Deceit, Deception and Distortion

via The Jet Newspaper (Fiji)

A group of senior officials from the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) will visit the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs and its affiliated statutory bodies this week.

The ABG is the government of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, which was established in 2000 following a peace agreement between the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA).

By Scott Waide

Samap village in Papua New Guinea’s East Sepik province

is like many other places in in the country - isolated and without road access.  It lies in a tiny secluded bay facing the Bismarck Sea. The village houses stand on ancient rickety posts bearing withering sago thatch roofs.

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.