Blogs

The Hidden Valley gold and silver mine in Papua New Guinea has polluted the Watut river with acid forming rocks and soils. The increased sediment flows in the river have impacted the lives of thousands of people living downstream of the mine. Gardens have been flooded and destroyed, incomes from alluvial mining have plummeted, fish and other aquatic life, an important food source for local people, has been killed.

But there is no legal sanction for the mining company, jointly owned by Harmony Gold and Newcrest Mining. 

9 June, 2011

Operating under a cloak of secrecy, the International Finance Corporation has been busy developing laws to allow Special Economic Zone laws in Papua New Guinea, while failing to answer questions from civil society about the project.

This secrecy contradicts IFC claims that it is committed to transparency, accountability and sharing information 'to strengthen public trust'.

The International Finance Corporation, a division of the World Bank, has failed to provide details about its development of Special Economic Zone laws for Papua New Guinea.

Community advocacy organisation ACT NOW! had asked the IFC office in Papua New Guinea for further details about the development of the SEZ laws but its questions have not been answered. This is despite the IFC claiming it is committed to transparency and accountability and sharing information 'to strengthen public trust'. 

Reporter Stephanie Elizah says a team of Chinese investors who have been visiting Bouginville are pushing the Autonomous Region's government to allow the establishment of Special Economic Zones.

SEZs are tax free enclaves where businesses are also exempted from normal labour, immigration and environmental laws.

The Chinese government is currently negotiating a loan with the PNG government to build the infrastructure for PNG's first SEZ, the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone, in Madang. 

Deputy Leader of Opposition and Bulolo MP, Hon Sam Basil, has called on the Government to explain the delay on what is the most expensive and prolonged commission of inquiry – the one into the Department of Finance - since 2007.

“Many months and many millions of kina went into the Commission of Inquiry into the Department of Finance. And what have we got to show for it?” Mr Basil said.

The article below, by Kenn Mondiai, Chair of the PNG Eco-Forestry Forum, is about the dangers of suppressing freedom of speech and the need to protect whistleblowers. It is a response to the news the Board of NASFUND has offered a K50,000 reward for information 'leading to the identification, arrest and prosecution' of the authors and publishers of 'factually incorrect, malicious and defamatory' statements on PNG Blogs.

Kenn Mondiai

The Bloomberg news service is reporting the Democratic Republic of Congo will make all resource contracts public within 60 days of signing (see below). 

Like PNG, the Congo has large mineral, oil and timber reserves and like PNG, a lack of transparency and corruption are two of the problems blighting the resource sector.

The initiative in the Congo could therefore provide an interesting example for PNG to follow.

The Post Courier newspaper has used the occasion of World Environment Day and its Editorial Column to remind Acting Prime Minister Sam Abal of his commitment to set up a Commission of Inquiry into the Special Agriculture and Business Leases. SABLs have been misused as a vehicle to take control of more than 5 million hectares of customary land away from local people. Mr Abal made his commitment to set up an inquiry on May 5 but has not yet signed the instruments to make the Commission a reality.

From PMIZ Watcher

While local people in Papua New Guinea are beginning to suffer the impacts of a massive land grab orchestrated under the guise of agriculture projects, mining leases and Special Economic Zones, Vanuatu is suffering its own land grab as revealed in this video.