Yesterday I was having a really interesting discussion with someone on the PMV bus home from work, suddenly one of those election candidate’s convoy’s jolted us into silence with that loud, annoying (and totally POINTLESS) music.

via Post Courier

Lawyers representing the Paga Hill settlers that were devastated from an eviction exercise carried out recently fear the whole hill in Port Moresby could explode if the company is not careful in its eviction and demolition exercise that is currently underway. 

Papua New Guineans are sick and tired of Australia's attitude to them.

By Martyn Awayang Namorong

I'M ON my first visit to Australia right now - and what an introduction to your country. A two-week run of four major cities where I'm meeting politicians, journalists and ordinary Australians.

I'm trying to help foster a relationship between Papua New Guineans and Australians beyond business, politics, diplomacy and academia.

THE continuous illegal grabbing of land in Port Moresby must stop and the offenders be brought to justice, says former Customs Commissioner Gary Juffa. 
Mr Juffa, who recently quit his job to contest the Oro Regional seat in this general election, said there was a syndicate existing in government departments that conspire and manipulate official documents to satisfy certain individuals and foreign companies they favour without considering the local people that are often devastated by their actions. 

Call for rethink on aid policy in Pacific

By Campbell Cooney

A senior Australian expert in development says Australia's aid program in the Pacific is a failure, and should be re-thought.

Affinity!!! Affinity to other Papua New Guineans, affinity to other Melanesians and affinity to the land that we depend on to live and live to depend on. That particular caring or nosiness (as certain non-Melanesians have termed it), that particular quality is our *pasin. It defines a minute part of our Melanesian-ness to find *wantoks everywhere and anywhere we go.

That ability to be 'affinitive' used to protect us from poverty, homelessness, abandonment and provided us with a security that no social welfare network could equate.

By ADRIAN MATHIAS

THE National Court has granted Turubu landow­ners of portion 144C a restraining order to stop any further logging on their customary land.

They were not happy with the improper acquisition of their land by the state and the developers for Special Agricultural Business Lease purposes.

The order restrains Sepik Oil Palm Plantations Ltd, Limavo Holdings Ltd and Wewak Agriculture Development Ltd from carrying out any further logging over the whole of the Turubu customary lands until the final determination of the proceedings.

There’s a riddle that goes, “What am I? You may not always see me but you always know I where I am. I always have hundreds of soldiers guarding me no matter what time of the day or night it is. What am I?” and of course the answer is “An outhouse, the dunny, the loo, toilet.” Whatever you want to call the place where you carry out your ablutions.

Dr Kristian Lasslett*

By Scott Waide

The Paga hill story isn’t just about the demolition of houses and the displacement of families.

It is not about "stupid, uneducated people who should go back to their villages.” No. It’s about a global profit driven economic and political system that dictates that profits are far more important than human lives.