deserved contempt for the lack of stewardship and inter-generational responsibility which we display. Even their logging truck drivers force Guyanese drivers to give way.
According to Amartya Sen, the Indian-born Cambridge economist who won the 1998 Nobel Prize for Economic Science, poverty is not only about economic deprivation. Rather it is defined and sustained by a sense of helplessness, and the marginalization of the poor. Sen's theory is borne out by the lack of organic linkages between the citizenry in Guyana - from the forest-dependent to the Stabroek Market pavement
vendors - and the decision-making structures of the state. The parallel operations of regulatory agencies and project implementation units with overlapping mandates but lacking coordination among themselves, never mind with national constituencies, stifle the hope of improved governance. The Stabroek Market is a stone's throw away from City Hall and from the National Assembly, but it might as well be in the 'bush'
or 'backdam.' These interest groups bump visually and tangibly into the other, yet lacking structural linking mechanisms, generally only interact in situations of confrontation. This is the enduring tragedy of Guyana.
The introduction of the IMF-required Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in Guyana in the late 1980s included opening up the forestry sector to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The government-expressed view at the time was that FDI would lead to an influx of capital in Guyana, expansion of local value-added industries, and an increase in a trained and skilled workforce, in short, economic development based on
sustainable use of nature's bounty. However, in place of the envisaged forward development planning linked to in-country industrial processing, with pre-identified forest areas opened for open competitive bidding including the offering of premia for resources access rights, the forestry sector is now even more of an enclave
sector than it was in 1991. The forestry sector has retrogressed in the past two decades, now reduced to supplying Guyana's prime timbers in log form, at the lowest prices globally for equivalent species, to China and India principally. As one commentator ruefully noted, it is as if the Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guysuco) were to revert to selling sugar cane instead of sugar.
This retrogression of the forestry industry into supplier of a primary commodity (prime hardwood logs) to India and China principally has been accompanied by monopolization of the best-stocked State Production Forests by four Asian companies through secret Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) agreements; the importation of Asian forest workers who continue to displace Guyanese forestry workers even when the
foreigners have no more skill at using equipment than the Guyanese operators of bauxite mining equipment, and even after 15 years of in-country presence; and the starving of in-country downstream processors of wood supplies.
It is not predestination or a rule of nature that Guyana has to be poor. We have the timber resources which are being turned elsewhere into high-value products. We have had the policies since at least 1980 to say that is what we should be doing. I will explore in subsequent columns some reasons for why this logic seems to have no resonance at government level or for most national investors, while the same logic
drives efficient and profitable industries in India and China.
On the occasion of Chinese New Year, the Guyana Chronicle headlined Ambassador Zhang Jungao's message as 'Bound to be another fruitful year' (Guyana Chronicle, February 18, 2007). The ambassador was looking out for China's interests, as he well should. We ignore Guyana's interests at our collective peril.
Barama corrects faults
http://guyanaforestry.blogspot.com/2007/03/barama-corrects-faults.html
Forestry certificate suspension
Barama correcting faults
Sunday, March 11th 2007
Barama has made some progress in correcting deficiencies, which led to the suspension of its certification from the Forest Stewardship Council, representative of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Dr Patrick Williams has said.
However, Dr Williams said he would prefer if this newspaper ascertained the details from Barama itself. The company has been silent on the issue for the past few weeks.
Dr Williams had issued a scathing press release on Barama's status with regard to its certification and outlined a number of requirements that the company had to achieve before it receives the support of the WWF again. The WWF provided part of the funding to Barama for the company to fund the certification process.
Barama's FSC certification was suspended for three months because of the company's failure to live up to conditions of the certification and because of failings on the part of the company's auditor SGS-Qualifor in its certification work.
General Manager at Barama Girwar Lalaram had said on the issuing of the press release from WWF that the company would have been doing what was necessary to correct the situation.
Barama was awarded the certification in February 2006 for 570,000 hectares of its forests in west central Guyana by FSC. WWF provided the financial and technical support to Barama in the process leading up to its successful certification.
The company's certification was contingent upon its correcting several minor deficiencies for which SGS issued corrective action requests (CARs).
These CARs detailed mandatory improvements in Barama's performance in the area of workers' housing, hygiene and safety, road planning and several other issues. They formed the basis of SGS's monitoring audit in November 2006, according to a statement from Williams back in January.
According to the WWF, during the year since Barama achieved its certification, staff from the WWF Guianas Programme Office visited the company's operations several times under an ongoing monitoring programme. They met officials to discuss the company's adherence to responsible forest management practices that the FSC standards mandated.
The WWF said during the process it became increasingly clear to WWF that Barama neither carried out nor gave priority and resources to many of the improvements the company had committed to pursue.
The WWF had written to Lalaram in December 2006 expressing concern and urging the company's management to solve these problems immediately. According to WWF, Barama's CEO replied accepting the deficiencies identified to date and pledging to return to full compliance with the provisions of its FSC certification.
According to the WWF, it stands prepared to engage with Barama, local forestry experts, and SGS's auditors to address all the deficiencies discovered during the audit SGS conducted, provided that Barama renews its commitment to certification.
The organisation called on Barama to make a public statement indicating that the company is serious about attaining and practising responsible forestry according to the rigorous standards of the FSC.
It also called on Barama to commit to a transparent, time-bound action plan to address all the deficiencies as specified by SGS and as required to be compliant with FSC certification.
Forestry certificate suspension
Barama correcting faults
Sunday, March 11th 2007
Barama has made some progress in correcting deficiencies, which led to the suspension of its certification from the Forest Stewardship Council, representative of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Dr Patrick Williams has said.
However, Dr Williams said he would prefer if this newspaper ascertained the details from Barama itself. The company has been silent on the issue for the past few weeks.
Dr Williams had issued a scathing press release on Barama's status with regard to its certification and outlined a number of requirements that the company had to achieve before it receives the support of the WWF again. The WWF provided part of the funding to Barama for the company to fund the certification process.
Barama's FSC certification was suspended for three months because of the company's failure to live up to conditions of the certification and because of failings on the part of the company's auditor SGS-Qualifor in its certification work.
General Manager at Barama Girwar Lalaram had said on the issuing of the press release from WWF that the company would have been doing what was necessary to correct the situation.
Barama was awarded the certification in February 2006 for 570,000 hectares of its forests in west central Guyana by FSC. WWF provided the financial and technical support to Barama in the process leading up to its successful certification.
The company's certification was contingent upon its correcting several minor deficiencies for which SGS issued corrective action requests (CARs).
These CARs detailed mandatory improvements in Barama's performance in the area of workers' housing, hygiene and safety, road planning and several other issues. They formed the basis of SGS's monitoring audit in November 2006, according to a statement from Williams back in January.
According to the WWF, during the year since Barama achieved its certification, staff from the WWF Guianas Programme Office visited the company's operations several times under an ongoing monitoring programme. They met officials to discuss the company's adherence to responsible forest management practices that the FSC standards mandated.
The WWF said during the process it became increasingly clear to WWF that Barama neither carried out nor gave priority and resources to many of the improvements the company had committed to pursue.
The WWF had written to Lalaram in December 2006 expressing concern and urging the company's management to solve these problems immediately. According to WWF, Barama's CEO replied accepting the deficiencies identified to date and pledging to return to full compliance with the provisions of its FSC certification.
According to the WWF, it stands prepared to engage with Barama, local forestry experts, and SGS's auditors to address all the deficiencies discovered during the audit SGS conducted, provided that Barama renews its commitment to certification.
The organisation called on Barama to make a public statement indicating that the company is serious about attaining and practising responsible forestry according to the rigorous standards of the FSC.
It also called on Barama to commit to a transparent, time-bound action plan to address all the deficiencies as specified by SGS and as required to be compliant with FSC certification.
Friday, March 9, 2007
Don't let drug lords take over
Extracted from : http://guyanaforestry.blogspot.com/2007/03/dont-let-drug-lords-take-over.html
Don't let drug lords take over
-President tells army top brass -slams US on drugs, rights reports
By Oluatoyin Alleyne
Friday, March 9th 2007
President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday told the top brass of the Guyana Defence Force not to allow criminals and drug lords to take over the country and launched a broadside against the US on a number of fronts.
He said the US is the biggest consumer of drugs and one where money laundering is rampant and yet it wants to lecture countries like Guyana about such issues.
President Jagdeo said that over the last ten years criminal threats have evolved and as a result the policing and joint services techniques must also evolve with the changing nature of crime.
"We can't allow the drug dealers, we can't allow the criminals to take charge of this country or create that image that would slow down development… If we work hard at this we would be able to realise a fuller and better life for our people," the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces said. He said he has seen the joint services evolve over the years as there was a time when protocols between the army and the police were not understood but now they work cohesively to fight crime.
In addressing the opening session of the Annual Officer's Conference of the GDF, the President also spoke of Latin America, unfair media coverage and poverty among other issues, but made no mention of the 30 AK-47s that went missing from the army's headquarters, Camp Ayanganna last year.
It is around a year since the weapons went missing and more than half have still not been recovered. Further, no one has been held accountable for the disappearance of the AK-47s and five pistols.
In a speech that lasted for over an hour, the Head of State opened his criticism of the US by referring to the two recent reports issued by the US State Department on drug trafficking and money laundering and human rights issues in Guyana.
Hypocritical US
"If you look at the assistance we get from the US Government… for the past seven years the direct assistance to fight drug trafficking is about US$20,000 a year… A permanent secretary earns more than US$20,000 a year and that is what we get to fight drug dealers, drug traffickers and money launderers." He mentioned that Colombia got several billion dollars. According to the President, Guyana's debts had to be paid.
"So we need help and this [the drug trafficking problem] is an international problem, but even with our limited resources we have been fighting drug dealers. But let me say this to you… what I find very hypocritical and this is the image issue again, is that a country issues a report about another country then that report goes around the world. But… which is the biggest consuming nation in the world? The United States of America. All of the drugs from Colombia, and from Guyana and from Trinidad and from Suriname and from all around; the heroin from Afghanistan - a significant part of it goes to the United States of America."
The President said it meant that the US's border systems are failing, as it could not stop drugs from entering the country. "And they are telling me to stop the big borders that we have where people don't even live. They can't stop it [the drugs] going in, that is one. Two, it is sold in the streets; this huge bulk of drugs is sold in the streets of the United States of America. So [US] law enforcement, better equipped than ours is failing…," the President said, by this time to a lot of smiling and nodding from army officers.
President Jagdeo concluded that if the drugs are being sold on the US streets then money has to be collected, "so which system has the greatest amount of money laundered? Which country? It is the United States of America. They consume the most drugs, their law enforcement on the borders is failing, the drug is sold on their streets, people pay for the drugs and then it is laundered there. And then they lecture me… and we get $20,000… You never see a report on drug dealing in the United States of America."
Roger Khan
The President said that in last year's report the US said the government gave Roger Khan, who is now in the US on drug charges, a forestry concession. "Absolutely untrue, I met with the US Ambassador, he said they got it from the newspaper, they promised to correct it this year. So guess what happened this year, they said the controversy… surrounding the granting of a timber licence, not that we made an error… and they said we promised to pass legislation to screen people who would go into the forestry sector…
"I didn't promise that. I don't know who promise that, but I am not passing no legislation… If you can find the persons who are doing the laundering or the trafficking (fine) but not to screen investors. They want us to screen investors here, something that they don't do. Anyone can walk into the US and invest… [but] we must screen our investors… anyone coming here… Of course due diligence, you have to take due diligence but I am not going to pass no laws that makes us lose competitive positions versus the developed world. Why should we do that here in the developing world?" he questioned.
Jagdeo waded into the part of the report that said that there is some "perception of corruption" in the country. "If you go to the (US) General Accountability Office, just type in GAO… and Google it and read some of the back reports you would see billions of dollars every year that they can't account for in the US government… Billions of dollars of corruption in procurement in Iraq. Here we have an audited report that goes to the National Assembly, it makes public debating…"
"But to talk about perception of corruption, I can say that the US is considered to be the most perceived country too because of these things…"
He pointed out that when Transparency International goes to the US it would assess that country on the index based on 41 indicators including statistics but when it came to countries like Guyana they are assessed only on three indicators.
"Let me tell you this… perception index not the corruption index; it always has been a corruption perception, and guess what our three were, one report was done by Clive Thomas. Clive Thomas is an opposition leader. Another report came out of a group that visited for two days, talked to some businessmen, flew out back and the third report was a report they took [from the World Bank] that is how we get on the index…"
He said in Guyana, depending on which private sector agency you talked to, you got a different view. "You have an old private sector that all they want from me is concession and if I don't give them concessions they cuss me… 'Jagdeo doesn't know what he is doing'. They harass us all the time but they are not going to get it; this country is committed to opening up. And I would help the new emerging private sector, not the fossils who grow up in the past and want to live off government patronage. I am not helping them," Jagdeo said to rousing applause.
Human rights record
However, the President said, Guyana has a good relationship with the US as the country gets help to fight HIV and AIDS, it has substantial markets in that country and a lot of Guyanese live there.
"So we are obligated to have a great relationship with that country and we have been receiving some assistance in other areas. But it's the lectures, it's the lectures and then we have a local media corps that will never ask the US ambassador… or someone else about the four or five hundred people that they have and have not charged for five six years in (Guantanamo) prison, who don't have a status…
They would hound us if we have a single incident here but they would never ever go and ask about that and they compare us and they would make this place [the US] the paragon of virtue because of human rights...
"They don't have any right to comment on us here because I feel we have an infinitely better human rights situation here.
We don't profile [people] because of how they look… we don't do that…,"
Jagdeo then said if one should look at the government structure in the US, there is just one black senator even though the African-American population is 13% and there is no African-American representation in the executive arm of the government.
"I am not anti-American, no one should ever see that, what I get concerned about is the lectures and some of our people imbibe these lectures and they feel bad about themselves and they think we are doing badly here. And our media, some of them, just swallow because they are too lazy. Some of them are too lazy to do any work, to read and they just swallow and reflect it… too, too lazy," the President said to clapping and laughing from the officers.
Buddy's
He then spoke about a number of rumours that were circulating during the Rio Group summit that included, Buddy's International Hotel cracking in half, sinking two inches, the Vice-President of Peru falling down and two persons drowning in the pool. He said he made it clear about the assistance to the owner of Buddy's.
"Our assistance is because the ICC said if you don't have 120 rooms in that hotel, you can't host the event. The media knows that… ask Ken Gordon and Chris Dehring if it is true. So we are obligated to them. If we didn't have that hotel we couldn't host the event."
He said that the assistance to Buddy's has been made a race issue, but behind Buddy's Desiree Arthur and Bobby Smith, hard-working decent people, are building a hotel and the government has bought rooms at the facility too for cricket. "They may not be able to complete it, but we wanted to assist and we would assist them to complete the hotel because it is to… improve the hotels in this country. After that we can host any event."
"They said I own 51% of Buddy's now. That's the rumour going around and I don't care. I want you ask you… if you are positive you can overcome anything in this world, so don't contribute to this… go beyond what is written. Don't just read Freddie Kissoon and a couple of others… and take it as gospel. That is not gospel that's rumour-mongering."
The President said the military and the country need to understand what is at stake in the world. He said the international media image about Africa is always negative because all they talk about is famine, drought, genocide and tribal war. "I have gone to Africa. Africa is a wonderful place, you see many, many positive things…"
He said he sees such negativity as a new form of enslavement, "…enslave us through our minds so that we form our opinions about ourselves from their sources of information."
He said this would make the undeveloped world look to the developed world for solutions to problems, as they would feel that all they can generate is problems.
"So I think fundamentally, and I have been arguing this at several of the forums that I have gone to, we need to have international media sources that are more balanced. I see China is doing a bit of that, getting their views out… and there are some TV stations that are popping up now that may give you another side…"
Prior to lambasting the US and the media, the President spoke about government's efforts to further develop the country and about the whole issue of poorer countries' debts to rich nations. He spoke about the country's tax, the improved education sector, eco-tourism and the blossoming oil exploration sector. He touched on the ills of the world in the sense that there are so many poor people in the developing world and instead of the developed countries trying to help, they are instead lamenting about leaders who are championing the rights of the poor. He said a fraction of the US$5 billion spent in Iraq by the US can do a lot for the poor in other countries.
StabroekNews
Don't let drug lords take over
-President tells army top brass -slams US on drugs, rights reports
By Oluatoyin Alleyne
Friday, March 9th 2007
President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday told the top brass of the Guyana Defence Force not to allow criminals and drug lords to take over the country and launched a broadside against the US on a number of fronts.
He said the US is the biggest consumer of drugs and one where money laundering is rampant and yet it wants to lecture countries like Guyana about such issues.
President Jagdeo said that over the last ten years criminal threats have evolved and as a result the policing and joint services techniques must also evolve with the changing nature of crime.
"We can't allow the drug dealers, we can't allow the criminals to take charge of this country or create that image that would slow down development… If we work hard at this we would be able to realise a fuller and better life for our people," the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces said. He said he has seen the joint services evolve over the years as there was a time when protocols between the army and the police were not understood but now they work cohesively to fight crime.
In addressing the opening session of the Annual Officer's Conference of the GDF, the President also spoke of Latin America, unfair media coverage and poverty among other issues, but made no mention of the 30 AK-47s that went missing from the army's headquarters, Camp Ayanganna last year.
It is around a year since the weapons went missing and more than half have still not been recovered. Further, no one has been held accountable for the disappearance of the AK-47s and five pistols.
In a speech that lasted for over an hour, the Head of State opened his criticism of the US by referring to the two recent reports issued by the US State Department on drug trafficking and money laundering and human rights issues in Guyana.
Hypocritical US
"If you look at the assistance we get from the US Government… for the past seven years the direct assistance to fight drug trafficking is about US$20,000 a year… A permanent secretary earns more than US$20,000 a year and that is what we get to fight drug dealers, drug traffickers and money launderers." He mentioned that Colombia got several billion dollars. According to the President, Guyana's debts had to be paid.
"So we need help and this [the drug trafficking problem] is an international problem, but even with our limited resources we have been fighting drug dealers. But let me say this to you… what I find very hypocritical and this is the image issue again, is that a country issues a report about another country then that report goes around the world. But… which is the biggest consuming nation in the world? The United States of America. All of the drugs from Colombia, and from Guyana and from Trinidad and from Suriname and from all around; the heroin from Afghanistan - a significant part of it goes to the United States of America."
The President said it meant that the US's border systems are failing, as it could not stop drugs from entering the country. "And they are telling me to stop the big borders that we have where people don't even live. They can't stop it [the drugs] going in, that is one. Two, it is sold in the streets; this huge bulk of drugs is sold in the streets of the United States of America. So [US] law enforcement, better equipped than ours is failing…," the President said, by this time to a lot of smiling and nodding from army officers.
President Jagdeo concluded that if the drugs are being sold on the US streets then money has to be collected, "so which system has the greatest amount of money laundered? Which country? It is the United States of America. They consume the most drugs, their law enforcement on the borders is failing, the drug is sold on their streets, people pay for the drugs and then it is laundered there. And then they lecture me… and we get $20,000… You never see a report on drug dealing in the United States of America."
Roger Khan
The President said that in last year's report the US said the government gave Roger Khan, who is now in the US on drug charges, a forestry concession. "Absolutely untrue, I met with the US Ambassador, he said they got it from the newspaper, they promised to correct it this year. So guess what happened this year, they said the controversy… surrounding the granting of a timber licence, not that we made an error… and they said we promised to pass legislation to screen people who would go into the forestry sector…
"I didn't promise that. I don't know who promise that, but I am not passing no legislation… If you can find the persons who are doing the laundering or the trafficking (fine) but not to screen investors. They want us to screen investors here, something that they don't do. Anyone can walk into the US and invest… [but] we must screen our investors… anyone coming here… Of course due diligence, you have to take due diligence but I am not going to pass no laws that makes us lose competitive positions versus the developed world. Why should we do that here in the developing world?" he questioned.
Jagdeo waded into the part of the report that said that there is some "perception of corruption" in the country. "If you go to the (US) General Accountability Office, just type in GAO… and Google it and read some of the back reports you would see billions of dollars every year that they can't account for in the US government… Billions of dollars of corruption in procurement in Iraq. Here we have an audited report that goes to the National Assembly, it makes public debating…"
"But to talk about perception of corruption, I can say that the US is considered to be the most perceived country too because of these things…"
He pointed out that when Transparency International goes to the US it would assess that country on the index based on 41 indicators including statistics but when it came to countries like Guyana they are assessed only on three indicators.
"Let me tell you this… perception index not the corruption index; it always has been a corruption perception, and guess what our three were, one report was done by Clive Thomas. Clive Thomas is an opposition leader. Another report came out of a group that visited for two days, talked to some businessmen, flew out back and the third report was a report they took [from the World Bank] that is how we get on the index…"
He said in Guyana, depending on which private sector agency you talked to, you got a different view. "You have an old private sector that all they want from me is concession and if I don't give them concessions they cuss me… 'Jagdeo doesn't know what he is doing'. They harass us all the time but they are not going to get it; this country is committed to opening up. And I would help the new emerging private sector, not the fossils who grow up in the past and want to live off government patronage. I am not helping them," Jagdeo said to rousing applause.
Human rights record
However, the President said, Guyana has a good relationship with the US as the country gets help to fight HIV and AIDS, it has substantial markets in that country and a lot of Guyanese live there.
"So we are obligated to have a great relationship with that country and we have been receiving some assistance in other areas. But it's the lectures, it's the lectures and then we have a local media corps that will never ask the US ambassador… or someone else about the four or five hundred people that they have and have not charged for five six years in (Guantanamo) prison, who don't have a status…
They would hound us if we have a single incident here but they would never ever go and ask about that and they compare us and they would make this place [the US] the paragon of virtue because of human rights...
"They don't have any right to comment on us here because I feel we have an infinitely better human rights situation here.
We don't profile [people] because of how they look… we don't do that…,"
Jagdeo then said if one should look at the government structure in the US, there is just one black senator even though the African-American population is 13% and there is no African-American representation in the executive arm of the government.
"I am not anti-American, no one should ever see that, what I get concerned about is the lectures and some of our people imbibe these lectures and they feel bad about themselves and they think we are doing badly here. And our media, some of them, just swallow because they are too lazy. Some of them are too lazy to do any work, to read and they just swallow and reflect it… too, too lazy," the President said to clapping and laughing from the officers.
Buddy's
He then spoke about a number of rumours that were circulating during the Rio Group summit that included, Buddy's International Hotel cracking in half, sinking two inches, the Vice-President of Peru falling down and two persons drowning in the pool. He said he made it clear about the assistance to the owner of Buddy's.
"Our assistance is because the ICC said if you don't have 120 rooms in that hotel, you can't host the event. The media knows that… ask Ken Gordon and Chris Dehring if it is true. So we are obligated to them. If we didn't have that hotel we couldn't host the event."
He said that the assistance to Buddy's has been made a race issue, but behind Buddy's Desiree Arthur and Bobby Smith, hard-working decent people, are building a hotel and the government has bought rooms at the facility too for cricket. "They may not be able to complete it, but we wanted to assist and we would assist them to complete the hotel because it is to… improve the hotels in this country. After that we can host any event."
"They said I own 51% of Buddy's now. That's the rumour going around and I don't care. I want you ask you… if you are positive you can overcome anything in this world, so don't contribute to this… go beyond what is written. Don't just read Freddie Kissoon and a couple of others… and take it as gospel. That is not gospel that's rumour-mongering."
The President said the military and the country need to understand what is at stake in the world. He said the international media image about Africa is always negative because all they talk about is famine, drought, genocide and tribal war. "I have gone to Africa. Africa is a wonderful place, you see many, many positive things…"
He said he sees such negativity as a new form of enslavement, "…enslave us through our minds so that we form our opinions about ourselves from their sources of information."
He said this would make the undeveloped world look to the developed world for solutions to problems, as they would feel that all they can generate is problems.
"So I think fundamentally, and I have been arguing this at several of the forums that I have gone to, we need to have international media sources that are more balanced. I see China is doing a bit of that, getting their views out… and there are some TV stations that are popping up now that may give you another side…"
Prior to lambasting the US and the media, the President spoke about government's efforts to further develop the country and about the whole issue of poorer countries' debts to rich nations. He spoke about the country's tax, the improved education sector, eco-tourism and the blossoming oil exploration sector. He touched on the ills of the world in the sense that there are so many poor people in the developing world and instead of the developed countries trying to help, they are instead lamenting about leaders who are championing the rights of the poor. He said a fraction of the US$5 billion spent in Iraq by the US can do a lot for the poor in other countries.
StabroekNews
There is no Trevor Atkinson at Port Kaituma
http://guyanaforestry.blogspot.com/2007/03/there-is-no-trevor-atkinson-at-port.html
Atkinson has said in past letters that he is from Port Kaituma but no-one in that community knows such a person.
There is no Trevor Atkinson of Port Kaituma in the Official List of Electors, which is Guyana's national list of eligible voters, and the most recent official census.
The points below are in response to some of the incorrect information in the Atkinson letter.
Atkinson section 2 –
The logging contracts between IWPI and the two Amerindian communities were not negotiated in good faith, and therefore according to Article 55(1)(d) of the Amerindian Act 2006 are void.
Atkinson section 4 –
“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 –
“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 three thousand acres or is for an unexpired period exceeding three years”.
Landlording is illegal under Condition 13 of Timber Sales Agreements (long-term forest harvesting concessions, up to 25 years) –
“The grantee shall not transfer, sublet, 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.”
Landlording is also illegal under Condition 2 of 16 of State Forest Permissions (short-term – 2 years renewable – forest harvesting concessions) -
“This Permit is not transferable without the prior consent in writing of the Commissioner. It may not be assigned or sublet nor may the grantee allow any person to work under it on payment to the Grantee of any consideration whatsoever”.
Landlording can be permitted only with express Presidential authority (the President being the Minister of Forestry, as opposed to the quotidian control by the Minister for Forestry, who is usually also the Minister of Agriculture). There is no evidence that Presidential permission has been requested or granted, according to minutes of the GFC Board of Directors.
Landlording is differentiated from “sprinting” which was a long-standing practice by which concession holders would contract in labour for specific tasks, but without in any way passing on managerial control. “Sprinting” is what is allowed in TSA Condition 14 of Timber Sales Agreements –
“The grantee shall inform the grantor in writing immediately upon engagement of the names of its agents and contractors who are, and the dates when they cease, to carry out its operations in the area”.
Atkinson has said in past letters that he is from Port Kaituma but no-one in that community knows such a person.
There is no Trevor Atkinson of Port Kaituma in the Official List of Electors, which is Guyana's national list of eligible voters, and the most recent official census.
The points below are in response to some of the incorrect information in the Atkinson letter.
Atkinson section 2 –
The logging contracts between IWPI and the two Amerindian communities were not negotiated in good faith, and therefore according to Article 55(1)(d) of the Amerindian Act 2006 are void.
Atkinson section 4 –
“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 –
“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 three thousand acres or is for an unexpired period exceeding three years”.
Landlording is illegal under Condition 13 of Timber Sales Agreements (long-term forest harvesting concessions, up to 25 years) –
“The grantee shall not transfer, sublet, 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.”
Landlording is also illegal under Condition 2 of 16 of State Forest Permissions (short-term – 2 years renewable – forest harvesting concessions) -
“This Permit is not transferable without the prior consent in writing of the Commissioner. It may not be assigned or sublet nor may the grantee allow any person to work under it on payment to the Grantee of any consideration whatsoever”.
Landlording can be permitted only with express Presidential authority (the President being the Minister of Forestry, as opposed to the quotidian control by the Minister for Forestry, who is usually also the Minister of Agriculture). There is no evidence that Presidential permission has been requested or granted, according to minutes of the GFC Board of Directors.
Landlording is differentiated from “sprinting” which was a long-standing practice by which concession holders would contract in labour for specific tasks, but without in any way passing on managerial control. “Sprinting” is what is allowed in TSA Condition 14 of Timber Sales Agreements –
“The grantee shall inform the grantor in writing immediately upon engagement of the names of its agents and contractors who are, and the dates when they cease, to carry out its operations in the area”.
An ordinary citizen, not Barama's defender
Extracted from : http://guyanaforestry.blogspot.com/2007/03/ordinary-citizen-not-baramas-defender.html
An ordinary citizen, not Barama's defender
Kaieteur News
5 March 2007
Dear Editor,
I wish to refer to Mr. Seelochan Beharry's letter in Kaieteur News of Sunday 11th February, 2007, under the caption, “The ‘spin doctors'of Barama have some tough explaining to do”.
I wish to submit the following:
1. Mr. T. Atkinson is Barama's state defender; I am not a defender of the Barama Company. I am simply expressing my views as an ordinary citizen of Guyana. Barama is not a state. It is a logging company registered under the laws of Guyana.
2. Stakeholder's comment: “That the Akawini and St Monica communities are unhappy and are being cheated by the company.” The stakeholder's comments are totally irresponsible since the name of the company was not specified. ASI was also unprofessional in its investigations. The communities mentioned signed a contract for forest harvesting with the Interior Woods Product Inc (IWPI). Payments were made to the communities, but because of embezzlement payments had to be made to the
Ministry of Amerindian Affairs instead until the accounting books of the communities were audited.
What happened was that both the stakeholder and the representatives of the communities failed to tell the ASI the reason why payments were stopped being made to the communities.
Mr. Beharry should stop reacting irresponsibly to second-hand information which is sometimes inaccurate.
3. BCL was fined for not paying its 2% log exporting tax. Can Mr. Beharry submit evidence of this? Or is this another assumption by him?
4. Sub-contracting of State Forest permissions (SFPs) sub-contracting is not a violation of our national laws, since clause 14 of TSAs allows for subcontracting of concessions in conformity with annual operational plans. Mr. Beharry is again inaccurate.
5. The ASI Audit (Consultations) became contaminated because they became heavily dependent on the Guyana Citizens Initiative (GCI) which comprises opposition politicians who are not the prime stakeholders of the forestry sector.
6. Can Mr. Beharry tell the Guyanese and International Communities why he is silent on the Omai Gold Company which claimed that it did not make a profit after 12 years of mining and at the end of 1995 had a reserve of 3.3 million ounces of gold and offered the Guyanese people an “Environmental Disaster?”
Mr. Beharry's “Love” for Guyana is therefore nothing but a lie, since he chooses to wage a vendetta against the BCL while omitting the Omai Gold Company and other companies.
7. Mr. Beharry claims to be patriotic while he lives and writes from abroad. He left Guyana after being disgruntled with the Government of Guyana for not being offered a senior position at the University of Guyana (UG).
8. Barama's exportation of its products does not mean that the company has covered its capital investments in the sector. The matter of being the “best and award-winning company” as applied to Barama is therefore a non-issue in the current forestry debate relating to the claim that the company is making big profits.
9. Mr. Beharry continues to irrelevantly quote me when I said in a previous letter “Amerindian concerns about Barama…were effectively settled a long time ago.” This quotation was in respect to the minor problems some Amerindians had with the BCL at Port Kaituma in 1992 which were resolved but spread by the Marcus Chichester report of 1997.
Mr. Beharry is now using this quotation when he refers to a misleading comment about the Akawini and St Monica communities being cheated.
Trevor Atkinson
An ordinary citizen, not Barama's defender
Kaieteur News
5 March 2007
Dear Editor,
I wish to refer to Mr. Seelochan Beharry's letter in Kaieteur News of Sunday 11th February, 2007, under the caption, “The ‘spin doctors'of Barama have some tough explaining to do”.
I wish to submit the following:
1. Mr. T. Atkinson is Barama's state defender; I am not a defender of the Barama Company. I am simply expressing my views as an ordinary citizen of Guyana. Barama is not a state. It is a logging company registered under the laws of Guyana.
2. Stakeholder's comment: “That the Akawini and St Monica communities are unhappy and are being cheated by the company.” The stakeholder's comments are totally irresponsible since the name of the company was not specified. ASI was also unprofessional in its investigations. The communities mentioned signed a contract for forest harvesting with the Interior Woods Product Inc (IWPI). Payments were made to the communities, but because of embezzlement payments had to be made to the
Ministry of Amerindian Affairs instead until the accounting books of the communities were audited.
What happened was that both the stakeholder and the representatives of the communities failed to tell the ASI the reason why payments were stopped being made to the communities.
Mr. Beharry should stop reacting irresponsibly to second-hand information which is sometimes inaccurate.
3. BCL was fined for not paying its 2% log exporting tax. Can Mr. Beharry submit evidence of this? Or is this another assumption by him?
4. Sub-contracting of State Forest permissions (SFPs) sub-contracting is not a violation of our national laws, since clause 14 of TSAs allows for subcontracting of concessions in conformity with annual operational plans. Mr. Beharry is again inaccurate.
5. The ASI Audit (Consultations) became contaminated because they became heavily dependent on the Guyana Citizens Initiative (GCI) which comprises opposition politicians who are not the prime stakeholders of the forestry sector.
6. Can Mr. Beharry tell the Guyanese and International Communities why he is silent on the Omai Gold Company which claimed that it did not make a profit after 12 years of mining and at the end of 1995 had a reserve of 3.3 million ounces of gold and offered the Guyanese people an “Environmental Disaster?”
Mr. Beharry's “Love” for Guyana is therefore nothing but a lie, since he chooses to wage a vendetta against the BCL while omitting the Omai Gold Company and other companies.
7. Mr. Beharry claims to be patriotic while he lives and writes from abroad. He left Guyana after being disgruntled with the Government of Guyana for not being offered a senior position at the University of Guyana (UG).
8. Barama's exportation of its products does not mean that the company has covered its capital investments in the sector. The matter of being the “best and award-winning company” as applied to Barama is therefore a non-issue in the current forestry debate relating to the claim that the company is making big profits.
9. Mr. Beharry continues to irrelevantly quote me when I said in a previous letter “Amerindian concerns about Barama…were effectively settled a long time ago.” This quotation was in respect to the minor problems some Amerindians had with the BCL at Port Kaituma in 1992 which were resolved but spread by the Marcus Chichester report of 1997.
Mr. Beharry is now using this quotation when he refers to a misleading comment about the Akawini and St Monica communities being cheated.
Trevor Atkinson
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