OVERVIEW: The article presents further evidence of gross
violations of indigenous peoples rights--including bribery
and destruction of sacred sites in Vanuatu. The article is
scanned from the Post Courier, a PNG newspaper.
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Loggers destroy people's sacred sites in Vanuatu
Source: Post Courier
Thursday June 9, 1994
By Harry Momos
Page 13
PORT VILA: Vanuatu government cultural officials alleged
yesterday that foreign logging companies had bribed
landowners to gain access to protected areas and had
destroyed traditional sites.
"I think there is bribery, and a lot of us do not agree with
that," said Jerry Taki, an official of the Vanuatu Cultural
Centre, which protects and studies the South Pacifie nation's
heritage.
He was referring to operations by foreign loggers - including
Chinese and Malaysian companies - on the timber-rich southern
island of Erromango.
"I gave (loggers) a copy of site reports showing where the
taboo places are located, but traditional sites, some of them
containing taboo stones, are being spoiled," he said.
"There is no respect."
However, he conceded that occasionally logging companies had
changed the course of roads to avoid particularly important
traditional sites, including ancient trees.
The Vanuatu government decided on May 26 to restrict logging
and ban timber exports from June 15 following the release of
an Australian-funded environmental damage report.
The decision mainly affected four companies logging on
Erromango with licences issued last year that allowed them to
exceed the recommended quotas of the study, said government
spokeswoman Yvette Sam.
The government decided to halve the number of logging-
companies in Erromango to two within a month and to restrict
the volume of wood cut in Vanuatu to an annual 25,000 cubic
metres, as recommended by the report.
It would also ban all wood exports from June 15 to encourage
processing within Vanuatu.
David Roe, project manager of the Vanuatu Cultural and
Historical Sites Survey, warned cultural officials on Friday
of the environmental damage already caused by logging in the
Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
Roe said land owners should "think first before they sign
anything" with the logging companies, urging them to note the
laws concerning the preservation of sites and artifacts.
"If the agreement is not well-drafted, damages will be caused
to your environment and you will have no legal resort," he
said.
Landowners must complete a log harvest plan containing
safeguards, he said.
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