Papua New Guinea will now become the darling of the market in...

Papua New Guinea will now become the darling of the market in the near future even if for a short while.

Once Australian forces establish a beach head in that place, the key areas of law enforcement, the civil service and administration will hopefully be cleaned up and oiled in the right places to make the place move and move forward at that.

if what I am hearing is correct, the quid pro quo for this exchange is the concessional award of the Gas pipeline to Australian interests, a deal that was clinched a week before a Korean company finalised a memorandum to build a port and a pipeline complete with a plant in Wewak for the gas.

It now also appears that professor Ross Garnauts earlier suggestion to one Paul keating in private that troops or at least advisers and a corps of intelligence be established there to prevent it from deteriorating t the extent it has, has been taken up by the bald man in Canberra to firmly establish Australias pre eminence in the region. Doing a Bush in Iraq if you will.

Money is begining to flow in with the Malaysians secure in the knowledge Australia will be policing the area. General Lumber (Overseas and general on the ASX) has already committed a further $20 million to PNG to finance its East Awin (300,000 hectares) Concession.

A second Malaysian company WTK Lumber, currently tendering for the Amanab concession next to its current concession are likewise committed to another $US20 million for the same type of investment.

Lihir and Pogera are reporting more activity whilst rumours are rife that Carpenter Pacific Resources are now considering implementing the next stage in the mining of the crown jewels of PNG, the Mt. Kare deposit in the highlands.