Thousands of Papua New Guineans have signed up to an international multi-level marketing scheme that is being pursued in court in the United States for allegedly defrauding hundreds of thousands of people of over 400 million kina.
As many as 13,000 Papua New Guineans have signed up to the scheme, known as Onpassive.
The Orlando, Florida-based business promises individuals hefty returns from a one-time investment of $US 97 (about 375 kina) and monthly subscription fees. The company claims that investors will share in the profits from the sale of an array of software products that it has developed, and which will be released in the near future.
However, the products have failed to materialize. The U.S. financial regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), last August filed a civil complaint alleging that the business and its owner, Ashraf Mufareh, have since 2018 perpetrated an “illegal pyramid scheme.”
Onpassive owner, Ashraf Mufareh.
Pyramid schemes are a classic form of fraud in which participants are made to pay money up front, and then urged to earn their money back by recruiting new people into the fraud. The small number of people at the “top” of the pyramid can make large amounts of money, while the far greater number of people at the “bottom” lose out.
In Papua New Guinea, the scheme is being led by David Bakau, a former employee of Lloyd’s Bank in Arawa, Bougainville, who became a senior member in the late 1990s and early 2000s of the U-Vistract fraud run by Noah Musingku.
The U-Vistract scam took money from thousands of victims across PNG, Australia, and the Pacific while promising stratospheric returns that never came through. Musingku is still wanted for arrest by PNG authorities, and is currently holed up with loyalists in his home village in Siwai district, Bougainville, where he has declared himself king.
In an interview with Inside PNG, Bakau said he had long ago walked away from Musingku’s scam. But he said that, despite allegations by U.S. authorities, Onpassive was a legitimate company.
“I have no questions about it, because the legal team are handling that,” Bakau said
Onpassive Dubai.
“We believe in [Onpassive owner Mufareh’s] integrity,” he added. “I followed him in 2019 when the company was barely nothing, and they’ve basically built and I’ve seen everything developed from there.”
Bakau told Inside PNG that he had not yet made any money from Onpassive, but stands to make a 25 percent commission on each 375 kina sign-up fee paid by the scheme’s PNG investors when Onpassive’s software finally launches. He said an issue with data migration has temporarily delayed the release of the software products, which are touted as being part of an integrated artificial intelligence ecosystem that will replace platforms like Google, Zoom, and Facebook.
However, disgruntled former scheme members say such delays are simply part of the alleged scam.
U.S. regulators have alleged that Mufareh and his wife have instead used the money on personal expenses including online retail purchases, upscale dining, TV subscriptions, groceries, salon and spa visits, and the purchasing of stocks.
Bakau said he is unphased. “In every business, there’s a risk,” Bakau said. “Nobody owes anybody. So Ash [Mufareh] doesn’t owe us, we don’t owe him anything”, he said.
Onpassive and Ash Mufareh did not respond to questions.
YouTube videos and social media postings show that Onpassive’s network has targeted PNG since 2019, just a year after the inception of the alleged scam. A closed Facebook group run by senior scheme participants, named “Onpassive Nation -— Papua New Guinea”, has 5,400 members.
Reporters from Inside PNG contacted 10 to 15 Papua New Guineans who have participated in the scheme or have been drawn in by others, but all refused to speak on the record or simply did not respond.
According to the U.S. SEC’s 2023 complaint, as of March last year, Onpassive had received over $US108 million from 800,000 investors around the world.
The Panguna mine made a fortune but left war and pollution in its wake. A new lawsuit backed by anonymous investors is now seeking billions in compensation – and raising concerns about who stands to benefit.
By Aubrey Belford (OCCRP)
High in the forested mountains of Papua New Guinea’s Bougainville Island lies an abandoned, kilometer-wide crater cut deep into the earth.
Formerly one of the world’s largest gold and copper mines, the open pit now serves as an unsightly monument to the environmental and social chaos that underground riches can create.
Run for years by a subsidiary of Anglo-Australian giant Rio Tinto, the Panguna mine earned millions for Papua New Guinea (PNG) and helped bankroll its newfound independence. But it also poured waste into local waterways and fuelled anger among locals who felt robbed of the profits. When an armed uprising ultimately shuttered the mine in 1989, the impoverished island was left reeling.
Nearly three decades later, in late 2022, human rights activists, the local government, and the mine’s former operators joined forces to produce a definitive assessment of the mine’s toxic legacy. Their report, due to be released later this month, will become the basis for negotiations aimed at getting the mining companies to finally clean up the mess and compensate affected communities.
But its supporters now worry their efforts will be undermined by a class-action lawsuit launched in May against the mine’s erstwhile operators. The legal effort is being championed by former rebel leaders — and backed by anonymous offshore investors who stand to make hundreds of millions of dollars if it succeeds.
The lawsuit is part of a worldwide boom in litigation financing that seeks to take multinational companies to task for ecological or social damage while potentially reaping a fortune for lawyers and funders.
Critics in Bougainville worry the lawsuit will reopen old wounds at a time when the island is making a push to break free of Papua New Guinea and become the world’s newest sovereign nation. Many Bougainvilleans are hoping to reopen the mine, using its wealth to fund their own independence this time around.
The region’s government and many local leaders believe the class action could put the mine’s revival at risk. There are also concerns the lawsuit would leave many Bougainvilleans empty handed, while the anonymous foreign investors would walk away with a significant share of the payout.
Unlike the official assessment, which seeks to identify everyone who needs to be compensated, the class action will only share its winnings — which could potentially be in the billions of dollars — with the locals who have signed on. Others will get nothing.
“There’s already fragmentation in the community and families are already divided,” said Theonila Roka Matbob, who represents the area around Panguna in the island’s parliament and has helped lead the government-backed assessment process as a minister in the Autonomous Bougainville government.
She speaks from personal experience. The chief litigant in the class-action lawsuit, Martin Miriori, is her uncle. The two are no longer on speaking terms.
A Losing Deal
Gouged from Bougainville’s lush volcanic heart, the Panguna mine in its heyday supplied as much as 45 percent of PNG’s export revenue, providing it with the financial means to achieve independence from Australia in 1975.
The windfall, however, didn’t extend to Bougainvilleans themselves. Ethnically and culturally distinct from the rest of PNG’s population, they saw Panguna as a symbol of external domination. The mine delivered only a miserly 2-percent share of its profits to their island — along with years of environmental havoc.
Locals walk by buildings left abandoned by a subsidiary of Rio Tinto at the Panguna mine site. [[PHOTO: Aubrey Belford/OCCRP]]
During the 17 years of Panguna’s operation — from 1972 to 1989 — over a billion metric tons of toxic mine waste and electric blue copper runoff flooded rivers that flowed downstream towards communities of subsistence farmers. The result was poisoned drinking water, infertile land, and children who were drowned or injured trying to cross engorged waterways.
In 1989, enraged Bougainville locals launched an armed rebellion against the PNG government. The mine was shut down, closing off a vital source of revenue for the national government in Port Moresby. A brutal civil war raged on for nearly a decade, leaving more than 15,000 people dead, while a naval blockade by PNG’s military obliterated the island’s economy.
A peace deal in 2000 granted Bougainville substantial autonomy. But nearly a quarter-century later, the legacy of Panguna and the war it provoked is still deeply felt.
There are few paved roads and bridges in the island’s interior. Residents earn a modest living through cocoa and coconut farming, or by unregulated artisanal mining in and around the abandoned Panguna crater. Rivers polluted by years of runoff are still an otherworldly shade of milky blue.
At least 300,000 people are estimated to live on Bougainville, including as many as 15,000 who live downstream of the mine. Of those, some 4,500 have joined Miriori — Roka’s estranged uncle and a tribal leader whose brother, Joseph Kabui, served as the first president of autonomous Bougainville — in seeking restitution through the class-action suit.
“We’ve got to make people happy,” Miriori said. “They’ve lost their land forever, environment forever. Their hunting grounds. Their spiritual, sacred grounds.”
Martin Miriori, the primary litigant in the class action lawsuit. [[PHOTO: Aubrey Belford/OCCRP]]
‘Alert to Opportunities’
Miriori took many by surprise when he became the public face of the suit filed in PNG’s National Court in May against Rio Tinto and its former local subsidiary, Bougainville Copper Limited.
While the tribal leader and former rebel is a well-known figure in Bougainville, the funders of the lawsuit are not. They have managed to keep their identities secret in part because the company behind the suit, Panguna Mine Action LLC, is registered on Nevis, a small Caribbean island that does not require companies to publicly disclose their shareholders and directors.
Miriori declined to comment on who was behind the company, saying, “I will not tell you where the funding is based … you can source that from our people down there [in Australia].”
James Sing, an Australian based in New York, is Panguna Mine Action’s chief public representative. He initially agreed to an interview, but later referred reporters back to a London-based public relations agency, Sans Frontières Associates. The agency declined to reveal Panguna Mine Action’s investors.
Litigation funding documents obtained by OCCRP, however, shed some light on the history of the case. The documents show that Panguna Mine Action began to investigate the possibility of a class-action suit as early as July 2021. The Bougainvillean claimants, led by Miriori, were formally brought into an agreement with the company and its Australian and PNG lawyers in November 2022. The suit was publicly announced this May.
The lawsuit’s investors stand to profit handsomely from any eventual settlement: Panguna Mine Action is poised to receive a cut of 20 to 40 percent of any payout resulting from the suit, with the percentage increasing the longer the process takes, the funding documents show. In interviews and statements, both Miriori and Panguna Mine Action have put the potential value of any award in the billions of dollars.
The lawsuit’s financiers defend their substantial share of the potential benefits as standard practice. “The costs of launching and running the class action against a global miner are significant, and almost certainly could not be met from within Bougainville without funding from an external party,” the company said in its statement. Panguna Mine Action added it would bear sole responsibility for costs if the lawsuit is unsuccessful.
According to Michael Russell, a Sydney-based class action defense lawyer, such funding arrangements are typical in the burgeoning world of litigation finance, where investors seek out cases that promote virtuous social causes while offering huge potential payoffs.
A similar case is unfolding in Latin America, where more than 720,000 Brazilians are seeking $46.5 billion as part of a gargantuan class action against mining giant BHP and its local subsidiary for their role in a 2015 dam collapse.
In such cases, funders can justify walking away with significant cuts of any winnings because of the substantial risk they face of losing their investment if a case fails, Russell said.
Such cases are rarely initiated at the grassroots level by the victims themselves, he added.
“Most of the time, either the plaintiff firms or the funders will be the catalyst for a claim,” he said. “They are very alert to opportunities.”
Rival Restitution Plans
Government officials including Miriori’s niece, Roka, say the class-action case, which is due to hold opening arguments in October, threatens to derail the ongoing impact assessment aimed at calculating the full cost of the mine’s environmental impact and developing recommendations for addressing the damage.
The assessment, which counts community members among its stakeholders and bills itself as an independent review, is supported by Australia’s Human Rights Law Centre, who has hailed the project as “an important step” towards rectifying the mine’s devastating impact on thousands of Bougainvilleans.
However, while Rio Tinto and Bougainville Copper are both funding the project, they have not yet committed to paying for any compensation or cleanup. Roka said she was concerned the lawsuit could reduce the company’s willingness to engage with the process, since it could view the assessment as a tool that could be used against them in the courtroom.
The island’s president, Ishmael Toroama, backs the impact assessment and has lambasted the class action suit as the work of “faceless investors… taking advantage of vulnerable groups.” (His office did not respond to an interview request.)
He also expressed concern that the court proceedings threaten to “disrupt” his government’s efforts to reopen the mine, which still holds an estimated $60 billion in untapped deposits. Bougainville’s leaders see the mine as key to securing the island’s economic future as it sets out to form an independent state – a dream that drew overwhelming public support in a 2019 referendum.
Earlier this year Toroama’s government granted Bougainville Copper a five-year exploration license for the Panguna site.
The lack of media and polling in Bougainville make it hard to measure public opinion on plans to reactivate the mine, but many locals appear to support reopening it under local control as an essential tool for achieving independence.
Bougainville Copper’s brand is still toxically associated with Rio Tinto and its past abuses, despite the fact that the international mining giant gave away its majority stake for no money in 2016. The publicly traded company is now majority co-owned by the governments of PNG and Bougainville, and Port Moresby has pledged to hand over all its shares to the autonomous region in the near future.
Panguna Mine Action acknowledges that its effort effort could stand in the way of the mine’s reopening — but the company says that’s a good thing.
“It is our understanding that the people of Bougainville do not wish mining to be recommenced under any circumstances or, alternatively, unless Rio Tinto and Bougainville Copper acknowledge the past, pay compensation and remediate the rivers and surrounding valley,” the company said in a statement.
Rio Tinto declined to comment. Mel Togolo, the chairman of Bougainville Copper, told OCCRP that the lawsuit was the work of “a foreign funder who no doubt is seeking a return on an investment.”
View of the tailings located downstream of the Panguna mine.[[PHOTO: Aubrey Belford/OCCRP]]
‘Only Those Who Have Signed Will Benefit’
The fight over Panguna adds even more uncertainty to long-running anxiety over Bougainville’s future.
With global copper prices soaring on high demand for renewable energy and electric vehicles, the Panguna mine would be an attractive prize for both Western mining companies and firms from China, which is dramatically expanding its influence in the South Pacific.
Since a future Bougainvillean state would be economically dependent on the mine’s revenue, some have raised concerns that control of the mine could become a proxy battle for geopolitical influence in the broader region.
For his part, Miriori expressed little concern that a multibillion-dollar payout might stir resentment by reaching only a fraction of the people affected by the mine’s environmental destruction.
“Only those who signed will benefit,” he said, adding that the opportunity was made “very clear to people” through awareness campaigns.
“Those who have not signed, it’s their freedom of choice.”
An aerial view of the abandoned Panguna mine pit.[[PHOTO: Aubrey Belford/OCCRP]]
Among those who didn’t sign is Wendy Bowara, 48, who lives in Dapera, a bleak settlement built on a hill of mine waste. Bowara said she is looking to the government-backed assessment, not the lawsuit, to deliver compensation and clean up Panguna’s toxic legacy.
“We are living on top of chemicals,” she said. “Copper concentration is high. I don’t know if the food is good to eat or if it’s healthy to drink the water.”
But while it may seem odd given her grim surroundings, Borawa says she strongly supports reopening the mine.
“It funded the independence of Papua New Guinea,” Bowara said. “Why can’t we use it to fund our own independence?”
Niue, a Polynesian island nation located halfway between Fiji and Cook Islands has a population of over 1900. The island is a raised coral atoll with an area of approximately 261 square kilometers.
It is renowned as of one of the largest related coral atolls in the world and boasts over 100 coral species.
Niue hosts a diverse array of marine life including 300 fish species, sea turtles, dolphins, humpback and beaked whales and the world’s highest density of grey reef sharks.
Aerial view of the Island of Niue. [[Photo: By NASA]]
It’s waters remain largely unexploited and pristine with the goal to conserve the ocean for the benefit of the people and environment.
Niue is a small island developing state (SIDS) in free association with New Zealand. It has developed the Ocean Conservation Commitment or OCC Concept championed by local leaders along with a host of partner organizations.
As a SIDS, Niue has limited resources to undertake marine conservation and resilience efforts however through the combined efforts of its government, local organizations and communities, it has made significant advancement in its commitment, policy development and actions.
Niue is one of the first countries to protect 100% of its Exclusive Economic Zone and Territorial Sea under a comprehensive marine plan and 40% of the EEZ is marine protected area, a no-take zone.
After eight years of work, The Niue Ocean Wide (NOW) Project has evolved into the Niue & Ocean Wide Trust (NOW Trust) its unique approach seeks to create funding and sustainable best practices including effective compliance, monitoring, evaluation, transparency and accountability.
All these efforts to tackle climate change and create a resilient Blue Economy.
NOW Trust was created as a charitable trust under New Zealand Law. One way of generating funds through OCCs is enabling sponsors to make a contribution of NZ$12.50/km2 (per square kilometer) each year for 20 years equating to NZ$250.00. Sponsors receive information in the Annual Report and materials that provide impact stories from the communities.
This concept is advocated in Niue to encourage citizens to take ownership of protecting the ocean surrounding them.
As an OCC sponsor or NOW Trust Contributor, individuals or organizations will aid and empower the efforts of Niue to save its unique ecosystems.
JinNam Hopotoa, Project Communications Officer with NOW Trust makes a presentation on the Niue Ocean Wide Concept, during PALM 10 event in Tokyo, Japan. [[Photo: Sincha Dimara/InsidePNG]]
JinNam Hopotoa is the Project Communication Officer at NOW Trust. He recently made a presentation of their work during the Pacific Island Nations week in Tokyo in conjunction with PALM 10.
Organized by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in Japan, island nations including Papua New Guinea showcased their products and culture to the Japanese people. This was done in the heart of Tokyo where the punctual Japanese public made an effort to purchase memorable items or stopped by for a chat to broaden their knowledge of the Pacific.
Sasakawa Peace Foundation Building – host Pacific Island Nations Week in Japan. [[Photo: By Sincha Dimara/Inside PNG]]
The two-week display (July 8 -19 2024) of dance and art cris-crossed the pacific with islanders representing Micronesia, Melanesia and furthest Polynesia.
This August, Coca-Cola Papua New Guinea is joining forces with Marvel to release ‘Coca-Cola x Marvel: The Heroes’ limited edition cans, offering fans the chance to win special prizes.
“Coca-Cola’s long-standing relationship with Disney, spanning over 60 years, continues with this collaboration”, said Tim Solly- Sales Commercial Director – Coca Cola Euro Pacific.
He said “to celebrate this partnership, CCA PNG has launched a campaign called ‘The Hero’s Campaign’”.
The campaign includes a new TV commercial that will be featured on Coca-Cola PNG‘s Facebook page and aims to provide a unique consumer experience.
Tim Solly- Sales and Commercial Director, CCA PNG standing next to an image of Marvel Superhero, Deadpool. [[Photo: Allan Terry/Inside PNG]]
Starting on the 20th of July, 2024 onwards, Coca-Cola and Marvel fans can purchase specially designed limited-edition Coca-Cola Classic cans featuring Marvel characters Deadpool, Wolverine, Daredevil, and Elektra.
Senior Brand Manager, The Coca-Cola Company, Rachel Nainggolan introduced how Coca-Cola customers can be part of this campaign;
“Fans are invited to form teams of four, collect all four special edition cans, take a group selfie, and share it on Facebook while tagging Coca-Cola PNG, this will enter them into a draw to win tickets to an exclusive screening of the new Deadpool & Wolverine movie on September 28, 2024”.
She added that winners from outside Port Moresby will have their accommodations and airfare covered.
Rachel Nainggolan – Senior Brand Manager, CCA PNG. [[Photo: Allan Terry/InsidePNG]]
Additionally, the Coca-Cola x Marvel Truck will travel across PNG’s four major regions, offering games, photo opportunities, live music, and various surprises.
Customers who purchase two cans of Coca-Cola can present their receipt to participate in games and win official Coca-Cola x Marvel merchandise.
Rachel Nainggolan said, “Our goal at Coca-Cola is to create moments of happiness and unity. This collaboration with Marvel allows us to bring the community together in new and enjoyable ways.”
The Coca-Cola x Marvel: The Heroes limited edition cans are now available in stores across Papua New Guinea.
A refugee who has been battling with the Office of the Immigrations and Citizenship Authority has filed another court proceeding to summon the Acting Chief Migration Officer (ACMO), Wellington Navasivu to appear in Court for the recent charges laid against him.
Masum Mozumder, a refugee who had laid formal complaints against Navasivu, says he did not drop the charges against the accused.
He said he was shocked to learn from one of the daily newspapers that the Police Commissioner dropped all the charges and cited reasons that the matter is before the court.
Lawyer representing Mozumder, Solomon Wanis said the case before the court between Immigrations and his client was an appeal filed against the Court’s decision to grant his client Refugee status.
He said that appeal, was however withdrawn by the state on Monday (22nd July 2024).
Following the Court’s decision in December 2023 to grant full refugee status to Mozumder, he initiated the process to have the Acting Chief Migration Officer arrested for deprivation of liberty.
On the 9th of July, Navasivu was arrested and charged at the Boroko Police Station for;
– Unlawful Detention
– Attempt to pervert the course of justice and
– Abuse of Office.
He was later released on his “own recognizance” by NCD Metropolitan Superintendent Commander, Silva Sika.
“Own recognizance” is a legal term referring to a type of release that does not require the defendant to post bail and is based on a written promise by the defendant to appear in court when summoned.
It is alleged that Navasivu, as the Deputy Chief Migration Officer in charge of Compliance and Enforcement Division with PNG Immigrations and Citizenship Authority signed a detention notice dated 15th August 2023, for Mozumder, a Bangladeshi refugee to be detained and deported.
His actions allegedly defied court orders that were on foot pending the determination of the December decision.
Following this arrest, Navasivu’s office released a brief explaining that “he signed the approval to detain the Bangladeshi man in compliance with the Migration Act and ICA’s duty to protect our community from non-citizens who can cause harm to our community”.
Since the arrest of Navasivu, the matter is yet to appear before the committal court in Waigani for arraignment.
Wanis said it seems police have shelved the case, therefore they are asking the court to intervene.
On behalf of his client, he is seeking the court’s orders to compel the Police Commissioner and the Arresting Officer, Mr Philip Otto who are both named as the 2nd and 3rd Defendants respectively, to bring Navasivu (1st Defendant) to face the charges against him.
Mr Wanis pointed out that section 37 (3) of the Constitution states “A person charged with an offence shall, unless the charge is withdrawn, be afforded a fair hearing within a reasonable time, by an independent and impartial court.
He also pointed out Section 55 of the District Court Act, where it states “A person taken into custody for an offence shall be brought before a Court or a Magistrate as soon as practicable after he is taken into custody.
Files were served to all the defendants on Wednesday (25th July, 2024).
The 2ndDon Bosco Technological Institute or DBTI Stakeholders Conference was held at the Emmaus Conference Centre from the 11th – 13th July. The conference consisted of a 3-day convention with discussions focused on the theme “Dreaming together for DBTI to be a University”.
Invited guests and speakers who were present at the conference were stakeholders from the education, government and industrial sectors, members of the clergy and from among the Salesians, DBTI Alumni, and fellow DBTI staff that contributed towards the conversations and discussions surrounding the likelihood of the institution transitioning into an advanced higher educational institution.
After a traditional welcome by DBTI students from the Autonomous Region of Bougainville with dance and wind-pipe music, Fr. Greg Bicomong, PGS Provincial and Chairman of the DBTI Governing Board, welcomed all participants, emphasizing the vision, determination, and commitment of the PGS Vice Province through different Provincial Chapters to pursue a university status for DBTI.
The conference was graced by the presence of the keynote speaker, a prominent figure within the education sphere, Professor Kenneth Sumbuk who was the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Papua New Guinea and is currently a member of the Oxford University Convocation.
Professor Sumbuk is an avid supporter of the vision of DBTI to transition into a university as he congratulates the Salesians for the milestones it achieved in “filling the gap in the educational needs of the country.” Professor Sumbuk believes that DBTI has already ticked many of the requirements for being a university, but that DBTI would need to assure and maintain quality standards as it responds to the educational crisis that threatens the country.
The Catholic educational institutions were amply represented in the Conference. Bishop Peter Baquero, Bishop of Kerema, and the bishop in-charge of education, reminded the assembly that Don Bosco was invited in Papua New Guinea (PNG) not by government and business entities, but by the Catholic bishops in order to educate and evangelize PNG youths through Don Bosco’s brand of education, especially in the field of technical education.
The bishop challenged DBTI to be faithful to the Salesian charism and the Preventive System of education by caring for the less privileged and by discerning the future of DBTI not in answer to a need but in response to God’s call.
Supporting comments were made by Dr. Alfred Tivinarlik, a Christian Brother and Principal of the St. Peter Chanel Catholic College, who emphasized the role of the Catholic Church in providing qualified teachers in PNG, as he recognized that much more had to be done to match the educational needs in the country.
Fr. Ronilo Javines represented the IUS, the worldwide association of Salesian higher education institutions. Proposing that DBTI be a benchmark for academic excellence and program diversity as well as for integral ecology, the IUS East Asia Oceania (EAO) Coordinator envisioned DBTI as the cornerstone of educational excellence and innovation among the IUS-EAO institutions.
Dr. Gerardo Largoza from De La Salle University (DLSU) Manila represented the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU), of which DBTI is also a member.
As Executive Director of Strategic Management and Quality Assurance at DLSU, he shared what DLSU has learned in its 25th year anniversary as a university that can benefit DBTI. As President of Divine Word University in Madang, Fr. Philip Gibbs SVD, shared practical insights on how to transition to a university status with the help of seven areas of strategic planning. Likewise, optimistic sentiments were shared and presented by the President of DBTI, Fr. Ariel Macatangay, on the dream to transition DBTI into an Entrepreneurial University, while explaining that such dreams are attainable by a vision for socio-economic sustainability, transformational leadership, and effective collaboration and research to ensure such plans reach fruition.
Government and civil society officers were also present through the messages of Kevin Kalis, Assistant Director at the National Training Council, Samson Wangihomie, Chairman of the Teaching Service Commission, and John Tul of the PNG Education Advocacy Network, as well as the participation of Dr. Kilala Devete-Chee from the National Research Institute.
Some successful DBTI alumni shared their insights in the persons of Dr. Jerome Oko, Administrator at the Divine Word University, Port Moresby campus, Omar Palaming, Founder and CEO of PhilIT System in the Philippines, Godfrey Morisa, Owner and Executive Director of GMT Automation and Mr. Leslie Brown, representing the Corporate Bosco, the federation of alumni in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
A unique feature in this conference was the involvement of three educational leaders from other parts of the world, who made their presentations via Zoom online platform. The following presented various roadmaps from their respective institutions for DBTI to learn from: Br. Mario Olmos, Rector at Don Bosco University in Salvador, Fr. Stephen Mavely, Founder and former Vice-Chancellor of Assam Don Bosco University in India, and Dr. Peter Bamkole, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Administration at the Pan-Atlantic University in Lagos, Nigeria.
JAPAN, Tokyo – Japan is hosting the 10th Pacific Island Leaders Meeting (PALM 10) from July 16th to 18th 2024 in Tokyo.
Following his visit to Indonesia, Prime Minister James Marape and a government delegation are in Japan to join other Pacific Island leaders to discuss regional matters and to strengthen ties.
Crucial on the agenda is the dumping of radioactive waste or ‘treated water’ into the Pacific Ocean.
The Japanese government says the Advanced Liquid Processing System or what it calls, ‘ALPS treated water’ from the Fukushima disaster in 2011 has a radioactive concentration far below regulatory standards and views this as safe.
While Human Rights groups and NGOs have voiced concerns on Fukushima, the Japanese Government has been explaining to the international community based on scientific evidence from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it will ensure the nuclear treated waste will not cause harm to humans and the environment.
A major earthquake and tsunami occurred at Fukushima in 2011 destroying the nuclear power station.
Thirteen years on, the reconstruction of Fukushima is ongoing. Japanese citizens live normal in some parts of Fukushima while there are fewer restricted areas. This is essential for the decommissioning of the site and reconstruction of Fukushima.
Earlier in the evening (16th July 2024), Prime Minister James Marape, met with Japan’s Prime Minister, Kashida Fumio ahead of PALM 10.
Both leaders also discussed the ALPS treated water in which Prime Minister Marape again expressed his confidence in Japan’s measures to secure it.
The Japanese Prime Minister also extended his condolences to PNG for those whose lives were affected by the recent landslide in May and stated his wish to further strengthen bilateral relations towards Japan-Papua New Guinea 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
He expressed gratitude to PNG for ensuring stable access for Japanese fishing vessels in PNG waters, and conveyed the country’s decision to provide a fishery research vessel as well as fishery equipment.
Heads of 14 Pacific Island nations are in Tokyo for PALM 10, including Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, who is head of the Pacific Island forum.
He conveyed the forum’s collective views on bilateral relations with Japan, in particular the Blue Pacific 2050 strategy. He called for peace and security in the region to safeguard the ocean, lands and common heritage.
Palm or Pacific Island Leaders Meeting is hosted every three years and is the pillar of Japan’s foreign policy with Pacific Island countries.
The Samarai-Murua District Development Authority is the 3rd DDA to sign an agreement with Mama Bank to facilitate all payments of its tertiary assistance program.
The arrangement is to ensure tertiary fees for students sponsored by the districts are paid on time so it does not affect their studies.
Samarai-Murua District this year has allocated K1.7 million for school fee assistance.
MP Isi Henry Leonard said while waiting for the DSIP funding to be processed, the bank will assist to pay for all Samarai-Murua students attending tertiary institutions throughout the country and abroad.
Once the DSIP component of that funding is made available, the DDA will release it directly to the bank to reimburse the funds.
Both the bank and the DDA clarified that this is not a loan.
This arrangement is part of plans to establish a Mama Bank branch in the district.
Two other DDA’s that have signed similar agreements with the Mama
bank are Kerowagi District in the Simbu Province and Rigo District in Central.
THE Community Affairs and National Content Conference Expo 2024 brings together resource industry experts, landowners, landowner companies and the business community to connect and discuss issues affecting and impacting communities in Papua New Guinea.
Together with daily scheduled meetings, booths were also set up by participating stakeholders to connect and provide information on their business and products.
One such booth displaying mostly solar lights was the USAID PNG Electrification Partership.
USAID has a five-year program, the USAID-PNG Electrification Partnership (PEP) Activity.
The project works in partnership with PNG Power and other stakeholders to ensure 70 percent of PNG households are connected to electricity by 2030.
Kavaea Evara, the Agriculture and Business Specialist answers queries from visitors and explains the Trupla Sola concept. [[Photo//Sincha Dimara, Inside PNG]]
The USAID is a result of 2018 APEC in which the US Government pledged to support PNG achieve its goal.
The project’s technical assistance supports 26 mini grids including 19 with co-funding.
USAID also partners with other major companies such as SANTOS Foundation, local MPs and District Development Authorities to conduct site assessments and pre-feasibility studies, engineering and design, financial modeling and advice among others.
The program is also providing opportunities for resource and energy companies to market their products especially in rural areas where hospitals, health centres and schools need electricity.
Under the Trupla Sola program, USAID is helping communities and MSME groups to buy and market quality-certified solar products.
US Aid’s participation at CANCONEX 2024 is a way of connecting with stakeholders both in the government and private sector to roll out the USAID-PEP program.
The annual event is the flagship of the PNG Chamber of Resources and Energy (PNG CORE). The first CANCONEX event was hosted by the University of Technology in Lae, Morobe Province in 2023.
CANCONEX 2024 was hosted by the University of Papua New Guinea from the 1st to 3rd July 2024.
Panguna Mine issues took center stage at the recent CANCONEX Resource week hosted by the Papua New Guinea Camber of Resources and Energy (PNG CORE).
Despite being closed for more than 30 years the mine is in the stages to re-open but legacy issues that have been left by Bougainville Copper Limited’s operations until its closure need to be addressed.
The President and his cabinet of the Bougainville Executive council granted an extension of the exploration license, EL_01 to Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) on the 28th of January, 2024.
President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Ishmael Toroama speaking during CANCONEX. [[Photo: PNG Media]]
The Panguna Project is already licensed under an Exploration License for a term of five years.
What the Land owners and the people directly affected by the mine want, is to get some closure to the legacy issues, which include the environmental destruction caused by the mine.
Present at CANCONEX was President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Ishmael Toroama, who gave an overall report on the legacy issues of the mine including the way forward to reopening Panguna.
Theonila Roka Matbob, member for the Ioro Constituency in Central Bougainville, is a Panguna mine landowner and she is very vocal about the legacy issues left by the mine.
Old Trucks at the Panguna Mine.
She is the Minister for Community Government and also a long time activist on Panguna issues, she said during CANCONEX that they want to close the old chapter of Panguna as they move on to the new chapter.
She mentioned that there is a report; the PANGUNA MINE LEGACY IMPACT ASSESSMENT, which is set to be complete by August.
The report will help the People of Panguna understand the extent of the mine legacy issues.
The Panguna issue remains sensitive but parties in the efforts to re-open the mine are working closely together.
Panguna Mine. [[Photo//Llane Munau]]
Bougainville Copper Limited Chairman, Sir Mel Togolo was also part of the discussions at CANCONEX, he said BCL had a more community oriented approach and there is widespread acceptance for the mine’s reopening in the Panguna Area.
President Toroama who is also Minister for Minerals & Energy says all the discussions and dialogue between the Land Owners and the ABG, carefully considered support for local content and Resource Owners, he said this was paramount because it is the Land owners that own the Resource.
Theonila Roka stressed that what is important is a plan to see a more viable future for resource owners considering their attachment to the land and its resources, and they can be more sustainable after the project ends.
![Panguna Mine. [[Photo//Llane Munau]]](https://insidepng.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/WhatsApp-Image-2024-07-13-at-13.10.52.jpeg)