Authority only responsible for issuing logging permits: Mirisim
FORESTRY Minister Solan Mirisim says the PNG Forestry Authority (PNGFA) is only responsible for issuing permits to loggers.
Mirisim said the PNGFA used the forest clearance authority (FCA) or forest management agreement (FMA) to issue permits to logging companies.
Responding to questions on illegal workers at logging camps, Mirisim said giving work visas and work permits was the job of the Immigration and Labour departments.
“Logging permits are given through the normal process,” he said. “Once a logger applies we give them the license or permit
“But how they employ people into working at their logging camps is not our business.
“We don’t know how they do that.
“It’s good that they are carrying out the inspections in Northern because there is human trafficking taking place and we don’t know how they bring them in.
“We normally have a team consisting of Immigrations, Labour, Police and Defence Force personnel going around to check this but our funds were moved under the Public Finance Money Management Regularisation Act.
“If provincial governments are serious about taking action like Northern Governor Gary Juffa is doing, that will be good to clamp down on illegal immigrants,” he said.
Mirisim said labour and immigrations needed to visit all the camps to ensure that the employees followed proper laws and procedures. Governor Juffa said the loggers should abide by laws of the country.
“If they are ignoring our laws then we should no longer entertain them.”
Juffa said he would be putting forward some amendments to the existing laws for the penalties to be increased.
He said companies should have higher penalties imposed on them.
Immigrations and Border Security Minister Westly Nukundj said a foreigner had to have a travel document and work permit issued by the Labour Department.
“After the work permit is issued they apply for the visa which is the responsibility of Immigrations.
“When we see that work permit is issued then we grant them a visa,” Nukundj said.
“As to where they work, it all depends on who engaged them in the country.
“The company employing them is responsible for all the paper work to bring them into the county.
“Now that we have issued instructions for the operations in Northern, we will be doing the same in other provinces,” Nukundj said.
2 comments
Minister Mirisim gives a very lame response to the question of illegal immigrants working in logging in PNG. He states that the only work PNGFA does is issue permits for logging. When he issues the permits he should also be warning the logging companies that they are not allowed to employ illegal immigrants. Let’s take a guess that the PNGFA issues 6-12 permits per year. He claims that PNGFA does nothing else. Issuing a measly 12 permits per year does not justify the K100,000 salary of the Secretary of PNGFA. Are there four people or eight employed at PNGFA? Only one employee is needed to issue 12 permits. This is money being wasted on government bureaucracy. At least 50% of government employees have nothing significant to do. They are being given big salaries for doing nothing. Wake up Parliament! When are the Members of Parliament going to roused from their slumber and eliminate 50% of government jobs? Right now the enormous government bureaucracy is draining the PNG economy and nobody is doing anything about it.
Do the parliamentarians know their jobs or responsibilities?? We are freaking talking about the welfare of PNGns. What I see here is each one is trying to tell the other what to do or not to do!!! Simply put, they are just learning!
Someone, please teach these clowns to be real leaders, get up and command respect from foreigners raping our resources and make it their business that this IS THEIR BLOODY LAND!
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