PNGBLOGS

By  Jonathan Schultz  Prime minister Julia Gillard returned from her first official visit to Australia’s nearest neighbour and former colony Papua New Guinea (PNG) on Saturday with little to show for it. Reports of the visit – the first by an Australian prime minister since Kevin Rudd’s visit months after his election in 2007 – focused on PNG prime minister Peter O’Neill’s complaint about the difficulty of obtaining Australian visas and the A$16 billion Australian investment in PNG. This was set against a background of horrific stories of the treatment of women accused of sorcery. Indicative of the nature of the relationship is the small number of Papua New Guineans who live in Australia. The 2011 census counts under 27,000 people born in PNG of whom fewer than 6,500 identify primarily as Melanesian or Papuan, which is less than half the number of Australians who live in PNG. Gillard’s announcement of measures to simplify access to Australian visas, though falling short of

By  Jonathan Schultz  Prime minister Julia Gillard returned from her first official visit to Australia’s nearest neighbour and former colony Papua New Guinea (PNG) on Saturday with little to show for it. Reports of the visit – the first by an Australian prime minister since Kevin Rudd’s visit months after his election in 2007 – focused on PNG prime minister Peter O’Neill’s complaint about the difficulty of obtaining Australian visas and the A$16 billion Australian investment in PNG. This was set against a background of horrific stories of the treatment of women accused of sorcery. Indicative of the nature of the relationship is the small number of Papua New Guineans who live in Australia. The 2011 census counts under 27,000 people born in PNG of whom fewer than 6,500 identify primarily as Melanesian or Papuan, which is less than half the number of Australians who live in PNG. Gillard’s announcement of measures to simplify access to Australian visas, though falli

Papua New Guinea's Justice Minister is expected to table legislation this week to apply the death penalty and introduce a raft of tougher sentences. The country is grappling with a string of gruesome murders and increased violent offending. ONE News Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver told TV ONE's Breakfast that sorcery in PNG is one of the reasons behind the planned legislation. The Government is looking at repealing the Sorcery Act, 1970 for a start, she said. "They've had a terrible raft of violence. And the Sorcery Act, 1970 means that someone can murder someone else and burn them to death, and under the Sorcery Act if they say 'Well, I thought they were a witch or a sorcerer', that gives them a defence in court." Dreaver recalled recent cases where a 20-year-old mother of one died after being tortured and set alight in front of a big crowd, and another woman was beheaded in front of police. "It's because of those types of cases which have

Papua New Guinea's Justice Minister is expected to table legislation this week to apply the death penalty and introduce a raft of tougher sentences. The country is grappling with a string of gruesome murders and increased violent offending. ONE News Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver told TV ONE's Breakfast that sorcery in PNG is one of the reasons behind the planned legislation. The Government is looking at repealing the Sorcery Act, 1970 for a start, she said. "They've had a terrible raft of violence. And the Sorcery Act, 1970 means that someone can murder someone else and burn them to death, and under the Sorcery Act if they say 'Well, I thought they were a witch or a sorcerer', that gives them a defence in court." Dreaver recalled recent cases where a 20-year-old mother of one died after being tortured and set alight in front of a big crowd, and another woman was beheaded in front of police. "It's because of those types of cases which hav

A PAPUA New Guinea businessman accused of misusing millions of dollars of government funds in his home country still holds a 457 visa and is free to return to Australia. Eremas Wartoto came to live in Cairns in 2011 after he was granted the temporary permit. He reportedly obtained the visa, a type which is at the centre of a federal government crackdown over claimed rorting of the system, for a car hire company he owns because there was a shortage of general corporate managers in the area. It is understood he left Australia last week after media reports that he was wanted in PNG. Following a request by the PNG National Court, a Queensland judge ordered the seizure of some of his Australian assets earlier this week. They included several rental properties, vehicles at a car rental agency of which Wartoto is the director and a number of bank accounts. PNG Director of Crimes Peter Guiness told AAP that Wartoto has been charged with misappropriation of funds. He was granted permission to r

A PAPUA New Guinea businessman accused of misusing millions of dollars of government funds in his home country still holds a 457 visa and is free to return to Australia. Eremas Wartoto came to live in Cairns in 2011 after he was granted the temporary permit. He reportedly obtained the visa, a type which is at the centre of a federal government crackdown over claimed rorting of the system, for a car hire company he owns because there was a shortage of general corporate managers in the area. It is understood he left Australia last week after media reports that he was wanted in PNG. Following a request by the PNG National Court, a Queensland judge ordered the seizure of some of his Australian assets earlier this week. They included several rental properties, vehicles at a car rental agency of which Wartoto is the director and a number of bank accounts. PNG Director of Crimes Peter Guiness told AAP that Wartoto has been charged with misappropriation of funds. He was granted