PNGBLOGS

By JONATHAN ROGERS PAPUA NEW GUINEA bonds anyone? If all goes according to plan, the Pacific Ocean nation will soon make its debut in the international debt markets with a dollar issue led by Barclays, BNP Paribas and JP Morgan. Whatever the merits of such a deal as an investment proposition, you would have to say hats off to bankers from these three houses for escaping unscathed from the beauty contest for the deal held in Papua’s capital Port Moresby, perhaps the world’s most dangerous city. Port Moresby was last year ranked by the Economist Intelligence Unit as the second-worst place to live among the world’s 140 capitals. So-called “raskol” gangs control the city and are rather fond of robbing banks while toting M-16 machine guns. Never mind the mandate, you’d be lucky to escape the pitch with your life. The same is true of those brave blokes from the ratings agencies who came up with a Single B rating for the benighted country, assuming they paid a visit. That puts it on a par wit

By JONATHAN ROGERS PAPUA NEW GUINEA bonds anyone? If all goes according to plan, the Pacific Ocean nation will soon make its debut in the international debt markets with a dollar issue led by Barclays, BNP Paribas and JP Morgan. Whatever the merits of such a deal as an investment proposition, you would have to say hats off to bankers from these three houses for escaping unscathed from the beauty contest for the deal held in Papua’s capital Port Moresby, perhaps the world’s most dangerous city. Port Moresby was last year ranked by the Economist Intelligence Unit as the second-worst place to live among the world’s 140 capitals. So-called “raskol” gangs control the city and are rather fond of robbing banks while toting M-16 machine guns. Never mind the mandate, you’d be lucky to escape the pitch with your life. The same is true of those brave blokes from the ratings agencies who came up with a Single B rating for the benighted country, assuming they paid a visit. That puts it on

A Papuan New Guinea environmental advocacy group has accused Prime Minister Peter O’Neill of “falling silent” on the controversial  Solwara 1 deep sea mining venture planned off the coast of Madang. “Why has our Prime Minister fallen silent on this core issue?” asked Wence Magun, national coordinator for the Madang-based Mas Kagin Tapani and also a steering cvommittee member of the Deep Sea Mining (DSM) Campaign. The campaign wrote to O’Neill last December about its environmental concerns about the Solwara 1 mine and asked for documents relating to the approvals process of Nautilus Minerals Solwara 1 deep sea mine be made publicly available. The campaign is still awaiting a response from the PNG government. The group’s statement today said: Wence Magun, national coordinator for Mas Kagin Tapani, said: “After receiving our letter last December, Our Prime Minister described the environment as a “core issue”. “But communities are still waiting to hear how he will address the many risks as

A Papuan New Guinea environmental advocacy group has accused Prime Minister Peter O’Neill of “falling silent” on the controversial  Solwara 1 deep sea mining venture planned off the coast of Madang. “Why has our Prime Minister fallen silent on this core issue?” asked Wence Magun, national coordinator for the Madang-based Mas Kagin Tapani and also a steering cvommittee member of the Deep Sea Mining (DSM) Campaign. The campaign wrote to O’Neill last December about its environmental concerns about the Solwara 1 mine and asked for documents relating to the approvals process of Nautilus Minerals Solwara 1 deep sea mine be made publicly available. The campaign is still awaiting a response from the PNG government. The group’s statement today said: Wence Magun, national coordinator for Mas Kagin Tapani, said: “After receiving our letter last December, Our Prime Minister described the environment as a “core issue”. “But communities are still waiting to hear how he will address the many risks

By Susan Merrell There is so much smoke surrounding the name of Philip Eludeme, current Chairman of the Central Supplies and Tenders Board (CSTB - in the way of unanswered allegations and dubious past deals) that I'm forced to wonder why the Taskforce Sweep or Ombudsmans Commission do not have him in their sights, suspecting the smoke may lead them to the fire – because there's a serious conflagration burning unchecked in PNG. (Maybe they already do.) Another cursory google search has unearthed these allegations – they're out there already in the pubic forum, for anyone who has an interest to find.  They're lurking there available to those who have the power and the will to investigate: On March 9, 2012 a poster on a popular social media website, that has been mooted as changing the face of politics in PNG, remarked: Philip Eludeme a business associate to Belden Namah who is the SOLE DIRECTOR in this Bewani Palms Management Limited on this oil palm project is now the Ce

Yet another "witch" gets burned in Wa, Village, Mendi District, this is one of the many that is being reported. there are many that are being burned or tortured alive that are not being reported in the news media.

Yet another "witch" gets burned in Wa, Village, Mendi District, this is one of the many that is being reported. there are many that are being burned or tortured alive that are not being reported in the news media.

By LIVINGSTON HOSEA, UNITECH SRC PRESIDENT 2013 I feel urged and justified that you as tax payers and sponsors of Students in Papua New Guinea University of Technology deserves the right and are entitled to know the story of what is happening to the institution where your children are attending. I believe that equality and transparency to information dissemination is what every stake holder by law deserves a right to. The media has been flooded by a few individuals who are of interest to this institution. I quote from the Mediation Team Report that OHE commissioned a four-member Mediation Team, namely; Mr. Daniel Kapi (Team Chairman) - retired Senior Civil Servant and former Deputy Chairman of the National Strategic Plan Taskforce that produced the PNG Vision 2050 and a respectable community leader. Dr. Henry Okole- Senior Research Fellow in governance and institutional matters at the National Research Institute. He is also an advisor to the Provincial and Local-level Government Progr

By LIVINGSTON HOSEA, UNITECH SRC PRESIDENT 2013 I feel urged and justified that you as tax payers and sponsors of Students in Papua New Guinea University of Technology deserves the right and are entitled to know the story of what is happening to the institution where your children are attending. I believe that equality and transparency to information dissemination is what every stake holder by law deserves a right to. The media has been flooded by a few individuals who are of interest to this institution. I quote from the Mediation Team Report that OHE commissioned a four-member Mediation Team, namely; Mr. Daniel Kapi (Team Chairman) - retired Senior Civil Servant and former Deputy Chairman of the National Strategic Plan Taskforce that produced the PNG Vision 2050 and a respectable community leader. Dr. Henry Okole- Senior Research Fellow in governance and institutional matters at the National Research Institute. He is also an advisor to the Provincial and Local-level Governme