Around 100 community activisits in Madang have been meeting this week to learn more and share ideas on experimental seabed mining before travelling out to connect with communities in the New Guinea islands region.

Limawo Holdings Limited has issued a highly misleading press statement [see pdf file attached below] on its legal challenge to a government decision to cancel the Special Purpose Agriculture and Business  Lease over Section 144C in East Sepik Province.

Limawo Holdings owns a minority of the shares in Sepik Oil Palm Plantation Ltd, the holder of the  SABL lease.

Limawo Holdings statement is highly misleading in three respects. 

The National Research Institute has published a discussion paper looking at how we can improve the currently very poor level of service delivery in PNG and the impact different systems of government can have on improving political governance.

The paper looks at the experiences of different countries around the world  to suggest some ways we can make improvements in PNG and concludes major changes like introducing a Presidential system of government are not needed.

Source: PNG Exposed

The government’s Chief Secretary, Manasupe Zurenuoc, has started issuing contradictory statements as he becomes increasingly desperate in his attempts to justify the inaction over the SABL land grab.

Source: PNG Exposed

The Chief Secretary is back in the media [see below] offering more pathetic excuses for the government’s failure to cancel the unlawful SABL leases. Lets look line by line at what he has to say:

Manasupe: “And to be honest with them [vocal NGOs], I will ask them in so that I can explain to them”

Seen to be smiling in these pictures, but not for long. Give back to the people what belongs to them.

Villages in the Maprik Distrcit of East Sepik are opposed to the SABL land grab and want the Prime Minister to cancel the illegal leases.

The people of the area are mostly subsistence farmers and alluvial miners.

Photo: The Chief Secretary is fumbling to explain why the government has done nothing for 28 months…

Source: PNG Exposed

What a difference five days can make!