Precision Woodworking must be congratulated on exporting furniture to the Caribbean

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56517953

Stabroek News

Wednesday, April 11th 2007

Dear Editor, Precision Woodworking has done it again. It has succeeded in establishing new markets in the Caribbean. Quality wooden products have always been in demand and it is a shame for Guyana to have only one quality oriented firm in Precision Woodworking showing those outside what dedication can achieve. I congratulate the Bulkans on their achievement, they have maintained this record of excellence since Precision's inception. Guyana has the ability to create the best furniture in the world, it has the best lumber for both furniture and industrial uses. The Chinese buy the premium logs and create furniture for buyers in North America and elsewhere. The forestry industry in Guyana has been asleep for so long and very few people have shown any interest in achieving what Precision has done, they are satisfied in selling firewood and rough lumber. The Caribbean countries buy lots of quality finished lumber from North America, kiln dried and quality dressed lumber is foreign to Guyanese. The lack of vision is evidenced in the closure of several sawmills. For several years the Bulkans and a few others have been talking about banning the export of prime furniture species, they can do only so much, the administrations, both past and present showed little interest in the timber industry, they were and are interested in fighting over bare bones. They lack enterprise and are not interested in listening to those in the know. The late Capt. Fedna Stoll patented a process for Solar Dehydration which was /is applicable to lumber and foodstuff. I went with him to both administrations, PNC/PPP for assistance in promoting his patented process, we also visited Caricom. Nothing was ever achieved and a lot of time was wasted. Several leaders of industry were approached, they wanted the process for free. Sadly Fedna is no more and a process that could have transformed the landscape of Guyana was just a dream. Yours faithfully, Vijay Singh

Village leaders more empowered to deal with Amerindian issues

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56517873
Stabroek News

Tuesday, April 10th 2007

Village leaders are now more empowered to deal with issues pertaining to land rights, forestry, mining and governance after completing a three-day workshop last month at the Foreign Service Institute, the Government Information Agency (GINA) said. The workshop's facilitator, international lawyer Melinda Janki worked with the Community Development Officers (CDOs) and village toshaos and councillors to educate them on the New Amerindian Act as it applies to the Constitution and the lives of Amerindians. She said the workshop was conducted because the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs felt that more training on the Act was needed to further sustainability and governance within Amerindian communities. According to GINA, it was intended to strengthen and encourage problem-solving skills among the leaders, and to enable them to become more proactive to deal with problems in their respective communities. Participants felt that it was an excellent, educative process, which enabled them to better understand the Amerindian Act, GINA said, and it would assist them to execute their duties more efficiently when they return to their various communities. GINA quoted Moraikobai's Toshao Colin Andrews as saying that, "It's going to help in the implementation of what is in the New Act. What we are doing here is putting systems in place to deal with issues arising in our different communities." Among the communities that were represented were Santa Mission, Orealla, Waini, Moraikobai and Muritaro. The Act allows Amerindians to control their lands and the resources therein which include forestry and mining. The Act, GINA added, also sets out that Amerindians are responsible for managing and maintaining their natural resources in a sustainable manner and to improve the lives of community members.

Patriotism or hypocrisy?

http://www.kaieteurnews.com/

Patriotism or hypocrisy?
Kaieteur News, 10 April 2007

Dear Editor,

I wish to refer to a letter under the caption “Guyanese need
enlightenment on the operations of foreign companies who extract our
resources” in your issue of Sunday, March 25, 2007 and written by
Alfred Bhulai.

In relation to the letter, I wish to state the following:

1. Mr. Bhulai has completely misinterpreted my letter of Saturday, 17th
March, 2007 carried in the Stabroek News under the caption “Omai also
made no profit.”

2. The letter, among other things, seeks to expose the ambiguity and
hypocrisy of Mr. Seelochan Beharry's patriotic claims.

Mr. Beharry said, “I will neither watch nor participate in the
destruction of Guyana and the Guyanese people” (KN 5th Feb, 2007). Mr.
Beharry was “silent” over the environmental disaster caused by Omai on
August 19, 1995. Mr Beharry further said, “We cannot claim to love
Guyana and continue to be silent. Silence means consent.” (KN 11th Feb,
2007). Mr. Beharry was also “silent” over the “non-profitability”
claims by Omai after more than ten years of gold mining operations in
our country.

While Mr Beharry was silent over the non-profit claims by Omai, he was
quick to condemn Barama for making similar claims, in his spate of
letters to the press. Mr. Beharry has, therefore, further exposed his
“bias” as he continues to wage his vendetta against the Barama Company.

3. It is only a forester or those engaged in the forestry profession
who can articulate forest issues in a technically sound manner for
public consumption.

This cannot be done by a pastry maker, chemistry teacher, or even a
lecturer in political science, because forestry is not their field of
study. Even the juries are sometimes assisted by judges in
decision-making in difficult cases.

4. Mr. Bhulai, in typical Saharan Ostrich behaviour, begged writers
such as Janette Bulkan and Mr. Beharry to continue enlightening the
people of Guyana. This is good advice, but providing the information
they present is both factual and accurate.

It was Ms Bulkan who said that sub-letting of concessions is a
violation of our national laws, but she was corrected by Paul Taylor,
who said that “sub-letting” is permitted under Clause 14 of TSAs, which
allows for the employment of agents and contractors. Ms. Bulkan was
even accused of manipulation our forest laws to support her own
position (SN Saturday, January 27, 2007). Ms Bulkan went further to say
that there was “transfer pricing” in the sale of our logs overseas, but
the Hon. Minister of Agriculture said publicly that the accusations
were unfounded, since investigations were carried out and there was no
evidence of “transfer pricing” in the sale of logs overseas (SN Monday,
January 29, 2007).

5. It is definitely not my intention to use Omai so as to justify
Barama's non-profit claims, but rather to expose Mr. Beharry's
patriotic ambiguity towards Guyana.

6. The Omai cyanide spill of August 1995 caused severe social and
economic suffering to thousands of riverain residents.

It is therefore both callous and unacceptable for Mr Bhulai to state
that the toxicity of the cyanide was diminished to “tolerable levels”
by the “mighty Essequibo River” soon after the big spill.

This is certainly a guess on the part of Mr. Bhulai, because the force
of the flow of cyanide-tainted water into the Essequibo River was
constant for over one week as a result of the sudden collapse of the
tailings pond dam. Further, the heavy concentrations of cyanide could
not be upwards, by downwards in the direction of Parika, where
communities from Siriki to Fort Island and Morashi were severely
affected.

7. Mr. Bhulai said that he has much expertise in chemical engineering.
Can he say why he was excluded from the public commission of enquiry
set up to investigate the cyanide spill? The commission of enquiry
comprised both local and international experts. For Mr. Bhulai to just
say that he did not want to go beyond “vested interests” is definitely
mind boggling.

8. The Public Commission of Enquiry, after six months of public
hearings, concluded that at no time was the contaminated water a
serious threat to life, nor was there any credible evidence that the
spill, in any way, posed a hazard to the health of the (OGML) workers
or the riverain residents (1995 Golden Star Resources Ltd. Report). Can
Mr. Bhulai tell the Guyanese people if he agrees with the commission's
finding?

Trevor Atkinson

Three large gold-mining operations to come on stream - Miners' association

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article_general_news?id=56517764

Sunday, April 8th 2007

The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) is confident that at least three large gold-mining operations will be fully on stream in another two years and one of them might commence earlier, providing jobs to the gold sector and boosting the economy. But the association expressed concern about the introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) in light of long-standing fiscal concessions for operators in the sector. The three companies are Sacre-Coeur Minerals Inc, a Canadian gold-mining firm carrying out exploration in Million Mountain in the Northwest District; Strata Gold Corporation of Canada prospecting in Region One (Barima/Waini) and Guyana Goldfields, a company which has been prospecting in Guyana since July 1996. Guyana Goldfields shareholder base comprises thousands of US and Canadian retail investors, a significant number of major institutional investors, as well as The International Finance Corpo-ration, the private investment arm of the World Bank. Speaking to this newspaper last week, Executive Secretary of the GGDMA Edward Shields said that because of VAT, many of the companies were uncertain about how the government would treat their concessions, and while this was being resolved, no work was being done on the ground. Shields indicated too that because of the uncertainties about the existing incentive regimes, goods for the companies that were on the various wharves in the city had not be cleared and put into use. However, the matter had now been resolved between the government and the association, and all existing incentive regimes would be honoured by the government. The association said that it had made representation to the government and was awaiting a meeting with the president to speak on the current challenges. Shields said that the association was also engaging the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) on tax issues. The Minister of Finance is to make regulations to allow for the adjustment to the schedule to enable the mining companies to retain their incentives. Shields is of the view that Guyana does not have the kind of incentive regimes in place which would really attract investment in the mining sector. He said that at a recent forum overseas, officials from the Guyana Geo-logy and Mines Commission (GGMC) were stumped when people wanted to know about the incentives they would get if they decided to invest. Geological Services Manager at the GGMC Kampta Persaud said that with the amount of preliminary work that is left to be done, he didn't see any of the companies being able to commence production before the end of 2008. He said that they still had to complete all their work and bring in their equipment. According to Persaud, Sacre-Coeur may be the project to begin extraction first, given the progress that had been made on the ground. The association said that the local mining industry had just concluded the best year in the history of gold and diamond mining and was confident that within the next two years - based on certified data from the large-scale prospecting operators - at least three operations larger than Omai Gold mines should begin work. The association requested that miners be aware of the "external forces that are gathering on the horizon, who have no interest in the development of Guyana, but whose sole purpose is for gold and diamond mining in Guyana to cease." According to the association in a 25th anniversary bulletin, the industry employs directly between 14,000 and 15,000 people, "which means that at least 56,000 to 60,000 (average four persons per household) benefit directly from the production of gold and diamonds." It said too that foreign prospecting companies like the three mentioned provide employment for an additional 2,000 persons. The bulletin said that for 2006 the industry had generated US$106M in foreign currency and $1.5 billion in royalty and taxes. It went on to say that the Guyana Gold Board purchased $20 billion worth of gold from small and medium miners in 2006 and that the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission earned approximately $276M in royalties from a declaration of 340,000 carats of diamonds. Rental paid to the GGMC amounted to $700M in 2006. The mining sector at present purchases capital equipment at a cost of between $4 and $5 billion annually and contributes significantly to manufacturers of steel products as well as equipment companies that specialise in the mining industry. The bulletin said that mining had created a network of roads that was necessary for the development of the hinterland and which also benefited the forestry, tourism and agriculture industries in addition to indigenous communities. It added that among the benefits over the years was ensuring the economic survival of Amerindian communities in the mining districts as well as the development of communities such as Bartica, Mahdia, Imbaimadai, Kurupung, Ekereku, Enachu and others.

Precision Woodworking secures major breakthrough in regional furniture market

Local furniture compares favourably with Far East products

Friday, April 6th 2007
Stabroek News
http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56517687

Export breakthrough: Some of the finest of Precision furniture

Local furniture manufacturer Precision Woodworking Ltd has realised a major breakthrough for Guyana's manufacturing sector by securing markets for its products in five Caricom territories just months after launching a major marketing drive in the region.

Speaking with Stabroek Business earlier this week Managing Director Ronald Bulkan disclosed that the company had secured markets for its furniture in Barbados, Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Grenada and had already begun exporting to those countries. "The success of our marketing initiative in the region has far exceeded our expectations and we are currently exploring market possibilities in the Bahamas, Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago", Bulkan told said.

And according to Bulkan the size of the regional market was well in excess of what Precision can produce. He said the company's marketing breakthrough pointed the way for other local entrepreneurs to pursue similar manufacturing ventures. "It would probably take four Precisions to satisfy the market," Bulkan said.

Bulkan told Stabroek Business that the feedback which Precision had received from its representatives in the region, all of whom were established furniture retailers, indicated that the locally produced furniture compared favourably with imports from suppliers in the Far East in terms of both price and quality. "When we consider that the Far East is the premier supplier of high quality furniture in the world this is a major accolade for Guyana," Bulkan told Stabroek Business.

According to Bulkan the company's success on the regional furniture market had demonstrated that it was possible for local manufacturers to compete successfully without the aid of subsidies.

Precision Woodworking has already established a reputation for the successful overseas marketing of its high-quality furniture. The company has made major inroads into the British market despite strong competition, particularly from Asian manufacturers.

Precision Woodworking has been in the forefront of an increasingly vigorous local lobby to restrict the export of raw timber from Guyana. Proponents of reduced timber exports have argued that the country needs to add value to its timber exports in order to enhance earnings from the forestry sector. According to Bulkan while government had already taken steps in the direction of sharply reducing timber exports, those steps still remained to be actualised.

BEWARE THE EQUATOR PRINCIPLES

www.forestryanddevelopment.com
April 2007

BEWARE THE EQUATOR PRINCIPLES
22 March 2007: International banks HSBC and Credit Suisse have come
under pressure from NGOs such as Global Witness, who claim that the
institutions have breached their own sustainability guidelines.

The banks played a managerial role in the IPO for Samling, a
Malaysian-based timber company. But, as signatories to the Equator
Principles, they have made a voluntary agreement not to provide
financial assistance to commercial logging operations in primary
tropical moist forest, as defined by International Finance Corporation
guidelines.

The Equator Principles have gained popularity among international
banking institutions. Although they are voluntary and non-binding,
they increase exposure to external pressure from NGOs with respect to
environmental policy. The case involving Samling indicates that
financial institutions may not be aware of the details and
ramifications of signing up to the Principles.

Read the HSBC Forest Land and Forest Products Sector sustainability
guidelines here.

Akawini Village Council Press Release

15th March 16, 2007
Akawini Village Council Press Release
Akawini Village Forest Resources under Siege by Logging Company
We the residents of the Akawini Amerindian Village, Pomeroon in Region 2 are facing
the destruction and loss of our forest resources that has sustained our people for
generations.
We are faced with this situation ever since the day that we signed an agreement with a
logging company by the name of Interior Wood Products Incorporated (IWPI). The
representative of this company, namely Basdeo Singh told us in 2004 that he wanted to
enter into an agreement with our village to harvest logs. He showed us a draft agreement
which he said had the blessings of the Minister of Amerindian Affairs. Also present at this
meeting was Peter Persaud who clamed to represent the Amerindian people, Luvindra
Sukraj who said that he was a representative of the Guyana Forestry Commision, GFC,
Wesley Bell, a Region 2 RDC representative and Lloyd Perreira, Community
Development Officer, CDO Region 2 who said that he was representing the Ministry. The
village agreed to sign the agreement based on the representation made to us by the
officials present. We were placed into groups and given about five minutes to study the
agreement though we did not understand the legal language in the agreement.
Shortly after this meeting and the signing of the agreement the Minister of Amerindian
Affairs (MoAA) sent the Council a letter stating that she had never seen the agreement
that Basdeo Singh claimed had her approval. The Minister also made contact with GFC
who said that they also had never seen that agreement. Then in July 2005 Basdeo Singh
came to our Village again, this time he was accompanied by OvidWilliams of the MoAA.
They said that they had brought an amended version of the first agreement.
At this meeting we told Basdeo Singh that he had lied to us the first time and we do not
trust him and therefore we would not sign any agreement. He threatened us that if we did
not sign the agreement he would go ahead and work with the old agreement and the
royalties would be paid directly to the MoAA. He also threatened to take the Village
Council to court. Ovid Williams at this time also strongly stated that if we did not sign
the agreement then it meant that we did not respect his office and that of the Minister.
Only because of the circumstances under which we were placed we signed the agreement.
This, we regret to this day as the livelihood of our people is now threatened.
As soon as the agreement was signed we saw heavy duty machinery such as bulldozers,
logging trucks and excavators come onto our village lands. After some time we learnt that
the heavy duty machinery belonged to Barama Company and that Basdeo Singh took a
sub-contact with Barama Company. This he did without consulting with the Council as
required by the agreement. When we confronted Mr. Singh to obtain a copy of the subcontract
he promised to send one but he never did. It seems to us that Barama company
which is fully operating in village lands is being sheltered by IWPI.
Small scale loggers mainly villagers were stopped from logging by IWPI by means of an
injunction and GFC tags and removal permits are withheld from the village and given to
IWPI only. These tags and permits allow us to cut and ship logs and now that we are
unable to do so many people have no means of income and cannot provide for most of
their basic needs. The Council is also affected since no royalty comes from the small
scale loggers. Even the royalty from IWPI the Council does not receive, as this is
withheld by the MoAA.
We are calling on the Minister of Amerindian Affairs, The President, The Government
and the citizens of Guyana to support us in our efforts to end this agreement which was
negotiated with us in bad faith. We ask that the State do all in its power to protect our
rights as individuals, as a community and as Indigenous Peoples.
The Akawini Village Council.

Rainforest communities campaign against Malaysian Samling Group

3 April 2007
MEDIA RELEASE, BRUNO MANSER FONDS, BASEL / SWITZERLAND
Rainforest communities campaign against Malaysian Samling Group
Protests against logging on native lands in Sarawak and Guyana
Indigenous people living in tropical rainforests in Malaysia and Guyana are stepping up the
campaign against the Samling group, one of Malaysia´s leading timber companies.
In Malaysia, four nomadic and semi-nomadic Penan communities living on the Limbang river in the
North of the state of Sarawak launched a joint appeal to the international public. They urge Credit
Suisse, HSBC and Macquarie Securities, the three banks who have sponsored Samling´s recent
public listing, to stop supporting the timber giant.
"Samling is destroying our last remaining rainforest in the Upper Limbang", headman Awing Tubai
said on behalf of the Penan communities. "We need clean water for drinking and fishing and intact
forests where we can gather our food and other forest products." Samling has already logged large
areas of primary tropical forests in the Upper Limbang river area, close to the Batu Lawi, a
mountain which the Penan consider to be holy. The appeal against the loggers is endorsed by the
communities of Long Nyakit, Long Peresek, Long Adang and Long Keneng.
In the South American state of Guyana, the Akawini Amerindian Village asked the Government for
support to end an agreement with a Samling-subsidiary, which was negotiated with them in bad
faith. In July 2005, the community was made to sign an agreement which favoured a shelter
company for the Guyanese Samling subsidiary Barama Co. Ltd. "As soon as the agreement was
signed we saw heavy duty machinery such as bulldozers, logging trucks and excavators come onto
our village lands. After some time we learnt that the heay-duty machinery belonged to Barama
Company", the Akawini village council stated.
In a press statement, the Akawini Village Council said that the villagers were threatened they would
be taken to court unless they signed an agreement allowing logging on their lands. "Only because of
the circumstances under which we were placed we signed the agreement. This, we regret to this day
as the livelihood of our people is now threatened." The Amerindians fear the destruction and loss of
their forest resources through the Samling subsidiary´s activities.
The Samling Group holds 1,6 million hectares of tropical forest concessions in Guyana and 1,4
million hectares in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. On the occasion of its public listing at the Hong
Kong stock exchange, 37 organisations from 18 countries asked investors and banks to shun the
company for its failure to comply with basic environmental and social standards.
For more information, please contact us:
Bruno Manser Fonds
Heuberg 25
4051 Basel / Switzerland
www.bmf.ch
Tel. +41 61 261 94 74
info@bmf.ch