PNGBLOGS

GEESCHE JACOBSEN Sydney Morning Herald OFFICERS from the Australian Federal Police allegedly stole and concealed documents that could have helped a former pilot and businessman fight allegations he had raped a 14-year-old girl in PNG. Fred Martens, a millionaire working in Papua New Guinea, served more than 2½ years in prison after being convicted under Australian child sex tourism laws. But after his family found some of the missing documents he earned a rare second appeal in November 2009 and had his conviction quashed. In two multimillion-dollar compensation claims Mr Martens, 62, is now suing the Australian and PNG governments, and members of the AFP and PNG police, over their alleged misconduct. The claims allege his false prosecution led to the failure of his businesses and the loss of PNG assets - including 11 boats, six planes and dozens of construction and earth-moving vehicles. This is the latest in a series of embarrassing cases involving the AFP, which last month settled a

GEESCHE JACOBSEN Sydney Morning Herald OFFICERS from the Australian Federal Police allegedly stole and concealed documents that could have helped a former pilot and businessman fight allegations he had raped a 14-year-old girl in PNG. Fred Martens, a millionaire working in Papua New Guinea, served more than 2½ years in prison after being convicted under Australian child sex tourism laws. But after his family found some of the missing documents he earned a rare second appeal in November 2009 and had his conviction quashed. In two multimillion-dollar compensation claims Mr Martens, 62, is now suing the Australian and PNG governments, and members of the AFP and PNG police, over their alleged misconduct. The claims allege his false prosecution led to the failure of his businesses and the loss of PNG assets - including 11 boats, six planes and dozens of construction and earth-moving vehicles. This is the latest in a series of embarrassing cases involving the AFP, which last month sett

MATTHEW MORRIS Most Papua New Guinean’s are simply trying to get by: earn a living, pay school fees, get medical care for loved-ones. Many will also be wondering how, or if, their government will deliver critical services to help them along. The 2011 Budget provides some indications. PNG’s 2011 budget ( $3.5 billion ) is the country’s biggest yet and is equivalent to about K1500 for each person in PNG. The way that the government has chosen to spend this money is shown in the chart opposite. But what would you spend the money on? And how confident are you that the government will use taxpayers money wisely? PNG Treasury has now published the full set of documents for the 2010 budget on it’s website . The files are worth exploring, especially Volume 1, which contains lots of interesting analysis. The rest of this article is based on publicly available data from those documents. Economic growth Before looking further at how to spend K1500 per person, let’s take a

MATTHEW MORRIS Most Papua New Guinean’s are simply trying to get by: earn a living, pay school fees, get medical care for loved-ones. Many will also be wondering how, or if, their government will deliver critical services to help them along. The 2011 Budget provides some indications. PNG’s 2011 budget ( $3.5 billion ) is the country’s biggest yet and is equivalent to about K1500 for each person in PNG. The way that the government has chosen to spend this money is shown in the chart opposite. But what would you spend the money on? And how confident are you that the government will use taxpayers money wisely? PNG Treasury has now published the full set of documents for the 2010 budget on it’s website . The files are worth exploring, especially Volume 1, which contains lots of interesting analysis. The rest of this article is based on publicly available data from those documents. Economic growth Before looking further at how to spend K1500 per person, let’s tak

NBC Papua New Guinea’s Cabinet has issued instructions for all outstanding memorandum of agreement funds and commitments, owed to liquefied natural project landowners, to be settled, as soon as possible. Papua New Guinea’s Cabinet has issued instructions for all outstanding memorandum of agreement funds and commitments, owed to liquefied natural project landowners, to be settled, as soon as possible.  This includes Umbrella and Landowner Benefit Sharing Agreement funds, and remaining Business Development Grants. Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare said in two weeks, Government will be able to pay these funds to genuine and recognized landowner companies. For Business Development Grants alone, around 120 million Kina is allocated annually, beginning last year.  Cabinet has also directed that payment of these funds, will no longer be made in Port Moresby, but at the project sites. Meantime, Cabinet has been briefed following recent tensions and the temporary shut down of the H

NBC Papua New Guinea’s Cabinet has issued instructions for all outstanding memorandum of agreement funds and commitments, owed to liquefied natural project landowners, to be settled, as soon as possible. Papua New Guinea’s Cabinet has issued instructions for all outstanding memorandum of agreement funds and commitments, owed to liquefied natural project landowners, to be settled, as soon as possible.  This includes Umbrella and Landowner Benefit Sharing Agreement funds, and remaining Business Development Grants. Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare said in two weeks, Government will be able to pay these funds to genuine and recognized landowner companies. For Business Development Grants alone, around 120 million Kina is allocated annually, beginning last year.  Cabinet has also directed that payment of these funds, will no longer be made in Port Moresby, but at the project sites. Meantime, Cabinet has been briefed following recent tensions and the temporary shut down of

ROWAN CALLICK THE Papua New Guinea government and Exxon Mobil are struggling to resolve landowner issues that have shut down construction for more than a week for part of the $16 billion liquefied natural gas project in the Southern Highlands. Oil Search has a 29 per cent stake in the project and Santos 13.5 per cent. The project, which has become the flagship for a massive resources boom throughout the country, is striking increasing problems in the Hides area. The shutdown started with the death of a four-year-old boy who, villagers claimed, had eaten powder found where blasting was taking place at a quarry. But protests over the boy's death began to involve a broad range of other issues, grievances over the project, and the failure of the government to provide promised funding. Four employees of joint venture contractors working on the site, Townsville-based Curtain Brothers and Perth-based Clough Engineering, suffered minor injuries during an attack. As a result, acting police

ROWAN CALLICK THE Papua New Guinea government and Exxon Mobil are struggling to resolve landowner issues that have shut down construction for more than a week for part of the $16 billion liquefied natural gas project in the Southern Highlands. Oil Search has a 29 per cent stake in the project and Santos 13.5 per cent. The project, which has become the flagship for a massive resources boom throughout the country, is striking increasing problems in the Hides area. The shutdown started with the death of a four-year-old boy who, villagers claimed, had eaten powder found where blasting was taking place at a quarry. But protests over the boy's death began to involve a broad range of other issues, grievances over the project, and the failure of the government to provide promised funding. Four employees of joint venture contractors working on the site, Townsville-based Curtain Brothers and Perth-based Clough Engineering, suffered minor injuries during an attack. As a result, acting

Nick Chesterfield Scenes of terror and destruction have erupted around the Papua New Guinea’s frontier town of Vanimo, as an unprecedented and contentious PNG military operation against unarmed West Papuan refugees has arrested scores and burned over 30 houses to the ground. 79 people (28 Men, 24 Women and 27 Children) are currently being held in cramped and hot conditions at an interim processing facility outside the Vanimo Police Station, which has been taken over by police from Port Moresby after local police refused to cooperate. Special taskforce Police are refusing to provide meals, which are having to be supplied by the local Vanimo catholic diocese, although there are no current allegations of mistreatment whilst in custody. Nine men have been charged with unspecified charges relating to armed activities though refugee advocates have denied that these people are resident of the camps raided. Enquiries by West Papua Media have found none have access to legal representation at th

Nick Chesterfield Scenes of terror and destruction have erupted around the Papua New Guinea’s frontier town of Vanimo, as an unprecedented and contentious PNG military operation against unarmed West Papuan refugees has arrested scores and burned over 30 houses to the ground. 79 people (28 Men, 24 Women and 27 Children) are currently being held in cramped and hot conditions at an interim processing facility outside the Vanimo Police Station, which has been taken over by police from Port Moresby after local police refused to cooperate. Special taskforce Police are refusing to provide meals, which are having to be supplied by the local Vanimo catholic diocese, although there are no current allegations of mistreatment whilst in custody. Nine men have been charged with unspecified charges relating to armed activities though refugee advocates have denied that these people are resident of the camps raided. Enquiries by West Papua Media have found none have access to legal representation a