PMIZ Watcher

In a major boost to their campaign against the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone and Special Economic Zone laws, local communities from Madang have had their complaint to the World Bank accepted by the official Ombudsman in Washington.

The Ombudsman has written to the communities confirming their complaint meets three strict eligibility criteria and an investigation team will be sent to PNG to look into the complaint.

In a major court room battle that started in September 2010, Madang National Court Judge, David Cannings has handed down a decision allowing Ramu Nickel to dump toxic mine tailings into the sea.

On behalf of 1040 plaintiffs, Louis Medaing and 10 others sought to prevent Ramu Nickel from causing public or private nuisance through their deep sea tailings placements (DSTP) system. They also sought to highlight that the Environment Act of the Papua New Guinea and the Constitution will be breached.

On June 29, 2011, acting Prime Minister Sam Abal announced the Commission of Inquiry into the Special Agriculture Business Leases (SABLs) and Urban Development Leases.


Mr Abal appointed John Numapo as Chairman, Nicholas Mirou and Alois Jerewai as Commissioners and several other people were appointed to provide technical advice to the Commission. Abal expressed confidence in the team he had appointed that they will do a good job. The Commission was given three months to complete the task and present its report to the Government, which will then present it to Parliament.

The article below by Nick Dearden argues that African prosperity relies on a wholesale rejection of the western free trade model, which is still being promoted by the USA, Europe and their economic allies like Australia.

Papua New Guinea has recently approved a new Interim Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union and is being pressured by Australia and New Zealand to sign the  Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER).

By Patrick Kaiku


While the Constitutional Planning Committee (CPC) had performed a monumental task in the lead-up to the drafting of PNG’s Constitution, a new round of consultation should be ini­tiated to address critical issues that were not apparent during the time of the CPC.

By David Fedele

For nearly 50 years the people of West Papua have suffered under brutal Indonesian colonial rule and up to 400,000 civilians have lost their lives in Indonesian military operations.

Thousands have fled across the border to seek sanctuary in Papua New Guinea.

The footage below was taken on Wednesday 16th February 2011, in the jungle near Vanimo, Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea - less than 50km from the West Papua border.

Bikpela Bagarap is a new documentary film revealing the human face of logging in Papau New Guinea.

PNG is home to one of the richest rainforests in the world but today remains one of the few countries that still allows the export of raw logs, and this is greatly exploited by Asian logging companies. The World Bank estimates that 70% of all logging in Papua New Guinea is illegal, although most unofficial sources put the rate even higher than that.

By Ganjiki D Wayne

It is becoming much clearer now. Our social reforms and legislative reforms, together with the learned opinions of “enlightened” Papua New Guineans, indicate an increasing line of thinking that PNG must no longer remain God-conscious if it is to be a modern State. Sentiments are creeping in that we no longer need God to prosper; that man is the Superior Being and must save himself without subscribing to a “make- belief, invisible being” to bail him out.