An ill wind blows in Bougainville

By PNG Echo A cold political wind is blowing on the islands of Bougainville that’s fuelling a cold war. This wayward wind, which was downgraded to a tropical breeze at the cessation of hostilities in the bloody civil war on Bougainville at the end of the 1990s, has never been tamed but held in check by a peace agreement signed by most of the warring parties. The Promise The keystone of the accord was the promised plebiscite for an independent state, to take place within 20 years of the agreement. The promise effectively took the wind out of the sails Continue reading An ill wind blows in Bougainville

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Laws on Cyber Crime: you asked for it!

By PNG Echo It’s draconian went up the plaintive cry in response to the new cyber-crime laws passed by the PNG legislature in parliament yesterday with an overwhelming vote of 73-0. The moaners are the same people whose illegal and/or immoral activities this legislation had been enacted to curb: the people who abuse social media, Internet and the privilege of free speech in this medium. As I’ve not yet had the opportunity to peruse the legislation, I can’t comment on whether it is excessively harsh and severe (as the use of the word ‘draconian’ implies), but what it definitely is, Continue reading Laws on Cyber Crime: you asked for it!

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