Susuve Laumaea, Pacific Freedom Forum
Government officials responsible for the sudden suspension of senior news editor Dorah Masseung from her management position in the PNG National Broadcasting Corporation must let the national media do its work without fear or political pressure.
There have been two major victories in the last few days in the campaign to defend Papua New Guinea's Constitution and uphold democratic principles.
By Rosa Koain
THE Western concept of economic development is about one person taking control of an activity and pulling all the rest in to work for him. The Melanesian concept of the same development is about sharing and participating equally and openly.
Despite the many lessons from different parts of the world, the concept of development that PNG is adopting is breaking up communities. The many conflicts arising as a result are indications of an economy breaking down.
Violence against women is so widespread in Papua New Guinea that it is part of daily life for almost all of us. Everyday we see or hear of men physically and violently abusing women - but in 99.9% of cases both the victims and those of us who see what is happening remain silent.
By APP
Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court has ruled the reappointment of the governor-general was unconstitutional and invalid.
Controversy surrounded the June installation of Sir Paulias Matane, who critics said was appointed by the government despite numerous breaches of parliamentary process.
On Friday, the full bench of the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the appointment was unconstitutional because Sir Paulias was not selected after a secret ballot in parliament.
Back in April two articles were written on the ACT NOW! blog about a Pastoral Letter from the Catholic Bishops' Conference which asked the question: Will Papua New Guinea's liquified natural gas projects be a blessing or a curse?
Below (thanks to our friends at LNG Watch) is the full text of that letter. It should be essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of PNG and should, perhaps, have been tabled for discussion during this weeks PNG mining talk fest in Sydney...
ABC Radio reports the Papua New Guinea Chamber of Mines and Petroleum has called on the PNG government to sign up to an international anti-corruption initiative.
The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative began in 2003.
It is designed to help countries clean up their mining and resources industry by publishing the details of all revenue received, in a format easily understood by all citizens.
Thirty-two nations, most from the developing world, have already joined.
Editorial: Post Courier
The 11th Mining and Petroleum Conference in Sydney, Australia kicked off on Monday. In a packed room, PNG’s Oil Search Limited, a major partner in the LNG project, shocked the experts and government officials including ministers from both countries, by revealing it has paid a whopping K11.931 billion in oil benefits between 1992 and 2009.
ACT NOW!, has welcomed the public admission by Harmony Gold and Newcrest Mining that sediment run off from their Hidden Valley mine has caused pollution in the Watut river.
"This is a significant step forward by two leading companies and we welcome their announcement," says Effrey Dademo, Program Manager for ACT NOW!
"Hopefully responsible resource companies are beginning to see the need for much greater transparency, honesty and respect for local people."
Harmony Gold and Newcrest Mining have, for the first time, publicly accepted their Hidden Valley mine in Papua New Guinea has caused pollution problems in the Watut River.
This is a significant admission from the two mining companies, in the face of mounting community pressure, as they have only previously spoken about 'higher than expected sediment loads' in the river system.
The companies have also announced steps to seek a 'constructive resolution' of the pollution problem in consultation with local people and their MP Sam Basil.