Clinton promotes human rights in Papua New Guinea
AP U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday warned the people and government of Papua New Guinea that human rights conditions must improve if the impoverished South Pacific nation, awash in rape, domestic violence and police brutality, is to develop. The first secretary of state to visit the country in 12 years, Clinton also urged government officials in the capital, Port Moresby, to embrace a robust anti-corruption agenda amid concerns that a windfall from a massive natural gas find and vast mineral deposits will fuel already widespread graft and make matters worse, especially for women and children. Without proper oversight and accountability, human rights activists and others fear revenue from mining and a $15 billion Exxon Mobil gas project could overwhelm the rural country, populated by more than 800 indigenous tribes. "If they are not handled the right way, they can actually end up making a country poorer rather than richer," Clinton said. She noted t