BENDING THE TRUTH

The report alleges that Maxland (PNG) Limited is using a rubber plantation project on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, as a cover for illegal logging. Global Witness claims the company has bypassed provincial approvals, ignored landowner consent, and failed to plant the promised rubber trees while exporting millions of dollars in timber to China and Japan. The investigation links the operation to the Joinland Group and identifies several international financial institutions in Malaysia, Singapore, Norway, and the US that provide funding or investment to the entities involved.

• The Pohowa Integrated Agro-Forestry Project on Manus Island is allegedly a cover for illegal logging, with evidence showing that while the company claimed to be establishing a rubber plantation, it had cleared fewer than 100 hectares for planting as of January 2020, while conducting selective logging across approximately 1,000 hectares.
• Maxland (PNG) Limited appears to have obtained its clearance permit unlawfully by overruling the Manus Provincial Forest Management Committee, which had rejected the application due to land disputes and overlaps with community conservation zones.
• The project lacks legitimate landowner consent because the essential land demarcation process to verify ownership claims never occurred, and the company allegedly used bribery by gifting houses to local leaders.
• Maxland (PNG) Limited is controlled by the Joinland Group, founded by Dato’ Sri Thomas Hah Tiing Siu, which has a history of similar failed agricultural projects, such as an operation on New Hanover Island where no rubber was exported despite over $50 million in timber exports.
• The illegal timber from the Manus operation was exported to customers in China and Japan, specifically Ningbo Hong Guang Decorate Materials Co. Ltd and the Sojitz Corporation.
• The Joinland Group received over £3 million in financing between 2011 and 2016 from Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank), CIMB Bank Berhad, and United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) BHD (UOB).
• Major global financial institutions, including BlackRock and Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global, are among the top 20 shareholders of the Malaysian banks that financed the Joinland Group.

APA

Global Witness (2020). BENDING THE TRUTH. https://globalwitness.org/documents/144/Bending_the_Truth_-_Proposed_rubber_plantation_in_Papua_New_Guinea_yields_ques_5QM0rDY.pdf

Chicago

Global Witness. BENDING THE TRUTH. 2020. https://globalwitness.org/documents/144/Bending_the_Truth_-_Proposed_rubber_plantation_in_Papua_New_Guinea_yields_ques_5QM0rDY.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Witness |title=BENDING THE TRUTH |date=7 May 2020 |url=https://globalwitness.org/documents/144/Bending_the_Truth_-_Proposed_rubber_plantation_in_Papua_New_Guinea_yields_ques_5QM0rDY.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalwitness2020bending, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{BENDING THE TRUTH}}, institution = {Global Witness}, year = {2020}, month = may, url = {https://globalwitness.org/documents/144/Bending_the_Truth_-_Proposed_rubber_plantation_in_Papua_New_Guinea_yields_ques_5QM0rDY.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }