Father Kevin Barr is a Catholic priest. This is his take* on the extreme capitalism practicised by multi-national mining, oil and logging corporations operating in PNG and preached to us by the World Bank and the governments of the USA, Europe and Australia. 

The current economic system of neo-liberalism or extreme capitalism has a fanatical fundamentalism about it.

It encourages not just legitimate profit but excessive greed and individualism.

It seeks to produce ever more money for those with the most wealth - with no limit or regulations.

By Grace Tiden 

PRELIMINARY observations have revealed landowner company and developer agreements were largely in favour of Gilford Limited, a subsidiary of logging giant Rimbunan Hijau, with landowners of West Pomio getting less in benefits. Rimbunan Hijau owns The National newspaper

It was also observed that there was no legal representation of the landowners during the signing of the sub lease agreements. 

APEC the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum starts this coming Sunday in Hawaii but another meeting to draw attention to the economies of the Pacific called Moana Nui is also taking place in Honolulu, reports Radio Australia

Convenor of the alternative conference is Professor John Osorio, a professor of history at the Center for Hawaiin Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Presenter:Geraldine Coutts
Speaker:Professor John Osorio, convenor, alternative APEC conference, Hawaii

Women shocked, all agreements defective

By Grace Tiden

POMIO women expressed shock before the SABL inquiry in Kokopo yesterday when told they were signatories to the lease-lease back agreement.

They were in even more shock to learn that some of the signatories were their own children who were so young they would not even hold up an ink pen.

Post Courier editorial

THE evidence now being presented to the Commission of Inquiry into the so-called Special Agriculture Business Leases (SABL) tell the story of a national shame of gigantic proportions. 

By Julia Daia Bore

Irregularities are rife at the second stages of the Special Agricultural and Business Leases (SABL) where third parties are involved, a commissioner involved in the SABL investigations says.

Speaking on Monday in a special hearing in Port Moresby of the SABL inquiry, Commissioner Alois Jerewai said based on his observations, the irregularities occurred when third parties were involved.

“Third parties here are the developers,” he said.

By Grace Tiden

“We want our land back” was the response of two female landowner representatives when asked to comment during the extended Commission of Inquiry into the acquisition of Special Agriculture Business Leases (SABL) in Kokopo yesterday. 

Scolar Konpunrea and Sekunda Gwemor from Portion 196c (Pomata Investments Limited) in the Memalo Integrated Project area in West Pomio represented other women landowners and more are expected to give evidence today. 

By Todagia Kelola

A Commissioner to the Commission of Inquiry on the Special Agriculture and Business Lease has expressed concern that from preliminary observation the true loss of customary land occurred when the land was sub-leased to a third party.

Commissioner Alois Jerewai made this observation yesterday when highlighting the need for the inquiry and its support staff to co-operate fully in order for the investigations into the SABLs to fully reveal the defects.

By John Pangkakatana

Jacob Samo of Bairaman Village is one of those prominent landowners taking a strong stand against foreign logging company Gilford Investment destroying their land in the hard-hit remote West Pomio, East New Britain Province, reports the Post Courier.