Sharing the Future - Young Papua New Guineans

Dear Friends,

For nearly two decades now, the people of the Bel and Ari communities in Madang Province have suffered from land grabbing and social injustice at the hands of RD Tuna, a Filipino Tuna company.

When talks of the establishment of a tuna canning factory first came to Madang, Papua New Guinea in 1995, community facilitators from Bismarck Ramu Group were out in the potential impact communities raising awareness on the environmental and social impact this establishment will have on the lives of the communities.

These informed communities put up resistance, however, the Government of Papua New Guinea (GoPNG) gave the ok and RD Tuna Cannery set up shop in Madang in 1997. Nearly 2 decades later and the negative impact of this one tuna factory far out way the good.

Despite the glaring evidence of the destruction of tuna factories in Madang, the GoPNG is now pushing for the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ) which will host ten (10) tuna factories. Protests and petitions over the years to address the numerous issues of this Special Economic Zone continue to fall on deaf ears.

The principal custodian of Vidar land where PMIZ is located is the Seg Clan. Their history show that Vidar was stolen from them and sold off. Since the Madang Catholic Archdiocese sold the land to the GoPNG the two parties refuse to acknowledge the cultural rights of the Seg Clan and their responsibility to protect it.

The Seg Clan are determined to take back control over their land and their wellbeing, however, they do not have the capacity to rally support from individuals, groups and the GoPNG and have approached Bismarck Ramu Group to assist.

In the last three months of 2015, Bismarck Ramu Group assisted the Seg Clan by providing meeting space and transportation for individuals and groups to meet with the Seg Clan. Bismarck Ramu Group was able to do video and print documentation of how the PMIZ project is affecting the lives and livelihood of the Seg Clan and surrounding communities. These documnetation were shared with the national and provincial main stream media and on social media as well.

With that the attached links have captured an insight into illegal land grabbing approaches for development and the strong resentment shown by the traditional landowners towards PMIZ and its associated feature of Special Economic Zones.

Also these links provided an overview of the GoPNG intention to initiate development through PMIZ as cabinet minister Richard Maru puts it and what are the potive outcomes that will sustain the local people and their communities.

We hope these will give you some sense of the fight the people of Seg Clan are engaged in and how Bismarck Ramu Group has been assisting them.

Thank you for your time and consideration.