Moti in Papua New Guinea: Part 1

It’s a sad truth that precious few political scandals in Papua New Guinea reach a satisfactory conclusion: they tend to erupt violently only to soon be forgotten (and often forgiven) as the next crisis or sensation overtakes and overshadows.  It is why PNG Echo has a category ‘Lest we forget’. However, in true PNG fashion, this category has been overlooked lately as PNG Echo has become swept up with current political events.  It’s time to address that irony by revisiting the Moti Saga. The Moti Saga caused a serious diplomatic stoush between Australia and countries of the Pacific – most Continue reading Moti in Papua New Guinea: Part 1

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Is TB Australia’s problem? Maybe not long from now.

I wrote this three years ago.  Have things gotten better? By SUSAN MERRELL TODAY, SUNDAY 24 MARCH [2013], is World Tuberculosis Day. In Australia, tuberculosis (TB) has largely been eradicated and is at a negligible incidence of six cases for every 100,000 of population. So, apart from humanitarian considerations for countries less fortunate, why should TB concern Australia? It’s said that one can walk from Australia to Papua New Guinea at low tide, and PNG has a staggeringly high incidence of 346 TB cases per 100,000, with numbers rising. (There has been a 42% increase in the last decade.) Furthermore, Continue reading Is TB Australia’s problem? Maybe not long from now.

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