When working for O&G companies in Indo, they used to describe it...

When working for O&G companies in Indo, they used to describe it as civilised corruption, in that you knew what you had to pay on the side, but it was a standard rate, more of a tax. Whereas Africa was a massive no-go as there was no standard rate, the people you paid one week weren't there the next, no infrastructure etc.
Indo isn't perfect, and PNG side less so, but they are not the worst. Companies like TOTAL, ENI, Petronas, Freeport etc will go there. They go there because of the size of the prize and it is relatively predictable.
When you compare Indo to many other countries, they aren't that bad.