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West Papuan Refugees Hope for PNG Citizenship

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Access to citizenship could prove the best hope yet for thousands of West Papuan refugees living in Papua New Guinea (PNG). “I want citizenship. I’ve been here 28 years and want to get on with my life,” said Donatus Karuri, a 57-year-old father of six, outside the shelter he shares with five other families at the Hohola refugee settlement. It is one of four settlements for West Papuan refugees in the capital Port Moresby. Like most West Papuan refugees, he is unable to work legally and has only limited access to public services. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are more than 9,000 West Papuan refugees in PNG today, many of whom have been in the Pacific island nation for over three decades. Others know no other home and can’t imagine living anywhere else. “I was born here. This is the only country I know,” said Dan Hanasbey, 27, another refugee wanting citizenship.   Flight From Indonesia Between 1984 and 1986, more than 11,000 West Papuans fled east into PNG from the w

West Papuan Refugees Hope for PNG Citizenship

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Access to citizenship could prove the best hope yet for thousands of West Papuan refugees living in Papua New Guinea (PNG). “I want citizenship. I’ve been here 28 years and want to get on with my life,” said Donatus Karuri, a 57-year-old father of six, outside the shelter he shares with five other families at the Hohola refugee settlement. It is one of four settlements for West Papuan refugees in the capital Port Moresby. Like most West Papuan refugees, he is unable to work legally and has only limited access to public services. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are more than 9,000 West Papuan refugees in PNG today, many of whom have been in the Pacific island nation for over three decades. Others know no other home and can’t imagine living anywhere else. “I was born here. This is the only country I know,” said Dan Hanasbey, 27, another refugee wanting citizenship.   Flight From Indonesia Between 1984 and 1986, more than 11,000 West Papuans fled east into

Merry Christmas from PNG Blogs

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To our family of readers and supporters out there in the blogosphere, may you be blessed this Holiday season, have a safe Merry Christmas and happy new year. PNGBLOGS

Merry Christmas from PNG Blogs

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To our family of readers and supporters out there in the blogosphere, may you be blessed this Holiday season, have a safe Merry Christmas and happy new year. PNGBLOGS

The six billion kina question

By Graeme Smith To Treasury's consternation, during the course of the PNG election campaign Peter O'Neill announced he was negotiating a soft loan with China Exim Bank. It is worth in the region of K6 billion ($2.7 billion), with the potential for up to K10 billion to be drawn upon. It dwarfs the 2006 Soft Loan Facility of $375 million made to the Pacific as a whole. Pro-opposition blogs  have denounced the loan as 'sinister' and suggested that Treasury will be bypassed altogether. In the absence of any concrete details of the loan, which is currently being finalised, PNG's lively blogosphere has filled the vacuum. A  thoughtful anonymous post on Keith Jackson's blog  rightly points to the effect the loan will have on the ever appreciating exchange rate, which is set to face enormous upward pressure when Exxon Mobil's LNG project comes online. Perhaps the greatest concern is that the loan appears to be fragmenting (even before it is agreed) into a set of sma

The six billion kina question

By Graeme Smith To Treasury's consternation, during the course of the PNG election campaign Peter O'Neill announced he was negotiating a soft loan with China Exim Bank. It is worth in the region of K6 billion ($2.7 billion), with the potential for up to K10 billion to be drawn upon. It dwarfs the 2006 Soft Loan Facility of $375 million made to the Pacific as a whole. Pro-opposition blogs  have denounced the loan as 'sinister' and suggested that Treasury will be bypassed altogether. In the absence of any concrete details of the loan, which is currently being finalised, PNG's lively blogosphere has filled the vacuum. A  thoughtful anonymous post on Keith Jackson's blog  rightly points to the effect the loan will have on the ever appreciating exchange rate, which is set to face enormous upward pressure when Exxon Mobil's LNG project comes online. Perhaps the greatest concern is that the loan appears to be fragmenting (even before it is agreed) into

National Housing Estate Limited’s credibility dashed

Dr Kristian Lasslett – International State Crime Initiative Although it has been in the pipeline for months, last week the O’Neill government formally announced that the National Housing Estate Limited (NHEL) would be taking over large chunks of the National Housing Corporation’s assets, and presumably its functions too. Apparently this move was motivated by a desire “to provide affordable housing for Papua New Guineans”  Post-Courier (3/12/12) . If true, it deserves applause. However, we must now pause for thought following Sunday’s press statement by NHEL’s Executive Chairman, John Dege (see also  ABC Radio, 4/12/12 ). Among other things, Dege’s statement catalogues a number of housing projects the NHEL is about to embark upon. To this end, he remarks: “NHEL is…a major proponent in the Paga Hill housing development project undertaken by Paga Hill Development Company (PNG) Limited”. This is a startling admission for the NHEL to make. After all, the Paga Hill Development Company (PHDC)