You are here

Home ›

Resources

Welcome to the resources page. Search for information by country, theme or resource type by using the boxes below.

Blood and Treasure

26 Jun 2011

Documentary by SBS Dateline program (Australia) that uncovered claims the PNG government was acting under instruction from mining giant Rio Tinto, when it killed thousands of people who wanted the mine shut down. The allegations come from PNG’s former Opposition Leader, and now Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare, in 2001 court documents obtained by SBS Senior Correspondent Brian Thomson for Dateline. In them, Somare says the company, and its subsidiary Bougainville Copper Limited, effectively used its wealth to control the government – a claim denied by BCL. With negotiations now underway to reopen the abandoned mine, could Bougainville be heading for a repeat of the bloody battle over its resources? Documentary can also be streamed through the SBS website: http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/watch/id/601246/n/Blood-and-Treasure

Read more

Saving Our Land – People's Power Against Mining Power

24 Jun 2011

Clive Porabou's Trailer for his new Documentary "Saving Our Land", on the struggle of the indigenous population of Mekamui/Bougainville against the re-opening of Panguna mine by Rio Tinto's subsidy Bougainville Copper Limited. Panguna mine brought many problems to Mekamui and the war and military blockade which followed its closure in 1989 had cost the lives of 20 000 people, which was a fifth of the population. None of the indigenous people living on the Land and from the Land want the mine re-opened. They have opposed the principles of large-scale- mining already in the 60's and just want to live in peace and harmony without the intrusion of international companies ripping them of their resources and destroying and polluting their island.

Read more

People Speak out against a special economic zone

12 Apr 2011

SoulPNG. GABRIEL KAPRIS ISN'T A LANDOWNER! A community leader from Rempi, furious over the absence of government representatives and ministers at the PMIZ forum, issues a scathing attack on Papua New Guinea's Commerce and Industry Minister accusing him of bulldozing the project and bypassing landowners. The locals are fighting the establishment of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) which is expected to have relaxed labour laws and foreign affairs regulations. There are also plans to import up to 30 thousand foreign workers for the industries.

Read more

Uprooted

9 Apr 2011

SoulPNG. Uprooted is a story of four communities in Papua New Guinea's Madang province who have been affected in various ways by a Chinese state owned owned nickel mine. Narrated entirely by landowners, it shows the pain and fear of losing their land to large scale development. It also highlights the concerns related to Deep Sea Tailings placement (DSTP) the preferred method of mine waste disposal.

Read more

The Watut Cries

8 Apr 2011

SoulPNG. "The Watut Cries" examines the model of development chosen by Papua New Guinea. It looks at the impact of large scale mining development and its effects on the lives of people and their the environment and people. The documentary begins in the lower Watut area where sedimentation has become increasingly evident then goes to the Watut where food garden have been destroyed.

Read more

SABL – How the PNG Government is taking your land

5 Apr 2011

Video by SoulPNG. Special Agriculture Business Lease (SABL) - is the new method the Papua New Guinea Government is using to take land away from customary owners. The leases are granted fro 99 years without the knowledge and consent of landowners. In 2010, more than 2 million hectares was stolen. That number has gone up to 5 million hectares as of January 2011. The common scenario: landowners are promised agriculture projects on their land but the company also says they need to clear-fell in order to develop the land. Before you know it, the company is harvesting logs and making its way to new areas. the 99-year Special Agriculture Leases mean landowners lose control of their land for three generations! (VIDEO IN TOK PISIN)

Read more

Defending Melanesian Land

1 Apr 2011

Defending Melanesian Land is a short video in which Melanesian activists explain why indigenous land is important to people in the Pacific, and why they have formed a regional alliance (the Melanesian Indigenous Land Defence Alliance – MILDA) to defend indigenous Melanesian land.

Read more

The interaction of modern and custom land tenure systems in Vanuatu

1 Apr 2011

An ANU discussion paper by Justin Haccius on customary land tenure systems in Vanuatu, constitutional and legal provisions for and against customary tenure and the development of formal land registration.

Attached files

Read more

The new land grab in Papua New Guinea

1 Mar 2011

Between the beginning of July 2003 and the end of January 2011, almost 5 million hectares of customary land in PNG (11 percent of PNG’s total land area) has passed into the hands of national and foreign corporate entities through a legal mechanism known as the ‘lease-leaseback scheme’.

Attached files

Read more

Special purpose agricultural and business leases in Papua New Guinea

1 Jan 2011

Briefing paper by Greenpeace (Australia) on the Special Purpose Agricultural and Business Leases (SABLs) and the role of them in deforestation.

Attached files

Read more

Pages