The Yegiora Files

Geographical factors like natural resources, location, size, topography, demography and climate have a huge impact on the international political behaviour of a particular state. These factors have caused states to go to war, enforce sanctions, issue travel warnings, spy on each other and engage in other activities aimed at safeguarding their citizens.   These geographical factors also have an impact on international tourists. Tourists are people who travel for pleasure. Some tourists are attracted to a particular place because of its topography, climate, or location. They want to enjoy the white sandy beaches and the warm sunshine which are natural features. Other travelers are of the opinion that location makes the destination exotic.  A few years’ back tourists were reluctant to travel to West Africa for demographic reasons. Governments all over the world issued travel warnings and bans to avoid the possibility of a global Ebola pandemic. Tourists were also adv...

 

In the jungles of Naru, Madang Province, I came across this sign board.

All educational institutions in and around Madang were invited to join Ramu NiCo Management Ltd which is a subsidiary of the state owned China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) to celebrate the World Environment Day 2012 in style. Divine Word University, Tusbab Secondary School, Madang Teachers College and other schools made their way across town to the company’s headquarters next to the Mobil fuel station. We attended a short presentation about what the company was doing. All of us asked questions about the mine and its impact on the environment. The presentation outlined how the Chinese miners will dig one part of the mineral rich land and after extracting the minerals fill it back up. After that process they will reforest the portion and move on to another allocated portion. Unlike Copper or Gold the Nickel and Cobalt is just above the soil. Thus, there is no need to dig an underground or open pit mine. They talked about the pipeline and concluded with the Deep Sea Tailing...

The ones with the Coca Cola signs are from a Kai Bar in front of the Madang market. The other 2 pictures are from Andersons Supermarket. The guy in the red shirt with his ID card is a shop assistant who was trying to help the Ramu NiCo miner to buy something, I forgot.

Chinese workers from the Ramu Nico Mine with yours truly. These young Papua New Guineans when interviewed said they learnt a lot from the Chinese workers. What they like about them is that they unlike Westerners were not interested in what kind of qualification you have. The Chinese are more interested in whether or not you can learn from them and do the job you are asked to do competently. A building for storing dried cocoa beans along Binnen Road in Madang built by these Chinese workers from the Ramu NiCo Mine. The Chinese workers operated the crane and assembled the steel frames.