Papua New Guinea Bans Discussion On Waste Dumping by China

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In the South Pacific, the government of Papua New Guinea has issued an extraordinary ban on reporting and discussion of amendments to environmental laws which could allow a Chinese mining company to pump waste out to sea. Civil rights groups are reported to be outraged.

Papua New Guinea is one of the most diverse countries on Earth, with over 850 indigenous languages and at least as many traditional societies, out of a population of just under 7 million. It is also one of the most rural, with only 18% of its people living in urban centers.

The country is one of the world’s least explored, culturally and geographically, and many undiscovered species of plants and animals are thought to exist in the interior of Papua New Guinea.

One third of the population of this equatorial state live on $1.25 per day.

Justice Minister and Attorney-General Ano Pala sent a two-page statement to the impoverished South Pacific country’s media on Friday, saying he was putting a halt to public debate on the laws.

‘There shall be no more discussion, comment or reference in the media to the Environment Act amendments,’ he said in the statement, published in part by The National newspaper. ‘This mean there will be no talkback radio programmes or interviews, no more advertisements, no more letters to the editor and above all no more protest meetings, no public demonstrations, and no public marches.’

Mr Pala’s office refused to comment on the statement, saying only that the minister was unavailable. Critics argue that the amendments reduce landowners’ legal rights to oppose projects approved by the government.

The changes to the law are being contested in court by landowners from the Madang coast, who are against a pipeline which will dump millions of tonnes of waste into Basamuk Bay. Mr Pala warned the public there was to be no discussion of the case, given that a court was determining whether the amendments were constitutional.

In March, the courts ordered a halt to work on the Ramu nickel mine, operated by the Chinese Metallurgical Construction Group (known as MCC), as it prepared to blast away corals to make way for the pipeline. Papua New Guinea civil society group Act Now accused the government of acting like ‘an African dictator’ over the issue. ‘This is an utterly outrageous attempt by a draconian government to stifle public debate and deny citizens their constitutional rights,’ it said in a statement.


Women wearing traditional dress, Papua New Guinea


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Holte Ender

Holte Ender will always try to see your point of view, but sometimes it is hard to stick his head that far up his @$$.
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Miss Informed
11 years ago

@fourdinners – utter nonsense. I lived in PNG for 10 years and can tell you they don’t have tanks… They barely have vehicles for the army to use. You should not believe everything you hear about PNG.
As for the traditional dress – it is customary for locals but probably difficult for prudish westerners to understand it is not about sex – this is the way it was before the missionaries and girls dress like this usually only for festivals, such as Hiri Moale – which is where this pic probably was taken.
The attempt to shut down debate is typical of things that happen in a country where power is everything. I suggest people look at the timber industry and the relationship with Malaysia… Backhanders are part of doing business in PNG. Someone’s being paid and it’s always the guys in power…

Another Mother Hen
13 years ago

There is nothing gross about the human body, only those who view it so. Having said that, I can understand you being uncomfortably with the picture.

As to the closing of public descent, seemingly, that’s the path more governments are heading towards.

dan
13 years ago

now i want to go there even more lol

mary
13 years ago

that is interesting but the pic. is grose

13 years ago

I have an old school friend who owns and runs a supermarket over there. The supermarket is very close to the Papua bit…and, apparently, when the Papua tribes get a bit uppity the New Guinea Govt send tanks to surround my old pals supermarket.

I have no idea why he ended up there from Oldham Grammar School (just north of Manchester, England)

Perhaps, as he was, and is, my friend, he was always as daft as me?…;-)

Admin
13 years ago

This is about money. Someone is getting paid here and it ain’t the population of NG.

13 years ago

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