Who should be our maritime caretakers?

Nancy Sullivan | Nineteen Years and Counting

This is a photo from yesterday sent to me by Racheal Shisei of a young whale caught in RD Tuna netting and obviously left to die offshore in Madang.

Radio New Zealand

The Governor of Papua New Guinea’s Oro province has warned public departments are more atuned to facilitating corporate interests than protecting the rights of ordinary citizens.

Gary Juffa has reiterated his concern that a major land grab process is continuing in PNG despite a government order to halt the granting of new Special Agricultural Business Leases, or SABLs.

A news report on EMTV further emphasises how PNGs current development model, based on large-scale mining and other resource explotation is failing to raise the living stanadrds of ordinary people.

While we don't agree with the reporters characterisation of PNG as a third-world nation and challenge Western perceptions of poverty based merely on disposable income, the video does make clear that a change od direction is needed. 

The government is carrying out a review of PNG's Mining Legislation.

As part of that process the Mineral Resource Authority is holding a series of regional workshops to gauge the views of stakeholders.

Below are the various background documents, reduced into slide presentations, from those workshops. The MRA advises that the actual draft review document will become available for final comments in 3 months time.

"They said the company (Nautilus) sent them, and if we don't sign then we'll loose our chances of getting the benefits from the project. We didn't agreed to this Experimental Seabed Mining to happen, what makes them think we'll agree to move away from our village that we've lived in for centuries?" said a Danu Village Clan Leader.

By Junior Ukaha

The PNG Eco-Forestry Forum (PNGEFF) wants the Government to speed up the report of an inquiry into the special agricultural business leases (SABL).

PNGEFF communications manager Samson Mark yesterday said affected landowners and the general public wanted to know the status of the inquiry as it has taken more than two years to have a final report ready.