Lae

Long time resident not happy with forced eviction by Rimbunan Hijau

Source: PNG Exposed

Lina Gawi, from Geborobi village in the East Sepik Province, settled in Bumbu when her daughter was seven years of age. Now she is a mother of 5 adult children, She was not very happy when the bulldozer belonging to RH bulldozed the area which they called home for the past 40 years,

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Rimbunan Hijau evicts Bumbu residents in Lae

Photo: Bumbu eviction site

From PNG Exposed

Thirty houses in the Bumbu settlement in Lae were forcibly removed and the families evicted 2 months ago with all the trees bulldozed. The residents are now living in tents, waiting for a better response from the company involved and the government.

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Investors rejecting governments troubled PMIZ project

By PMIZ Watcher

While the Papua New Guinea government has recently reaffirmed its commitment to the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone project in Madang, despite some vociferous local opposition [1], it seems major international companies are rejecting the project and choosing instead to invest in Lae.

The government claims that the PMIZ will become a major hub for tuna processing in the Pacific region with up to 10 processing factories that will create 30,000 jobs.

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PMIZ hits a legal hurdle

Controversial plans for PNG’s first Special Economic Zone, the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone in Madang, have hit a legal hurdle.

Although the government had negotiated a $180 million loan from the Chinese government to fund the building of the industrial park, that loan is in breach of PNG law. This is because under the loan agreement one particular Chinese company will get to build the park and 70% of the loan monies have to be spent on Chinese goods and services. This breaches PNG laws that require open and competitive bidding process that includes at least 3 companies.

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Police barracks condemned but who is to blame?

One hundred police and their families have been left homeless in Lae after health authorities declared the Bumbu police barracks unfit for human habitation.

In an inspection carried out on Tuesday it was found the houses were infested with termites, there was a serious sewerage overflow and no power or water supplies. 

It is reported that the houses have received no major maintenance since they were constructed in the 1960's and two homes recently collapsed on top of sleeping families. 

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