Taipei…like every place you’ve never been

By MALUM NALU

 I'm one of the staunchest critics of buai pekpek (betelnut thrash) and littering in Port Moresby (often disparaged as the filthiest city in the world)  and Papua New Guinea, so going to Taiwan,  was like going to heaven.

On Thursday, November 21, 2012,  I took an evening stroll through the well-kept park next to the Monarch Plaza Hotel in Taoyuang City, one of the satellites of capital, Taipei, wondering when we in PNG will look after our parks and playgrounds like this!

Taoyuang sidewalk

Clean, pretty flowers and plants, mums pushing babies on prams, couples walking their dogs, children and parents playing happily in the playground.

Taoyuang park

We only dream about this in PNG, and yet, it doesn't cost anything…only common sense and a sense of self-respect!

I thought about the filthy and pathetic excuse of a playground at Hohola where my kids play.

When will we in PNG ever stop spitting buai pekpek, littering everywhere without a care in the world, and to take tender loving care of our recreational facilities?

Taipei maintains an extensive system of parks, green spaces, and nature preserves, despite being a hi-tech, highly-populated city. 

Efficient garbage system

Parks and forestry areas of note in and around the city include Yangmingshan National Park, Taipei Zoo and Da-an Forest Park.

Yangmingshan National Park (located 10 km north of the central city) is famous for its cherry blossoms, hot springs, and sulfur deposits.

 It is the home of famous writer Lin Yutang, the summer residence of Chiang Kai-shek, residences of foreign diplomats, the Chinese Culture University, the meeting place of the now defunct National Assembly of the Republic of China, and the Kuomintang Party Archives.

 The Taipei Zoo was founded in 1914 and covers an area of 165 hectares for animal sanctuary.

Of course, you ain't seen Taipei until you've been on the Taipei 101!

And that's exactly what I did on the evening of Saturday, November 10, 2012.

On the 89th floor of Taipei 101

This, in fact, was my third time on the Taipei 101, haven got up twice during my previous two visits to Taiwan in 2007, however, this visit was more comprehensive.

Taipei 101, formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, is a landmark skyscraper located in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan.

At the entrance to Taipei 101

 The building ranked officially as the world's tallest from 2004 until the opening of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010.

In July 2011, the building was awarded LEED Platinum certification, the highest award in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system and became the tallest and largest green building in the world.

Taipei 101 reaches for the sky

Taipei 101 was designed by CY Lee & partners and constructed primarily by KTRT Joint Venture.

The tower has served as an icon of modern Taiwan ever since its opening, and received the 2004 Emporis Skyscraper Award.

Port Moresby's name can be found on the Taipei 101

Fireworks launched from Taipei 101 feature prominently in international New Year's Eve broadcasts and the structure appears frequently in travel literature and international media.

Taipei 101 comprises 101 floors above ground and 5 floors underground.

The building was architecturally created as a symbol of the evolution of technology and Asian tradition.

Roast duck on the streets of Taipei

 Its postmodernist approach to style incorporates traditional design elements and gives them modern treatments.

The tower is designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes.

Falung Gong practisioners at the National Palace Museum

A multi-level shopping mall adjoining the tower houses hundreds of fashionable stores, restaurants and clubs.

Taipei 101 is owned by the Taipei Financial Center Corporation (TFCC) and managed by the International division of Urban Retail Properties Corporation based in Chicago.

A Taipei sidestreet

The name originally planned for the building, Taipei World Financial Center, until 2003, was derived from the name of the owner.

Taipei City is the capital of Republic of China, a state commonly known as Taiwan.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

During my visit, apart from the culinary delights of the gourmet’s paradise of Taipei, I was introduced to Taiwanese culture and history, tried the high speed train, and visited many places including the National Palace Museum, soared the lofty heights of the Taipei 101, the Discovery Centre of Taipei, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei’s most-famous night market of Shilin, Taipei Confucius Tempe, Taiwan’s hi-tech “Silicon Valley” at Hsinchu City, and many others.

At Tshilin Night Market

 Situated at the northern tip of the island of Taiwan, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River; it is about 25km southwest of Keelung, a port city on the Pacific Ocean.

Pounding tea leaves and other ingredients for a traditional Chinese tea ceremony at Hsinchu City

 It lies in the two relatively narrow valleys of the Keelung and Xindian rivers, which join to form the Tamsui River along the city's western border.

 The city proper (Taipei City) is home to an estimated 2,618,772 people.

Fried frog legs for lunch...not bad!

 Taipei, New Taipei, and Keelung together form the Taipei metropolitan area with a population of 6,900,273.

 However, they are administered under different local governing bodies.

Good food everywhere in Taipei

 "Taipei" sometimes refers to the whole metropolitan area, while "Taipei City" refers to the city proper.

Taipei City proper is surrounded on all sides by New Taipei.

Gross fruit galore in Taipei

Taipei is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Taiwan.

The National Palace Museum which has one of the largest collections of Chinese artifacts and artworks in the world is located in Taipei. 

Visitrs to the National Palace Museum

Considered to be a global city, Taipei is part of a major industrial area.

Railways, high speed rail, highways, airports, and bus lines connect Taipei with all parts of the island. 

Catching the hi-speed train to Hsinchu City

The city is served by two airports – Taipei Songshan and Taiwan Taoyuan.

Taipei was founded in the early 18th century and became an important center for overseas trade in the 19th century.

 The Qing Dynasty in China made Taipei the provincial capital of Taiwan in 1886.

Hi-tech infrastructure of Taipei

 When the Japanese acquired Taiwan in 1895 after the First Sino-Japanese War, they retained Taipei as the capital of the island, and also advanced extensive urban planning in Taipei.

 The Republic of China took over the island in 1945 following Japanese surrender. 

Beautiful river scene in Taipei

One of the first Taiwanese settlements at Hsinchu

After losing Mainland China to the Chinese Communist Party in the Chinese Civil War, the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) resettled the ROC government to Taiwan and declared Taipei the provisional capital of the Republic of China in December 1949.

Checking out fresh fruit at a Taipei street stall

PNG Ports signs agreement with Singapore operator

Port Strategy

03 Dec 2012

Port Moresby looks set to up its efficiency

Singapore based operator, Portek International Ltd, has signed a collaborative agreement with Papua New Guinea Ports Corporation Ltd (PNGPCL) to jointly operate its two largest container terminals.

Lae Port container terminal handles more than 140,000 teu annually, whilst Port Moresby, located in the country’s capital, handles more than 79,000 teu.
The five year collaboration at the two ports will include training of PNGPCL personnel in the entire spectrum of port operations, including the use of Portek’s in-house terminal management system (TMS). The deployment of personnel is expected in January 2013.
This is a strategic move on both sides. PNGPCL wants to benefit from Portek’s team of experts in the field of operation, maintenance and port information technology. Meanwhile, Portek, which tends not to market its TMS independently but as a part of a holistic solution to its partners, wants to increase efficiency at the ports.
Ms Aline Wong, corporate development executive, Portek International, said to Port Strategy: “Our solution is a total solution (for the ports). There will be port professionals who will assist in the process of re-engineering PNGPCL’s current operations. These efforts will be captured and customised into the terminal management system which Portek will be implementing at the ports of Lae and Moresby.”
PNGPCL first worked with Portek 18 months ago when it supplied 10 refurbished rubber-tyred gantry cranes to the same ports. Ms Wong added that since then, PNGPCL and Portek have been in close consultation to see how else they may collaborate in raising the levels of operating efficiency at the ports.

InterOil expects PNG approval to attract LNG partner

By James Paton of Bloomberg

InterOil Corp. (IOC) expects approval for a liquefied natural gas project from the Papua New Guinea government will help attract a partner to develop the venture.
“There are a number of international oil companies, a number of national oil companies and a number of utilities” that have spoken to InterOil about joining the planned project, Chief Executive Officer Phil Mulacek said yesterday in an interview in Sydney. 
“We’ve funneled that down to a shorter list.”
InterOil last month received approval from Papua New Guinea’s National Executive Council, clearing the way for the proposed LNG plant with an initial production capacity of 3.8 million metric tons annually. 
The company said last year it hired Morgan Stanley, UBS AG and Macquarie Group Ltd. to evaluate partnership proposals.
InterOil shares in New York have risen 8.9 percent this year, compared with a 10 percent increase in the New York Stock Exchange Composite Index.

Peter Donigi responds to Greg Anderson

Response to front page headline by The National newspaper titled “Say No to Land Bill” (3/12/12).

In response to the statement by the Chamber of Mines and Petroleum about their desired outcome at the Sydney Conference, Ambassador Peter Donigi,  the designer of the Boka Kondra Bills,  said: 

Peter Donigi

“Mr Anderson and his people are purveyors of scare tactics and are engaging in misrepresentation of the Boka Kondra Bills. 

"They do not want us to preserve our customary law which has served us since time immemorial. 

"Mr Anderson used to be a government officer who influenced the current regime and is now defending the regime from outside government. 

"As a former government officer he and others like him created a regime that benefited foreign capital, a regime that brings in the idea of horizontal boundaries that do not exist in our customary law. 

"Customary law only recognises vertical boundaries to the centre of the earth in relation to ownership of land. 

"They created a regime that will foster fighting between our people while they benefit.

"His personal credibility is at stake. 

"He is engaging in the tactics of projecting fear – whose fear – it is his and foreign capital.  

" In the end he will lose – and it will not be too long in coming.”

“Our politicians have to decide whether they will make laws that they were elected to make for the benefit of our people or make laws that will benefit those who do not have a right to vote at our elections but stake their profits on our politicians’ weaknesses. 

"The strength of this nation depends on how we manage our resources for the benefit of landowners – not on how we manage our resources for the benefit of foreign capital.”

“Our people are now more educated than 36 years ago.

" That is a generation and half. 

"Why would you want to retain a regime that says that you have to go overseas to borrow money to buy back a percentage of what you already own? 

"When you borrow money to buy back what you already own, you create a liability for our future generations and transfer capital which could be better spent internally, overseas. 

"It fosters an outcome of keeping the foreign capital rich and keeping land-owners poor. This is stupidity at its highest level.

“Anderson says that the provincial and national governments will not benefit from a change in the laws. 

"He is pulling the wool over people’s eyes. 

"Kondra Bills says that the national government will actually make more money than under current regime through taxation without having to borrow money to pay for its equity. 

"The provincial governments will get 4% of the stake and Local-level Governments will be guaranteed 1%. 

" In fact foreign companies take home pay after taxes will be more than 29% and landowners will earn 28% after taxes and the government will get close to 40% based on 30% corporate tax and 17% withholding taxes. 

"The government will be the biggest winner.

" This is a win/win outcome not the current win/lose outcome. 

"Anderson is lying through his teeth.”

O'Neill: PNG working on infrastructure, corruption

AAP

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is working on improving its infrastructure and stamping out corruption, which will make it a more attractive place to do business, its Prime Minister says.
Peter O'Neill also told a mining conference in Sydney today that the PNG political environment had continued to stabilise since the elections earlier this year.
He said the improved political stability would be of benefit to the resource companies seeking to do business in the country.
"We have established a very strong and very stable political environment," he told the conference.
"We will soon make it stronger and more stable."
Mr O'Neill said the new government was also working hard to stamp out corruption, which was often an impediment to business, and had set up a taskforce to tackle the problem.
"We will take an uncompromising stand against corruption that our people are now demanding," he said.
"I will not pretend we can eliminate corruption completely but we will give it a very good shot."
The new government would also invest in much-needed infrastructure, which included roads to mining projects and improved telecommunications, which would encourage resource companies to invest in PNG, he said.
"There is no doubt the poor state of our infrastructure has added to the cost of mining," he said.
Resource companies would be consulted about which infrastructure areas needed to be prioritised, he said.
Productivity was another issue that PNG planned to tackle.
Mr O'Neill said the government was planning to establish a productivity commission.
The government was planning to review its taxes on mining and petroleum companies, but Mr O'Neill stressed that any changes would not act as a disincentive to business.
It would also be encouraging mining companies to keep their fly-in, fly-out arrangements for employees within PNG, in order to provide increased benefits for the local economy.
"We can then build more regional sectors that can benefit from some of these projects," he said.

Port Moresby among top 30 most expensive cities in the world

• By Alison Godfrey
• news.com.au
• November 29, 2012 7:47AM

THINKING of living overseas? Here's a list you need to see.
Eurocost International has released their top 30 most expensive cities for expats. Tokyo, Luanda, and Moscow take the top three spots.
London, a favourite for Aussie expats, comes in at number five. The good news is that if you love Europe it’s now much cheaper to live there – if you can find a job. The depreciation of the currency against the rest of the world has meant cities like Paris and Amsterdam are no longer in the list.
The survey, completed in June, takes into account the cost of living, including rent, but not health or school.
Good news for Sydneysiders looking to head overseas – most of the world will be cheaper than home. Sydney is ranked at the number seven most expensive city. Surprisingly too Canberra made this list but not Melbourne.

So here it is. The top 30 most expensive expat cities in the world.
1. Tokyo, Japan
2. Luanda, Angola
3. Moscow, Russia
4. Singapore, Singapore
5. London, England
6. Hong Kong, Hong Kong
7. Sydney, Australia
8. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
9. Geneva, Switzerland
10. Kinshaa, Democratic Republic of Congo
11. Oslo, Norway
12. Canberra, Australia
13. Shanghai, China
14. Beirut, Lebanon
15. Seoul, South Korea
16. Beijing, China
17. Zurich, Switzerland
18. Sao Paulo, Brazil
19. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
20. Caracas, Venezuela
21. Lausanne, Switzerland
22. New York, United States of America
23. Guangzhou, China
24. Honiara, Soloman Islands
25. Kiev, Ukraine
26. Copenhagen, Denmark
27. Almaty, Kazakhstan
28. Bogota, Colombia
29. Berne, Switzerland
30. Brasilia, Brazil

Rhonda Holzknecht nee Dieckmann : 3.1.1945 - 27.11.2012 Funeral

By Philip Holzknecht

This is to advise you that Rhonda's funeral will take place here at the farm on Wednesday 5th December 2012 beginning at 2 pm.

Following the service, Rhonda will be buried in the Marburg Trinity Lutheran cemetery near Marburg, about 15 minutes from here, where her parents are buried and where most of her mother's family - Berlin and Zechen - are buried

Rhonda Holzknecht

You are invited to participate in both ceremonies and join in with all singing that occurs during the service and at the burial site.

If you are able to sing in parts as many Lutherans do, that too would be appreciated.

Following the burial, you are invited to come back home for tea/coffee and a light supper and interaction with the family.

There will be limited time available during the service to share your memories of Rhonda, but there may be more time during the supper to do this more informally.

Should you wish to do so, I would be grateful if you would write down your memories of Rhonda and what she meant to you.

In time I would like to put these in a tribute blog, with your permission over your name or your initials.

I have also decided to plant a 'Rhonda's Garden' or grove in an area where her chicken customers used to come to buy or look at her chickens.

If you wish to participate in that event or just observe and be part of it, you will need to come by noon to allow time for planting and clean up in time for the service.

The Fernvale Holzknecht family is grateful to all of you who have expressed your shock, grief and wishes to us individually and generally.

It has been a harrowing experience for which healing will take some time and please forgive me if I don't immediately respond to your texts and thoughts.

Rhonda's ICU doctor rang yesterday with the results of a final outstanding test, which, like all the others, proved negative.

This leaves us with the conclusion that her pneumonia and scleroderma combined in the final days in an immune attack against which her body was unable to respond.

We as immediate family were at her bedside during her last breaths and sang for her as we do.

Her doctor expressed that he and the ICU staff were deeply moved by this and we hope that this experience too will help them in their lives too.

 We send you our love and thanks as you have sent us yours.

Rhonda touched many many people during her life - I was privileged to know her for 43 years, to share 41 of those as companions, lovers and parents to three wonderful children, and as grandparents to 6 more interesting, challenging and loving grandchildren.

Thank you all for making our lives richer.

Philip Holzknecht

A comment on PNG education

By MAURICE PRATLEY

 

During my stay in PNG I was called upon to lecture at both the PNG University and the Legal Training Institute.

The University had asked the PNG Society of Accountants if it could provide a replacement of a lecturer who had left. I volunteered as I had just started up an accounting practice and had spare time and also I thought it was a great opportunity to review and update my knowledge on particular subjects. The subjects I taught were Corporate Finance and Accounting and Auditing Standards for one semester and Corporate Finance and Accounting I for another. When it came to testing I posed the questions on principles and the application of these. The answers as to principles was, generally, of a high standard but when it came to applications, the responses were varied. So much so, that in some cases I wondered whether the students were from the same planet. Or maybe I did not explain matters fully enough.

At the Legal Training Institute I was asked to lecture in Tax. This I did for three annual sessions of six week duration. Again there were similar results. The learning of principles was excellent but applications not so.

I remember discussing this with a colleague and he suggested that people in PNG had been generally less exposed to a commercial way of life. On reflection this could well be right although I could have still concentrated more on illustrating the principles at work.

I have had no teacher training nor do I profess any teacher 'bent'. However, I am firmly convinced that the standard of education relies on the quality of teachers. Money thrown at education will not necessarily improve the system.

These thoughts are backed up by a report just issued. It is a study called The Learning Curve, published by Pearson and carried out by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The aim of the report was to help policymakers, among others, identify key factors driving improved educational outcomes. One conclusion was there was no substitute for good teachers. There were 40 countries examined which was due to data being available from these which could be used to analyse cognitive skills and educational attainment. Ranking was done according to standard deviation. The two countries which topped the list were Finland and South Korea. They have different systems but they provided similar outcomes.

I seriously recommend this study to people involved in the education system for close study. It can be found at www.thelearningcurve.pearson.com.

Incidentally, I am in the throes of using standard deviation to win at the horses! I will advise of any positive outcome at a later date. 

Accused priest preaches in PNG

Rory Callinan

Investigative journalist, The Age

Alleged abuser found in PNG

PARISHIONERS at the tiny Sogeri Catholic Church in the foothills of Papua New Guinea's remote Owen Stanley Ranges pay little attention to the fact that their elderly priest has a teenage boy as his live-in helper.
But for some who knew Father Roger Mount when he was a brother working in homes run by the Catholic St John of God Order in Australia several decades ago, the scenario is disturbing.
''Bloody hell, that's concerning. That's not good,'' says Melbourne pensioner Steve Danas, who grew up in one of the order's homes after being orphaned at three.

Father Roger Mount in Sogeri. Photo: supplied

Mr Danas was one of three men who came forward in the the past decade to allege they were sexually abused by the then Brother Mount at the order's homes in Melbourne and New South Wales in the 1970s and 1980s.

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In all, more than 30 former residents of the homes alleged that many brothers had been systematically abusing them from the 1960s to the 1980s. The claims led to a Victorian police investigation and the order paying out more than $4 million in compensation. But the brothers - who have denied the abuse - never faced any charges in Victoria.
A number of the brothers, including Father Mount, have been able to move into other roles where they may have regular contact with children.
This week, Fairfax Media tracked down Father Mount giving Mass to his 60-strong congregation at his small church in Sogeri, a tiny village 40 kilometres east of Port Moresby.
Outside the church, a youth said he was the priest's live-in helper and had lived with him in a house at the back of the church since he was about 11. ''My
father has given me to him when I was a boy. He is like a father to me. My father did the same job,'' said the boy.
He said he had never had any concerns about his treatment by the priest, who was elderly and needed an assistant.
Father Mount vigorously denied being involved in anything inappropriate with any boy in the homes or that he posed any threat to anyone.
He said he had never been contacted by the order about the compensation payments to the alleged victims, something he thought was surprising as ''they know where I am''.
He confirmed he knew Mr Danas and another man who had received a payment from the order but said there had never been any issue between himself and the two claimants.
Asked why they the men had come forward, Father Mount speculated: ''Maybe he (Danas) wanted money''.
Father Mount said he had left the brothers in 1983 to become a priest in PNG and confirmed he had at one point been in the senior role of chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Port Moresby.
He confirmed another of the order's Brothers, William Lebler, had also worked at the home in PNG. Brother Lebler was later alleged to have abused children at the order's homes in New Zealand but never faced court over the allegations after a NSW court ruled in the mid-2000s that he had dementia.
Father Mount said he had never seen inappropriate behaviour by any of the brothers.
Yesterday Mr Danas said he was angry that Father Mount was still with the church in PNG. ''I thought that he was dead,'' said Mr Danas, who alleged that the then Brother Mount had plied him with alcohol and molested him during his time at the order's Churinga home at Greensborough in the 1970s.
He said he had given police a statement but was told it would come down to his word against the priest's and did not hear back from the investigating officer. ''I want to confront him,'' he said. ''There should be a proper investigation.''
Fairfax Media has obtained other documents confirming the order also made payments to two other men who had alleged abuse by Father Mount.
One of the men alleged Father Mount had tried to molest him while he was recovering at the order's Mentone hostel after surgery to remove his appendix.
He also alleged abuse by other brothers and received a payment from the order in the 2000. Father Mount said he did not know this man.
Fairfax Media has also seen a document created during settlement processes by the order involving another alleged victim in NSW who says he was abused by Father Mount while at the order's special school.
Psychologist Dr Michelle Mulvihill, who was employed by the order to meet alleged victims during compensation negotiations, said she believed the allegations were genuine.
She called on the Catholic Church to stand down Father Mount from his parish priest role and for a proper investigation to be undertaken into the allegations.
Father Mount said this week he was willing to face his accusers. ''Yes I would come back,'' he said.
Asked if would he make contact with the order now he knew about the compensation payments, he said: ''I don't know. They might not want to hear from me.''
Archbishop John Ribat of the Port Moresby Diocese said he was unaware of the allegations. He said any investigation should be conducted in Australia where the alleged offences occurred.
Archbishop Ribat said he was aware a family was living with Father Mount, who was sickly and not fully active as a priest.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/accused-priest-preaches-in-png-20121130-2amsk.html#ixzz2DrJjoppf

Antelope-3 well encounters gas

By OGJ editors

InterOil Corp., Houston, said its Antelope-3 appraisal well in Papua New Guinea penetrated the top of the reservoir 217 ft high to prognosis, began flowing gas, and was shut-in.
The well on PRL 15 topped the reservoir at 5,328 ft, 92 ft higher than the Antelope-1 well. Drillers circulated out the gas kick, flared the gas, cemented 9-5/8-in. liner, and ran a vertical seismic profile.
Once a blowout preventer is installed and tested, the company will begin drilling the reservoir section in 6-1/4-in. hole.
The plan is to drill 300 ft into the reservoir, drillstem test the open hole section, then drill the entire reservoir interval to an anticipated total depth of 8,366 ft before running wireline logs, taking rotary sidewall cores, and drillstem testing.
Antelope-3 primary objectives are to confirm reservoir depth, composition, character, and continuity, provide samples for analysis to further assist in development well planning, assist in the gas resource evaluation, satisfy work program obligations for PRL 15, and complete the well as a future production well.
Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea’s Department of Petroleum and Energy granted a license variation that allows the company to defer drilling a second commitment well from the first 2-year work program into the second 2-year work program. This should allow InterOil to manage service industry cost as we ramp up to a two-well drilling program without straining the available resources in PNG.

12th PNG Mining and Petroleum Investment Conference

International Mining

The 12th PNG Mining and Investment Conference at the Sydney Hilton commences at 8.50 AM on December 3 with a keynote address by the PNG Prime Minister, the Hon. Peter O’Neill. 

Presentations will be made during the three-day event on all major resources projects in Papua New Guinea, including a construction update on the $19 billion LNG project led by Esso Highlands PNG. The economy grew by 11.1% in 2011 and growth of 9.2% is forecast this year. 

The PNG Treasury has predicted a slow down to 4% in 2013 as construction on the LNG project winds down but it will pick up again once LNG exports commence in 2014. 

Updates will be presented at the conference on major mining projects, including the million ounce upgrade scheduled for completion this month at Newcrest’s Lihir gold mine; the Mine Life Extension proposed at Ok Tedi Mining; Barrack Gold’s Porgera gold mine and Ramu Nickel’s nickel-cobalt mine, which commenced exports last month. 

Presentations will also be made on two mega projects that will shortly complete full feasibility studies - Xstrata Copper’s Frieda River project and Marengo Mining’s Yandera copper-molybdenum project. 

Other advanced projects on which presentations will be made include the Morobe Mining Joint Venture’s Wafi-Golpu copper-gold project and the recently stalled Nautilus Minerals Solwara 1 deep sea mining project. 

A comparative analysis of resource development frameworks around the world will be presented in the opening session by Lutz Heim, partner tax and corporate finance, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and Prof Magnus Ericsson, a senior partner with the Raw Materials Group, will focus on ‘where mineral commodity prices are heading’ in a session on Tuesday.

Other sessions will focus on capacity building for the workforce and the community and socio-economic challenges facing PNG’s resources sector.

Horizon Oil to sell PNG asset stake

Energy Pedia News

International energy companies seeking a foothold in Papua New Guinea's nascent natural gas export industry are being courted with a new opportunity. Sydney-based Horizon Oil is seeking to sell up to half of its assets in Papua New Guinea, after drilling results in the forelands region of the Southeast Asian country beat expectations and highlighted the potential for a new liquefied natural gas plant.
A deal could be worth around US$250 million based on recent transactions in Papua New Guinea, which UK-based consultancy Wood Mackenzie estimates has reserves totalling at least 26 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
Papua New Guinea’s appeal as a gas exporter is growing in step with Asia’s demand for natural gas, particularly in China which is striving to reduce its reliance on burning dirty coal for power. 
The International Energy Agency this month forecast China’s consumption of natural gas is poised to quadruple from 130 billion cubic metres in 2011 to 545 billion cubic metres in 2035.