From Radio New Zealand International

Today in Papua New Guinea’s capital, the Melanesian Unified Front for West Papuan Self-Determination, or WUF, is to host a public forum on the West Papuan bid for membership in the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

The forum, at the Port Moresby campus of the University of PNG, is jointly arranged by the University’s West Papuan Students Association.

The MELANESIANS UNITED FRONT (MUF) is a group comprised of concerned Papua New Guineans, West Papuans and other fellow Melanesians. They have initiated the “Sorong to Samarai” campaign with the aim of reinforcing the legitimate calls by ALL Melanesians for West Papua to sit at the table of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) with its other Melanesian brothers and sisters. MUF believes that Papua New Guineans must support the unconditional inclusion of West Papua within the MSG.

Søker om å utvinne palmeolje – hogger skogen og drar

Tømmerselskaper søker palmeoljekonsesjoner for å hugge Papua Ny-Guineas regnskog. Plantasjene etablerer de aldri. Skandalen er kalt «et av verdens største landtyverier».

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.