It's a little-known natural wonder just north of Australia, but the Sepik River is at the centre of a bitter dispute over development.
It's reports like these that brought Port Moresby lawyer Arthur Dalye to the meeting at Edwaki. He journeyed two days by air, road, boat and foot to collect the landowners' evidence for an NGO he works for, which is investigating potential legal action against the loggers.
Another, who identified himself as the chairman of a land group, claimed someone else signed consent forms for him, but the company insists it has proper consent and pays people fairly.Others spoke of police intimidation if they opposed the loggers. "If landowners resist, the police threaten us with their guns," a man named David told the crowd. "You still resist, they lock you in a shipping container.
The logging company in Edwaki, Malaysian-owned Global Elite, said it has a security arrangement with PNG Police because of law-and-order issues in the area. It pays for the officers’ food and accommodation but said it’s “appalling that one could suggest that police are tools of the company.” The country’s Police Commissioner, David Manning, denied any formal arrangement with logging companies and said those put in place by his predecessors have been torn up. Police are banned from working at logging sites, he said, but there are “continuous concerns” about the actions of “rogue” officers.
Arthur Dalye at the 'log pond' at Elamoli, where timber awaits transport to foreign countries including China.
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