By Doug Hendrie

The violence in PNG this week is the eruption of long simmering tensions, says Martyn Namorong. Doug Hendrie talks to the fearless political blogger who sells betel nut by day and tackles the country's corrupt ruling classes by night.

Martyn Namorong is angry.

By John Pangkatana

Three separate landowner company executives have made questionable sub-lease arrangements with international forestry developers that have the same company secretary in the Gulf Province, reports the Post Courier.

Their respective sub-leases are an exact replica of each other, the Commission of Inquiry in SABLs in Gulf Province established in Port Moresby yesterday. 

The developers are also believed to be subsidiaries of a prominent Malaysian logging company in Papua New Guinea.

By John Pangkatana

THE Commission of Inquiry (CoI) secretariat said they had a target to complete all listed hearings into Special Agriculture Business Leases (SABLs) by March 21, due date set by the National Government, reports the Post Courier.

Chief Commissioner John Numapo yesterday gave the assurance that despite some recent hiccups they were projected to complete all hearings listed.

While the Commission of Inquiry into Special Agriculture and Business Leases continues, revealing the layers of corruption and incompetence in the allocation of the 99-year SAB leases, the PNGExposed blog has republished the findings of an earlier Commission of Inquiry which reported in 2009 the Department of Lands was corrupt and incompetent. Its recommendations for a full Commission of Inquiry into DoL were ignored….

By Effrey Dademo

The Deep Sea Minerals Project of the SPC (Secretariat of the Pacific Community) disenfranchises indigenous people and promotes the interests of big mining companies at the expense of local communitiies.

By Martyn Namorong

A FRIEND OF MINE recently told me about a trip to Mt Hagen. You know there aren’t any mines nor is there any oil or gas exploitation in the Western Highlands Province. But he reckons he saw more 10-seaters in Hagen than they have in Tabubil.

By John Pangkatana

LANDOWNERS say there has been no meaningful consultation or engagement with them by the proponents of the Kerema/Meporo Agro Forestry Project.

This was highlighted as part of the people’s objection to Koaru Resource Owners Company Limited’s application for a Special Agriculture Business Lease (SABL) for Portion 323C in the Gulf Province, during the Commission of Inquiry (CoI).

By Scott Waide