Landowners secure important victory on PMIZ

Landowners from Madang have secured a significant and important victory in their opposition to the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone which is being built on their land by the government with money borrowed from China.

The government says the PMIZ will be Papua New Guinea's first Special Economic Zone, under new laws being written for PNG by the World Bank. The government says the PMIZ will provide a hub for tuna processing in the region and around 30,000 factory jobs.

But local people say the zone has been bulldozed through and is being imposed on them without proper consultation. They say they are fearful of the social, economic and environmental impacts the PMIZ will bring.

Two weeks ago the people held their own Forum to try and learn more about what the PMIZ will mean for them - but invited Ministers and government Departments did not show which caused a lot of anger and resentment.

But now the government has caved in to landowner demands and a high powered delegation of Ministers and MPs is meeting with the landowners today (see news stories below).