PNGBLOGS

 IRIN NEWS   There are fears that a multi-billion dollar liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Papua New Guinea (PNG) could lead to social unrest: Just one year into the four-year construction phase of the project there are some ominous signs, observers say. Outside the capital Port Moresby near the LNG plant site, young men employed by Esso Highlands (a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil), the company running the project, guzzle their earnings, disrupting Sunday church with rowdy drunkenness, while in a nearby village, five people were recently killed in a land dispute, according to an independent social and environmental compliance monitoring report . “While there’s potential for positive access to resources for funds for development, there’s also the potential to exacerbate conflict as we have seen in the past in Bougainville and in other countries that have a natural resource boom,” said Jock Paul, a humanitarian affairs officer with the UN Office for the Coordination of Human

 IRIN NEWS   There are fears that a multi-billion dollar liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Papua New Guinea (PNG) could lead to social unrest: Just one year into the four-year construction phase of the project there are some ominous signs, observers say. Outside the capital Port Moresby near the LNG plant site, young men employed by Esso Highlands (a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil), the company running the project, guzzle their earnings, disrupting Sunday church with rowdy drunkenness, while in a nearby village, five people were recently killed in a land dispute, according to an independent social and environmental compliance monitoring report . “While there’s potential for positive access to resources for funds for development, there’s also the potential to exacerbate conflict as we have seen in the past in Bougainville and in other countries that have a natural resource boom,” said Jock Paul, a humanitarian affairs officer with the UN Office for the Coordination of H

Human Rights Watch Private security personnel employed at a gold mine in Papua New Guinea have been implicated in alleged gang rapes and other violent abuses, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The Porgera mine has produced billions of dollars of gold in its twenty years of operation, and is operated and 95 percent owned by Barrick Gold, a Canadian company that is the world's largest gold producer. The 94-page report, " Gold's Costly Dividend: Human Rights Impacts of Papua New Guinea's Porgera Gold Mine ," identifies systemic failures on the part of Toronto-based Barrick Gold that kept the company from recognizing the risk of abuses, and responding to allegations that abuses had occurred. The report examines the impact of Canada's failure to regulate the overseas activities of its companies and also calls on Barrick to address environmental and health concerns around the mine with greater transparency. "We interviewed women who described

Human Rights Watch Private security personnel employed at a gold mine in Papua New Guinea have been implicated in alleged gang rapes and other violent abuses, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The Porgera mine has produced billions of dollars of gold in its twenty years of operation, and is operated and 95 percent owned by Barrick Gold, a Canadian company that is the world's largest gold producer. The 94-page report, " Gold's Costly Dividend: Human Rights Impacts of Papua New Guinea's Porgera Gold Mine ," identifies systemic failures on the part of Toronto-based Barrick Gold that kept the company from recognizing the risk of abuses, and responding to allegations that abuses had occurred. The report examines the impact of Canada's failure to regulate the overseas activities of its companies and also calls on Barrick to address environmental and health concerns around the mine with greater transparency. "We interviewed women who descr

By MONDAY TANARI Last week, the people of Tunisia in Africa rose against their dictator, running him and his family out of the country and looting the great wealth they left behind. In Europe, thousands of Albanians took to the streets, fed up with the status quo. And in Egypt, there have been massive protests against President Hosni Mubarak. These movements are only the latest in a long string that have toppled many unjust governments. In recent years, people power revolutions have occurred in the Philippines as well as in next door Indonesia. They can pop up everywhere. But not today in PNG. Why not? Some say that it’s because Michael Somare is no dictator and thus, not that bad. While in a strict legal sense that may be true, Somare and his NA mob have managed the same ballot stuffing and vote stealing that dictators often use to stay in power. On top of that Somare uses his top deputy dog, Jeffrey Nape, to manipulate Parliamentary rules with contempt, thus preventing vot

By MONDAY TANARI Last week, the people of Tunisia in Africa rose against their dictator, running him and his family out of the country and looting the great wealth they left behind. In Europe, thousands of Albanians took to the streets, fed up with the status quo. And in Egypt, there have been massive protests against President Hosni Mubarak. These movements are only the latest in a long string that have toppled many unjust governments. In recent years, people power revolutions have occurred in the Philippines as well as in next door Indonesia. They can pop up everywhere. But not today in PNG. Why not? Some say that it’s because Michael Somare is no dictator and thus, not that bad. While in a strict legal sense that may be true, Somare and his NA mob have managed the same ballot stuffing and vote stealing that dictators often use to stay in power. On top of that Somare uses his top deputy dog, Jeffrey Nape, to manipulate Parliamentary rules with contempt, thus preventing

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