The Member for Rai Coast Open wants the government bodies responsible for mining and environment to investigate what had happened at Ramu Nico’s Basamuk Refinery in Madang, which she claimed is now affecting the people in the area using the sea for their food source. Member Kessy Sawang said that acidic slurry from a burst pipe due to an accident at the refinery, has leaked into the sea and is damaging the marine life in the environment. She said that accident occurred in mid- May. There have been reports as well of people becoming ill after eating fish that were…
Author: Emmanuel MAIPE
BSP Financial Group (BSP) Chairman Robert Bradshaw paid tribute to Sir Kostas Constantinou, who recently passed away. “Sir Kostas Constantinou passing is a huge loss for the business community in PNG and across the Pacific region,” Mr Bradshaw said. “As Chairman of BSP for 12 years, many of us at BSP were able to personally witness Sir Kostas’s drive and warmth and benefit from the wisdom he so kindly shared with others.” Sir Kostas joined the BSP Board in 2009 and was BSP’s Chairman from 2011 to his recent retirement in February 2023. During Sir Kostas’s time as Chairman BSP…
The recently conducted Taxpayer Mapping exercise by the Internal Revenue Commissioner (IRC) in Port Moresby, was not just targeting the businesses owned and operated by Papua New Guineans as claimed by many in the public. The IRC Commissioner Mr. Sam Koim, who had to come out clear on this in a statement to concerns from the public on this exercise, said that some have expressed concerns that the exercise is unfairly targeting locally owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or should be targeting businesses owned by foreigners. “We would like to clarify that the Taxpayer Mapping exercise is not intended…
The Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru is backing the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) signed between the United States (US) and Papua New Guinea (PNG), citing its benefits for trade and investment between the two countries. “Papua New Guinea’s commercial interest is not being compromised by the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) and it will not affect trade and investment of our country as far as I am concerned,” said the minister. Minister Maru said this in his statement in parliament this week during the debating of DCA between PNG and the US. “There is no need to talk…
The Government is looking into strengthening the Office of the Public Solicitor to assist aggrieved students and members of the public take to court new government decisions they feel have contravened the Constitution or the laws of the country. Prime Minister Hon. James Marape revealed in Parliament on Thursday his government was looking at this avenue to help students file their complaints and seek legal interpretation on new government decisions they felt were against national interest. PM Marape was responding to a question raised by Member for Nipa-Kutubu Dr. Billy Joseph who asked if there were any measures available to…
Work on the Ramu 2 Hydro power project will still commence to supply the much needed energy supply to both Morobe and the Eastern Highlands provinces, and parts of the Highlands region. Prime Minister (PM) James Marape gave the assurance to this in Parliament this morning during question time. PM Marape said the government is in full support because of the huge benefits the project will unlock for the people in the two provinces. “The project will unbundle clean and hopefully, cheap power to the most populated areas on the grid, ” said the PM. “We’ll have close to 4…
Work on the Kimbe provincial hospital to improve it’s status will take place as planned, but the proper financial planning has to be done first. Treasurer Ian Ling Stuckey said in parliament today that the delay to the start of the project was due to funding matters. The Treasurer said the Kimbe provincial hospital will be a level five hospital along with four other provincial hospitals earmarked for upgrading, and the funding that will go into it will be big. “The Kimbe provincial hospital will cost K300million, that’s a very large project, so that requires a lot of assessment,” said…
The Opposition has made itself clear that it will not support the ratification of the defence agreements signed between the United States of America (USA) and Papua New Guinea (PNG), citing its implications to the country’s foreign policy interests and standing in the pacific region, and the sovereignty of the country. Opposition Leader Joseph Lelang when giving his statement during grievance debate in parliament, in response to the ministerial statement by Prime Minister James Marape on the Defence Cooperation Agreement and the Ship Rider Agreement, plainly stated that the agreements would bring PNG into the geopolitical fold of the current…
New Porgera Limited (NPL) is pleased to announce that it today filed an application with the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) for a Special Mining Lease and supporting tenements for the Porgera gold mine. Chairman of Kumul Minerals Holdings and Director of New Porgera Limited, Dr IIa Temu, hailed the lodgement of the application by NPL as a significant step towards the restart of the mine. “The lodgement of the SML application is an important milestone for the reopening of the Porgera gold mine.” “This follows the approval and registration of the transfer of Exploration Licence No. 454 and SML 11…
The law and order situation in the country continues to deteriorate, prompting calls to the government to seriously address this matter so to minimize it to manageable level. The Governor for Enga province, Grand Chief Sir Peter Ipatas, said that this is a cause for concern for the government, and that it falls back on the political leaders to address these issues within their own provinces and districts. Sir Ipatas said the recent kidnapping of the 17 school girls at Mt Bosavi in the Hela province shows just how the crime trend is also changing and it is very scary.…