Madang

Highlands Pacific in controversial claims about the Ramu mine

On 28 Nov, 2010 By rait man With 1 Comments

Mining company Chairman, Ken MacDonald, has gone on the record with some very controversial and potentially misleading claims about the Ramu nickel mine in Papua New Guinea and its plans to dump millions of tons of waste into the sea.

In a radio interview broadcast last Friday in Australia, MacDonald said the waste from the mine will not be toxic.

This is refuted by mining experts and marine scientists.

Ramu mine will form part of Special Economic Zone

On 24 Oct, 2010 By rait man

The controversial Ramu nickel mine in Papua New Guinea is set to be part of Papua New Guinea's first Special Economic Zone, writes Alex Harris. Such zones allow foreign companies to take advantage of cheap labour costs and lax environmental regulations, but cause misery and suffering for local people.

THE RAPID GROWTH of China as a supply centre has seen its rise as an economic powerhouse, that is itself now ‘off-shoring’ to cheaper labour locations with even more lax environmental regulations…such as Papua New Guinea.

RD Tuna disregards workers rights and PNG laws

On 01 Aug, 2010 By rait man With 1 Comments

By Nuahiva

ON JANUARY 21 this year the Minimum Wages Board declared that the minimum wage rate was to be increased from K1.72 to K2.29 per hour.

Weeks later RD Tuna tried to seek an exemption from that wage rate. The fishing and canning company wrote to the government seeking recognition as an agriculture company just so it would avoid paying Papua New Guineans the minimum wage determined by Papua New Guinea government regulations.

Trouble at RD Tuna as workers strike over minimum wage

On 27 Jul, 2010 By tok stret

RD Tuna security staff have been accused of harassing female workers who refused to start their night shift in support of 489 fellow workers suspended for demanding the company abide by PNG's minimum wage laws. According to witnesses at the plant, around 30 female workers were last night physically forced into the factory.

PMIZ hits a legal hurdle

On 29 Jun, 2010 By rait man With 2 Comments

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.

Thank you Member for Sumkar, for putting the interests of your voters ahead of your own!

On 16 Jun, 2010 By Effrey With 6 Comments

Mr. Ken Fairweather, a member of the People's National Congress and a senior minister in the Somare-led government, has resigned from the government in protest over the amendments to the Environment Act 2000. The amendments strip away rights of landowners to seek redress from the courts over environmental permits. The amendments were purposely made to defeat the current litigation by landowners, against Deep Sea Tailings Disposal System by a Chinese-Government owned Nickle Mine, MCC in Ramu, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea.

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