Images by Jes Aznar - Papua New Guinea Confronts Development

Photographer, Jes Aznar of the New York Times has taken a few compelling and thought-provoking photos that address key development issues that Papua New Guinea will address, ones which depend upon whether the economic benefits of the PNG LNG project in turn address the social and development issues which stain the country's reputation. Click here to be transferred to the nytimes.com to view a slideshow of the images.

PNG LNG Riches May Not Help Papua New Guinea

Norimitsu Onishi's article in The New York Times Online, "Riches May Not Help Papua New Guinea (October 25, 2010), Although project-developer, ExxonMobil has stated that it "seeks to create long-term economic and social benefits from its projects and prescence" and "help local businesses to develop proper governance systems" - in reality, that long-term goal is a far-fetched one. Although some of the money has seeved down into the wallets of ordinary Papua New Guineans, some think that Papua New Guineans are not ready to for that kind of money. I agree. With sentiments brewing about how this project has the potential to largely boost Papua New Guinea's economy by up to 80% and create thousands of jobs that will benefit Papua New Guineans and the local economy, under the country's current political and social structure, it seems unreasonable to agree that these estimates will in turn create an opportunity for the government to address current oustanding corruption and transparency issues, increase and improve the service and delivery of basic services to the majority of its population. Yes, projects such as the LNG PNG gas project have the opportunity to transform the and improve PNG's economy, however, economical benefits need to be balanced with measures that aim to also address oustanding social and development issues. Papua New Guinea will only benefit in the long-term if ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND POLITICAL issues are addressed in order for the overall welfare of the country to improve.

Adventures in Paradise: Images of Papua New Guinea by Michael Fletcher

Hi everyone:)

I do apologise for the MIA situation.

I have since just come across some extremely stunning video imagery taken by Michael Fletcher who is the twin brother of premier Australian landscape photographer, Christian Fletcher. while searching "Papua New Guinea" on Twitter.

HauteOC Traveller tweeted about an interview conducted with Michael Fletcher. Michael is a videographer himself however, his twin brother, Christian is one of Australia's premier photographers (he recently won 4 awards at the Australian Professional Photography Awards 2010).

My goodness but WOW! I remember why I'm proud to be Papua New Guinean again:)

Images Of Papua New Guinea - Scene 1 from Michael Fletcher on Vimeo.