Kaieteur News exposed as being dishonest. The newspaper used pictures of logs and a ship belonging to other persons/companies which it then attributed to Bai Shan Lin

This is the usual frontline attempts at rebuttal by the crooks in office who are at the heart of the graft scheme by the Chinese loggers.

Lets get something straight. I can post a hundred responses to the same question from dozens of nations with similar apologists giving similar responses that all is well in the land of Chinese loggers. In the end they all become wealthy, the nation becomes a denuded environmental waste land.

There is not one state on the planet where the chinese logged that got any benefit. The PPP can say all they want that is the reality.

They will get about 16 million from logging this year....the Chinese gets more than that from its rental of a little more than a dozen pandas to the US. The Pandas are treated guests and the nation has to spend millions more taking care of their very need. Every Baby panda gets sent back to china. And by the way, the Chinese do not log. They have a moratorium on their forest going on two decades. Their forest area  has increased by 30 percent over that time. In less than that we would have decreased by almost 100%

These apologists need to be tarred and feathered for their evil

The simpler thing to do would be to respond to what the gentleman in the video is saying with facts.

 As I said, I have seen him in many faces in many places saying the same thing in different language. He could have been a robot. The point is he cannot over come the massive display of destruction and pillage by his clients, the Chinese. He works for them not us.

We are being robbed...16 million for all that destruction is favorable to you creeps but not to the rest of us. 

Here is what others say

7 Comments

1. 

   <cite class="fn">X Witness</cite>

   (# 1) 23 April 2013 at 8:44 pm

   How much of that $1,800 per hectare is ending up in the pockets of Messrs Jagdeo, Ramotar and Hinds, I wonder??

    
2. 

   <cite class="fn">H_Ali</cite>

   (# 2) 23 April 2013 at 9:00 pm

   And the Norwegians still giving Bharat Jagdeo the millions of dollars, despite evidence of the wanton increase of deforestation!

    
3. 

   <cite class="fn">RACO5</cite>

   (# 3) 25 April 2013 at 9:50 pm

   Why Guyanese people have to put up with such BULL….

    
4. 

   <cite class="fn">Chris Lang</cite>

   (# 4) 25 April 2013 at 9:59 pm

   @RACO5 (#3) – I’m glad you agree. Bharrat Jagdeo has got away for far too long with promising internationally to do something about deforestation and degradation while simultaneously supporting logging companies in Guyana.

    
5. 

   <cite class="fn">Growing Guyana</cite>

   (# 5) 28 September 2013 at 3:12 pm

   Chinese companies cannot be trusted! The Chinese have ruined the air, water and land quality in their own country (I lived there for three years) and they would certainly not have no problem destroying the forest, land, air, etc. of another for profit. Politics is a messy game, and of all the good things Jagdeo has done for Guyana (including the deal with Norway), this deal with the Chinese was a serious misstep. The lack of money is the root of all corruption. All developing countries need to watch out for backhanded deals made with pariah companies, especially, countries with a small population and weak police force.

    
6. 

   <cite class="fn">My Guyana</cite>

   (# 6) 2 December 2013 at 2:17 am

   This company is in Guyana, but acting as if they are in China. The conditions that the few Guyanese that are working there under are atrocious. Their primary camp at Haimarakabra is a health and safety nightmare, and a typhoid trap. Guyanese workers are treated with the utmost disregard and constantly looked down upon. Someone should really check into this!

   They road building process is poorly planned, and as such the level of destruction to the forest is beyond what is necessary. The roads are being built so as the reduce the investment in bridges, so creeks are filled with debris and and earth in an effort to bridge with a few logs and and earth. The damage to micro-habitats is unbelievable. My heart breaks for my country when I think about this!!!!They have already begun to export logs, the relationship with members from of the Kwakwani community is one of use and abuse. How can we tolerate this as Guyanese, in our own country by people who have in their minds that ‘we come to give you money, not take away money like the Chinese in the city’?

    
7. 

   <cite class="fn">Mike Persaud</cite>

   (# 7) 14 August 2014 at 11:36 am

   August 14, 2014
   Over the last few days Kaieteur News has done an excellent expose and produced a video showing totally unrestrained exploitation of the forest – lots of container trucks shipping out thousands of logs, ship on the Kwakwani river, fields with thousands of logs to be loaded and shipped out. None of it monitored by the government.
   Such massive deforestation. Absolute devastation. Absolute disaster.

   Question: Isn’t there an agreement between Norway and Guyana – Norway pays Guyana $250 million to keep its forest trees standing. Has this agreement been torn up?
   Question: Bai Shan Lin is one of a group of eleven companies with concessions and licenses to cut down our forest. How did this happen? In the dead of night? Our parliament did not approve this? Who did? Did president Jagdeo have the sole authority without approval from parliament to make these deals with China? I believe president Jagdeo exceeded his authority. No constitution anywhere (except in totalitarian societies)in the world gives a president such powers. I believe president operated here like a lone ranger.
   Two things need to happen immediately:
   (1) Bai Shan Lin’s operations should be suspended immediately.
   (2) President Jagdeo and Bai Shan Lin should be summoned before the Guyana parliament – both to make full disclosures of this deal. All agreements must be renegotiated – and limits, controls and proper monitoring be implemented. This is necessary so that the Norwegians don’t cancel the $250 mil carbon storage deal.

Bai Shan Lin logging scandal…Evidence more than enough to warrant an immediate investigation- TIGI tells Gov’t.

- No amount of revenue can compensate for the destruction of our forest resources

While the evidence of wanton exploitation of Guyana’s forests has been exposed by this publication, the oversight bodies; The Guyana Forestry Commission and the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, have started a campaign in an effort to repair the damage done to their image and refute the claims.

logs waiting to be shipped from Bai Shan Lin’s Kwakwani Site

Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI) via a missive yesterday said that it has been following with keen interest, the various news reports of the apparent exploitation of precious forest resources through the indiscriminate logging and exportation of logs, especially by two overseas companies reportedly enjoying substantial concessions from the Government of Guyana.
However, TIGI said that there are conflicting reports as to whether these companies; Bai Shan Lin and Baitarani, are permitted to conduct logging operations and to export the logs under the terms and conditions of their respective contracts with the Government.

The agency noted that it is also unclear whether the companies’ operations are in conformity with Guyana’s laws, specifically the Guyana Forestry Commission Act and the Environmental Protection Act.

TIGI said that it finds it particularly troubling that both the Ministry of National Resources and the Guyana Forestry Commission have opted to defend the operations of the companies even in the face of damning photographical evidence. TIGI noted too that the defence by the Commission and the Ministry are cushioned with information that appears incomplete and misleading.

In light of all that has been highlighted by various outlets, TIGI believes that it is more than substantial for the Government to make available publicly, the contracts entered into with the two overseas companies.
The anti-corruption agency also stated that the findings of the media and the public outrage, is also more than enough for the Government to place a halt on the operations of the companies until the truth is determined.
It also sought to remind the Government of its obligation under Article 149 (2) of the Constitution which requires the State to “protect the environment, for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable and other legislative measures designed to – (a) prevent pollution and ecological degradation; (b) promote conservation; and (c) secure sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development”.

At the same time, TIGI strongly recommended that the Government take urgent measures to provide for an independent investigation to determine whether there has been any violation by the companies or any related entities, of their contractual and statutory obligations. Only after it is determined that there are no such breaches, should the two companies be allowed to continue operations, the agency suggested.

It said too, that recommendations from such an investigation should be applied across the entire sector and lead to a strengthening of the laws and procedures regulating the sector.

TIGI is also of the view that even if these two companies are operating within the confines of their contractual arrangements with the Government, to the extent that such arrangements conflict with national interest, especially as regards the protection of Guyana’s environment and forest resources, the contracts should be rescinded forthwith.

You still haven't addressed any of his claims. Or since he has since this many days now why havent you or the kaieteur news moved to dispell any of what he said? He said KN used pictures of logs owned by small loggers, including himself and a ship owned by another company in their politically driven campaign against Bai Shan Lin; do you have anything of an evidential nature to dispute that? Nope.............

He went into all the details about how Bai Shan Lin is operating and how its operations benefit the small loggers; do you have anything evidential in nature to dispute that? Nope............

I could go on and on by why waste time with you

 Do you think I care to waste my time.....I do not want one log removed. I want the Chinese loggers gone because it is a foregone conclusion we are getting screwed.  We see, know and understand how they operate. We see it unfolding before us...nothing you can say will be unexpected. It is what they do. Use the crooks in office as their first line of defense then they being in real thugs to intimidate others.

The PPP can easily find a few paid stooges to make videos and make all sorts of bullshit claims to facilitate their thiefin wid Chu Wenze.

This is nothing more than masquerading propaganda by the PPP in the face of brutal exposures about how they are raping and theifin hand in hand with the chinese.

Debunk my ass.

They debunking hard evidence. Quick, any optician in the house? The PPP needs a consignment for its hierarchy.

If KN did this this, then they are resorting to rotten reporting. Once again it proves that KN is just TOILET PAPER.

BAI SHAN LIN

It is not that Glenn Lall does not love the President of Guyana; he loves him like a brother. It is just that he loves Guyana more. There is no one that I have met in my lifetime who is as concerned about the future of Guyana as Glenn Lall, the publisher of this newspaper. It is this love for the country in which he was born and raised that has allowed him to pursue so relentlessly issues that he feels are capable of endangering the future of Guyana. The concerns that this newspaper has been expressing over the forestry activities of Bai Shan Lin should not be confused with any conspiracy being hatched against the government. Instead of leveling charges of conspiracy against this newspaper, the President should be addressing the concerns that have been exposed herein. What are these concerns? The first concern is that logs are being exported out of Guyana for processing as far as China. While Guyana’s high energy costs would have no doubt contributed to the need to export logs rather than process them locally, the fact that the logs are being sent as far as away as China begs the question as to whether Bai Shan Lin has any interest at all in establishing sawmilling facilities to eventually process logs locally. That company certainly has the financial clout to finance, as a private venture, the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project. This is something that the government should be exploring, so that cheap energy can be available to process the logs locally. It is accepted that any logging company must cut first before it processes; it must stockpile logs before it begins any processing operations. But from the evidence that Kaieteur News has presented, it does seem as if the emphasis is on log exports rather than processing. The President of Guyana should address this concern. The second concern is whether Bai Shan Lin’s operations are being properly monitored and regulated. The Guyana Forestry Commission is contending that it has been monitoring deforestation rates. It has, however, not provided any data on these rates, and specifically on Bai Shan Lin, so that an assessment can be made about whether the company is engaged in sustainable forestry practices. By addressing this concern as to the rate of deforestation nationally, and by the company, the President should be able to satisfy Guyanese that our forests’ resources are not being exploited in an unsustainable way. The third concern is related to the above. It is about ensuring sustainable forestry practices. Bai Shan Lin should be encouraged to launch a project in which it will replant a tree for every tree that it cuts down. In fact this should be the responsibility of all logging companies in Guyana. If you are going to cut trees you should be replanting. The fourth concern is the availability of certain species for those manufacturers who utilize local logs. Many local timber companies have imperiled their own future by becoming buyers from private individuals and community associations engaged in logging. Over the past ten years, timber companies have become reliant on chainsaw operators. Most timber companies, instead of engaging in their own logging, have been purchasing timber from these chainsaw operators whose numbers have multiplied because of the development of what is called “mobile saw mills.”  The fear of many of these local timber companies is that Bai Shan Lin will corner the local market because of their association with community logging associations and this will leave these local timber magnates, who are undertaking limited or no logging, without any supplies, since Bai Shan Lin could buy whatever these chainsaw operators and mobile sawmillers produce. The President should work to ensure that local loggers are assured an adequate supply of logs, but he should also insist that Bai Shan Lin enter the domestic market so as to reduce prices. Those who control local timber sales are bound to resist this entry, but the President should insist on this in the interest of consumers. The government is under no obligation to provide the Guyana Manufacturers Association with a copy of the contract and other documents relating to the deal with Bai Shan Lin. Those contracts would no doubt detail commercial information about the company’s plans and financial projections, and these should be kept confidential. But certainly a sanitized version of the contract detailing the size of the forestry concession and the allowable rates of exploitation should be provided to the National Assembly, so that there can be some oversight of this company’s operations in Guyana. The President should address this concern also.

The shipments are going to China and are registered as belonging to BSL when they are offloaded in China. So there is no dispute as to ownership. The PPP can't hide its crimes behind false accounting.