PNGBLOGS

SAM BASIL MP P arliamentarians who have been mandated to represent their constituents are being intimidated and mistreated by their equally represented members of parliament who are in the executive arm of the legislature whom we know as ministers. While I also speak on behalf of some members of parliament who are still awaiting their developmental grants especially the DSIP funds that we all know was recently dished out to only the members of parliament from the government benches or who supported the government during the recent no-confidence attempt. The finance officers in Waigani have confirmed last week Thursday 09.09.10 that all remaining cheques of K2m especially for the opposition members of parliament was signed and released to the Finance minister’s office and are in his possession. So far all DSIP cheques from this eight parliament were physically handed out by the then Finance Minister Patrick Pruaitch, Acting Finance Minister Hon. Arthur Somare, once by the Prime Minister

SAM BASIL MP P arliamentarians who have been mandated to represent their constituents are being intimidated and mistreated by their equally represented members of parliament who are in the executive arm of the legislature whom we know as ministers. While I also speak on behalf of some members of parliament who are still awaiting their developmental grants especially the DSIP funds that we all know was recently dished out to only the members of parliament from the government benches or who supported the government during the recent no-confidence attempt. The finance officers in Waigani have confirmed last week Thursday 09.09.10 that all remaining cheques of K2m especially for the opposition members of parliament was signed and released to the Finance minister’s office and are in his possession. So far all DSIP cheques from this eight parliament were physically handed out by the then Finance Minister Patrick Pruaitch, Acting Finance Minister Hon. Arthur Somare, once by the Prime Min

Mike Toole Comparisons with South Africa thankfully prove wide of the mark. IT IS indeed rare that a good news story on Papua New Guinea is published in the Australian media, so it was pleasing to read in The Age a report that HIV infection rates may be declining. Media reports on the HIV epidemic in PNG have often used emotive terms such as ''catastrophic'', ''scourge'', ''crisis'', and ''alarming''. In 2007, think tank the Centre for Independent Studies published a report that predicted that ''if present rising infection trends persist, 18 per cent of the population could be affected by 2010 and 25 per cent could be affected by 2020''. Comparisons with South Africa thankfully prove wide of the mark. IT IS indeed rare that a good news story on Papua New Guinea is published in the Australian media, so it was pleasing to read in The Age a report that HIV infection rates may be declining. Media reports on the

Mike Toole Comparisons with South Africa thankfully prove wide of the mark. IT IS indeed rare that a good news story on Papua New Guinea is published in the Australian media, so it was pleasing to read in The Age a report that HIV infection rates may be declining. Media reports on the HIV epidemic in PNG have often used emotive terms such as ''catastrophic'', ''scourge'', ''crisis'', and ''alarming''. In 2007, think tank the Centre for Independent Studies published a report that predicted that ''if present rising infection trends persist, 18 per cent of the population could be affected by 2010 and 25 per cent could be affected by 2020''. Comparisons with South Africa thankfully prove wide of the mark. IT IS indeed rare that a good news story on Papua New Guinea is published in the Australian media, so it was pleasing to read in The Age a report that HIV infection rates may be declining. Media reports on the

Xinhua TIANJIN, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- China encourages its enterprises to expand investment in Papua New Guinea, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said here Monday while meeting with the country's Prime Minister Michael Thomas Somare. "China is willing to enhance cooperation with Papua New Guinea in major sectors of agriculture, forestry, fishery, energy, telecom and transport," Wen told Somare, who came to this north China' s port city Tianjin to attend the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2010, also known as the Summer Davos. Wen congratulated Somare on his country' s 35th anniversary of independence, believing that Papua New Guinea would make more achievements in its social and economic development. As a friend and partner of Pacific island countries, China will continue to provide assistance within its capacity for this region' s development, Wen noted. Somare said Papua New Guinea valued the friendly ties with China, and firmly adhered to the one-China policy.

Xinhua TIANJIN, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- China encourages its enterprises to expand investment in Papua New Guinea, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said here Monday while meeting with the country's Prime Minister Michael Thomas Somare. "China is willing to enhance cooperation with Papua New Guinea in major sectors of agriculture, forestry, fishery, energy, telecom and transport," Wen told Somare, who came to this north China' s port city Tianjin to attend the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2010, also known as the Summer Davos. Wen congratulated Somare on his country' s 35th anniversary of independence, believing that Papua New Guinea would make more achievements in its social and economic development. As a friend and partner of Pacific island countries, China will continue to provide assistance within its capacity for this region' s development, Wen noted. Somare said Papua New Guinea valued the friendly ties with China, and firmly adhered to the one-China policy.

Hi Folks, Terry here saying hi to all you guys following or reading this Blog, we now have a permanent forum site for this Blog and it is at www.pngforum.org Feel free to register and post your thoughts on issues affecting you or the country, Unlike other forums we intend to keep this forum open but personal attacks/slang will be censored, Thanks and spread the word. PNGFORUM.ORG (Linked on the right ) T.D.BUNPAI 

Hi Folks, Terry here saying hi to all you guys following or reading this Blog, we now have a permanent forum site for this Blog and it is at www.pngforum.org Feel free to register and post your thoughts on issues affecting you or the country, Unlike other forums we intend to keep this forum open but personal attacks/slang will be censored, Thanks and spread the word. PNGFORUM.ORG (Linked on the right ) T.D.BUNPAI 

OP/ED THE PNG gas agreement was signed between the state and ExxonMobil in May 2008. At that point, it was almost certain that a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project would become a reality, at least in so far as the government was concerned. Along the way, several other agreements were negotiated and signed, including the two benefits sharing agreements, finalisation of markets, the environmental impact study, front end engineering and design, execution planning, project financing, gas marketing and all the regulatory and permitting work including community and landowner consultation and financial closure. Despite all that, two years on and PNG is still struggling to get sub-contractors organised for the project and is critically short on manpower. Already, there is talk about recruiting welders from neighbouring Fiji and even heavy equipment operators from overseas. This would indicate to us that the government was so concerned with getting the project off the ground that it neglected

OP/ED THE PNG gas agreement was signed between the state and ExxonMobil in May 2008. At that point, it was almost certain that a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project would become a reality, at least in so far as the government was concerned. Along the way, several other agreements were negotiated and signed, including the two benefits sharing agreements, finalisation of markets, the environmental impact study, front end engineering and design, execution planning, project financing, gas marketing and all the regulatory and permitting work including community and landowner consultation and financial closure. Despite all that, two years on and PNG is still struggling to get sub-contractors organised for the project and is critically short on manpower. Already, there is talk about recruiting welders from neighbouring Fiji and even heavy equipment operators from overseas. This would indicate to us that the government was so concerned with getting the project off the ground that it neglected

PNGEXPOSED We alerted readers several days ago to the malevolent plans of the World Bank to push for the establishment of sweat shop factories in Papua New Guinea [ read more ]. Now the Bank has gone public with its intentions, advertising in the media for a lawyer to draft the legislation that will allow the establishment of Special Economic Zones. Apparently oblivious to the blatant Colonial implications and completely contemptuous of Papua New Guinea’s own democratic procedures, the World Bank is advertising for a lawyer to draft legislation for Papua New Guinea before Parliament has even debated whether such legislation is desirable or needed. Normal process would dictate that should Parliament decide Special Economic Zones are a good idea then it would be the job of Papua New Guinea’s public service to draft a policy and subsequent legislation. But the World Bank clearly has no time for such niceties and is happy to run a bulldozer through notions of independence and

PNGEXPOSED We alerted readers several days ago to the malevolent plans of the World Bank to push for the establishment of sweat shop factories in Papua New Guinea [ read more ]. Now the Bank has gone public with its intentions, advertising in the media for a lawyer to draft the legislation that will allow the establishment of Special Economic Zones. Apparently oblivious to the blatant Colonial implications and completely contemptuous of Papua New Guinea’s own democratic procedures, the World Bank is advertising for a lawyer to draft legislation for Papua New Guinea before Parliament has even debated whether such legislation is desirable or needed. Normal process would dictate that should Parliament decide Special Economic Zones are a good idea then it would be the job of Papua New Guinea’s public service to draft a policy and subsequent legislation. But the World Bank clearly has no time for such niceties and is happy to run a bulldozer through notions of independence and

AAP September 09, 2010 CLIMATE-change expert Ross Garnaut is linked with two companies accused of using a controversial method of releasing mine waste into rivers and the ocean in Papua New Guinea. Professor Garnaut conducted the Rudd government's 2008 climate-change review which urged action on the issue, including an emissions trading scheme. But the economist also chairs Lihir Gold, a mining company which has merged with Newcrest Gold, and he is a director of OK Tedi Mining Limited. Lihir was the subject of a takeover bid by Newcrest Mining and Prof Garnaut will relinquish his $US300,000 ($A327,225) role as a result of the merger. The Lihir group is set to produce one million ounces of gold a year on Lihir Island, 900km north of Port Moresby. OK Tedi extracts copper, gold and silver from its remote Star Mountains operation in PNG's Western Province where it reportedly discharges 56 million tonnes of metalliferous waste into local rive

AAP September 09, 2010 CLIMATE-change expert Ross Garnaut is linked with two companies accused of using a controversial method of releasing mine waste into rivers and the ocean in Papua New Guinea. Professor Garnaut conducted the Rudd government's 2008 climate-change review which urged action on the issue, including an emissions trading scheme. But the economist also chairs Lihir Gold, a mining company which has merged with Newcrest Gold, and he is a director of OK Tedi Mining Limited. Lihir was the subject of a takeover bid by Newcrest Mining and Prof Garnaut will relinquish his $US300,000 ($A327,225) role as a result of the merger. The Lihir group is set to produce one million ounces of gold a year on Lihir Island, 900km north of Port Moresby. OK Tedi extracts copper, gold and silver from its remote Star Mountains operation in PNG's Western Province where it reportedly discharges 56 million tonnes of metalliferous waste into local rive

OP/ED The National INTERNATIONAL travellers last fortnight disembarked at the domestic terminal at Jackson Airport and had to walk all the way in the blazing sun back to the international arrival lounge. The reason: Every available space at the international parking area was taken up by an international-bound aircraft. This is not a one-off thing. It is a sign of things to come. Congestion is a very real challenge for planners and it had better be addressed now before it becomes a problem. Airport space is just one of many issues, many of which had been raised in this space more than once already. Little Papua New Guinea is about to be introduced to the big world. There is going to be a rude awakening and it is happening right now before our eyes. None of it should really come as a surprise. When the government started talking about the LNG project, and the billions of kina that was going to be pumped into the country, planners should have taken to the draft table and looked at everyth

OP/ED The National INTERNATIONAL travellers last fortnight disembarked at the domestic terminal at Jackson Airport and had to walk all the way in the blazing sun back to the international arrival lounge. The reason: Every available space at the international parking area was taken up by an international-bound aircraft. This is not a one-off thing. It is a sign of things to come. Congestion is a very real challenge for planners and it had better be addressed now before it becomes a problem. Airport space is just one of many issues, many of which had been raised in this space more than once already. Little Papua New Guinea is about to be introduced to the big world. There is going to be a rude awakening and it is happening right now before our eyes. None of it should really come as a surprise. When the government started talking about the LNG project, and the billions of kina that was going to be pumped into the country, planners should have taken to the draft table and looked at eve

MORAUTA Haus, which houses the office of the prime minister, was under siege yesterday as ex-servicemen and their families converge on the government office, demanding that they be paid their outstanding entitlements. The National reports , Although the protest was peaceful, the amount of tension and frustration made it potentially explosive, especially as this was timed to coincide with an NGO-organised anti-government rally which police had called off early this week. But, there were reports of violence and looting in other towns, including Goroka. Disgruntled former members of the PNG Defence Force and their families barricaded the building, preventing workers from the offices of the prime minister and NEC and the Department of Personnel Management from leaving. Police had to be called in to enforce order before the Minister for Public Service and Finance and Treasury, Peter O’Neill, met the ex-servicemen and promised more talks with them next Tuesday at Murray Barracks. O’Neill was

MORAUTA Haus, which houses the office of the prime minister, was under siege yesterday as ex-servicemen and their families converge on the government office, demanding that they be paid their outstanding entitlements. The National reports , Although the protest was peaceful, the amount of tension and frustration made it potentially explosive, especially as this was timed to coincide with an NGO-organised anti-government rally which police had called off early this week. But, there were reports of violence and looting in other towns, including Goroka. Disgruntled former members of the PNG Defence Force and their families barricaded the building, preventing workers from the offices of the prime minister and NEC and the Department of Personnel Management from leaving. Police had to be called in to enforce order before the Minister for Public Service and Finance and Treasury, Peter O’Neill, met the ex-servicemen and promised more talks with them next Tuesday at Murray Barracks. O’Neill

ALJazeera Papua New Guinea is cashing in on its wealth of natural resources. Last December, Sir Michael Somare, the country's prime minister, signed a $16bn deal to pipe liquid natural gas to Asia, promising to double the nation's GDP. But despite these economic windfalls, wealth and life expectancy are on the decline. Frustrated locals are up in arms, saying they no longer trust the government or developers to deliver on promises. On this edition of 101 East we ask, how much of Papua New Guinea's wealth of natural resources is reaching its people?

ALJazeera Papua New Guinea is cashing in on its wealth of natural resources. Last December, Sir Michael Somare, the country's prime minister, signed a $16bn deal to pipe liquid natural gas to Asia, promising to double the nation's GDP. But despite these economic windfalls, wealth and life expectancy are on the decline. Frustrated locals are up in arms, saying they no longer trust the government or developers to deliver on promises. On this edition of 101 East we ask, how much of Papua New Guinea's wealth of natural resources is reaching its people?