Papua New Guinea

ACT NOW! welcomes Hidden Valley admission on Watut river pollution

On 07 Dec, 2010 By rait man

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 and Newcrest admit Hidden Valley mine pollution

On 06 Dec, 2010 By rait man

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.

NO REDD

On 06 Dec, 2010 By rait man

By Derek Wall

Grassroots groups warn that the UN forest protection scheme being negotiated in Cancún amid the UN 16th Conference of the Parties may severely undermine climate mitigation policies and exacerbate environmental and social problems.

A new report, No REDD: A Reader, is based on groundbreaking research exposing links between REDD and carbon trading, International Financial Institutions, extractive industries, GMO trees and biotech.

What is happening to our beautiful country?

On 02 Dec, 2010 By tok stret With 1 Comments

By Peter Kailap

Action Alert - Tell Harmony and Newcrest to come clean

On 01 Dec, 2010 By rait man

In response to requests from people living along the Watut river, ACT NOW! has launched a new Email Action asking mining companies Harmony Gold and Newcrest Mining to 'come clean' about the pollution caused by their Hidden Valley mine.

Papua New Guinea facing cholera epidemic

On 30 Nov, 2010 By rait man With 1 Comments

By Daniel Purt*

A cholera outbreak that began in July 2009 in Papua New Guinea has infected at least 5,000 people and has claimed the lives of at least 79, causing overcrowded hospitals and a quickly diminishing stockpile of treatments.

The island of Daru is one of the hardest hit by the epidemic, with at least 800 people diagnosed and around 300 people requiring emergency treatment at Daru General Hospital, which is severely underequipped with only 60 beds available, WSWS.org reports.

Life in Kaugere settlement, poverty and why foreign aid is failing Papua New Guinea

On 29 Nov, 2010 By rait man

By Lydia & Peter Kailap*

Kaugere is one of the oldest settlements in PNG, having started in the 1960s, and is home to the notorious raskol gang, Koboni. Even other raskol gangs will not tangle with these boys.

These are the boys we live and work with; they are the boys who built our school, teach our children and take care of CUMA – the Chilren’s University of Music and Art, which we established. They have renamed themselves the “Fox Tribe Youth Development Program”.

Highlands Pacific in controversial claims about the Ramu mine

On 28 Nov, 2010 By rait man With 1 Comments

Mining company Chairman, Ken MacDonald, has gone on the record with some very controversial and potentially misleading claims about the Ramu nickel mine in Papua New Guinea and its plans to dump millions of tons of waste into the sea.

In a radio interview broadcast last Friday in Australia, MacDonald said the waste from the mine will not be toxic.

This is refuted by mining experts and marine scientists.

Government wrong to protect foreign companies while ignoring worker abuses

On 18 Nov, 2010 By tok stret With 1 Comments

While the PNG government says in its budget unveiled this week that it wants to 'lower barriers to foreign investment' and remove 'business impediments, lower import tariffs and reducing regulatory burdens' it seems to have forgotten the interests of its own citizens in its rush to support foreign companies.

A new report by the International Trade Union Confederation says there are "serious and continued violations of fundamental workers' rights" in Papua New Guinea.

PNG needs to prepare for a harsh drought in 2011

On 13 Nov, 2010 By tok stret

Papua New Guinea is likely to suffer a strong El Nino induced drought from mid-2011 which could last for up to 18 months.

This dire warning comes from the Director-General of the National Agriculture Research Institute, Dr Ragunath Godake, and National Disaster Centre acting director, Martin Mose.

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