PNGBLOGS

OP/ED The allegations are of a plot it is alleged, by Sir Michael for police to arrest Government critic and Opposition MP Belden Namah. Mr Namah is a former minister in Sir Michael’s Cabinet who left the Government because he was part of an Opposition attempt to move a vote of no confidence in the Government. In a statement last night, Mr Namah (Vanimo/Green River MP) said the order for his arrest was over his criticisms of the government’s handling of high-profile controversies involving senior parliamentarians. Mr Namah said he was “informed” at the weekend of the highly confidential directive for his arrest. He then went on to accuse Sir Michael of using State institutions to silence leaders and citizens who dare to openly criticise the Government. Mr Namah’s allegation is very serious indeed. His allegation follows hot on the heels of activist Noel Anjo’s allegations of the Prime Minister ordering his forceful pick up by police and subsequent alleged assault by the Chief and his w

OP/ED The allegations are of a plot it is alleged, by Sir Michael for police to arrest Government critic and Opposition MP Belden Namah. Mr Namah is a former minister in Sir Michael’s Cabinet who left the Government because he was part of an Opposition attempt to move a vote of no confidence in the Government. In a statement last night, Mr Namah (Vanimo/Green River MP) said the order for his arrest was over his criticisms of the government’s handling of high-profile controversies involving senior parliamentarians. Mr Namah said he was “informed” at the weekend of the highly confidential directive for his arrest. He then went on to accuse Sir Michael of using State institutions to silence leaders and citizens who dare to openly criticise the Government. Mr Namah’s allegation is very serious indeed. His allegation follows hot on the heels of activist Noel Anjo’s allegations of the Prime Minister ordering his forceful pick up by police and subsequent alleged assault by the Chief and h

COURIER MAIL PAPUA New Guinea's most powerful family is being investigated over private deals linked to more than $1 million worth of luxury property in Cairns. PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and his son Arthur have been asked to explain how they obtained a luxury inner-city unit and a new $685,000 beach house. Documents have emerged linking the PNG Grand Chief and his powerbroker son to the real estate. Ombudsman Commission legal counsel Vergil Narokobi, one of the top three most senior officials with the anti-corruption watchdog, said they would investigate. "It is quite possible it is legitimate," Mr Narokobi said. "We will look to see if there were any breaches of the leadership code. "To afford such luxuries it is not something ordinary Papua New Guineans can do. It is a situation of unfairness, but that is my own personal view. "We have to give them the benefit of doubt. On the face of it we will respect our leaders until the contrary is shown.

COURIER MAIL PAPUA New Guinea's most powerful family is being investigated over private deals linked to more than $1 million worth of luxury property in Cairns. PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and his son Arthur have been asked to explain how they obtained a luxury inner-city unit and a new $685,000 beach house. Documents have emerged linking the PNG Grand Chief and his powerbroker son to the real estate. Ombudsman Commission legal counsel Vergil Narokobi, one of the top three most senior officials with the anti-corruption watchdog, said they would investigate. "It is quite possible it is legitimate," Mr Narokobi said. "We will look to see if there were any breaches of the leadership code. "To afford such luxuries it is not something ordinary Papua New Guineans can do. It is a situation of unfairness, but that is my own personal view. "We have to give them the benefit of doubt. On the face of it we will respect our leaders until the contrary

AAP A cholera outbreak on Papua New Guinea’s side of Torres Strait has been contained, but health officials fear the deadly bacteria is spreading inland. PNG department of health officials say 30 villagers have died from cholera on Daru, a tiny remote island off the coast of PNG’s Western Province that is close to Australia’s Cape York. More than 800 Daru people have been diagnosed with cholera. The disease spread to the island from an outbreak that was first recorded in September last year on PNG’s northeast coast. Advertisement: Story continues below <iframe id="dcAd-1-4" src="http://ad-apac.doubleclick.net/adi/onl.smh.news/world;ctype=article;cat=world;pos=3;sz=300x250;tile=4;ord=2.9406761E7?" width='300' height='250' scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" allowtranspare

AAP A cholera outbreak on Papua New Guinea’s side of Torres Strait has been contained, but health officials fear the deadly bacteria is spreading inland. PNG department of health officials say 30 villagers have died from cholera on Daru, a tiny remote island off the coast of PNG’s Western Province that is close to Australia’s Cape York. More than 800 Daru people have been diagnosed with cholera. The disease spread to the island from an outbreak that was first recorded in September last year on PNG’s northeast coast. Advertisement: Story continues below <iframe id="dcAd-1-4" src="http://ad-apac.doubleclick.net/adi/onl.smh.news/world;ctype=article;cat=world;pos=3;sz=300x250;tile=4;ord=2.9406761E7?" width='300' height='250' scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" allowtransp

Bloomberg Exxon Mobil Corp. and its partners in a $15 billion liquefied natural gas development in Papua New Guinea are likely to produce more fuel than they initially expected during the first phase of the project, analysts said.  The venture initially may produce 6.9 million metric tons of LNG from two units, up from the 6.6 million tons previously projected, according to Credit Suisse and Citigroup Inc. analysts who cover Exxon’s partner, Oil Search Ltd. The Hides field drilling campaign next year is likely to underpin an expansion of the project to a third processing unit, Sydney-based Credit Suisse analyst Sandra McCullagh said after a visit to the project in Papua New Guinea. A final investment decision on the next stage may occur in 2012, she said. Exxon and partners approved the development of the project almost a year ago. The venture may double the size of Papua New Guinea’s economy, Port Moresby-based Oil Search has said. First exports are

Bloomberg Exxon Mobil Corp. and its partners in a $15 billion liquefied natural gas development in Papua New Guinea are likely to produce more fuel than they initially expected during the first phase of the project, analysts said.  The venture initially may produce 6.9 million metric tons of LNG from two units, up from the 6.6 million tons previously projected, according to Credit Suisse and Citigroup Inc. analysts who cover Exxon’s partner, Oil Search Ltd. The Hides field drilling campaign next year is likely to underpin an expansion of the project to a third processing unit, Sydney-based Credit Suisse analyst Sandra McCullagh said after a visit to the project in Papua New Guinea. A final investment decision on the next stage may occur in 2012, she said. Exxon and partners approved the development of the project almost a year ago. The venture may double the size of Papua New Guinea’s economy, Port Moresby-based Oil Search has said. First exports

Mathew Murphy IN SEPTEMBER, Origin Energy's Grant King announced a plan to harness the resource from Papua New Guinea's Purari River to generate 1800 megawatts of hydro power that would be shared between PNG and Australia. It is a project that was investigated 30 years ago but abandoned as impractical due in part to the electricity that would have been lost along the transmission line. Analysts have labelled the multibillion-dollar plan ''ambitious'' but King says that technically it can now be achieved with little fuss. However, there is an acknowledgment from Origin that building the project in PNG may prove the most ''ambitious'' part. As projects like the $US15 billion ($A15.2 billion) Exxon Mobil-led PNG LNG development have already done, Origin has started preliminary work to determine what it can leave behind for the locals as its ''social licence'' to operate. As Newmont Mining's former president Pierre Lassonde said,

Mathew Murphy IN SEPTEMBER, Origin Energy's Grant King announced a plan to harness the resource from Papua New Guinea's Purari River to generate 1800 megawatts of hydro power that would be shared between PNG and Australia. It is a project that was investigated 30 years ago but abandoned as impractical due in part to the electricity that would have been lost along the transmission line. Analysts have labelled the multibillion-dollar plan ''ambitious'' but King says that technically it can now be achieved with little fuss. However, there is an acknowledgment from Origin that building the project in PNG may prove the most ''ambitious'' part. As projects like the $US15 billion ($A15.2 billion) Exxon Mobil-led PNG LNG development have already done, Origin has started preliminary work to determine what it can leave behind for the locals as its ''social licence'' to operate. As Newmont Mining's former president Pierre Lasso

By SUSAN MERRELL The independence of the judiciary is a paradigm that underpins the rule of law in democratic states. Another well-accepted paradigm comes from one of the most famous historical judicial rulings: “Justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done.” It was why in 2004 the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) of Sierra Leone was successful in removing Judge Geoffrey Robertson from hearing their case. The ruling judge was not only asked to rule on whether the fact that Robertson had written extensively on the subject made him biased, but “…whether an independent bystander…or the reasonable man…[would] have a legitimate reason to fear…the lack of impartiality.” In some matters affecting the Pacific, occurrences where the “reasonable man” would have a reason to fear impartiality tend to go unnoticed. For instance, in the Supreme Court of Queensland last year where the former Attorney-General of the Solomon Islands, Julian Moti, was applyin

JOHNNY BLADES Melanesian grouping of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands reconsider their regional links They've come a long way from trading fish and coconuts. There's discord in the Melanesian Spearhead Group over the accession of Fiji to the chairmanship, a battle that reflects recognition of the growing importance of Melanesia as global demand for resources heats up. That wasn't always the case. The inception of the group, initially as a trade bloc, in the mid-1980s drew derision from some. Vanuatu's ambassador at the EU, Roy Mickey Joy, remembers when they started negotiations for the MSG trade agreement: "The reaction we got from Canberra and Wellington was 'what are the Melanesians going to trade with, fish and coconuts?'" Since then, there's been a shift in global economic policy, says Mickey Joy. The group now has a bigger role to play in the region and beyond. These days, the MSG – whose full members are Papua New Guinea,

JOHNNY BLADES Melanesian grouping of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands reconsider their regional links They've come a long way from trading fish and coconuts. There's discord in the Melanesian Spearhead Group over the accession of Fiji to the chairmanship, a battle that reflects recognition of the growing importance of Melanesia as global demand for resources heats up. That wasn't always the case. The inception of the group, initially as a trade bloc, in the mid-1980s drew derision from some. Vanuatu's ambassador at the EU, Roy Mickey Joy, remembers when they started negotiations for the MSG trade agreement: "The reaction we got from Canberra and Wellington was 'what are the Melanesians going to trade with, fish and coconuts?'" Since then, there's been a shift in global economic policy, says Mickey Joy. The group now has a bigger role to play in the region and beyond. These days, the MSG – whose full members are Papua New Gu

Ash Pemberton The government of Papua New Guinea has been awarded Greenpeace’s “Golden Chainsaw” award in response to its corrupt, anti-environment forestry policies. In a report released on October 25, the environmental advocacy organisation said PNG should not be allowed to take part in the controversial Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) carbon trading program until “safeguards for biodiversity and indigenous and landowners’ rights and ending the corruption and illegal logging” are in place. Greenpeace anti-logging campaigner Sam Moko said: “The government of PNG is attempting to get its hands on billions of dollars of international REDD funding. But instead of protecting rainforests at home, they are corruptly approving widespread logging and denying the rights of indigenous people who own the land.” Greenpeace has accused the PNG government of playing a spoiling role during negotiations on REDD at the October United Nations climate meeting in Tianjin, Chin

Ash Pemberton The government of Papua New Guinea has been awarded Greenpeace’s “Golden Chainsaw” award in response to its corrupt, anti-environment forestry policies. In a report released on October 25, the environmental advocacy organisation said PNG should not be allowed to take part in the controversial Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) carbon trading program until “safeguards for biodiversity and indigenous and landowners’ rights and ending the corruption and illegal logging” are in place. Greenpeace anti-logging campaigner Sam Moko said: “The government of PNG is attempting to get its hands on billions of dollars of international REDD funding. But instead of protecting rainforests at home, they are corruptly approving widespread logging and denying the rights of indigenous people who own the land.” Greenpeace has accused the PNG government of playing a spoiling role during negotiations on REDD at the October United Nations climate meeting in Tianjin,

Opposition Leader Sir Mekere Morauta said today that Michael Somare is turning Papua New Guinea into “Mugabeland”. “Somare has all the ingredients and recipes in place,” he said. “The two most-important disciplinary forces, the Defence Force and the Police have been tribalised and converted into instruments at his disposal and for his use. “Papua New Guineans should be extremely worried about these developments and must not allow these tribal roots to take hold. “These moves are fraught with danger and set sickening precedents for others to follow in the future. “Michael Somare has to be blamed squarely for these atrocious, self-serving acts.”“This is why this Government has to be changed – to save our country and our future. “The alleged capture by Somare’s bodyguards and alleged bashing of NGO activist Noel Anjo by the Prime Minister and his wife, demonstrate Somare’s preparedness to silence any critic, by any means, including violence and use of the institutions of state. “I remin

Opposition Leader Sir Mekere Morauta said today that Michael Somare is turning Papua New Guinea into “Mugabeland”. “Somare has all the ingredients and recipes in place,” he said. “The two most-important disciplinary forces, the Defence Force and the Police have been tribalised and converted into instruments at his disposal and for his use. “Papua New Guineans should be extremely worried about these developments and must not allow these tribal roots to take hold. “These moves are fraught with danger and set sickening precedents for others to follow in the future. “Michael Somare has to be blamed squarely for these atrocious, self-serving acts.”“This is why this Government has to be changed – to save our country and our future. “The alleged capture by Somare’s bodyguards and alleged bashing of NGO activist Noel Anjo by the Prime Minister and his wife, demonstrate Somare’s preparedness to silence any critic, by any means, including violence and use of the institutions of state. “I re