A women’s human rights and civil justice group has protested over the detention of West Papuan refugees who were arrested by Papua New Guinean authorities last month and have appealed to Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare to free them.

A young mother is completely blind because of injury inflicted by her abusive policeman husband in a violent three-year marriage that ended in November last year, reports the Post Courier.

By Lawrence Nicholas, IP/GPRS Engineer, Digicel PNG

THERE are exciting times ahead.

The findings of the Commission of Inquiry into the Finance Department which uncovered the theft of over K730 million from the public purse by prominent lawyers and public servants, look set to continue to gather dust because of the suspicious failure of the government to reappoint judge Mark Sevua.

A new global report paints a gloomy picture of the many problems facing Papua New Guinea and the failure of our politicians to protect the rights and interests of ordinary citizens.

In its World Report 2011, Human Rights Watch documents how 2010 was another dismal year for PNG with corruption, police abuses, and violence against women and girls all dominating the news headlines.

There has been growing concern in Papua New Guinea (PNG), in the past, and more so, recently, at the manner in which the people's Parliament has performed it's functions.

The three components of the State, Executive, Legislature and Judiciary are intended to operate independently of each other, providing checks and balances to ensure transparency and accountability. But, have they?

 Let's respect and follow the Constitution and laws

Three media stories published on New Years Eve foretell what could be a calamitous year ahead for the giant Exxon-Mobil Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) project in Papua New Guinea.

The LNG project has already faced countless delay's and shutdowns caused by landowner disputes, poor working conditions, deaths and allegations of corruption.

Massive oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) projects in the Highlands region of Papua New Guinea have not yet delivered any meaningful assistance to the people of the region, says Peter Korugl, and worse, have promoted greed and corruption while making the people mere spectators on their own land.

By Peter Korugl