Tim's blog

No illegal land grabs will enter Oro - Juffa

“The days of illegal logging and land grabbing are over in Oro Province!”

From PNG Village

This was the warning given by Oro Governor Garry Juffa, to companies and individuals intending to develop natural resources of Oro or engage in agricultural projects.

They have been urged to seek the provincial government’s executive council’s permission first before sneaking in through the back door.

PNG NGO's question value of PM's land taskforce

ABC Radio Australia

Non-government organisations in Papua New Guinea are concerned that nothing will come of Prime Minister Peter O'Neill's task force set up to examine findings of the Commission of Inquiry into the PNG's land scandal.

Over a decade more than 5 million hectares of land, belonging to tens of thousands of traditional landowners was leased out, in many cases without their consent.

The Commission of Inquiry was so concerned it recommended 66 of the 75 leases it investigated be revoked.

Seeking a Campaign Coordinator: Exciting new position with ACT NOW!

Campaign Coordinator

ACT NOW! is seeking an experienced and enthusiastic campaigner for an exciting new position based in Port Moresby.

ACT NOW! is a leading community advocacy organisation that uses the internet to advocate for a better future for all Papua New Guineans.

The Campaign Coordinator will lead the implementation of campaign plans and supervise a small team of staff and volunteers.

The successful candidate will have excellent communication skills and a passion for achieving change.

Once the land is gone: A poem about land

By Maua Faleauto of Samoa

"Once the land is gone Sa Moa Sa Yoo nara"
A mamulu ese atu loa fanua Samoa-Sa Moa Tofa Soifua

Once the land is gone there will be no Sa Moa,
A mamulu ese atu loa fanua Samoa o le a leai foi ma se Sa Moa

Once the land is gone there will be no temple to the Ancestors,
A mamulu ese atu loa fanua Samoa o le a leai foi se malumalu o augatama

PNG NGO questions lack of action on SABLs

Source: Radio New Zealand

An NGO which pushed for an investigation into the issuing of Special Agriculture Business Leases in Papua New Guinea is questioning why the government hasn't acted on the findings of a Commission of Inquiry.

In September the prime minister Peter O'Neill tabled a report in parliament from the inquiry which found more than 90 percent of those leases were fraudulently or improperly obtained from customary landowners.

Mass killings and torture have been reported from the Indonesian territory of West Papua

Source: Alison Bevege in the Herald Sun

HE WAS just a little kid, maybe six years old. Walking through the garden with his mother and two teenage aunties.

Then the Indonesian soldiers came.

"My mum was in front, leading me in the middle and my aunties behind,'' said Benny Wenda, now 39.

"My mum knows they will rape and she tries to defend.''

A soldier smashed her in the head with the butt of his gun.

"The Indonesian military beat my mum down in front of my eye,'' he said.