Miners ripping off PNG

Reblog Mine Watch

THE proposal to hand ownership of mineral rights to landowners in PNG would split national unity and devastate the country’s vital mining sector, the PNG Chamber of Mines and Petroleum said.

So what when we own these resources?

PNG is currently selling its na­tural resources cheaply while the chamber and the government are sleeping.

Copper and gold are traded in US dollars and mining companies pay the government and land­owners in lousy kina. For example, an ounce (32gm) of gold is about US$1,700 which means US$50,000 a kilo. In a year, a company produces about 100 tonnes, so do your maths.

These companies are ripping our natural resources cheaply and with the weak kina, these companies are laughing all the way to the banks.

So what is K12 million royalty paid to Ok Tedi landowners. That is just like giving some a one toea change from K100.

An apprentice diesel fitter in a BHP-owned mine in Australia would be paid A$14,000 or K52,000.

Our workers working in PNG mines are a cheap labour compared to our Australian counterparts even though we do the same jobs. Is this in the best interest of Papua New Guineans?

I say go ahead with your bill, Boka Kondra and Sir Julius Chan. The grassroots support the bill.

This is where we are… PNG

BY GARY JUFFA

‎Our simple folk ask for little - a road, a bridge perhaps, a school and a hospital. They fend for themselves as they have done for the last 50,000 years.

They toil without complaint and with much respect for the educated and those that lead. They complain only when they do not get the attention that they rightly deserve.

They are unaware of the substantial resources that are squandered in their name. They are oblivious to the devious scams and schemes that their leaders concoct to deprive them of what is rightfully theirs. Their children walk on deteriorated roads to a school with no desks, to visit a library with no books, to sit in a classroom with no teachers. Their womenfolk trudge to aid-posts with no medicines, no nurses and no doctor.

Meanwhile the government urges them to free up the last true possession they have, their land -for "development" purposes. Large international forces loom in the near future, prodding the government that no longer represents the people, to push them aside.

For "development" for "progress"....every week another child dies from dysentery in a remote district for lack of medical care. a mother is a victim of lawlessness and suffers the humiliation and trauma of rape as she struggles to survive in an increasingly lawless society. Youth, disillusioned and bitter turn to drugs and alcohol, walking as zombies throughout the deteriorated stations and districts that dot the rural areas of PNG. Ethnic tension and deteriorating law and order infect the ordinary folk with fear and anxiety.

This is where we are....PNG

PNG CHEATED OFF K1.9 BILLION WORTH OF TUNA

 

Dedicated to all ripped-off PNG sheeple and their longlong Government

Above: Waste dumped by RD Fisheries in Madang, PNG. Your gift from the industry

Recently, Solomon Islands and Nauru have had to suspended all Tuna fisheries in their waters as they had reached their Fishing days quota. The Vessel Day Scheme or VDS limits the number of fishing days as part of the management of Western Pacific Tuna fisheries under the Partners to the Nauru Agreement (PNA). The aim of the PNA is to create a tuna cartel similar to OPEC, in order for countries of the Western Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) maximize benefits from their tuna resources. [As you will discover below that has not been the case]

Indeed the PNA is one of several fisheries agreements/treaties that Pacific Island nations have.

The Niue Treaty, for example, calls for cooperation amongst parties in fisheries law enforcement and surveillance. The vast Exclusive Economic Zones of many Island Nations make it difficult for individual countries to monitor poachers. However surveillance efforts using combined resources of nations has caught some of these illegal fishing vessels.

The Pacific Island Tuna fisheries are worth US$ 4 billion of which about US$ 1.7 billion is illegal fisheries. What this means is that Pacific Island Nations do not benefit from around half of all Tuna fished from the WCPO. [So the Niue Treaty is a nice Pacific Island joke].

Meantime, the benefits of Tuna Fisheries aren’t evenly spread throughout the PNA countries. Papua New Guinea and Kiribati benefit most compared to other island nations. In 2009 the total value of the Tuna Catch for PNA countries was US $ 1.56 billion. Papua New Guinea’s fishing industry made US$543 million around one-third of the total value of fish caught in PNA waters. [By the way Niue didn’t make any money during that year. The Joke’s on Niue. So much for the Niue Treaty]

However if one looks closely at direct benefits to countries from these fishing activities, they barely scratch the surface. Let’s take PNG as an example. The fishing industry catches on average about US$ 600 million (K2 billion) worth of Tuna annually. The Government collects on average about K40 million each year from fees and levies. Around K60 million benefits the nation through spin-off activities.

Now you do the math. K2 billion kina worth of Tuna gets exported while PNG gets only K100 million or just 5%. What happens to the other 95 % (K1.9 billion)?

This is a rip-off and yet the Government is hard pressed on setting up 10 more tuna canneries at the Pacific Maritime Industrial Zone (PMIZ) at Vidar in Madang. I suppose they wanna be rip-off ten times more. [I don’t know what the Government is smoking but I want some of it]

Unless the Government can maximize the direct benefits to its coffers in the current context, there is NO ECONOMIC JUSTIFICATION for the establishment of the PMIZ.

DATA SOURCES

Jonathan Manieva, Fiscal reforms for Papua New Guinea fisheries

Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency

Arrogance of the Dominant 1% must be kept in check

 

Criticism: something which is encouraged by the dominant class as long as you are not criticizing the dominant class.  _ The Overt Dictionary

The best way I can define the dominant class is to use what the Occupy Movement refers to as the 1% - the owners of Capital and their agents.

The rest of us belong to the 99%.

The dominant classes, being the psychopaths that they are, are very good at twisting words and stories to shift the blame back to the 99%. They will only want to take credit when things go right but will not bear responsibility for their flaws.

I have had to debate these psychopaths on Facebook and have become familiar with their tactics.

One of the lessons I’ve learnt is that the dominant class – the 1%, don’t mind if the 99% criticize and hold each other accountable yet they frown when attention is focused on them.

Proceeds of Corruption in Australia

Let’s take a look at recent blogs from PNG Exposed BLOG regarding money that was transferred to a Commonwealth Bank account in Lismore, New South Wales, Australian. Basically, the articles called on the Australian Authorities to help PNG recover these funds.

Predictably the psychopaths decided to shift the argument towards blaming PNG Authorities for failing to prevent the money from leaving the country. They decided to ignore the glaringly obvious fact that these same ‘Authorities’ were facilitating these deals and the least the Australians could do was to decline such transfers.

Someone went on to defend Australian Banks by saying they do due diligence checks. This person was clearly distracting attention from the fact the IPBC is currently trying to recover money from the Commonwealth Bank in Lismore. Obviously Bankers at Lismore didn’t do proper due diligence checks. Yet this fact was blatantly ignored.

Transparency International’s failure to speak out

The folks at PNG Exposed Blog also accused Transparency International of being biased and racist towards Papua New Guinea because the Organization failed to highlight Australia’s involvement in laundering proceeds of corruption in Papua New Guinea.

Not surprisingly the psychopaths decided to divert attention from Transparency International back to the Government’s failures. The point that they wished to gloss over is that if Transparency International is to be fair and balanced about criticizing corrupt practices it must criticize the recipients of the proceeds of corruption.

Sadly, Transparency International’s PNG Chapter is supported by the Australian Government via AusAID. One does not bite the hand that feeds you. And that is something the psychopaths don’t want the sheeple to know.

Suppression of Freedom of Expression

The Post Courier Newspaper has been taken to court for defamation, by Malaysian logging giant Rimbunan Hijau aka RH for reporting on RH’s antics in Pomio, East New Britain Province.

The Pomio fiasco was a major Public Relations disaster for RH and it (RH) scored several own goals while pathetically trying to defend itself.

The attacks on the Post Courier including referrals to the Media Council are attacks on freedom of speech and Media freedom.

Had the Post Courier not reported on the Pomio fiasco newspaper readers in PNG would have received biased reports from RH-owned National Newspaper.

And remember how Nasfund once used to be all about good governance and fighting corruption until someone leaked its dirty secrets on PNG Blogs. The administrators of PNG Blogs had to pull down the information after Nasfund threatened to sue them and offered K50 000 to anyone providing information leading to apprehending the source of the leak.

Ken Mondiai from the Eco-Forestry Forum writes to the 1% stating;

“Don't be like the politicians trying to suppress media and freedom of speech in this country when their bad decisions and weaknesses are exposed and in reaction for their guilt they go to the media issuing all kinds of threats about controlling and regulating NGOs and the media.”

And that’s the thing about the 1%, politicians may come and go but the 1% belong to undemocratic capitalist cartels that continue to wield enormous influence behind the curtains even when politicians like Sir Micheal Somare are out of Office.

Nautilus Experimental Deep Sea Mining

A recent scientific report on Deep Sea Mining highlighted that there is insufficient knowledge about this activity to allow it to proceed.

The debate on the issue is best summarized by the exchange on Facebook between Tiffany Twivvey and Richard Kassman:

Notice above how Mr. Kassman shifts the problem from the 1% to the 99%. He states:

“Tiffany, my point is that Alup and her people must set about putting a plan of action together. Get information and engage with Nautilus as part of this plan. Be proactive and not stuck in too much talk.”

But of course what Mr. Kassman does not say is that it’s actually pointless in trying to engage with Miners. Just look at the Ramu Nickel case and what happened on Bougainville. To explain why it is pointless, I’ll use Mr. Kassman's own words:

“Sharpies I work for a foreign petroleum coy exploring for gas primarily in the Western Province. I am part of management and have some influence. I am an employee, I am a citizen and I consider myself a Nation builder. Yes I have a responsibility to my shareholders, I also am fully aware of the obligations that the corporation has signed up for as a convention and its values talk about the environment, treatment of indigenous people etc. As a senior officer I am compelled to raise these issues and up to the Board Chairman if required. At the end of the day if I feel my personal principles and values are compromised I will have no hesitation in tendering my resignation.” [Emphasis mine]

The 1% and their agents have to make a profit from their investments. That’s what Mr. Kassman refers to as “a responsibility to my shareholders.” Shareholders make money from shares they own in companies. This is a legitimate business practice.

But what happens if you were opposed to Experimental Deep Sea Mining and decided to do what Mr. Kassman suggested:

“Get information and engage with Nautilus as part of this plan. Be proactive and not stuck in too much talk.”

Would the miner listen to you if it had spent tens of millions and would make a loss by pulling out? Would its shareholders be happy? The manager of the mining company would be reluctant to stop the project because as Mr. Kassman puts it, he would say “I have a responsibility to my shareholders”.

To be fair to Mr. Kassman, he did say he would resign if he felt his values were being compromised. But if a good manager like Mr. Kassman resigns, the company can always employ a demon to create havoc.

One other interesting point that pops up in the exchange above is this statement by Mr. Kassman:

“Judith your assertion that Mel is betraying Pngeans is harsh and does little to help Alup do something constructive.”

Here Mr. Kassman makes reference to Mr. Mel Togolo who works for the Experimental Deep Sea Miner, Nautilus. When defending Nautilus, Mr. Kassman was open about being employed by Talisman Energy he did not publicly disclose that he and Mr. Togolo were both Board Members of Transparency International (PNG) Inc.

For resource exploiters the word “constructive” which was used by Mr. Kassman takes up a more literal form in terms of construction of the project as opposed to constructive dialogues. What this implies is that anyone totally or partially opposed to the 1% is deemed unconstructive.

And that is why Ms Twivvey who is the lawyer representing Madang Landowners fighting against proposed Deep Sea Tailings Placement, replied;

“Richard - sorry but I agree with Judith - she was not being harsh. It is pointless for individuals to engage with Mining companies. They are here - they have all the permissions - they are full steam ahead - what do we do say "oh please Mr. togolo could you tell your bosses, who are bankrolled by the chinese as they are, to not do any mining until we have proof it is safe ? Which will take a very long time and a lot of researrch - which will only prove that it is not safe ?"No we need to stop it before it is too late.” (sic)

PROFESSIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS SPIN

One thing the 1% are good at is to make themselves look good. As I was looking up links for this article I came across what I saw as a good example of PR SPIN on Mine Watch Blog: My responses are in italics.

Tindi Apa (@oripng)

November 25, 2011 at 12:12 pm

Congratulations Mine Watch… The miners have certainly developed jaundiced eyes after reading your ‘jaundiced’ reports.

Reply

§ Wesely

November 25, 2011 at 4:31 pm

Tinda,
You are pulling your own leg!
Sad to say it is typical of the unwashed to trivialize the issues here.

[Notice above how Wesley deliberately misspells Tindi’s name and refers to him as ‘unwashed’. That’s because the 1% know that the 99% who are mostly sheeple are most likely to react to such personal attacks and in the process discredit themselves. By discrediting themselves, the 99% make themselves look evil while the 1% start claiming to be victims of the 99%. Thank goodness Tindi didn’t fall for this trick by the psychopaths]

Actually, the Mining Industry is not at all concerned with what gets posted on this blog.
The Mining Industry, far more so that the citizens of PNG and its government, have a vested interest in a properly regulated industry.

[I’ll use Tindi’s response to that: “I actually believe what Wesley rightfully pointed out: “the Mining Industry is not at all concerned with what gets posted on this blog”. Probably explains why Wesley spends too much time here while I’m on Twitter with my ‘jingoistic CROWD’. Wesley should be awarded for ITS regular contributions to RAMU MIND WASH _ perhaps a blog post to commemorate ITS 1000th comment on RAMU MIND WASH”]

But look what they have to work with, TAKE A GOOD LOOK!
A bunch of corrupt ministers and PNG cowboys who are, with a couple of exceptions, are clearly JUST INCAPABLE of understanding and implementing any transparent policy with regard to regulatory practice.

Yes, in the past there has been a tragic legacy of incompetent administration of Mining Act matters by the government of PNG itself.

You obviously simply side step this compelling and abundantly obvious fact.
All the RAMU MIND WASH has done in the last 18 months is to distract people in PNG from the real issues, namely, that the organs of state are largely responsible for the problems in PNG.
I don’t suppose you would appreciate this, how could you when you clearly treat this like a rugby match where you support your favorite team.

[Same old, same old... shift the Blame to the Government. But when Byron Chan the Mining Minister decides give mineral ownership to the 99%, Guess what? the 1% Cry Wolf and say it will split the country. Well I suppose what they mean is that the resources will be taken from their hands and given to the 99% so the 1% gets split out. You see folks what the 1% believe is that the Government isn’t right unless it listens to them. Unfortunately Prime Minister O’Neil bought into their bluff and over-ruled the Mining Minister. If you look at Panguna and Ok Tedi you realize that the State listened to the 1% but when the miners messed up we the 99% paid the price and the State got blamed for the troubles. The 1% just conveniently vanished – BHP in Ok Tedi and Rio Tinto in Panguna]

But its not a Rugby match and RAMU MIND WASH has done the community a great disservice by promoting a perception that it is the Mining Industry at fault.
That’s why PNG just flounders in every respect, politically, socially at all.

RAMU MIND WASH has done nothing to support a proper approach to regulatory process.
Most if not all of what has been said and done by RAMU MIND WASH has floundered in a sea of ineptitude, emotion and silly partisan barracking with no focus and apparently no knowledge of the real issues, but worse, a complete incapacity to work productively toward a properly regulated process for the management of mining matters.

How can you expect the industry to respond to this sort of a rubbish other than to raise their eyes with incredulity and near total frustration.

[Oh so now they wanna sound like the victims... typical. The 1% will lobby regulators and Ministers to get what they want, yet when they screw-up, they pass the blame to the Government. It’s hypocritical because the Government’s actions had been influenced largely by the 1%]

Conclusion

In the minds of the psychopathic 1%: raping your resources, plundering the state coffers, exploiting workers and destroying the environment and the livelihoods of indigenous communities are legitimate forms of doing business. They do not want to be held accountable for these acts of violence. They don’t want to be criticized for their wrongs.

Yet when the 99% react to their injustices, the 1% immediately bring in thugs in Police Uniform to suppress the resistance against their violent acts. They treat people who seek justice as if they are criminals.

There is one major weakness that the 1% have and that is they only care about MONEY. So the sheeple of Papua New Guinea can resist with their wallets and their labour. They lose money when you don’t do business with them and that’s what hurts the most. For a large corporation, a strike by workers costs millions per day.

The shareholders wouldn’t be too pleased with the company if this was to happen and mangers who say “I have a responsibility to my shareholders” will realize that they have a responsibility to the 99% as well.

Now folks I don’t want to exonerate corrupt Politicians and Public Servants nor do I wish to absolve the State from its fiduciary duties. But when one is presented with the basket case that this nation has become, one would expect that so called Development Partners, Civil Society Organizations and Good Corporate Citizens would step up to meet the challenges faced. Instead they fail to do so and by their failures enable the Dominant Class -  psychopathic 1% to run amuck.

ALERT! DRAMA IN SABAMA

 

Over the past 24 hours I have received sketchy details of trouble brewing at Sabama in Port Moresby. A Eastern Highlander was stabbed in the brawl between Highlanders.

A grade seven student from Gulf Province was walking with his friends at Sabama when the fight erupted. The Gulf Student stabbed and wounded the Eastern Highlands kid who was hospitalized and is expected to be released today. According to my sources the student had acted in self-defence as the fight spill-over involving bystanders.

Yesterday the family of the Gulf student was ‘visited’ by a mob from the Eastern Highlands, who are demanding K 2000 compensation. The situation is tense and the family fear for their safety.

The matter has been reported to Badili Police.

Meanwhile anonymous text messages have been circulated regarding illegal squatters from the Highlands. One read:

“Highlanders do not respect Central People’s peaceful nature and Papuan Culture. They are illegally squatting on local traditional land in Port Moresby.”

Given the recent tensions in Lae, incidents like the one above could inflame growing resentment against illegal settlers.

Meet the Josephstaal people of Madang Province

 

This image was uploaded last night on Facebook from remote Josephstaal in Madang Province.

It shows men, women  and children of Josephstaal at a singsing.

Most are unaware of the outside world and very little understanding of the forces of globalization.

Their child-like innocence makes them vulnerable.

They face threats from Carbon Cowboys, illegal loggers, oil palm planters, and a greedy Government that has been stealing land from indigenous people.

BASAMUK: THE IRONY OF ALL IRONIES

 

I took this photo of the Ramu Nickel, Basamuk Deep Sea Tailings Placement (DSTP) site as viewed from Mindere village. The refinery site can be seen in the background.

The irony of the situation is that DSTPs are illegal in China (Home of Chinese miner MCC) and would not be allowed in Australia (Home of Australian Miner Highlands Pacific) yet somehow its ok to destroy Paradise in PNG.

After what BHP Billiton has done to the Fly River and Rio Tinto did to Bougainville one would think PNG deserves better.

We were not savages

 

I feel strongly connected

To a Land and A language

A culture and A custom

A tradition and A tribe

A race and A place

That’s why I protest

This exploitation

 

I protest against miners

Who exploit the descendants

Of obsidian miners

We were not savages

 

I protest against fishing companies

Who exploit the descendants

Of ancient fishermen

We were not savages

 

I protest against agriculturalists

Who exploit the descendants

Of Kuk valley farmers

We were not savages

 

I protest against the traders

Who exploit the descendants

Of Bilbil, Hiri, Kula and Lapita traders

We were not savages

 

I protest against historians

Who do not recognize

Forty thousand years

Of genuine independence

We were not savages

 

They were not savages

We are now savages

We’ve done more damage

Then our ancestors ever did

Decolonizing the mind

Today education poisons minds

The young are made to feel inferior

When their ancestors

Were  some of the first:

Astronomers

Agriculturalists

Traders and Bankers

Naval architects

Sailors and Navigators

Obsidian miners

Pottery experts

And Environmental scientists

 

Today the white-mans system fails you

In Grade 6

In Grade 8

In Grade 10

In Grade 12

And at tertiary level

So by the time you leave

Your mind’s messed up

Your life is screwed

And your Government screws you

Knee-jerk response Gavman

Knee-jerk response Gavman

 

When you’ve lost everything

And you choose not to think

About the future

Because those thoughts

Drive you mad

You sit down

Contemplate suicide

And  decide to Act

 

Initially you pick-pockets at Koki

Then you break and enter at Manu

Followed by an armed robbery

And when you kill someone

The Gavman* responds

 

When you got nothing to live for

And all you see is greed

What do you care

About change

Or Social order

When life is tough

And All you think of

Is survival

 

Finally you write a petition

Then you make a call

Followed by more threats

And when you do the damage

The Gavman responds

 

*Gavman = Government

If only I knew: A tribute to my beautiful wife

 

BY REG RENAGI

For Louise Miria Toto-Renagi.  Died 13 October 2011 in a plane crash in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea

WE LIVE IN A VERY UNCERTAIN WORLD. When we leave home in the morning, we assume we will always return in the evening.

When we say goodbye to loved ones, we take it for granted we will always see them again.

We presume they know we love them, so maybe we don't say the words as often as we should.

Unfortunately, we fail to consider the mortal reality that this may not be the case...until it's too late.

Tomorrow does not always come.

Someone once said that "life is short, so keep short accounts with god".

That is wise advice, but I'd like to add that we should also keep short accounts with every person who is in the circle of our lives.

We never know when life will be dramatically changed... sometimes permanently.

Think about it. Don't allow the regrets of "if only I knew" to be the final marker in your life.

Be swift to love. Hurry to be kind. Take the time to make someone feel special.

Be quick to forgive and realize in relationships there are two people, don't hold back.

Freely give hugs and kisses, and may "I love you" be often on your lips.

This is dedicated to all of the people in my life that I love and hold close in my heart.

And to you the only that holds my heart in a way I never thought imaginable...

Some of you may recognize some of the quotes, all of them are special, just as all of you are special to me...

If only I knew I would never hear your voice again...

I would cherish your every word...every inflection in your voice, with all of my heart.

If only I knew this was our last hug, I would hold you tight and hope to never let you go.

If only I knew this was the last time the very last time I would see you I would take the time to treasure everything about you.

If only I knew that disagreements did not mean a lack of love. I would have been hurt less often,

If only I knew Tomorrow was not coming I would ask you to forgive me for any wrong I may have done to you,

If only I knew this as our final kiss, I would use it to tell you that you are the love of my life...for ever.

If only I knew I could never share another day with you, I would make the most of every second, every minute and every hour.

I wish on that fateful day that I last said goodbye to you, I should have told you I loved you in the living years.

IF ONLY I KNEW...

Woodlawn Capital – the Australian company at one end of the K96m MVIL fraud

 

VIA PNGEXPOSED BLOG

Wappetts Accountants at 158 Molesworth Street are the registered offices for Woodlawn Capital

The Papua New Guinea government is trying to recover K96m which it says are the proceeds of a fraudulent share transfer facilitated by former Public Enterprise Minister, Arthur Somare, and the Independent Public Business Corporation.

The funds, according to the new Minister, Mekere Morauta, are sitting in a Commonwealth bank account in Lismore Australia that is owned by an Australian company, Woodlawn Capital Ltd.

Woodllawn Capital was first registered in 2009. The company is jointly owned by Timothy Breen, 37, who lives in Fredericks Lane, Tintenbar in northern New South Wales, and Seahound Holdings Ltd, a company registered in Victoria, Australia. Breen and Seahound each own 25,000 shares in Woodlawn which were issued in October this year.

The two directors of Woodlawn are Timothy McNamara, aged 40 who lives in Tower Street, Manly, and Timothy Breen. McNamara is also the company Secretary.

The company has a registered address at the offices of Wappetts accountants at 158 Molesworth Street Lismore, but lists its place of business as Level 40, Governor Philip Tower in Sydney.

Woodlawn Capital has an office on the 40th floor of Governor Philip Tower, Sydney's most prestigious address

The landmark Governor Phillip tower is perhaps the most prestigious office complex in the heart of Sydney. Real estate agents describe it as offering “superior finishes, services and facilities befitting the needs of its leading national and international tenants”. The towers soar to a height of 243m and offers “magnificent views over the Royal Botanic Gardens to Sydney Harbour”. Rents start at around $1,000 per square meter. Woodlawn Capital moved to its current address from Bond Street in 2010.

The K96 million which is alleged to be sitting in the bank account owned by Woodlawn Capital is missing from the state owned Motor Vehicle Insurance Limited. The money is the proceeds of the sale of shares in Bank South Pacific which were owned by MVIL and sold to Nominees Niugini Limited. The transaction is the subject of a police investigation as it was in breach of Section 45B of the IPBC Act and Section 110 of the Companies Act in that it was not approved by the IPBC board and there was no shareholders’ resolution approving the sale, as was required under law.

The new IPBC board has instructed MVIL to rescind the sale contract, called an Equity Monetisation Contract Agreement and IPBC has also begun legal proceedings against MVIL and Nominees Niugini.

We wait to hear who placed the K96 million with Woodlawn Capital or on whose behalf the company is holding the money.

Australian banks are thought to launder millions from corrupt PNG deals

It is not known whether either Woodlawn Capital or the Commonwealth Bank did any due diligence on where the money was coming from and whether it was the proceeds of crime.

It is also not known how or why the K96 million did not attract the attention of the Australian anti-money laundering agency (AUSTRAC).

The Commonwealth bank could be vulnerable to a civil law suits if it can be shown they have handled stolen wealth, and administrative measures and even criminal prosecution if they have failed to practice proper due diligence on anti-money laundering grounds. Although in practice Australian banks are relaxed about accepting probable corruption proceeds from PNG, because they have figured out the Australian government doesn’t care too much about this issue.

That Guy, I Like (a true story)

BY A FRIEND

In light of the recent homophobic sentiments expressed on various PNG Facebook Groups, I encouraged a friend of mine to write about his secret life to highlight the unseen reality of life in PNG ______MN

We were sitting in the truck driving from one side of town to the other. I thought to myself that the driver was ok, but not really my type. I didn’t think twice about it.

Fast forward a few months and there I am pashing him in the ATM lobby late one evening because there’s no-one around and well, he’s pretty hot and he IS a rugby player.

I mean, come ON! He's a prop forward oh! I gave him some pocket money and walked over to my Goroka lad who was sitting with his crew. I look back and think that that was a precious moment, to have two of my love interests so close to each other.

Its kinda nice to have some guys to hug and kiss and call and say I love you and I wanna be with you. Its even nicer when i hug and caress them and kiss them tenderly. You don’t know what its like to spend a moment with that cute rugby player guy who is so rough and tough and brutal on the field, but who melts like candy in the warm tropical sun when you touch them tenderly.

That Enga Boy of mine yah pls. Mmmm, it takes three people to tackle him yah. But when were in bed, im the one doing the tackling and the only rough movements he does are to pull the bedsheets up over us. But he’s kinda funny coz he likes to pull the bedsheet cover over us but then he likes to put one leg back over the sheet.

And he’s got this thing where as soon as we get to the hotel room and the door opens, he gazes around the room to check it out and then the next thing he does he just runs to the bed and jumps on the bed and then gets in under the covers. Cute. I can hardly believe this is the guy that the opposition team needs three fully grown men to subdue him on the rugby field. Hehe I love to hug him. Its just funny because he can take it when three men tackle him but he cant deal with my hugs. Mr Huggable yah mi tok! I love to hug him and kiss him till check out time.

I called him yesterday. I said
“ I just called to check if you heard?’
“ Heard What?’
“ About Santa.”
“ What about Santa.”
“ Oh, You didn’t hear?”
“ Hear what?”
“ That Santa’s Gonna come and make you mine this Christmas.”

He laughed in that cute way of his. He hardly ever laughs. He says I make him lose his temper. He says he doesn’t lose his temper with anyone else. Funny, I don’t feel special. But i still kinda like him because of the little things that he does. You know, those little things that don’t matter at all to anyone else, only to you.’

Like how when we were walking at Vision City and he asked me where my wallet was and I said its in my bag, and then he got angry and said you don’t put your wallet on top of your stuff in your bag.

Small things like that, I dunno, thats the kinda thing that shows he cares. Or when he shared that milk shake of his with me. I always dreamed of sharing a drink with a really cool guy. So it was really cool when he gave me his drink and it was still really full. You know when someone gives a drink and you know they really didn’t drink until they were satisfied because they left more than enough so that you would be able to drink until you were satisfied? Well he did that.

What other nice things does this guy do? He babysits.
Well, what more can i say huh? Hes always babysitting this toddler. I wonder who that toddler is? I hear the toddler giggling and mumbling in that cute toddler way in the background sometimes. So than my guy, hes got that cute baby talk tone of his when he talks to the toddler hehe.

He called me baby a few times coz he's macho and doesn't do sissy stuff like that hehe once when we were making love. The other time when i was in a bad mood. And then when I bought him his favourite Nike training shoes. What can I say, the guy likes to work out. Hes got a body that you could bounce a coin off.
He’s pretty neat.

Soooo, Im that touchy feely type. In tune with my emotions and stuff. The one that falls apart day after day for that rugby player? You know the type...wakes up and starts the day by picking flowers and putting them in the corner of the kitchen where no-one ever sees?

Yeah, I like to chill with my rugby player guy whenever I get the chance. But he does his thing, and I do my thing. Its just that I kinda like to wanna do things together with him. But, I live in my own world, and he lives in his own world.

I called him today, yeah, i call him a lot. Got his number on speed dial, his Facebook page is permanently opened on my phone and hell yeah I got his picture on my caller ID. Even forgot my own number when I was checking in to the hotel so had to leave his number on the Hotel Card. So when I cant remember my own number but can remember his number, well Im pretty damn sure Ive flipped for this guy.

Oh! But back to my Tolai guy. Wow. He is just the bees knees. I love him to death I tell you. Love to hug and kiss him. Let me tell you the first time we kissed he was drowning in his emotions coz I know how to kiss. I knew he was feeling those nice feelings that you get when its the first time for you to kiss. I could tell because we had just finished in the bedroom and were making out in the living room, and he was standing and all his muscles were so tense and I knew that he wanted to embrace me whilst I was kissing him but he was fighting against it... you know the type...dont wanna admit that they actually like you.

Perhaps he thought I was just taking a passing interest. Hell no. Thats just the way I show you love. Ive spoken to him a few times. I was uptight today over work issues, but when I saw him, all my tense emotions dissipated coz all i felt at that moment was this warm fuzzy feeling, that feeling I get when im laying with him on my bed in a tender embrace, and i plant sweet kisses on his cheeks.

Hopefully Ill see him tomorrow. Or some day. I just know that whenever I see him, sometimes its good to love somebody from afar. I catch a glimpse of him sometimes. My heart skips a beat. But were all players in this masquerade. We both know the rules. Clandestine meetings. Tender touches when no one suspects anything. A brief interlude of a conversation, so brief, yet anyone watching knows the depth of emotion in that microcosm of a conversation.

And then I think of my Goroka Boy.
Its life. Finally Im living.Like Whitney Houston says “ When the good Lord asks me what I did with my life,ill say i spent it with you”.

Parliament Creates 22 reserved seats for women

Papua New Guinea’s notorious Parliament has just finalized the creation of 22 reserved seats for women. There were 72 votes for and 2 votes against the Bill.
What this means is that hopefully we would have 22 women representing each of the 22 Provinces instead of joining the men in petty politics.
In any case, congratulations to all the women and men who worked tirelessly make this happen. Organizations like the United Nations Development Program as well as the PNG National Council of women have played an important role in in moving this issue forward.
It is a shame though that Dame Carol didn’t receive the support from her male counterparts when she was Minister for Community Development.

Gusap Health Center says it all about Healthcare in PNG

 

By Yumi Png Tasol

Mother are using torches to light up the labour ward at the Gusap Health Centre in the Ramu Valley of Madang Province so they could deliver their babies. They have been doing this for last 10 months because the government-owned health centre owes PNG Power K34,000 in unpaid electricity bills.

Sources close to the health centre, which is located not far from the Ramu Sugar estate and factory said the Department of Health — in particular the Madang Provincial Health Office, has turned a blind eye to the Gusap Health Centre.

The sources said the physical condition of the health centre is almost beyond repair and this has not been helped by poor management.

Gusap Health Centre caters for people from five districts within three provinces- Eastern Highlands, Morobe and Madang. People come from Usino-Bundi and Raicoast in Madang, Kaipit in Morobe and Kainantu and Henganofi in the Eastern Highlands.

It is also an emergency hospital for victims of highway accidents.

Sources said one of the most neglected areas of the health centre, apart from the maternity ward is that of the HIV/AIDS section. This facility was donated by the Australian Government but so far has not been serving its purpose, the sources say.

The sources said the plight of the Gusap Health Centre has already been raised at the highest levels of the Health Department but so far no word has been heard about when help is coming. Attempts to reach the Madang health office for comment on the situation have been unsuccessful.

Related Stories

Maternal Mortality: The price of listening to Banks

HIV/AIDS Centers close as Priest leaves country

The Political Economy of Healthcare in PNG

Addressing Healthcare in PNG

End Note

While the Government cannot afford to pay a K34 000 electricity bill for Gusap Health Center, it was able to fork out K2.5 million to pay for costs related to Somare being hospitalized in Singapore. Click to read Somare Bill report

PNG’s progress jeopardized by inequity and environmental threats

 

Above: Sewerage from Chinese workers’ compound dumped into waterway at Ramu Nickel’s Basamuk Site, Madang, Papua New Guinea

“Papua New Guinea’s progress jeopardized by inequalities and environmental threats,” that is the stark warning from the United Nations Development Agency. Today it launches the 2011 Human Development Report in Port Moresby

The report highlights that in terms of Gender Inequality Index (GII), which reflects gender-based inequalities in three dimensions i.e. reproductive health, empowerment, and economic activity, Papua New Guinea has a GII value of 0.674, ranking it 140 out of 146 countries in the 2011 index. A key area that PNG needs to strengthen and address as matter of urgency, for instance on maternal mortality, i.e. for every 100,000 live births, 250 women die from pregnancy-related causes.

“By the time of compilation of data on this index, Papua New Guinea had 0.9 per cent of parliamentary seats are held by women. There is more that needs to be done so as to increase women representation in parliament and other decision making bodies,” the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Mr. David McLachlan-Karr noted.

Mr McLachlan-Karr also stressed that Papua New Guinea has high rates of natural resource depletion where the forest area of 64 percent has been reduced by 8 percent. Other key issues that need to be addressed is the sea level rise threatening some of the PNG Islands; environmental degradation and climate change that will have adverse effects across groups and lead to major declines in fish stocks, an important source of livelihood and export income for PNG.

The UNDP 2011 Human Development Report, which will be launched TODAY at 3.30pm at the 4^th Floor Conference Room, Vulupindi Haus, Waigani. The Minister for National Planning, the Hon. Sam Basil and UN Resident Coordinator David McLachlan-Karr will launch the report together

Fresh footage emerges of Indonesian Crackdown on West Papuan People’s Congress III

 

BY VARIOUS SOURCES

October 19 Crackdown on West Papuan People’s Congress III

New video footage of the brutal crackdown of the Papua Congress III has appeared on You tube. The recordings were taken during the violent eviction of the Papua Congress III on 19th  October 2011.

The video material shows security forces heavily mistreating congress participants during the eviction and arrest. Although the arrested people don 't show any signs of resistance, police, intelligence (BIN) and military forces repeatedly hit and kick the arrested persons, using sticks, rifle butts and gun handles (minute 1:09/ 1:25/ 1:56/ 3:15/ 4:51 /6:32/ 6:49).

The crackdown operation was carried out under the direction of Imam Setiawan, the former Head of Jayapura Police Headquaters (Kapolres), who was also directly involved in the arrest of Procorus Yaboisembut, the Chairman of the “Dewan Adat Papua” (DAP), who had been elected as the President of a Papuan Transitional Government during the congress (minute 6:25).

While most armed security forces seem to release warning shots to the air (minute 1:33), the recordings also show several uniformed Brimob members on the top of a armoured police tank, taking aim on congress participants off sight – at least one of them releases a shot (minute 1:37).The situation during the eviction does not convey the impression, that the security forces in charge have control of themselves. Some parts of the video footage remind more of a mob violence than of a well organized police operation and once more underline the inability or unwillingness of Indonesian security forces to handle their operations in a professional way.

The recording contains scenes, in which uniformed and civil security forces hit people, who are obviously only standing aside the operational site (minute 1:45).It also shows several situations, where police gather to small mobs around single persons and beat them using fists, but also sticks and other weapons. Some security forces start vandalizing arrested people 's cars for no reason (minute 2:18/ 2:37).

The arrest of Prokorus Yaboisembut had been recorded as well. Although Mr. Yaboisembut doesn 't show any signs of resistance during the arrest, some security forces keep on beating him. One member of the civil operational forces even attacks Mr. Yaboisembut with a jumpkick (minute 6:03).

Nape dismisses Tiensten while he sits in Parlt. Wft!

By Joy Kisselpar from the parliament, posted by Belinda Kora (PNGFM News)

Speaker, Jeffery Nape this afternoon disqualified Member for Pomio, Paul Tiensten, as a Member of Parliament after he missed three consecutive sittings. Dates_ 9th Aug, 6th Sept, 20th Sept, 21st Sept.

Mr Tiensten, who was present for this afternoon's sitting, refused to leave his chair, forcing Nape to call on marshalls to remove the Member. Mr Nape has suspended Parliament just minutes ago, so Tiensten can depart the chambers.

TRIBUTE TO THE SPEAKER AND PM

Should be sung following the Roger Ramjet theme song

Roger Ramjet Theme Song

(Lyrics to Roger Ramjet Theme Song remixed for PNG POLITICS)

1.

Peter O’Neil and his Eagles
Fighting for our freedom
Fly through and out in Falcons
Not to join Chief but to beat him.

Chorus

But Jeffrey Nape he's our man
Hero of our nation
For his adventure just be sure
He’ll breach the Constitution.

2.

Come and join us all you kids
For lots of fun and laughter
As Peter O’Neil and his men
Get all the crooks they're after.

Chorus

But Jeffrey Nape he's our man
Hero of our nation
For his adventure just be sure
He’ll Breach the Constitution.

 

The National still publishing Ramu mine propaganda and lies

BY MINE WATCH

Above: Run-down Ganglau Health Center at Ramu Nickel’s Basamuk Site

The National newspaper, owned by notorious illegal logger Rimbunan Hijau, is continuing to publish unedited public relations lies on behalf of the Ramu nickel mine (see below).

The mine is described as “a world-class project” – which is a complete joke given the mine’s marine waste dumping system is banned in most countries (including China and Australia where the mine owners are domiciled).

There is also no mention of the fact the PNG courts have declared the marine waste dumping will breach PNG’s Constitution and cause both a public and a private nuisance. Nothing world class about that!

And how can digging ore out of the ground ever be described as “sustainable” or “long-term”? Once the ore has been mined it is gone for ever. It will never be replaced or renewed. The mine will last twenty or thirty years and then be gone. This is NOT sustainable or sustainable development.

Mine Chairman [sic] Madam Shu says the mine is co-owned by landowners in the project area – but hang-on, the Lands Title Commission hasn’t yet even BEGUN its hearings to work out who those landowners are…. If you don’t know who the landowners are how can they have given informed consent let alone own a share of the mine?

And what does co-ownership mean when the mine will never make a profit because the Chinese are selling the ore to themselves at below cost price?

“World class technologies and processes” says Madam Shu – so why is marine waste dumping BANNED in China Madam?

“Strong support from communities” – guess that is why you used police to evict families from their homes and burn their houses Madam Shu?

And guess what Madam Shu and The National totally forget to mention? That little matter of a court injunction that says they can’t commission the mine until the Supreme Court announces a decision on whether the marine waste dumping is legal or not. Now how could that have slipped their minds….

Ramu NiCo: Mine nearing operations

Source:  The National, Monday 21st November 2011

RAMU NiCo’s second sustainability report has been released.
The report presented a world-class nickel project in Kurumbukari (mine) with its pipeline and the processing plant on the coast at Basamuk Bay in Madang province. The mine is moving towards full commissioning.
The report had provided a vivid account of Ramu NiCo’s journey toward sustainability during the construction stage and portrayed its commitment to long-term sustainable development.
Ramu NiCo board of chairman Madam Luo Shu said she was very proud to present the company’s latest sustainabi­lity report.
It was the first nickel development in PNG.
With a total investment of US$1.6 billion, it was co-owned by partners from China and Australia.
In PNG, the co-owners were the state and landowners in the project area.
Luo said in her forward of the report: “Having overcome countless challenges during the construction stage, we achieved a relatively lower investment and a faster completion time at Ramu project, when compared with similar laterite nickel project development around the world.”
“The speed and efficiency can be attributed to our ‘all-win’ investment and management philosophy.
“The credit also goes to our staff – both international and local, management team, shareholders, and contractors, who have worked tirelessly to see this project grow and succeed, in addition to the strong support we receive from our host governments and communities.
“We adhere to the concept of sustainable development.
“We are applying world class technologies and processes with the dual purpose of ensuring commercial viability and mitigating social and environmental impact.”
“At the same time, with significant capital investment in building the project, we are making major economic investments in the Madang region and starting to instill a long term, transforming impact,” Luo said.
She said the company aimed to “professionalise, internationalise and localise”, growing into a world-class mining company by consistently meeting international operational and performance standards.
“This is our mission, and it will inevitably be a difficult journey ahead.
“Over the past two years, we have invested tremendously in our people and management systems to build a strong foundation for success.”
“As we step into the operational phase, we will be in a position to fulfill the financial commitments we made to our shareholders, and continuously fulfill the social, economic and environmental promises we made to our community,” Madam Luo said.
The world-class Ramu Nickel project that integrated mining, beneficiation and refining cromprised laterite open-pit mining, 135km slurry pipeline, high pressure acid leaching, deep-sea tailings placement (DSTP) and a number of supporting facilities.
The project will produce nickel/cobalt intermediate product, in which the aggregate nickel metal will account for 31,000 tonnes per year and 3,000 tonnes of cobalt per year.
The large scale construction began in 2008 and by early this year, the construction was substantially completed. The project was now being progressively commissioned and was expected to begin trial operation by next month.

What does the Good News mean in contemporary PNG?

What is the Good News to those who are marginalized and discriminated in society?

What is the Good News to those whose land has been stolen?

What is the Good News to those who suffer from the effects of environmental damages?

What is the Good News to many in rural communities who suffer because of corruption?

What is the Good News for many workers who cannot survive on the pay they’re earning?

“A riot is the language of the unheard,” Martin Luther King, Jr said. That’s what happened in Lae because Wenge wasn’t listening and is bound to happen elsewhere if politicians still believe liquor bans and police brutality will solve the problems.

“Freedom in capitalist society always remains about the same as it was in ancient Greek republics: Freedom for slave owners,” Vladimir Lenin stated. So the intervention in Lae by the State, gives freedom to trade to those who stole land and the Chinese business owners who are exploiting desperate Papua New Guineans and generating resentment from Morobeans.

‎"Dont mourn, Organise!" Joe Hill a IWW Union Organiser in the USA stated. The Morobeans realized that petitions and media outbursts fell on deaf hears. When they “Organized” themselves, the world heard them loud and clear.

“I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves,” said Che Guevara. That’s what the Morobeans did. They liberated themselves from thugs.

“How strangely will the Tools of a Tyrant pervert the plain Meaning of Words!”  Samuel Adams commented. The Good News according to the Capitalists is that you the sheeple accept all the shit being dumped on you because while the Capitalists get rewarded on earth, hopefully you will be rewarded in Heaven. For two thousand years the capitalist have been telling people that the end times are near, so that they prepare for heaven and ignore the exploitation happening around them.

That explains why Bishop Wenge wouldn’t pray for the Morobeans all throughout these years even though they had suffered the VIOLENCE OF EXPLOITATION. But when the Morobeans decided to seek justice, Bishop Wenge called it VIOLENCE and prayed for the so called violence to end. Who was VIOLATED first? He’s brother Governor Wenge ignored the VIOLENCE against Morobeans.

There is a lot of VIOLENCE being committed against Papua New Guineans in the various forms of exploitative activities throughout the country. No one seems to call is VIOLENCE but when Papua New Guineans react say say we’re Breaking the Law and send in the cops to bash people up and silence them.

Desmond Tutu sums up the Good News.

When people were hungry, Jesus didn’t say “Now is that Political or Social?” He said, “I feed you.” Because the Good News to a hungry person is Bread.

New Guinea Island Hopping

 

“Bogenvil yu kam gut stret!” That is how I would describe my recent visit to the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. The description is in Melanesian Pidgin aka Tok Pisin and it expresses perfection and beauty usually attributed to someone of the opposite sex by his/her admirer.

Being a redskin; as we mainland Papua New Guineans are referred to by the more darker Bougainvilleans, I was apprehensive about my trip to Bougainville considering the history of civil war that ravaged the island in the late 1980s and 90s. Redskins fought the Bougainville Revolutionary Army when the Bougainvilleans revolted over exploitation related to the Panguna Mine.

So as I prepared for my trip in mid-October, I received various tips about dos and don’ts when in Bougainville. The general assumption was that most people would be hostile towards me or in the least, suspicious and unwelcoming.

 

The day arrived and I hopped on an Air Niugini Dash 8 aircraft that was island-hopping from Madang on the mainland New Guinea to the New Guinea islands. The aircraft taxied along the runway and ascended into clear skies above the Bismarck Sea. We flew across the Astrolabe Bay and crossed the rugged mountainous terrain of the Finnisterre Range. Our 20 minute flight tracking south-east took us to the Markham plains where we descended to Lae’s Nadzab Airport, to pick up passengers bound for Tokua and Buka.

During the flight I wasn’t concerned about reception I would receive in Buka as my attention was diverted by the airline’s cabin crew. It was quite disconcerting seeing the cabin crew utter a prayer prior to take-off. The prayer wasn’t reassuring and was giving me bad vibes.

Having said that, I did enjoy the pineapple juice that was served. Indeed, I wasn’t sure about what I had just consumed so I asked the crew what it was. Come to think of it, I suppose it was silly considering the fact that the contents of the drink had been consumed.

We departed from Nadzab and the aircraft tracked north-easterly across the Vitiaz Strait to the island of New Britain. As we reached the western half of the island, I could see hectares of rainforest adjoining Oil Palm plantations that reached to the shore. We flew along the west coast of New Britain and then crossed the island at the northern tip, before descending to Tokua.

I had never set foot on Tolai soil and was surprised to see a neat line of coconut palms on the fringes of Tokua Airport. The terminal itself was quite impressive although in the eyes of some international travelers it would be a minnow compared to terminals of major international airports. The airport staff were very friendly, particularly the security staff who were of great assistance. I showed them some of the stories I had written and we discussed local and national news while I waited for my flight to Buka.

I bought a soft drink at the Airport cafeteria and sat down to check my emails and Facebook notifications while nibbling a pie. Interestingly, the cafeteria does sell fresh peanuts but sadly they had run out that day. The beautiful Tolai lady who runs the shop told me they didn’t have buai – areca nut. After going through my Facebook and twitter messages I posted a note on the cabin crew’s Facebook wall, thanking him for a wonderful flight.

To my surprise, I boarded the same aircraft as it arrived from Lihir. I smiled at the cabin crew and told him I had just prematurely posted a thank you message on his Facebook profile.

Anyway, the aircraft taxied along Tokua’s runway and it climbed up above the Solomon Sea and before headed across the Basilisk Passage towards the southern tip of New Ireland. As we flew above the mountain ranges and fast-flowing rivers of New Ireland, a sad thought crossed my mind.

These may be my last glimpses at Paradise. Such beautiful and majestic wonders of creation are being lost the pursuit of profit. Whether for Mining, Logging, Fisheries or Agriculture, Paradise is being lost in PNG’s current Hour of Destruction. We as a nation are losing our soul. Land in its Natural state is what defines our cultures, traditions, identity and psyche as Melanesians.

The pilot turned the aircraft south-easterly and my thoughts turned to Bougainville as we headed for Buka.

I arrived in Bougainville in the afternoon, and was welcomed by smiling faces at Buka Airport. Every bit of apprehension I had about Bougainville just got wiped off by those smiles. Indeed, that is what struck me about Bougainvilleans as I travelled around Buka town, Kokopau and Tinputz. Their generosity and hospitality blew me away. I felt much safer in Bougainville than in Port Moresby.

         

The day I was to return to Madang, I visited the island of Sohano in the morning. I had never encountered such are beautiful place in my entire life. The white sandy beaches, clear turquoise water and manicured lawns just intoxicated my senses.

I was fortunate that my friend Norman’s girlfriend lived on the island so I was he’s cover for visiting the island. But then again he’s best friend Roy escorted us to the island so everything was cool with everyone.

While Roy introduced me to the beautiful island, Norman and his princes dragged their feet behind. The island has spectacular views of the Buka passage, the west-coast towards Torokina and scattered coral cays that spread out westward into the vastness of the Solomon Sea. From Sohano, the Crown Prince range rises from the sea and forms a central spine on Bougainville as it runs south towards Buin.

We left Sohano after an hour and half-an-hour later I was on an Air Niugini F100 aircraft, taxing the runway of Buka Airport, on my way to Madang via Port Moresby.