Scotland to play Papua New Guinea

SAM VILLER

21 Aug 2013

Love Rugby League

  Scotland will play Papua New Guinea on Saturday 19 September at Big Fellas Stadium, Featherstone, in a full international as a warm-up ahead of the Rugby League World Cup.
It will be Scotland's only match this year before their RLWC2013 campaign kicks off against Tonga at Workington on Tuesday 29 October.
Papua New Guinea are in Group B at the World Cup along with New Zealand, Samoa and France. With Super League players such as prop Jason Chan from League Leaders Huddersfield, Wakefield hooker Paul Aiton, along with Championship players Jessie Joe Parker of Whitehaven, former Hull KR forward Makali Aizue now with Dewsbury Rams and Sheffield's Menzie Yere, PNG are contenders for a quarter-final place.
"We're delighted to secure the game against PNG," said Scotland coach Steve McCormack. "We've been working on it for weeks and all the pieces have fallen into place thanks to the tremendous efforts of the two countries' boards and Featherstone Rovers, who have been fantastic in making this happen. It should be a tremendous game and the perfect preparation for us ahead of the Tonga game."
Scotland will go into camp a couple of days before the PNG clash, having trained several times a week for the previous six weeks. They will depart for their RLWC2013 base at Workington immediately after the PNG game (kick off time to be confirmed).
Kumuls general manager Matthew Matusch had this to say: "PNG are excited by the prospect of playing their League Brothers from the far north. We are really looking forward to this opportunity as this is the first time, to our knowledge, that Papua New Guinea and Scotland have played each other.
"We are aware that we will be in for a good strong clash with the Bravehearts. Scotland looks as though they have a very good line up with the calibre of players which they have at their disposal. It should be a great match with two Warrior Nations coming together! We're hoping for a nice warm afternoon!"

Asylum seeker seeks to join PNG legal case

SBS

Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court is considering whether to allow an Afghan asylum seeker on Manus Island to join the legal challenge to centre.

A lone asylum seeker looking to join a constitutional challenge against his detention on Manus Island will have to wait until September for a decision from the Papua New Guinea courts.
Rawed Reza, an Afghan asylum seeker who has been housed on Manus Island since January 4, wants to join the challenge mounted by PNG opposition leader Belden Namah to Australia's tough new border policy.
Mr Namah's lawyer, Loani Henao, on Tuesday applied to Justice Stephen Kassman to add Mr Reza to the list of applicants, and pushed to visit Mr Reza at the detention centre.
"We are seeking orders from the court to have access to the assessment centre at Lombrum Naval Base on Manus, to obtain instructions from Rawed Reza, one of the persons who is seeking settlement in Australia," Mr Henao told the court.
Later, he told reporters Mr Reza was sent to Christmas Island in November last year.
"He's been in Manus since January 4," Mr Henao said.
"His wife and five-month-old son were killed in Afghanistan in December 2011."
PNG has agreed to temporarily detain all asylum seekers who try to arrive in Australia by boat.
This is the second challenge against the centre brought by Mr Henao and Mr Namah - their first was dismissed two months ago after it was found the correct legal procedure wasn't used.
At the time, the court ordered Mr Henao be allowed to go to the centre. However, Mr Henao said he was prevented by government officials from doing so.
When asked if email was the only way he had communicated with Mr Reza, Mr Henao replied, "That's why we want to go and see him."
The government was also ordered to present its response to the question of whether Mr Namah has the standing to bring the challenge.
Meanwhile the Australian government says it will continue to transfer detainees to Manus Island despite a similar challenge in the Australian courts.
PNG's department of immigration has said it is considering fitting resettled asylum seekers into available jobs in the public and private sectors.
More details of how a potential resettlement scheme will work are expected at the end of the month.
There are currently 223 asylum seekers being housed on Manus Island.
The court will resume on September 10

Palmer says he's found huge PNG gas field

From: AAP

August 21, 2013

 

QUEENSLAND mining magnate Clive Palmer says he has discovered one of the world's largest gas fields, a $35 billion deposit off Papua New Guinea.

Privately-owned company Palmer Petroleum, which he chairs, says the offshore gas field is in the Gulf of Papua, west of Port Moresby.
"The results of the studies are extremely favourable," Mr Palmer said on Wednesday.
"The asset could be worth in excess of $US35 billion and is potentially one of the world's largest gas fields."
He said the gas deposit is located near Exxon Mobil's $US19 billion LNG project in Papua New Guinea, on the northern end of the Gulf of Papua.
Mr Palmer said his company spent more than $50 million to explore an area of more than 3000 square kilometres.
Drill hole analysis and 3D surveys were conducted with British geological company Robertson, which belongs to the world's largest seismic surveyor of oilfields, CGG.
Analysts declined to comment on the discovery.
Earlier this year, Oil Search, which operates all of Papua New Guinea's oilfields, said it found modest quantities of gas in the Gulf of Papua, which led to its decision to pursue further exploration

Rabaul Queen owner Peter Sharp to face PNG court over ferry sinking

By PNG correspondent Liam Fox

The owner of a ferry that sank in Papua New Guinea last year is due to appear in court on today, charged with more than 160 counts of manslaughter.

Police yesterday arrested Captain Peter Sharp, the managing director of Rabaul Shipping, the operator of the Rabaul Queen that sank in February last year.
The expatriate Australian has been charged with negligence, operating an unseaworthy ship and 162 counts of manslaughter, one for every fatality that police have confirmed.
Tommy Yep's son was one of the lucky survivors and he says Captain Sharp's arrest is long overdue.
"We will at least get some sense of closure knowing that the person responsible for this disaster is going to face his day in court," he said.
"That goes towards the healing process."
Last year, a Commission of Inquiry found the ferry was unsafe, unseaworthy and overloaded.

Abbott seizes on PNG's rejection of key planks of asylum deal

by: Joe Kelly

From: The Australian

August 17, 2013

 

 

TONY Abbott has seized on Papua New Guinea's denial of key elements of Labor's asylum-seeker policy, accusing Kevin Rudd of being prepared to say anything to get elected.

Speaking in Western Australia, the Opposition Leader said PNG leader Peter O'Neill had "flatly contradicted" Mr Rudd's declaration that PNG would settle all asylum-seekers deemed to be refugees and that none would make it to Australia.
"You just can't trust this prime minister," Mr Abbott said during a visit to the seat of Hasluck, held by Liberal MP Ken Wyatt.
Mr O'Neill said there was no agreement for PNG to re-settle genuine asylum-seekers after processing on Manus Island and that many would end up in Australia.
"There is no agreement that all genuine refugees will be settled in PNG," he said.
PNG would work with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to engage with other countries willing to take part in resettling those refugees, Mr O'Neill said.
"That includes Australia, New Zealand and all the other countries who are signatories to the UN conventions on refugees."
Mr O'Neill said he believed Australia had an annual quota to settle about 20,000 refugees.
"Under that process, they will get some and New Zealand has indicated they would take some."
Mr Rudd has insisted there is "one simple principle" in his new regime - that all asylum-seekers arriving by boat would be diverted to PNG and settled there if found to be genuine refugees.
Mr Abbott said Mr O'Neill's comments showed that Mr Rudd had broken the trust of voters.
"Prime Minister Peter O'Neill of PNG has flatly contradicted Mr Rudd on the PNG arrangements," Mr Abbott said.
"Many of those who go to PNG will ultimately have to come to Australia. You just can't trust this Prime Minister. You just can't trust this Prime Minister.
"He will say anything if he thinks it's going to get him a headline tomorrow.
"But when you look at the fine print, when you listen to people actually explain what it all means, it turns out to be very very different from what the Prime Minister said."
Mr O'Neill also derided federal opposition claims that refugees would seek to use PNG as a pathway to Australia.
"It is certainly an overreaction," he said.

with AAP

Rudd stands by asylum-seeker deal after call to PNG leader O'Neill

by: Sid Maher and Joe Kelly

From: The Australian

August 17, 2013

 

KEVIN Rudd has declared his Papua New Guinea asylum-seeker policy stands after a phone call with his PNG counterpart Peter O'Neill this morning.

The Prime Minister called Mr O'Neill after the PNG leader was reported as casting doubt on key elements of the policy.
Mr O'Neill had said there was no agreement for PNG to re-settle genuine asylum-seekers after processing on Manus Island and that many would end up in Australia.
Tony Abbott seized on Mr O'Neill's apparent denial of the central planks of Labor's policy, accusing Mr Rudd of being prepared to say anything to get elected.
Speaking in Western Australia, the Opposition Leader said Mr O'Neill had ``flatly contradicted'' Mr Rudd's declaration that PNG would settle all asylum-seekers deemed to be refugees and that none would make it to Australia.
``You just can't trust this prime minister,'' Mr Abbott said during a visit to the seat of Hasluck, held by Liberal MP Ken Wyatt.

Start of sidebar.

Mr Rudd today reaffirmed that Labor's policy was that no-one who arrived by boat in Australia without a visa would be settled in Australia.
It is understood the two leaders spoke by phone again this morning.
``Our policy is clear cut,'' Mr Rudd said.
He said the policy was supported by both the governments of Australia and PNG.
``I draw your attention to the regional resettlement arrangement which says persons found to be refugees will be settled in PNG and other participating regional states, including Pacific Island states.
``That what we agreed to. That's what we support now. That support continues to the present and that has been confirmed as late as today.''
He said Australia and PNG had spent more than a month negotiating the detail of the agreement.
And the government of PNG had confirmed again today that it stood by the agreement.
Earlier Mr O'Neill had said PNG would work with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to engage with other countries willing to take part in resettling those refugees, Mr O'Neill said.
``That includes Australia, New Zealand and all the other countries who are signatories to the UN conventions on refugees.''
Mr O'Neill said he believed Australia had an annual quota to settle about 20,000 refugees.
``Under that process, they will get some and New Zealand has indicated they would take some.''
Mr Rudd has insisted there is ``one simple principle'' in his new regime that all asylum-seekers arriving by boat would be diverted to PNG and settled there if found to be genuine refugees.
Mr Abbott said Mr O'Neill's comments showed that Mr Rudd had broken the trust of voters.
``Prime Minister Peter O'Neill of PNG has flatly contradicted Mr Rudd on the PNG arrangements,'' Mr Abbott said.
``Many of those who go to PNG will ultimately have to come to Australia. You just can't trust this Prime Minister. You just can't trust this Prime Minister.
``He will say anything if he thinks it's going to get him a headline tomorrow.
``But when you look at the fine print, when you listen to people actually explain what it all means, it turns out to be very very different from what the Prime Minister said.''
Mr O'Neill also derided federal opposition claims that refugees would seek to use PNG as a pathway to Australia.
``It is certainly an overreaction,'' he said.

Talks fail between Exxon, InterOil for stake in PNG fields - report

Aug 16 (Reuters) - Shares of InterOil Corp fell 6 percent after a news website said the company's negotiations with Exxon Mobil Corp to develop liquefied natural gas fields in Papua New Guinea ended without a deal.

Exxon, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, failed to close a deal to buy into InterOil's license in Elk and Antelope fields, PNG Industry News reported on Friday, citing sources

 

InterOil was in talks to sell a stake in its license to ExxonMobil Papua New Guinea Ltd, potentially expanding Exxon's $19 billion Papua New Guinea liquefied natural gas (PNG LNG) project.
Exxon spokesman Patrick McGinn told Reuters the company does not comment on commercial discussions. InterOil could not be reached for comment.
Queensland, Australia-based InterOil received the license in November 2010, which covers nine blocks surrounding the Elk and Antelope fields. The company has petroleum licenses covering about 3.9 million acres in the country.
The talks also included funding of InterOil and its partner Pacific LNG to drill additional delineation wells in the fields