To conserve West Papua, start with land rights and forget past mistakes
ANALYSIS: By Bernadinus Steni and Daniel Nepstad Large landscapes of intact tropical forests will figure prominently in global strategies to avert catastrophic climate change and conserve biodiversity. In this context, the extensive forests of Papua and West Papua provinces in Indonesia are now becoming the focus of international conservation efforts. There are many inherent perils […]
Read More →Peter Manning: Despite her good intentions, Michelle Guthrie was never the right fit for the ABC
Sacked as ABC head … Michelle Guthrie, “wrong choice from the start”. Image: PMC ANALYSIS: By Peter Manning Michelle Guthrie has been badly treated – not by being sacked, but by being hired in the first place. As a former head of ABC TV News and Current Affairs, I met Guthrie several times at functions […]
Read More →Scott Waide: Amid the PNG silence on military aid, calls go out for wide national consultation
Lombrum naval base on Manus Island … a Google’s-eye view. COMMENT: By Scott Waide The global trade war between China and Western powers has reached new heights in the Pacific, and in particular in Papua New Guinea. As the government of Peter O’Neill courts China on the one side of the bargaining table, receiving, aid […]
Read More →NZ aid workers’ open letter condemns broadcaster for Pacific ‘leeches’ attack
By RNZ Pacific OPINION: An open letter to broadcaster Heather du Plessis-Allan on behalf of New Zealanders who have worked, and those are who are still working, in development in Solomon Islands: Heather du Plessis-Allan’s recent comments on [Newstalk ZB] that the Pacific are leeches on New Zealand is dangerously ignorant, insulting to Pacific Islanders […]
Read More →Tongan scholars lodge protests over broadcaster’s Pacific ‘leeches’ jibe
Broadcaster Heather du Plessis-Allan … controversial attack on the Pacific Islands and Pacific Islanders. Image: Screenshot of Newstalk ZB By Kalino Latu, editor of Kaniva News Tongan community leaders and top scholars in New Zealand will complain to the Human Rights Commission against broadcaster Heather du Plessis-Allan’s outspoken comments against Pacific people. The complaint will […]
Read More →Plea to Jokowi: Free all Maluku and West Papuan political prisoners
A study, conducted by Indonesia Law Reform Institute cofounder Anugrah Rizki Akbari, concludes that Indonesia has an “overcriminalisation” problem, with hundreds of harmless activities having been classified as crimes. Image: Shutterstock/Jakarta Post OPINION: By Glenn Fredly in Jakarta The remarks of renowned American philosopher John Dewey, “If you want to establish some conception of a […]
Read More →Barbara Dreaver: Mana counts … NZ needs the Pacific as much as the Pacific needs NZ
A song called “Jacinda New Star in the Sky” clearly delighted NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the Pacific Islands Forum in Nauru last week: “Underestimating personal relationships in the Pacific is sheer ignorance.” Image: Screen shot from TVNZ video OPINION: By Barbara Dreaver, 1 News Pacific Correspondent Now that the phosphate dust has settled […]
Read More →Joanne Wallis: Australia needs to sing from same song sheet as Pacific
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne … hamstrung at the PIF summit in Nauru this week by Australia’s hypocritical policies. Image: Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat By Joanne Wallis in Nauru Australia’s new Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne probably envied New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s welcome at this week’s Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ meeting in […]
Read More →Keith Jackson: Did dumb just get dumber and Sam Basil dig a hole?
A near confrontation on the floor of Parliament on Friday, with the Papua New Guinea Opposition walking out in protest over the referral of Madang MP Bryan Kramer, to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee following a Facebook posting. Video: EMTV News MIL Analysis+Reportage – EveningReport.NZ
Read More →Ben Bohane: China? No, let’s face the elephant in the Pacific room
BRIEFING: By Ben Bohane in Port Vila China … China … China … All the talk is of increasing Chinese influence in our region. But this is to wilfully see past the elephant in the room. Contrary to most commentary, the biggest destabilising player in Melanesia over the past five years is not China but […]
Read More →Dan McGarry: Want to lead in the Pacific? Try listening first
Cathy Wilcox’s Sydney Morning Herald cartoon is a showcase for everything that’s wrong with Australian foreign policy. Cartoon: Cathy Wilcox/SMH/VDP By Dan McGarry in Port Vila The average Australian’s conception of Pacific island nations is so limited it makes some of us wonder if they even want to understand. Our voices—and our reality—have been pointedly […]
Read More →Baseless rumours: why talk of Chinese military base in Vanuatu misses point
How the Vanuatu Daily Post reacted to the Australian “news” of a possible Chinese military base plan. Image: VDP BRIEFING: By Dan McGarry in Port Vila The “news” this week that Vanuatu was to be the site of a Chinese military base caught most people by surprise. Government officials with detailed knowledge of relevant matters […]
Read More →Life after the PNG quakes and more really tough decisions ahead
SPECIAL REPORT: Anton Lutz in Mougulu profiles what life is like on the border of Western Province and Hela at the epicentre three weeks after Papua New Guinea’s earthquakes. This week a disaster relief team operating out of Mougulu in Western Province demonstrated how key partnerships can lead directly to efficient outcomes. As the largest […]
Read More →OP-ED: Turkey’s Foreign Minister Details Its Resolve in the Conflict Against Terrorism and DAESH
Article by H.E. Mr. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs published in Le Monde entitled “Turkey: The best ally for the security of Europe”, 20 March 2018 EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an unofficial English translation of the original French text. *** Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. Nowadays, the hardest challenges European countries confront […]
Read More →John Minto: Barack Obama – ‘Yes, We Can’ champion of the rich
Barack Obama bailed out the banks, increased weapons production and delivered 10 times more drone strikes than his predecessor George Bush. Cartoon: Malcolm Evans/The Daily Blog OPINION: By John Minto Former US President Barack Obama won office decisively on the basis of a fervent campaign driven by his supporters believing he would bring real change. […]
Read More →Gary Juffa: How we can stop criminal cartels stealing our PNG forests
Police action squad dealing to illegal loggers in Oro province of Papua New Guinea. Image: Gary Juffa/FB OPINION: By Gary Juffa In the ongoing saga of stopping illegal logging in Papua New Guinea’s Oro province, our facts reveal that the PNG Forest Authority is failing our people. A network exists whereby a few corrupt public […]
Read More →New Timor treaty will finally set borders to resolve oil, gas row
ANALYSIS: By Tom Clarke Timor-Leste and Australia has signed a maritime boundary agreement at the UN headquarters in New York today, putting their long-running border dispute to rest. Although the finer details of the treaty remained under wraps, all reports suggest that the Timorese will secure their permanent maritime boundaries and a fairer share of […]
Read More →31 deaths so far in PNG quake, but ‘hit-and-miss’ on rural area statistics
Professor Chalapan Kaluwin of the University of Papua New Guinea’s School of Natural and Physical Sciences says the country should prepare itself for more natural disasters. EMTV News By Scott Waide of EMTV News Our biggest challenge as Papua New Guinean journalists has been verifying the statistics from rural areas with limited resources. As much […]
Read More →Marites Vitug: Duterte’s dangerously zero idea of independent journalism
ANALYSIS: By Marites Dañguilan Vitug in Manila A year ago, the White House barred some members of the press from attending an informal briefing, a rarity in a country that was regarded as the beacon of democracy. Excluding reporters from The New York Times, CNN, Politico, BuzzFeed, and the Los Angeles Times – all accredited […]
Read More →Vanuatu Daily Post: A call to action for endangered Pacific media freedom
EDITORIAL OPINION: Dan McGarry and Marc Neil-Jones of the Vanuatu Daily Post call for media associations and professionals throughout the Pacific to act to protect their freedom. It’s becoming far too common: Journalists and whistle blowers are being singled out and silenced as governments throughout the region allow the Pacific to slide down the slippery […]
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