One O’clock in the afternoon in any coastal area of PNG is humid and hot! Most people want to be sitting under the shade of mango tree – preferably with some nice ripe mangos and the pawpaw variety would be nicer even.

Pawpaw mangos in PNG are famously called 'Rabaul mangos' and the subject of today is Rabaul…well specifically Kokopo.

Alternate realities. Two or more possible realities. Well that’s the way I choose to interpret it. The stuff that science fiction movies are made of. In this case we are talking about science (and a touch of economics) but these realities are a far cry from fiction.

So let’s begin. This reality has that Mista Prime Minista O’Neill and his cabinet have decided that PNG will not wait for further research because the Environmental Impact Assessment carried out by Coffey Natural Systems for Nautilus Inc is relevant and thorough.

Is the economic situation in Papua New Guinea so desperate that we have to resort to Experimental Seabed Mining in order to survive? Is the risk worth taking? Is it worth sacrificing the health of our solwara so that OTHER PEOPLE can benefit at the expense of OUR PEOPLE?

The answers that many Papua New Guineans of expertise and experience have given over and over again is a simple NO!  Seabed Mining shouldn't be an option until the risks are studied carefully.