RADIO NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL
THE Governor of Papua New Guinea's Oro Province, Gary Juffa MP, has vowed to keep fighting companies conducting illegal logging in his province.
Mr Juffa and his Oro government took action last year to prevent two foreign logging companies from operating in the province after their operations were found to be illegal.
He says there are many illegal logging operations still taking place around the country, and that there appears to be no political will in the Peter O'Neill-led government to stop it.
Mr Juffa has joined with Oro landowners in a court case against logging companies who operate outside the law.
"We will ban those machines and we will take care of those people for trespassing on our land, in whatever way we possibly can,” he said.
“And I do not give two bits about what the national government thinks about that.
“We will protect our resources and our interests as aggressively as we possibly can."
Mr Juffa has criticised the government for not revoking dozens of Special Agricultural Business Leases which are still in place despite being found by a Commission of Inquiry three years ago to be largely fraudulent.
