Papua New Guinea Update

Papua New Guinea Update

8th April 2006

Just as talks are conjectured to be "hotting up" over a resumption of mining on Bougainville, sanity raises its head in the shape of a statement that tourism could be a viable option. However, given the main tasks with pushing these talks forward is part of a World Bank Technical Assistance Program, is there any hope that mining on the island will not be railroaded through, regardless of how much people talk about the issue of engaging local landowners. And talking of railroading through mining, the ambitious project for exhaustive geological surveys, both in the highlands and seas around Papua New Guinea, shows how serious the industry and government are to ensure mining is central to the PNG economy. Finally, to emphasise again why mining can be so problematic in PNG, there is belated coverage of the fact that Placer Dome admitted that eight people had been killed by its own security forces at Porgera.