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Showing posts from July, 2013

Unease in landowners’ paradise

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Now that the country has simmered down from its initial shock over the refugee resettlement deal, it’s time for the people to face the harsh reality of this controversial arrangement concocted by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and Australian counterpart, Kevin Rudd. The burning question is how does PNG  resettle asylum seekers or rather the genuine ones?  Hopefully, O’Neill has the answer. Surely, one hopes, he has considered the issue and all his options before signing the Regional Resettlement Arrangement (RRA) with Rudd. There has been widespread criticism of the agreement, here and overseas, but the prime minister has revealed very little about his plans to implement the RRA so far. When it was announced on July 19, all O’Neill told a press conference in Brisbane was that Papua New Guinea fully supported this major initiative to combat the scourge of people smuggling. He admitted that it was not going to be easy, “but of course, Papua New Guinea is blessed with lots of land mass and

Unease in landowners’ paradise

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Now that the country has simmered down from its initial shock over the refugee resettlement deal, it’s time for the people to face the harsh reality of this controversial arrangement concocted by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and Australian counterpart, Kevin Rudd. The burning question is how does PNG  resettle asylum seekers or rather the genuine ones?  Hopefully, O’Neill has the answer. Surely, one hopes, he has considered the issue and all his options before signing the Regional Resettlement Arrangement (RRA) with Rudd. There has been widespread criticism of the agreement, here and overseas, but the prime minister has revealed very little about his plans to implement the RRA so far. When it was announced on July 19, all O’Neill told a press conference in Brisbane was that Papua New Guinea fully supported this major initiative to combat the scourge of people smuggling. He admitted that it was not going to be easy, “but of course, Papua New Guinea is blessed with lots of land mass

DEFINITE NO TO ASYLUM SEEKERS’ DEAL BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND PAPUA NEW GUINEA

By JOE BEIG I have been following the asylum seekers’ processing plan since Somare government rushed the establishment of the center at Lombrum Maritime Base in Manus Province during the last Parliament. The plan was eventually formalized between the Australia and Papua New Guinea governments on Friday, 26th July 2013 in Brisbane, Australia. The PNG Prime Minister, Mr. Peter O’Neill returned home on Tuesday, 23rd July 2013 and proudly announced the significant signing of this agreement. He boasted and vigorously defended his government’s decision to accept Mr. Kevin Rudd’s plan to process asylum seekers at Manus processing center and possibly resettle the genuine asylum seekers there or elsewhere in PNG. He went on to state that because we are signatory to various international agreements, we are obliged to provide humanitarian assistance as well as assisting Australia because of our regional position to people of such status. He finally gave uncompromising position that PNG will stan

DEFINITE NO TO ASYLUM SEEKERS’ DEAL BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND PAPUA NEW GUINEA

By JOE BEIG I have been following the asylum seekers’ processing plan since Somare government rushed the establishment of the center at Lombrum Maritime Base in Manus Province during the last Parliament. The plan was eventually formalized between the Australia and Papua New Guinea governments on Friday, 26th July 2013 in Brisbane, Australia. The PNG Prime Minister, Mr. Peter O’Neill returned home on Tuesday, 23rd July 2013 and proudly announced the significant signing of this agreement. He boasted and vigorously defended his government’s decision to accept Mr. Kevin Rudd’s plan to process asylum seekers at Manus processing center and possibly resettle the genuine asylum seekers there or elsewhere in PNG. He went on to state that because we are signatory to various international agreements, we are obliged to provide humanitarian assistance as well as assisting Australia because of our regional position to people of such status. He finally gave uncompromising position that PNG will

PNG PM Peter O'Neill attacks Tony Abbott over 'untrue' aid claims

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PNG prime minister Peter O'Neill has launched a scathing attack on Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, accusing him of spreading ''nonsense'' and ''completely untrue'' claims over foreign aid linked to the asylum seeker deal. In an escalation of comments made via the PNG High Commission in Canberra on Wednesday, Mr O'Neill accused the opposition of misrepresenting him for political reasons. The criticism overshadowed the opposition's policy announcement expanding on its plans to turn back the asylum seeker boats. Mr Abbott said on Thursday that the policy - called ''Operation Sovereign Borders'' - would see better co-ordination of the nation's border security agencies and a three-star military commander reporting directly to the immigration minister. Within 100 days of the election a Coalition government would develop protocols for Operation Relex II, the name of the strategy to turn back the boats ''where it is safe to

PNG PM Peter O'Neill attacks Tony Abbott over 'untrue' aid claims

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PNG prime minister Peter O'Neill has launched a scathing attack on Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, accusing him of spreading ''nonsense'' and ''completely untrue'' claims over foreign aid linked to the asylum seeker deal. In an escalation of comments made via the PNG High Commission in Canberra on Wednesday, Mr O'Neill accused the opposition of misrepresenting him for political reasons. The criticism overshadowed the opposition's policy announcement expanding on its plans to turn back the asylum seeker boats. Mr Abbott said on Thursday that the policy - called ''Operation Sovereign Borders'' - would see better co-ordination of the nation's border security agencies and a three-star military commander reporting directly to the immigration minister. Within 100 days of the election a Coalition government would develop protocols for Operation Relex II, the name of the strategy to turn back the boats ''where it i

What price national pride? The PNG solution

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By DR SUSAN MERRELL  And he sold our reputation, On the proceeds he will dine, In a land of golden plenty… Where just the dregs are mine.                         (With apologies to) Idris Davies The bilateral PNG solution to Australia's refugee problem is wrong on so many levels but I am going to address just one: …from the point of view of Papua New Guinea It is already well recognised that the agreement is a cynical and expensive exercise at vote grabbing by the desperate leader of an ailing Labor Party whose wresting of power from Julia Gillard at the eleventh hour requires him to pull a rabbit out of a hat. And does Rudd care about the consequences for anyone other than himself, first, - the Labor Party, second  - and Australia, third?  I doubt it. There are more people to consider: like the refugees (who have many people advocating, quite rightly, for them including the UN). Then there's PNG. Here we have a nation battling to achieve modernity: struggling with the concept

Kapris is Dead but His Legacy Lives on

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By  LUCAS KIAP It is very sad and emotional for me when people celebrate over a dead man, whom has families and relatives, and they will definitely be wept and cried over his dead body no matter what the society thinks of what kind of person he was. In this world no one is perfect in the eyes of the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. All men have sinned and he is one of them, unfortunately, he is the most obvious scapegoat of all the misconception we have had about the laws of this country, and he has paid the price with his life. As long as the laws of this country are concerned, he has broken the laws of this country and the court needs to prove that and put him behind bars not to mentioned the risk he perceived to pose to the society and our law enforcers which eventually led to his death. He is already a dead man now and PNG as usual will soon get over with it. The question is – are we really satisfied of his death because the State has spent so many millions of kina hunting dow

Kapris is Dead but His Legacy Lives on

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By  LUCAS KIAP It is very sad and emotional for me when people celebrate over a dead man, whom has families and relatives, and they will definitely be wept and cried over his dead body no matter what the society thinks of what kind of person he was. In this world no one is perfect in the eyes of the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. All men have sinned and he is one of them, unfortunately, he is the most obvious scapegoat of all the misconception we have had about the laws of this country, and he has paid the price with his life. As long as the laws of this country are concerned, he has broken the laws of this country and the court needs to prove that and put him behind bars not to mentioned the risk he perceived to pose to the society and our law enforcers which eventually led to his death. He is already a dead man now and PNG as usual will soon get over with it. The question is – are we really satisfied of his death because the State has spent so many millions of kina hunting

Asylum seekers to receive hostile reception in PNG: local governor

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Papua New Guineans are warning the Federal Government that its new asylum seeker plan will create hostility and add to problems in the developing country. Local politicians have questioned how the plan will be financed, and say resettled refugees may face hostility from locals. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the plan to send asylum seekers to PNG fulfils Australia's "legal and compassionate obligations", but the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's own website details a litany of social problems in the country. It says anyone travelling to PNG should exercise a high degree of caution, warning of high levels of serious crime including violent assault and rape, as well of high rates of HIV/AIDS, endemic levels of cholera, and poor health facilities. PNG's former opposition leader Dame Carol Kidu says the country already has too many displaced people. "We have not heard the technical details being developed I'm sure by the bureaucrats of exactly how thi

Asylum seekers to receive hostile reception in PNG: local governor

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Papua New Guineans are warning the Federal Government that its new asylum seeker plan will create hostility and add to problems in the developing country. Local politicians have questioned how the plan will be financed, and say resettled refugees may face hostility from locals. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the plan to send asylum seekers to PNG fulfils Australia's "legal and compassionate obligations", but the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's own website details a litany of social problems in the country. It says anyone travelling to PNG should exercise a high degree of caution, warning of high levels of serious crime including violent assault and rape, as well of high rates of HIV/AIDS, endemic levels of cholera, and poor health facilities. PNG's former opposition leader Dame Carol Kidu says the country already has too many displaced people. "We have not heard the technical details being developed I'm sure by the bureaucrats of exa

PNG faces breaking point

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Detention facilities in Papua New Guinea will be swamped within days if the Rudd government's new hardline asylum-seeker policy fails to stem the arrival of 3000 people to Australia by boat each month. The 837 asylum seekers who have arrived in the past week alone - bringing the total this year to more than 15,000 - are more than double Manus Island's capacity. The government has admitted that asylum seekers will be held in Australia for the time being as it races to expand PNG's facilities and bring them up to United Nations-mandated standards on health and education provision. But on Sunday the government refused to say when the upgraded facilities on Manus Island would be ready or how much the policy of transferring all boat arrivals to PNG would cost. If the government fails to provide suitable conditions for asylum seekers in the impoverished Pacific nation, the federal Coalition and legal experts have warned of court challenges in both countries. Immigration Minister

PNG faces breaking point

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Detention facilities in Papua New Guinea will be swamped within days if the Rudd government's new hardline asylum-seeker policy fails to stem the arrival of 3000 people to Australia by boat each month. The 837 asylum seekers who have arrived in the past week alone - bringing the total this year to more than 15,000 - are more than double Manus Island's capacity. The government has admitted that asylum seekers will be held in Australia for the time being as it races to expand PNG's facilities and bring them up to United Nations-mandated standards on health and education provision. But on Sunday the government refused to say when the upgraded facilities on Manus Island would be ready or how much the policy of transferring all boat arrivals to PNG would cost. If the government fails to provide suitable conditions for asylum seekers in the impoverished Pacific nation, the federal Coalition and legal experts have warned of court challenges in both countries. Immigration

Numbers don't lie: PNG solution flawed

By the numbers, shifting the asylum seeker problem to Papua New Guinea simply fails to add up. The nation already has a substantial headache with refugees – about 9000 people have fled across the border from Indonesian West Papua and remain, in the cold parlance of the United Nations, ''in need of durable solutions''. By agreeing to shoulder more of the burden of Australia's asylum arrivals, PNG has multiplied a series of sharp domestic challenges. Australia has also traded places as the dependent country in the relationship, relying on Port Morseby's good will and lessening Canberra's sway when offering advice. Law and order is clearly one of the most pressing demands confronting the nation of 7 million, a point Prime Minister Kevin Rudd acknowledged before his flying visit earlier in the week that set in train this latest announcement. A woman was stripped, tortured, doused in petrol and burnt to death in February after villagers in the highlands branded h

Numbers don't lie: PNG solution flawed

By the numbers, shifting the asylum seeker problem to Papua New Guinea simply fails to add up. The nation already has a substantial headache with refugees – about 9000 people have fled across the border from Indonesian West Papua and remain, in the cold parlance of the United Nations, ''in need of durable solutions''. By agreeing to shoulder more of the burden of Australia's asylum arrivals, PNG has multiplied a series of sharp domestic challenges. Australia has also traded places as the dependent country in the relationship, relying on Port Morseby's good will and lessening Canberra's sway when offering advice. Law and order is clearly one of the most pressing demands confronting the nation of 7 million, a point Prime Minister Kevin Rudd acknowledged before his flying visit earlier in the week that set in train this latest announcement. A woman was stripped, tortured, doused in petrol and burnt to death in February after villagers in the highlands

Break down in the security forces is a cause for concern.

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By: Tobias Kulung MP The politicising and neglect by successive government has cause towards the disciplinary forces has completely eroded the command and control structure of these forces and has caused a total collapse in discipline in these forces. This is a massive internal security threat and should be treated as a “state of emergency” situation and the government must take drastic measures to divert its attention from other programs and address this critical situation promptly. “Life, liberty and security of the person and the protection of the law “ is the number one basic right enshrined in our constitution. When a government cannot provide for this very basic right of its people, than it has failed miserably. When we have a very important and venerable group of our society under siege by an armed group of soldiers in the capital city of our country and in broad day light and under the very nose of the political and administrative hierarchy of our country and the police are pow

Break down in the security forces is a cause for concern.

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By: Tobias Kulung MP The politicising and neglect by successive government has cause towards the disciplinary forces has completely eroded the command and control structure of these forces and has caused a total collapse in discipline in these forces. This is a massive internal security threat and should be treated as a “state of emergency” situation and the government must take drastic measures to divert its attention from other programs and address this critical situation promptly. “Life, liberty and security of the person and the protection of the law “ is the number one basic right enshrined in our constitution. When a government cannot provide for this very basic right of its people, than it has failed miserably. When we have a very important and venerable group of our society under siege by an armed group of soldiers in the capital city of our country and in broad day light and under the very nose of the political and administrative hierarchy of our country and the pol

Fighting corruption in Papua New Guinea

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By GRANT WALTON For those on the front line, fighting corruption in Papua New Guinea can be a dangerous occupation. It wasn’t that long ago that a former Ombudsman Commissioner was shot. Sam Koim, chairman of PNG’s anti-corruption coordinating body, Taskforce Sweep, knows all about the dangers that come with the job In February this year, his office was ransacked. In a video footage of the aftermath, Koim looks down the camera lens in defiance; he asserts that the incident will not deter him or his team. The office of Taskforce Sweep was targeted because of its success. It has registered over 200 cases of corruption, and recovered over 68 million Kina (around A$32 million). This has meant Koim has become somewhat of a celebrity, sought by the media, researchers and policy makers. Despite his busy schedule, I managed to catch up with him while he was in Geelong for a symposium on PNG at Deakin University. This blog post, based on our conversation, reports on Koim’s perceptions about co