PNG landowners continue to halt nickel mine construction

Updated August 29, 2008 09:46:01

Angry Papua New Guinea landowners say they will continue to halt construction at a Chinese owned nickel mine until they meet with the PNG government next week.

Police reinforcements have been sent to the mine site to protect Chinese employees, some of who were assaulted by locals.

Our PNG correspondent, Steve Marshall, reports the construction of the billion dollar nickel mine in the Medang province on the PNG north east coast has been plagued by controversy.

Landowners like Joe Koroma are upset over a long delay in reviewing a mining agreement that PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael signed with Chinese government developers.

"Because everytime they talk to the Chinese at the work site or in the office they said 'go and ask Michael Somare, we deal with Michael Somare. This is Michael Somare's land'. This is what they are saying," he said.

Violence broke out at a mine construction site with police firing warning shots to restore order.

Landowners say the mine will remain closed until next week when they meet with government and mining officials.

PNG exercises caution over Australia's worker scheme

Papua New Guinea says it remains cautious about the possibility of labour exploitation under a pilot scheme where Pacific Islanders will be offered seasonal jobs in Australia.

"One of my big fears is the Australian government had special work visas where they issued to workers coming from Asia and they found that is some cases, those people were being exploited by employers,: he said.

"The Australian government I'm told has learnt through that experience and they don't want it repeated with our people going to Australia for rural work.

Mr Hickey says he would like to see the Australian government put mechanisms in place whereby they would be protected from exploitation by employers.

"First we would like to see that our workers belong to a trade union in Australia, because they would receive some protection from exploitation if they became trade unionists."

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Message to S Pacific Forum

To the Honourable Members States of the South Pacific Forum,

We representatives of the Pacific Nations of Australia, Aotearoa, Bougainville, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Te Ao Maohi (French Polynesia) and West Papua, gathered in Sydney, April 1998, reaffirm, on behalf of all Indigenous peoples of our vast region, that the Pacific lands and waters are our ancestral home.

We reassert our inalienable right to our sovereignty and reject the last remaining tentacles of colonisation which maintain their grip upon our region. As we enter the 21st Century we demand an end to colonisation in all its forms and declare our right to live in peace and prosperity with the lands and waters which gave us birth. We do this in honour and respect of our ancestors and of the unborn yet to come.

We note with concern that the 1997 South Pacific Forum Communique did not address the following:

1) The right to self-determination and independence for colonised peoples of the Pacific;

2) The proposed decommissioning of the United Nations’ Decolonisation Committee;

3) The exploitation of resources and continued environmental destruction;

4) The continued militarisation and nuclearisation of the Pacific region.

We therefore call on all South Pacific Forum Member States to include the following issues on the agenda at the 1998 South Pacific Forum to be held in the Federated States of Micronesia:

DECOLONISATION COMMITTEE:

We call for the extension of the mandate of the United Nations’ Decolonisation Committee beyond 2000; the reinscription of all colonised peoples with the Committee’s List of Non-Self-Governing Territories; and in particular for the inclusion of Te Ao Maohi (French Polynesia); West Papua, and Ka Pae’aina (Hawai’i) in that List.

We reaffirm our support for the right to all Indigenous peoples, including those of Aboriginal Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand), to self-determination and independence but recognise that this year (1998) is a crucial year for the French colony of Te Ao Maohi (French Polynesia), following recent events in Kanaky (New Caledonia), and for the Indonesian colonies of West Papua and East Timor, following the overthrow of the Soeharto regime in Indonesia.

We remind the Honourable Members of the South Pacific Forum of the United Nations General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV), Declaration on the granting to independence to colonial countries and peoples, 14 December 1960, which states: "The subjection of peoples to alien subjugation, domination and exploitation constitutes a denial of fundamental human rights, is contrary to the Charter of the United Nations, and is an impediment to the promotion of world peace and co-operation. All peoples have the right to self-determination; by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development."

This sentiment is repeated in numerous resolutions of the UN General Assembly, including the International Covenants on Human Rights. It is reflected in the UN International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, which promises to end colonialism by the year 2000.

We remind Members that for the issue of the decolonisation of Te Ao Maohi (French Polynesia), West Papua and Ka Pae’aina (Hawai’i) to be placed on the UN Agenda they must first be placed on the Agenda of the South Pacific Forum. We call upon all nations of the Pacific, but particularly those which were once themselves colonised, to take the lead in this initiative.

PEACE INITIATIVES:

We call for South Pacific Forum Member-States to support the Bougainville Peace Plan and to ensure that the terms of any and all agreements are adhered to.

NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES AND MILITARISATION:

We call on South Pacific Member-States to take initiatives towards: the abolition of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons; an end to transshipment, storage and dumping of nuclear and toxic chemical waste in and through the Pacific; adequate compensation for all communities and peoples affected by nuclear testing especially in Te Ao Maohi (French Polynesia), Marshall Islands and Kiribati; and the cleanup and ongoing monitoring of sites left contaminated by nuclear testing.

RESOURCES EXPLOITATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION:

We note with grave concern the increasing environmental destruction caused by the exploitation of resources of indigenous lands and waters. We call for the rights of Indigenous peoples to determine priorities and strategies for the development and use of their lands. We also call for compensation for Indigenous peoples for the loss and damage of their lands and waters, and of their livelihoods, caused by resource exploitation. We remain concerned with the threat posed to our nations by climate change brought about by the activities of the more industrialised nations.

MULTI-LATERAL AGREEMENT ON INVESTMENT (MAI):

Concerned by the impact of globalisation, we call on South Pacific Member-States to completely reject the MAI. We are concerned that the present MAI treaty will give transnational companies unrestricted access to exploit our lands and waters. We assert our right to control of our lands, our waters and our labours. We call for adequate and appropriate equitable development which can lead our peoples out of the social and economic disadvantages propagated by colonisation in all its forms.

CONCLUSION:

In conclusion, we proclaim our determination to actively pursue an independent and nuclear free Pacific and to actively challenge issues affecting: our sovereignty, decolonisation and indigenous rights; our environment and resources; nuclearisation and militarisation; and, our economic, social and cultural development.

Signed: Representatives of Aotearoa, Australia, Bougainville, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Te Ao Maohi and West Papua, April 1998. .............

This open letter to the Member States of the South Pacific Forum is for general distribution. It was created as a campaign tool leading up to the South Pacific Forum August 1998. We encourage all supporters of the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific movement to lobby their own and other governments which are members of the SPF with these demands.

Also: could you please distribute this petition as widely as possible to networks around the world and return to: Zohl de Ishtar - or Pacific Concerns Resource Centre - 83 Amy St, Toorak, Private Mail Bag, Suva, Fiji. By 31st July 1998.

INDEPENDENCE AND SOVEREIGNTY FOR TE AO MAOHI (French Polynesia)

"We seek our dignity as a people to live freely in our own land."

We, the undersigned, give our support to the Maohi people of Te Ao Maohi (French Polynesia). We call on our governments to support the Maohi people’s right to self-determination and independence, to discuss this issue at the South Pacific Forum, and call for the re-inscription of French Polynesia on the list of non-self governing territories, with the United Nations Decolonisation Committee.

Name Address Signature

In solidarity,

Zohl de Ishtar Women for a Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific, Australia. International Peace Bureau, Oceania Representative (Female) for the representatives of the following countries:

Australia: Jenny Munro, Kathy Malera-Bandjalan, Zohl de Ishtar Aotearoa: Hone Harawira Bougainville: Moses Havini, Marilyn Havini, Vikki John East Timor: Ceu Brites PNG: Powes Parkop Te Ao Maohi: Tamara Bopp Du Pont, Marie Bopp, Auxilia Boobsie-Haereraaroa, Ahuura Paia. West Papua: Rex Rumakiek, John Ondawame, Dolly, Nell, Anne Noonan, Joe Collins, Kel Dummett, Linda Gale.

EU offers to drop quotas from Africa, Caribbean and Pacific

ROBERT WIELAARD

Associated Press

BRUSSELS — The European Commission on Wednesday offered to remove almost all remaining import quotas and tariffs on goods shipped into the European Union from about 70 poor African, Caribbean and Pacific nations starting next January.

The commission said the offer covered all products — including farm goods such as beef, dairy products, cereals and all fruit and vegetables — and will take effect through “economic partnership agreements” the EU is negotiating with six African, Caribbean and Pacific regions.

There will be a phase-in period for two major crops many of these countries produce: rice and sugar.

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said in a statement the removal of quotas and tariffs will take effect Jan. 1, 2008.

The only exception will be South Africa, where a number of globally competitive products will continue to pay import duties.

“Trade and development for (poor) countries is about much more than just access to the European market,” added Mr. Mandelson. “But by removing all remaining tariffs and quotas for all African, Caribbean and Pacific countries we will create the best possible opportunities for these economies.”

The commission said it is not asking the affected nations to reply in kind.

The EU is negotiating six regional accords with nations in the Caribbean, West Africa, East and Southern Africa, Central Africa, Southern Africa and the Pacific. These will replace the trade chapters of a decades-old trade deal between the EU and about 70 poor nations — mostly former European colonies that grow crops to sell to Europe.

They aim to integrate the latter into the world trading economy by increasing and diversifying their trade. After more than 30 years of preferential access to the EU, countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific still export just a few basic commodities, the prices for many of which are in long-term decline, said Mr. Mandelson.

Development agency Oxfam International said the offer was the least the EU needed to do but it should not press ACP nations to sign up to free trade deals before the end of the year, calling for more time to allow the countries to assess the impact of the agreements and bring their goods up to international trade standards.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070404.weutrade0404/BNStory/Business/home

Earthquake Near Solomon Islands Sparks Pacific Tsunami Alert

April 2 (Bloomberg) -- An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 hit 45 kilometers (25 miles) off the coast of the Solomon Islands, spurring a tsunami warning for Australia, Indonesia and South Pacific island nations.

The quake occurred at 7:39 a.m. Solomon Islands time, close to the coastal settlement of Gizo, in the New Georgia archipelago. Its epicenter was 345 kilometers from the capital, Honiara, the U.S. Geological Survey said in an e-mailed alert.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami alert for the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Nauru, Chuuk, New Caledonia, Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands. There were no immediate reporters of damage or casualties.

A tsunami watch extends to Fiji, Guam, New Zealand, the Philippines, Japan and Samoa, the center said in an e-mailed statement.

``An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicenter within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours,'' the center said in an e-mailed statement. ``Authorities should take appropriate action in response to this possibility

Monday, March 26, 2007. 6:47pm (AEST)

South Pacific bloc signs constitution

By Campbell Cooney

More than 20 years after it was established, a South Pacific diplomatic grouping called the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) has signed a constitution.

The leaders of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands signed the constitution of the MSG last week.

When formed in 1986, the MSG's role was to ease trade between the island nations.

The current head of the group's secretariat, Johnny Koanapo, says it will will give its members a united voice on political and regional issues.

The group has already voice its support for Fiji's interim Government, and criticised Australia and New Zealand for attacking it.

ABC

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200703/s1882022.htm