PNGBLOGS

SMH Australian Federal Police officers concealed evidence and submitted false documents in the prosecution of an Australian pilot on child sex charges, resulting in his wrongful conviction, the man's lawyers claim. Fred Martens, who spent 940 days in a Queensland prison after being convicted of the rape of a 14-year-old Papua New Guinea girl in Port Moresby, is suing the federal government for $45 million. The 61-year-old was the first to be charged under sex-tourism laws which target Australians who commit sex crimes in Pacific island nations. However, Queensland's Court of Appeal last year quashed the conviction after Mr Marten's family obtained flight records which proved he was not in Port Moresby on the dates the girl alleged the offence occurred. In a statement of claim lodged in the Queensland Supreme Court in Cairns on Monday, Mr Marten's legal team allege a team of officers from the AFP's Transnational Crime Unit based in Port Moresby "maliciously pro

SMH Australian Federal Police officers concealed evidence and submitted false documents in the prosecution of an Australian pilot on child sex charges, resulting in his wrongful conviction, the man's lawyers claim. Fred Martens, who spent 940 days in a Queensland prison after being convicted of the rape of a 14-year-old Papua New Guinea girl in Port Moresby, is suing the federal government for $45 million. The 61-year-old was the first to be charged under sex-tourism laws which target Australians who commit sex crimes in Pacific island nations. However, Queensland's Court of Appeal last year quashed the conviction after Mr Marten's family obtained flight records which proved he was not in Port Moresby on the dates the girl alleged the offence occurred. In a statement of claim lodged in the Queensland Supreme Court in Cairns on Monday, Mr Marten's legal team allege a team of officers from the AFP's Transnational Crime Unit based in Port Moresby "malicious

OP/ED   Is Somare leading PNG to a Totalitarian State? On the 24 November, the Speaker of Parliament, Jeffery Nape wrote to Bart Philemon, the Deputy Opposition leader and MP for Lae. The subject of the letter was the notice of the No-confidence motion in the Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare. “The Private Business Committee met today and considered the notice of Motion of No-Confidence submitted. Following its deliberations, the Committee decided that the notice of Motion of No-Confidence was not in order,” the letter stated. Mr Nape went on to explain that even though the procedural requirements under the Standing Orders and Constitution were met, the subsequent withdrawal of four supporting members to the Motion means the requirements under Section 145 (1) (b) of the Constitution were not met. The MPs that withdrew their support were Charles Abel, Powes Parkop, Paru Aihi and Fr John Garia. Mr Philemon gave the notice on the Motion of No-Confidence to the PM on 20 July 2010, in acco

OP/ED   Is Somare leading PNG to a Totalitarian State? On the 24 November, the Speaker of Parliament, Jeffery Nape wrote to Bart Philemon, the Deputy Opposition leader and MP for Lae. The subject of the letter was the notice of the No-confidence motion in the Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare. “The Private Business Committee met today and considered the notice of Motion of No-Confidence submitted. Following its deliberations, the Committee decided that the notice of Motion of No-Confidence was not in order,” the letter stated. Mr Nape went on to explain that even though the procedural requirements under the Standing Orders and Constitution were met, the subsequent withdrawal of four supporting members to the Motion means the requirements under Section 145 (1) (b) of the Constitution were not met. The MPs that withdrew their support were Charles Abel, Powes Parkop, Paru Aihi and Fr John Garia. Mr Philemon gave the notice on the Motion of No-Confidence to the PM on 20 July 2010

MEDIA GLOBAL In Papua New Guinea close to a third of the population lives below the poverty line, but that is not to say there is a shortage of cultural riches. This small nation of under seven million boosts over 850 indigenous languages and a vast number of traditional communities. The country’s constitution values Papua New Guinea’s heritage, makes room for custom law, and protects land titles of indigenous populations. As a result, eighty-two percent of Papuans are spread across rural areas, often in close-knit and unique traditional communities. But whereas Papua New Guinea is a widely diverse, the United Nations Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recently expressed concerns about an overall growing trend of violence against women within indigenous societies, mainly as a result of sorcery or witchcraft accusations. Religious and spiritual beliefs play a crucial role in local communities. Not only is such beliefs part of the traditional way of life, they have b

MEDIA GLOBAL In Papua New Guinea close to a third of the population lives below the poverty line, but that is not to say there is a shortage of cultural riches. This small nation of under seven million boosts over 850 indigenous languages and a vast number of traditional communities. The country’s constitution values Papua New Guinea’s heritage, makes room for custom law, and protects land titles of indigenous populations. As a result, eighty-two percent of Papuans are spread across rural areas, often in close-knit and unique traditional communities. But whereas Papua New Guinea is a widely diverse, the United Nations Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recently expressed concerns about an overall growing trend of violence against women within indigenous societies, mainly as a result of sorcery or witchcraft accusations. Religious and spiritual beliefs play a crucial role in local communities. Not only is such beliefs part of the traditional way of life, they ha

AAP Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare has denied claims he ordered a kidnap and attacked a non-government organisation activist. Earlier this month Noel Anjo, an outspoken critic of the government, claimed he was bashed at the prime minister's home in 2009. A front page newspaper story, supported by PNG's opposition, reported Mr Anjo's allegations that plain clothed police took him to Sir Michael's official residence, where the prime minister and his wife Lady Veronica Somare repeatedly punched him. In parliament on Wednesday, Sir Michael rejected Mr Anjo's claims. "I can assure this parliament that Veronica and I never laid a finger on Noel Anjo let alone order any kidnapping," Sir Michael said. "These claims remain allegations until they are proven. "I want to let this house know that to date no charges have been laid against me. "Only if the matter is taken up in court will I be obligated to answer to these politically-motiva

AAP Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare has denied claims he ordered a kidnap and attacked a non-government organisation activist. Earlier this month Noel Anjo, an outspoken critic of the government, claimed he was bashed at the prime minister's home in 2009. A front page newspaper story, supported by PNG's opposition, reported Mr Anjo's allegations that plain clothed police took him to Sir Michael's official residence, where the prime minister and his wife Lady Veronica Somare repeatedly punched him. In parliament on Wednesday, Sir Michael rejected Mr Anjo's claims. "I can assure this parliament that Veronica and I never laid a finger on Noel Anjo let alone order any kidnapping," Sir Michael said. "These claims remain allegations until they are proven. "I want to let this house know that to date no charges have been laid against me. "Only if the matter is taken up in court will I be obligated to answer to these politicall

OP/ED Parliament Speaker Jeffery Nape is the member for Sinasina/Yongumugl in the Chimbu Province. This is his second term in office as a parliamentarian and he was voted in as Speaker of the Papua New Guinea Parliament on May 28, 2004. He immediately became acting Governor General because the office was vacant. He succeeded Bill Skate in both roles. He ceased acting as Governor General on June 29, 2004, when Paulias Matane was sworn in. Following the 2007 general election, Nape was re-elected as Speaker on August 13, 2007, defeating the opposition's candidate for the position, Bart Philemon, with 86 votes against 22 for Philemon. He was sworn in by Governor General Paulias Matane on the same day. Over the two and half years Mr Nape had held this post, he has made some controversial decisions that no other Speaker in PNG has ever made. In the July session of Parliament, Bulolo MP, Sam Basil even tried to oust him from the Speaker's Chair by moving a vote of no-conf

OP/ED Parliament Speaker Jeffery Nape is the member for Sinasina/Yongumugl in the Chimbu Province. This is his second term in office as a parliamentarian and he was voted in as Speaker of the Papua New Guinea Parliament on May 28, 2004. He immediately became acting Governor General because the office was vacant. He succeeded Bill Skate in both roles. He ceased acting as Governor General on June 29, 2004, when Paulias Matane was sworn in. Following the 2007 general election, Nape was re-elected as Speaker on August 13, 2007, defeating the opposition's candidate for the position, Bart Philemon, with 86 votes against 22 for Philemon. He was sworn in by Governor General Paulias Matane on the same day. Over the two and half years Mr Nape had held this post, he has made some controversial decisions that no other Speaker in PNG has ever made. In the July session of Parliament, Bulolo MP, Sam Basil even tried to oust him from the Speaker's Chair by moving a vote of no-conf

PNG EXPOSED BLOG Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister has gone on the record to complain about criticism of him and his family (see the Radio NZ report below) . “People are bitter. PNG has lost its sense of decency and it is a poison that could destroy the country” says Michael Somare. But his attempts to somehow paint himself as the victim of outside forces betray the fact that he, more than anyone else, is responsible for this sorry state of affairs. Michael Somare has been Prime Minister for the last eight years. As well as ignoring the corruption of his fellow Ministers and senior bureaucrats, he has tried to place himself and his family above the law by fighting Leadership referrals through the courts and ignoring inquiry findings. Somare and his family have enriched themsleves at the expense of ordinary Papua New Guineans and show no compassion – his K130 million private PMV is only the most obvious example.  Somare is the one that has treated Parliament with complete cont

PNG EXPOSED BLOG Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister has gone on the record to complain about criticism of him and his family (see the Radio NZ report below) . “People are bitter. PNG has lost its sense of decency and it is a poison that could destroy the country” says Michael Somare. But his attempts to somehow paint himself as the victim of outside forces betray the fact that he, more than anyone else, is responsible for this sorry state of affairs. Michael Somare has been Prime Minister for the last eight years. As well as ignoring the corruption of his fellow Ministers and senior bureaucrats, he has tried to place himself and his family above the law by fighting Leadership referrals through the courts and ignoring inquiry findings. Somare and his family have enriched themsleves at the expense of ordinary Papua New Guineans and show no compassion – his K130 million private PMV is only the most obvious example.  Somare is the one that has treated Parliament with complete

AFW In November 2005, Cargill announced the acquisition of palm oil operations in Indonesia and PNG through the purchase of Pacific Rim Palm Oil Limited (PRPOL), a company owned by the CDC Group (an entity for British state investment in the developing world). According to CDC’s public reports, the Group received £80.2 million (equivalent to US$141 million at 2005 exchange rates) for PRPOL. The company was bought by Cargill in a joint venture with Temasek Holdings, the Singapore government sovereign wealth fund, in which Cargill maintained a majority share (public records of the exact breakdown are not available). The name of the joint venture company was CTP Holdings. In purchasing PRPOL, Cargill gained control of approximately 55,000 hectares of palm oil plantations in Indonesia and PNG. At the time of the purchase Cargill owned one palm oil plantation in Indonesia. The purchase allowed Cargill to enter significantly into the rapidly growing and highly profitable palm oil busi

AFW In November 2005, Cargill announced the acquisition of palm oil operations in Indonesia and PNG through the purchase of Pacific Rim Palm Oil Limited (PRPOL), a company owned by the CDC Group (an entity for British state investment in the developing world). According to CDC’s public reports, the Group received £80.2 million (equivalent to US$141 million at 2005 exchange rates) for PRPOL. The company was bought by Cargill in a joint venture with Temasek Holdings, the Singapore government sovereign wealth fund, in which Cargill maintained a majority share (public records of the exact breakdown are not available). The name of the joint venture company was CTP Holdings. In purchasing PRPOL, Cargill gained control of approximately 55,000 hectares of palm oil plantations in Indonesia and PNG. At the time of the purchase Cargill owned one palm oil plantation in Indonesia. The purchase allowed Cargill to enter significantly into the rapidly growing and highly profitable palm oil bu

Jeffery Elapa The opposition yesterday criticised the 2011 Budget as another example of the government doing the same thing over and over again with little result. Shadow Treasurer Bart Philemon said the government had wasted eight years of political stability and has nothing to show for more than K55 billion it had spent during this period. Holding up The National newspaper and pointing to the front page which had a picture of an overcrowded ward at the Port Moresby General Hospital with mothers sleeping on the floor to illustrate his point, Philemon said social indicators had deteriorated under this government. He said with the budget showing a lot of microeconomic holes, it was built on “shifting sand” and not “solid rock” and would collapse. Philemon told the government to realign their unproductive expenditure to a productive expenditure while looking back of the past experiences and comparing of how effective it would work when the K9.3 billion was implemented next year. “They a

Jeffery Elapa The opposition yesterday criticised the 2011 Budget as another example of the government doing the same thing over and over again with little result. Shadow Treasurer Bart Philemon said the government had wasted eight years of political stability and has nothing to show for more than K55 billion it had spent during this period. Holding up The National newspaper and pointing to the front page which had a picture of an overcrowded ward at the Port Moresby General Hospital with mothers sleeping on the floor to illustrate his point, Philemon said social indicators had deteriorated under this government. He said with the budget showing a lot of microeconomic holes, it was built on “shifting sand” and not “solid rock” and would collapse. Philemon told the government to realign their unproductive expenditure to a productive expenditure while looking back of the past experiences and comparing of how effective it would work when the K9.3 billion was implemented next year. “The

ABC Pacific Beat Papua New Guinea's former Prime Minister, Sir Rabbie Namaliu, has called on the Australian government to put more aid money into training and education to help PNG cope with the enormous brain drain being created by PNG's resources boom. In the PNG budget delivered last week, Treasury and Finance Minister, Peter O'Neill announced big increases in spending on education and health. Sir Rabbie Namaliu says these were made possible by the increasing revenue going to the government from the resources boom, but he says that is not enough to deal with the scale of the problem. The former Prime Minister, now chairman of Kina Asset Management, says money currently being paid to high-cost Australia aid advisors would be better spent on training Papua New Guineans. In Port Moresby today, Papua New Guinea's parliamentarians are debating the budget as Sir Rabbie Namaliu explains. Presenter: Pacific Economic and Business reporter, Jemima Garrett Speaker: Former PNG P