PNGBLOGS

by PHILIP WEN PORT MORESBY: Barely a five-minute drive from the US$50 million conference venue for the just-concluded Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Papua New Guinea's capital, a makeshift squatter settlement is tucked away from visiting world leaders. The Wanigela settlement in Port Moresby looks out directly over APEC Haus, but might as well be a world away. With the South Pacific nation's rainy season looming, Wanigela's thousands of residents are packed together in overcrowded and dilapidated dwellings with no sanitation and unreliable electricity supplies. For all the hope and promise the APEC summit would put PNG on the world stage – and attract investment that will translate into jobs and infrastructure – many are questioning how such an international event will benefit their everyday lives. "The government says APEC is going to improve our lives, but I don’t know, because our politics is not trustworthy," said Bra

ALJazeera Papua New Guinea is cashing in on its wealth of natural resources. Last December, Sir Michael Somare, the country's prime minister, signed a $16bn deal to pipe liquid natural gas to Asia, promising to double the nation's GDP. But despite these economic windfalls, wealth and life expectancy are on the decline. Frustrated locals are up in arms, saying they no longer trust the government or developers to deliver on promises. On this edition of 101 East we ask, how much of Papua New Guinea's wealth of natural resources is reaching its people?

ALJazeera Papua New Guinea is cashing in on its wealth of natural resources. Last December, Sir Michael Somare, the country's prime minister, signed a $16bn deal to pipe liquid natural gas to Asia, promising to double the nation's GDP. But despite these economic windfalls, wealth and life expectancy are on the decline. Frustrated locals are up in arms, saying they no longer trust the government or developers to deliver on promises. On this edition of 101 East we ask, how much of Papua New Guinea's wealth of natural resources is reaching its people?