PNGBLOGS

West Papuan leaders. In front, from left: Forkorus Yaboisembut and Edsison Waromi. Behind: Dominikus Surabut, Gad Wenda, Agus Senandy Kraar and Selpius Bobii. Photo: West Papua Media New Matilda has obtained the first interview with West Papuan leaders detained after last month's violent crackdown on the Third Papuan People's Congress in Jayapura. Alex Rayfield reports The man who was last month elected President of the ‘Federal Republic of West Papua’ after a declaration of independence by the third Papuan People’s Congress may be behind bars, he may have been savagely beaten by the Indonesian police, but he has not been silenced. From his five by four metre cell in the bowels of the Jayapura Police Station — quarters he shares with five other Papuans also charged with rebellion against the Indonesian state — Forkorus Yaboisembut recently issued a rousing call to action, which was smuggled out of the prison and obtained by New Matilda. "To all the Papuan peopl

West Papuan leaders. In front, from left: Forkorus Yaboisembut and Edsison Waromi. Behind: Dominikus Surabut, Gad Wenda, Agus Senandy Kraar and Selpius Bobii. Photo: West Papua Media New Matilda has obtained the first interview with West Papuan leaders detained after last month's violent crackdown on the Third Papuan People's Congress in Jayapura. Alex Rayfield reports The man who was last month elected President of the ‘Federal Republic of West Papua’ after a declaration of independence by the third Papuan People’s Congress may be behind bars, he may have been savagely beaten by the Indonesian police, but he has not been silenced. From his five by four metre cell in the bowels of the Jayapura Police Station — quarters he shares with five other Papuans also charged with rebellion against the Indonesian state — Forkorus Yaboisembut recently issued a rousing call to action, which was smuggled out of the prison and obtained by New Matilda. "To all the P

Basil: Stop preying National Planning and Monitoring Minister Honourable Sam Basil has called on former Chief Justice and Governor of Madang Sir Arnold Amet to stop “preying” on judges’ ‘emotions and opinions’. Mr Basil said that Sir Arnold should realise that he is no longer on the bench as the Chief Justice but a Politician and a member of the Opposition. “His continuous media circus is not only contemptuous but subjudicial to the pending Supreme Court Decision on the validity of the events of August 2 in Parliament,” he said referring to Parliament’s declaration of vacancy and election of Ialibu MP Peter O’Neill as Prime Minister. “Let the Judges do their job and stop preying on their emotions and opinions,“ an incensed Mr Basil said. “The insinuations that he is portraying through the media pre-empts the outcome of the Supreme Court decision and such does not paint a good picture on the independence of the Judiciary. He talks as if the Judiciary is in his steal pocket. That is con

Basil: Stop preying National Planning and Monitoring Minister Honourable Sam Basil has called on former Chief Justice and Governor of Madang Sir Arnold Amet to stop “preying” on judges’ ‘emotions and opinions’. Mr Basil said that Sir Arnold should realise that he is no longer on the bench as the Chief Justice but a Politician and a member of the Opposition. “His continuous media circus is not only contemptuous but subjudicial to the pending Supreme Court Decision on the validity of the events of August 2 in Parliament,” he said referring to Parliament’s declaration of vacancy and election of Ialibu MP Peter O’Neill as Prime Minister. “Let the Judges do their job and stop preying on their emotions and opinions,“ an incensed Mr Basil said. “The insinuations that he is portraying through the media pre-empts the outcome of the Supreme Court decision and such does not paint a good picture on the independence of the Judiciary. He talks as if the Judiciary is in his steal pocket.

The government filed a suit in the United States to recover funds allegedly stolen by diplomatic broker Ching Chi Ju in the Papua New Guinea scandal, reports said Tuesday. The scandal broke during the final months of the administration of President Chen Shui-bian in 2008, when it became known that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had paid US$29.8 million (NT$1 billion) to two diplomatic brokers to persuade Papua New Guinea to switch official relations from China to Taiwan. When the change in diplomatic relations failed to materialize almost a year after the money had been wired in 2006, Taiwan asked for its money back but the two men refused. One of the brokers, Singapore citizen Wu Szu-tsai, was detained in Taiwan in 2008 and is still serving a 30-months sentence for committing forgery and making false accusations. Earlier this month, Wu was also sentenced to three years and ten months for breach of trust. Ching, a Taiwanese citizen believed to hold a US passport, disappeared but is wi

The government filed a suit in the United States to recover funds allegedly stolen by diplomatic broker Ching Chi Ju in the Papua New Guinea scandal, reports said Tuesday. The scandal broke during the final months of the administration of President Chen Shui-bian in 2008, when it became known that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had paid US$29.8 million (NT$1 billion) to two diplomatic brokers to persuade Papua New Guinea to switch official relations from China to Taiwan. When the change in diplomatic relations failed to materialize almost a year after the money had been wired in 2006, Taiwan asked for its money back but the two men refused. One of the brokers, Singapore citizen Wu Szu-tsai, was detained in Taiwan in 2008 and is still serving a 30-months sentence for committing forgery and making false accusations. Earlier this month, Wu was also sentenced to three years and ten months for breach of trust. Ching, a Taiwanese citizen believed to hold a US passport, disappeared b

The PNG government alleges K96m has been stolen from the public purse in a fraudulent share transfer overseen by former Public Enterprise Minister, Arthur Somare. But what has not yet been revealed is the money has been invested in a company that bears the same name as the school attended by Arthur’s brother, Sana. Further, Lismore, where the money is sitting in a Commonwealth Bank branch, is described by friends as “home turf for the Somare family”. It is also alleged the family has close personal ties to the bank staff at the branch at 86 Woodlark Street Lismore, which is just around the corner from the registered office of the investment company. New Minister, Mekere Morauta, says the stolen K96m, or what now remains of it, is in a  bank account owned by an obscure Australian company, Woodlawn Capital Ltd. Sana Somare was schooled at the exclusive St Johns College at Woodlawn near Lismore in northern New South Wales. St John’s is commonly referred to as Woodlawn college