By PNG Eco-Forestry Forum

Customary landowners across Papua New Guinea (PNG) have lost over 5.2 million hectares of their land to foreign owned companies supposedly for Agro-forestry projects through the controversial Special Agricultural Business Leases (SABLs) and have long waited for the government to decide on the fate of their land through the implementation of the SABL Commission of Inquiry (COI) recommendations.

From EMTV news

Over four-hundred villagers from Pomata and Ralopal Special Agricultural Lease (SABL) areas marched from Palmalmal District Headquarters to the District Chambers with banners and placards. 

The peaceful demonstration was aimed at the landowner company.

From EMTV

Papua New Guineans have been urged not to sell their land freely. This was a topic of concern raised on land mediation in Buka.

It was discussed that “the selling customary land is the selling of birth right, which in turn creates future problems.”

By UPNG Insider on PNG Blogs

From today's Post Courier newspaper

From Radio New Zealand

West Papuan separatists say they want the United Nations to revisit their case, claiming they were denied their rights in the 1969 Act of Free Choice.

The UN-sponsored vote by a selection of chiefs is widely decried as a sham that allowed Indonesia to annex the former Dutch colony.

From The National

From POST COURIER/PACNEWS

The Indonesian military and OPM elements have engaged in another shootout on the Papua New Guinea-Indonesia border, forcing the closure of a primary school and restrictions on traditional border crossers.

The Prime Ministers failure to implement the SABL Commission of Inquiry recommendations by revoking the unlawful SABL leases and stopping the illegal logging of PNG forests was put into stark relief by the visiting head of the United Nations Development Program, Helen Clark, last week.

From Radio New Zealand

A Papua New Guinea writer and blogger says a proposed cyber crime policy could go too far in policing activity on social media, and could be a move by the government to control social media.

Martyn Namorong, the author of the prominent blog, the Namorong report, says that while he supports the introduction of measures to control cyber crime like spam, hacking, and fraud, the reach into social media is concerning.