Post Courier Editorial

THE revelations from research by the James Cook University on oil palm being used by developers as a cover for logging should not come as a surprise to Papua New Guineans.

The controversy relating to the Government’s Special Agriculture and Business Lease (SABL) is well documented in PNG, compelling the government of then acting Prime Minister Sam Abal in 2011 and a year later PM Peter O’Neill to support and establish a commission of inquiry.

ACT NOW! Media Release

Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has received over 1,000 emails over the last two weeks calling on him to publish the SABL land grab Commission of Inquiry Report.

The emails have come from all four corners of the globe, reflecting world-wide concern about the land grab in PNG which has seen rights to over 5 million hectares of customary land given to foreign companies.

The emails have been organized by community advocacy group ACT NOW!

By ROMULUS MASIU

BOUGAINVILLE leaders both in the National and Autonomous Bougainville Government’s (ABG) need to have faith in the small Bougainvillean businesses and support them in every way to grow and create wealth for the region. 

Outspoken Central Bougainville Business Association vice chairman Dickson Siparu made the call on Wednesday, at the same time reminding Bougainville parliamentarians that the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is a very good alternative to mining.

Australia is to send its asylum seekers to Papua New Guinea where those found to be refugees will be resettled. But, reports Jo Chandler*, the policy shift has sparked concern and some anger in the new host nation.

BBC World News

ACT NOW! media release

The government is rushing major new mines without properly understanding the costs and benefits of an export led economy or the possible alternatives.

Community advocacy group ACT NOW! wants the PNG government to commission a proper study of the full costs and benefits of existing mines and other natural resource industries before committing to continue along the same development path.

Report exposes widespread violence that touches the lives of most women, and a 'culture of complicity'

Helen Davidson in The Guardian

Research into Papua New Guinea's epidemic of domestic and sexual violence has found few women or children are unaffected by abuse and that education is the biggest challenge in ending a "culture of complicity".

By Rochelle Jones

West Papua – officially under Indonesian rule since 1963 – is located in the Western half of the island of New Guinea – 250km north of Australia. In 2012, West Papua Media conducted interviews with four West Papuan women who are active in the nonviolent movement for freedom. Here, AWID gives some background, and excerpts from the interviews.

Act of No Choice

By LUCAS KIAP / PNG Blogs

Wake up Papua New Guineans; we are not living in an imagination paradise world any more. Corruption in this country is real, is serious and is eating deeply into development funds meant for providing the basic government services which the people are praying for every day.

By Charles Moi

A JUDGE has ruled that there was “a case of fraud” when a former government minister wrongfully leased out land under the Special Agricultural and Business Lease.

Justice David Cannings ruled that former Minister for Lands and Physical Planning Lukas Dekena had wrongfully granted a 99-year lease over a 8.51 hectares block of land at Taurama Valley, in the National Capital District, to Ava Mika, Kila Gabutu and Michael John Madi on June 25, 2010.

Rachel Shisei

Government nurses all across Papua New Guinea have been facing devastating hardships while trying to serve the million population of our beautiful country. (Photo: Government nurse serving a patient in a busy clinic).