Source: 4-Traders, Fiji

A new World Bank report recommends that Pacific Island countries supporting or considering deep sea mining activities proceed with a high degree of caution to avoid irreversible damage to the ecosystem, and ensure that appropriate social and environmental safeguards are in place as part of strong governance arrangements for this emerging industry.

The people of Biliau and Galil from the Raikos area of Madang province are standing together and saying No to Experimental Seabed Mining as this would affect their livelihoods and environment. They depend entirely on the sea for their daily subsistence.

The villagers and locals were attending an awareness on experimental sea bed mining organised by Act Now! and Tropical Gem to learn about the proosed Solwara 1 seabed mine. 

Source: Scott Waide – EMTV News

Another low point came yesterday when another Papua New Guinean journalist was threatened by senior members of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary for maintaining contact with the suspended head of the Police Fraud Squad, Matthew Damaru.

Source: Post Courier

The drop in commodity prices is a great lesson for Papua New Guinea which has relied too much on the extractive industries, says Northern Governor Gary Juffa.

The Forest Minister has taken out full page adverts in the media this month [see below] trying to refute allegations of illegal logging and financial misreporting by the logging industry. But his lengthy explanations fail to answer the central allegations and many of his admissions actually add weight to the arguments he is trying to dispute!

A new report published by the United Nations Human Rights Council is critical of the SABL land grab and the PNG government’s response. The UN says the land grab has been especially harmful to minorities and indigenous peoples.

The SABL land grab has resulted in over 5 million hectares of land being unlawfully taken from indigenous rural people and given to foreign corporations.

Adam Smith staff celebrate

Source: PNG Exposed

Who is Adam Smith International working for when it writes laws and policies in PNG - the people of PNG or its foreign paymasters? And how much do it's staff and owners benefit personally?

Source: PNG Mine Watch

During the recent Melanesian Indigenous Land Defence Alliance Youth Workshop which took place in the Solomon Islands, on the island of Ysabel, the participants updated and added to the Lelepa declaration of 2014.

The Buala Declaration 2016

Trouble in Haiti: Scene from Disaster Capitalism. Photo: Antony Loewenstein.

Source: Garry Maddox, Sydney Morning Herald, April 5, 2016

The government is to ignore the SABL Commission of Inquiry and endorse the SABL land grab by converting the unlawful leases into registered land and issuing new leases to the logging companies.