Malmal Village

Leaders urged to support call to cancel all SABL leases

The call also goes to provincial and district administrations to take up the responsibility of protecting the people in affected SABL areas.

Customary landowner Anna Sipona from Malmal Village in Pomio District, East New Britain Province says every time they seek help and advice from the district administration and provincial government they get turned down.

Sipona said these government agencies and the local leaders are supposed to advise them on the right thing to do and help them get their concerns through to the Government.

Customary landowner: SABL exploits human rights

Customary landowner Anna Sipona from Malmal Village in west Pomio said the SABL is a strange concept to the people of Pomio that promotes human rights abuse.

Representing the silent majority in the affected villages in west Pomio, Sipona said the SABL issue is not just about land and logging but about the human rights of women and children.

“Women and children are the biggest losers in this land grab and it is just another form of abuse.