Vol 3 No 1, June 1996

3 THE REGION

A selection of the 40 cartoons.

38. Uni Tavur, 15 September 1995:
Logging abuses are a serious problem in Melanesia. Like a huge cigar, Asian logging companies are smoking away tonnes of our forests every year. We live from the forests. Like the family in the cartoon reveals, what would life be like without our forests? Groups such as the non-government organisations are trying very hard to put out this fire -- or at least limit it to a sustainable rate. Ironically, it is the 'responsible' governments of our Melanesian countries that promote this rapacious practice.

39. Uni Tavur, 29 September 1995:
The Ok Tedi landowners had filed a lawsuit against the giant Australian mining company BHP in its headquarters city of Melbourne seeking up to K3.7 billion in compensation for the alleged destruction of their environment. BHP retaliated with support from the PNG Government which passed new legislation to prevent the landowners from winning their demands. Don't we learn from experience? Just imagine another Bougainville and the effect it would have on the country.

40. Uni Tavur, 13 October 1995:
Once upon a time the University of Papua New Guinea was a safe place to live and study. Not any more! In recent years the university campus at Waigani has been rundown with many criminal activities. During 1995, two lecturers and two students were murdered in separate incidents. It has been going on for so long that no one wants to be held responsible. University authorities just point the finger at each other. When this collection of cartoons ended, little had been done to deal with the problem.
Postscript: And, by the way, our newspaper Uni Tavur won the 'best print publication' award in the 1995 JEA Ossie Awards. We gained this honour against publications at more than 22 universities in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific that run journalism schools or programs with ties to the Journalism Education Association.

Return to Current Issue Return to Pacific Journalism Review index