Confrontation

New Guinea Land

Drastic legislation has been passed by Papua-New Guinea’s House of Assembly to safeguard territory assets, such as build ings, roads and bridges, against villagers who claim ownership of the land on which they are built.

Now, villagers may win their land claims in court but instead of getting the lands or the con structions on it, they will be given cash compensation on a scale yet to be finalised.

Meanwhile, the Administrator is studying a confidential report on the reasons behind Rabaul land disputes, prepared at his request by former MHA, Mr. lan Downs.

And on Bougainville in late July a confrontation was build ing between native landholders and police over land resumptions for the Panguna copper project.