Six men in Papua New Guinea who tortured three women they claimed had practised sorcery have been sentenced to eight years each in jail. Justice David Susame told a National Court hearing in New Ireland, that it is becoming a practice in some parts of the country to round up people, accuse them of sorcery, Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Papua New Guinea’
Bishops attack government over corruption
Thursday, March 14th, 2019Catholic bishops of Papua New Guinea have attacked the government for failing to take action on corruption. They have also attacked it for what they call its general incompetence. Read more
Bishops tell government to do more for refugees, asylum seekers
Monday, February 25th, 2019
Papua New Guinea’s (PNG’s) bishops are urging the government to do more to help resettle the country’s refugees and asylum seekers. Besides pushing for a definitive end to the detention of refugees on Manus Island, the bishops are also highlighting the plight of various groups in the country who have not gained refugee status. In Read more
Manus Island detainees – depression, self-harm, suicide attempts
Monday, February 11th, 2019
Manus Island detainees must be released. Mental illness among those incarcerated on the island are rife, says the bishops conference of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The general secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of PNG, Giorgio Licini, has written to Prime Minister Peter O’Neill saying PNG leaders should negotiate a deadline with Australia to release Read more
Poor medical care kills thousands
Thursday, November 15th, 2018Poor medical care is causing thousands of Papuans to die needlessly. Many die in government-owned hospitals. Three months ago a document on patients who have passed away at Jayapura Public Hospital was circulated among journalists in Papua. It recorded 1,275 deaths from 2008 to 2012. Read more
PNG Catholic Bishops concerned about APEC spending
Monday, November 12th, 2018The expenses involved in hosting this week’s APEC conference is of concern, says Papua New Guinea’s bishops’ conference. APEC discussions will include investment and trade opportunities. The bishops say they are concerned about the PNG government’s high spending and what they see as being an unequal distribution of wealth. Read more
New study reveals Papua New Guinea’s alarming HIV epidemic
Thursday, May 31st, 2018
Researchers from the Papua New Guinea Institute for Medical Research and the Kirby Institute at the University of NSW say expanded health services are needed to tackle high rates of HIV, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infection among key populations in Papua New Guinea. The study, Kauntim mi tu (“Count me too”) was released on 16 May in Read more
Bougainville Bishop says Church neutral on independence
Thursday, May 17th, 2018
In June next year, Bougainville will be voting to decide if it is to become independent from Papua New Guinea. The bishop of Bougainville, Bernard Unabali, says the church will support whatever the outcome would be – independence or autonomy. He said this when preaching at Our Lady of Assumption Cathedral at Hahela in Buka Read more
Bougainville’s course is set – no turning back now
Monday, March 26th, 2018
A visit by three former Papua New Guinea prime ministers in an attempt to stop Bouganvilleans voting for independence is a “complete waste of time and absurd,” says Martin Miriori, a leading figure in the Bougainville separatist movement. Miriori is the former Bougainville Interim Government (BIG) and the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) and Secretary and Read more
PNG Earthquake: More die in powerful aftershock – Pope Francis sends his condolences
Thursday, March 8th, 2018
More than 100 people were killed in a magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck Papua New Guinea on February 26. The exact toll from a magnitude 6.7 aftershock that followed just after midnight on Wednesday 7 March is unknown but at least 18 people are said to have died or been injured. On Tuesday Pope Francis Read more