The Northern Territory Government of Australia has announced a temporary ban on seabed mining in its coastal waters until 2015.  ACT NOW! and the Pacific Network on Globalisation are calling on all Pacific Island Governments to follow the leadership of the NT Government and announce a similar ban in the Pacific.

Source: Post Courier 

By STAFF REPORTERS

A journalist was assaulted and threatened to be blown up with a hand grenade by police in Port Moresby yesterday.
Patrick Talu, a young journalist and the Business Editor for the South Pacific Post (Post-Courier) was shown a hand grenade by a policeman who was armed with an M16 rifle and ordered to leave Unagi Oval or he would be blown up with the hand grenade.

Updated 6 March 2012, 21:07 AEST

Liam Fox, Port Moresby

Police in Papua New Guinea's capital have used tear gas and fired shots in the air to clear a crowd of angry land owners.

There were rowdy scenes outside the building that houses the Prime Minister's department in Port Moresby.

Hundreds of land owners from PNG's Southern Highlands gathered there demanding the government pay them millions of dollars in outstanding grants.

Source: Post Courier

Tue March 6, 2012

Have police gone against a direct order not to be deployed at logging camps?

It seems the picturesque Jacquinot Bay in the West Pomio area of East New Britain Province has not seen the last of them yet.

Information received from prominent local landowner Paul Pavol yesterday was that up to four policemen are back at the logging camp at Drina.

"Papua New Guinea has an abundance in natural resources, but poor governance and corruption have prevented this wealth from reaching ordinary citizens.”

Gary Juffa

By Andrew Pascoe*

The cards seem firmly stacked against optimism on the streets of Papua New Guinea at the moment. It’s a bad sign in an election year, with little confidence evident that the outcome will correct our Pacific neighbour’s course from the particularly rocky path it’s taken in recent months.

But here — like elsewhere in the developing world where obscene power disparity is mobilising the masses — a wellspring of resistance is brewing.

Source: Post Courier, Wednesday 29th February

THE Papua New Guinea 2012 General Elections will proceed as planned. 

Already 75 percent of the Electoral Roll is complete – the remaining 25 percent should be completed in two months.

PNG Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen announced this yesterday yesterday adding “the Election 2012 will proceed as required by the National Constitution” and that the preparations were on schedule.