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| Greenpeace claims ‘scurrilous’ | |
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GREENPEACE has pulled a stunt in
PNG with false allegations about illegal logging to pressure the
Australian government to breach World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules and
restrict imports of timber from PNG, a trade expert said yesterday. Alan Oxley was referring to an ABC report that Greenpeace activists had boarded a vessel which they claimed was carrying illegal timber from Rimbunan Hijau (PNG). He said Rimbunan Hijau (RH) had confirmed it was not its timber and to the best of its knowledge, the timber was not illegally logged. He said had the ABC checked with the company before it filed the story, it would have learnt the same thing. “This is just a continuation of Greenpeace’s scurrilous and unethical campaign to halt commercial forestry in PNG,” he said in a statement released in Melbourne. “Rimbunan Hijau should be congratulated for leading introduction of monitoring systems in PNG that demonstrate their timber products are legal. “Instead, like a bully, Greenpeace is singling out the good guy, the largest company, to attack with unsubstantiated allegations.” Mr Oxley said Greenpeace should be censured for pushing strategies that would increase poverty in PNG. He pointed out Greenpeace’s declared aim was to stop commercial forestry in PNG and replace it with community forestry, a strategy which he said would eliminate 10,000 jobs and over A$100 million (K232.5 million) in tax revenue. He added that vital education and health facilities provided by the timber industry because regional governments could not, would also be lost. Mr Oxley said Greenpeace specialised in breaking the law to publicise its campaigns and now was pressing the Australian government to break international trade law to ban timber imports which were not even illegal. He said a lot of people gave Greenpeace a lot of money in good faith. “They should have a good look at Greenpeace’s ethics before they gave anymore.” |
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