Well boaz, reading your first couple of posts I totally agree. It's their call, though hopefully the altered route can make a compromise acceptable to both parties.

Left and right wings! The arrogances is the true problem! But I guess for the real example, look into the hearts of the fuzzy wuzzy people.

Taking a 'paternalistic' approach...it might be like this:

"Now people.. don't you know that money won't solve your problems? Life will become more complicated, stressful.. and there are a host of reasons 'not' to have a copper mine."

Such an approach goes over like the proverbial lead balloon.

Im guessing that its more about the Chief and his close kin who are most wanting the copper mine.

EVOLUTION :) aah..with you I can see potential for a vigorous debate.

Your approach to things "my strength" and the 'never ending story of life' hmmm.. Ok.. 'scenario' :) "My" strength is greater than yours.. and we are just 2 people who control various resources, have a bit of a tribe, (women children) but I decide "I want 'your' resources and 'your' women and 'your' children"..so.. the story of life unfolds in that I come over to your area, lop off ur head, and take your women and children and property :) hmmm now who is to say "I'm wrong" ?

Of course, thats the furthest thing from my heart, but not my mind, as I'm talking about it now. I'm just taking your position to its next logical step.
Keeping it in the area of the topic.. using your approach, we shouldn't worry in the slightest about what the PNG folks feel, we should just bulldoze their feelings and dig our heels in and say "We are big, you are small...it WILL remain a tourist icon for Australia"

Which of course leads to the next logical step of them suddenly forming an alliance with err.. *pick a name* powerful entity, and then they say "Err No, you small, we (with our new found ally) BIG.. get stuffed"

So..thats the 'kingdom of this world' which I referred to above. Christs way is much better. You should be concerned about 'brain washing' ..absolutely, but then.. does it occur to you that your present state of mind is a result of long term 'secularist' brain washing with ideological NapisanPLUS :)

Geez, can we stop with the "fuzzies" and "fuzzy wuzzies" cr*p now please? And the broken-English "We big" thing. (And no, that isn't pidgin either.) And yeah, I know full well what the affectionate nick-name given to the then Papuan (not New Guinean) people was all about. Back in 1945. Move on now, folks. Anyone got any idea how people feel about being referred to as a fuzzy-wuzzy in 2008? Exactly the same as people feel about the words n*gger or k*naka.

In fact, I was prevented from posting with the words n*igger or k*anaka spelled out correctly, yet fuzzy-wuzzy and variations thereof sail through unmolested.

Romany: "Move on now, folks. Anyone got any idea how people feel about being referred to as a fuzzy-wuzzy in 2008?"

Actually Romany, based on fairly deep knowledge and firsthand experience of PNG, I think you'd find that landowners along the Kokoda Track would relish the label. This, of course, is because it provides them an identity which attracts cash - the issue with the landowners along that section of the Track that passes through the proposed copper mine extension is that they see a greater potential for cash in the form of royalties than they currently get in 'compensation' from the tour companies. There are several distinct tribal groups of landowners along the Track, so this is undoubtedly where it's getting messy at the moment.

Of course, anywhere else in PNG, to refer to somebody as a "fuzzy-wuzzy" would likely and rightly be interpreted in the racist manner in which it was said - however subconsciously.

An interesting aspect of this situation is the claim by the son of the original surveyor of the Track - aired on ABCTV this week (Foriegn Correspondent I think) - that the route the current trekkers are using in that area is not actually the one used in WW2, which skirts the proposed mine extension by half a kilometer or so. Nobody in the mainstream media seems to have picked up on this, despite its potential to give the Australian government a very convenient 'out', so it may well turn out to be 'mauswara', as they say in Tok Pisin.

David. I believe the home is where the heart is and don't you think first world people have done enough damage as it is. Basically, its none of our business. Let them sort it out them self's! The problem with intervening in another countries fights, is that if you don't make both sides happy, one will be and the other wont, and that has just make us a new enemy! Has the Iraq war not told us anything?

On a humanitarian level is all a first world should be assisting with and good neighbor of course, but what is the real ugly truth we have found, oh that's right, they really love to help, when theirs something in it for them.