As seen on AllAfrica.com

Tension is brewing in the Eastern Region over the business tactics of Golden Veroleum” a company that made an investment of US$1.6 billion for the development of the oil palm sector in four counties in the South-eastern Region.

According to reports from Sinoe County” the palm oil company is allegedly engaged in 'illegally' clearing farmlands and bulldozing cash crops in that County without the consent of citizens” some residents allege that Golden Veroleum has a concession agreement with government to grow oil palm on only 220″ 000 hectares of land in Sinoe” Grand Kru” Maryland” River Cess and River Gee counties.

The reports further indicated that Golden Veroleum has 74″ 000 hectares of land to develop with oil palm in Sinoe County” where it has started clearing 74″000 hectares of land to develop oil palms in three districts including Kpanyan” Planhnyarn and Juarzon in Sinoe County.

However many citizens of the county are displeased with the cultivation of oil palm in their county” and are hence threatening to resist Golden Veroleum operations on the grounds that the company was illegally clearing their farmlands and destroying their crops.

Some citizens representing three communities in Sinoe County” including Butaw said they were never consulted about the 65 years agreement entered into by government with Golden Veroleum for the development of oil palm on 74″ 000 hectares of land in their county.

The citizens told representatives of Green Advocates International during a meeting that the oil palm company is illegally clearing their farmlands” and cash crops like rubbers” kola” and breadfruit trees without their consent.

The citizens have thus invited Green Advocates to intervene on their behalf.

According to them” they were never informed about the company's operations in their county and are yet to see the agreement that brought the company to their county.

“We do not even know what is in the concession agreement that has sanctioned mass displacement from our ancestral lands”” Ma Sarah Juoh of Butaw District said at the meeting.

She questioned why government will give 74″ 000 hectares of land in the county for the growing of oil palm for 65 years without their input and supports.

Ma Sarah in a sad tone explained that the company was uprooting them from their ancestral lands without their approval” and invading their sacred sites with total disregard to their culture and tradition.

She disclosed that she can no longer engage in farming because the company has raised her farmland and destroyed her cash crops” which she usually sell to support her children in school.

Another citizen” from Pluoh” Butaw District Benedict Manewah said they would resist the company's operations because they were not aware of its operations in their forest.

Mr. Manewah told the gathering of independent journalists and activists that the company has demolished their gravesites and polluted their drinking water sources.

“They have failed to provide us with wells” after dirtying our creeks and rivers which serve as sources of drinking water”” he added.

Green Advocates International Campaigner Cllr. Alfred Brownell assured the citizens that his organization would represent their interests.

He said the company was in a complete violation of the environmental laws of Liberia” which among many others forbid the pollution of creeks.

“I am one of those who wrote the environmental laws of this country” the company is in total violation of that law”” he emphasized.

Cllr. Brownell also informed the citizens that the displacement of people from their lands and the destruction of their crops were human rights issues” which need urgent attention.

Original article