By Alexander Rheeney

Parliament-elected Prime Minister Peter O’Neill continues to up his popularity stakes when his government yesterday nullified a law which shielded resource companies from environmental damage lawsuits.

Reports from the Papua New Guinea capital Port Moresby indicate that the O’Neill government has revoked the 2010 amendments to PNG’s Environmental Act, which the then Somare government pushed and got parliament to pass to protect the $1.5 billion Chinese-owned Ramu nickel mine.

Ralph Regenvanu has been sacked as Vanuatu's Justice Minister, allegedly over his opposition to Vanuatu's recent membership of the World Trade Organisation. But, as his statement below reveals, Ralph is truly a politician with integrity and has consistently stood for what is right and just for his people. Lets ensure that in the forthcoming elections in both Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu we elect more politicians with the same strength, honesty and commitment. 

I acknowledge that the Prime Minister has the Constitutional right to appoint and dismiss any Minister.

By Len Garae

A person has to be so desperate that he is prepared to sell his or someone’s island for a mere Vt38 million or $AU400,000, says the Vanuatu Daily Post.

The amount is the price tag for the beautiful Turtle Island, approximately the size of Iiriki Island, which is located between Aore Island and Malo Island and is known as a popular picnic spot.

The Vanuatu SDA Mission has alerted Daily Post to the "For Sale" Notice for Turtle Island for $400,000.

Sausi village in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, is a community which resisted oil palm monoculture and has instead developed its own forms of co-finance and development. Relying on small-scale cocoa production, rice farming, fish breeding, peanut production and other cash crops, village cooperation is showing how communities can keep control of their land and use their own resources to build a better future.

Vanuatu’s prime minister, Sato Kilman, has sacked his justice minister, Ralph Regenvanu, reports Radio New Zealand.

Mr Regenvanu has confirmed his dismissal to the Daily Post Newspaper but says the termination letter failed to give a reason.

There is speculation that the prime minister is unhappy that Mr Regenvanu has been opposed to moves to join the World Trade Organisation.

Mr Regenvanu scored the highest number of votes in urban Port Vila in the last general election.

He says he is looking forward to the general election later this year.

By Simon Eroro

FORMER PNG Customs Commissioner Gary Juffa is seeking legal advice from his lawyers to stop a rice project promoted by Eliana Tjandra from the Papindo Group of companies, a naturalised citizen, reports the Post Courier.

Wendy‐Myriam Himford

The President of the Christain Democratic Party and 2012 General Election candidate  for Port‐Vila Constituency, Wendy‐Myriam Himford, has condemned Vanuatu’s membership to World Trade Organization (WTO) by the Kilman‐led coalition government and 'disguised parliamentary opposition' led by the Vanuaaku Pati (VP) :   

The Solomon Star is reporting that landholders in the Solomon Islands have mounted a protest against the environmental damage caused by the Gold Ridge mine near Honiara. The mine is owned by Australian company Allied Gold, which is also the operator of the controversial Simberi mine in Papua New Guinea which was forced to close by a tailings leak late last year.

With billions of dollars stolen from the public purse over the last decade in Papua New Guinea, Australia should be doing far more to stop the flow of stolen money from PNG into Australia.

Simon Kolm, the Chairman of PNG's Task Force Sweep which is tackling corruption among politicians and senior bureaucrats, recently described Australia as becoming 'another Cayman Islands' over the way it sucks up the proceeds of crime from PNG.*