THE Commission of Inquiry into the sinking of passenger ferry mv Rabaul Queen is likely to get under way in the next 10 days now that its funding has been confirmed.
So it’s the end of another eventful week in Papua New Guinea. It seems scandal has made a new home here! From the wonderfully talented but somewhat confused environmentalist that works for a Canadian mining company (tsk tsk tsk-kids these days!) to the gifted far throwing politicians that can pitch a lot of mud all the while being bogged down in it.
Tentative Election Program 2012
Source: Facebook (PNG Election 2012)
The ELECTORAL COMMISSION hereby announces to the general public the Tentative Election Program for the 2012 National Parliament General Elections as follows:
1. Issue of Writs: Friday 27th April, 2012 (4:00pm)
2. Nominations Close: Friday 04th May, 2012 (4:00pm)
3. Polling Starts: Saturday 23rd June, 2012
4. Polling Ends: Friday 06th July, 2012
5. Return of Writs of or before: Friday 27th July, 2012
RECENTLY vendors in the Papua New Guinea (PNG) city of Lae took its city council to court arguing that the city’s urban municipal athority has only regulatory power in line with health standards, not the power to ban the markets within vendors’ premises (The National, January 27, 2012). It shows in any democratic society, powerless people have the channel to express their grievances. At the same time, it indicates the debates on informal markets do not remain just in theoretical circle.
The Northern Territory Government of Australia has announced a temporary ban on seabed mining in its coastal waters until 2015. ACT NOW! and the Pacific Network on Globalisation are calling on all Pacific Island Governments to follow the leadership of the NT Government and announce a similar ban in the Pacific.
A journalist was assaulted and threatened to be blown up with a hand grenade by police in Port Moresby yesterday.
Patrick Talu, a young journalist and the Business Editor for the South Pacific Post (Post-Courier) was shown a hand grenade by a policeman who was armed with an M16 rifle and ordered to leave Unagi Oval or he would be blown up with the hand grenade.
