MoreLikeTen posted:

what the gently caress was this thread going to be about if that guy didnt come in and drop like 50 anecdotes about it being hell island

Bill Posters posted:

Runaktla posted:

a steaming shithole abused by Australia?

Vladimir Poutine posted:

One thing about small Pacific countries that is kinda striking when you get there is how much influence they are under from other countries. Traditionally it was mostly Australia and in some places the US and NZ but in recent years China is becoming a much bigger player. I've noticed a lot of random roads will have signs saying they were funded by the Chinese government and there are a lot of small businesses run by Chinese expats popping up all over the Pacific. The Japanese also built a few fire stations in Tonga, probably so they can access whales in Vavaʻu. But my personal "favourite" is the Mormons, who like to put these signs out the front of their schools and temples that tell people not to speak their native language. I think I took this photo in Tongatapu, I can't remember exactly:

Also re: obesity in the Pacific, this explains a lot of it:

Abongination posted:

I think the OP was intending for goons to discover the islands true nature on their own... like a poo poo and trash covered easter egg hunt.

As an Aussie though, this poo poo is so incredibly hosed up. Two people have burnt themselves to death on the island in protest of the conditions and there has been basically no media coverage over it.

Ive heard people refer to it as a "political stunt" and I couldn't believe it, you dont set yourself on fire unless you are loving serious.

Abugadu posted:

China has been making an extremely strong push in Palau and the FSM, where the US is getting weary of the pocketbook drain. Japan funded the road around Pohnpei, presumably in exchange for fishing rights. China's interests are a combination of fishing, tourist expansion, and political maneuvering, esp. with regards to Taiwan.

The Mormons can make strong pushes in the Pacific because no other religion puts in the money and effort that they do. Not really much different than going to the Philippines or rural US where the Catholic/Christian church is the nicest building in the town by a longshot.

Re: obesity, Samoa tried to ban turkey tails, a notoriously fatty food, and the WTO stomped on their heads until the ban was overturned. Unfortunately, fatty unhealthy poo poo survives the long shipping times far better than vegetables, and farming local vegetables in a salty, super-humid, high temperature climate is difficult.

On the other hand, goons can finally have a chance to own Goon Island for reals, in Kosrae:

https://wintheislandestates.com/enter/

quote:

Since Australia granted Papua New Guinea independence in 1975, its capital Port Moresby has become synonymous with violent crime carried out by "raskol" gangs.

Although much of the crime is driven by poverty, tribal allegiance also plays a part in the ethnically diverse capital. Papua New Guinea has more than 760 distinctly different languages.

The raskol street gangs control much of the city of 250,000 inhabitants, some armed with automatic weapons and machetes. Raskol raids on businesses and compounds are common.

Unemployment has been estimated between 60 and 90 per cent in the city. In 2004, Port Moresby received the dubious honour of being named the world's least liveable city by the Economist.

While most expatriates live within fortified compounds, it is the native Papuans who bear the brunt of Port Moresby's violent crime. The city's largest police station is located in Boroko in the southeast.

According to station commander, Senior Inspector Mark Yangan, an average week consists of about three murders, four rapes, and 30 car-jackings. Few murders are ever solved and Yangan admits the rape statistic is misleading, as most go unreported. As a whole, Port Moresby has a murder rate of 54 per 100,000 citizens, more than 10 times Australia's national average.

Most of Port Moresby's citizens live in the grip of poverty with low or no wages. The nation's corrupt and ineffectual government provides no social security, and many essential items are imported and therefor beyond people’s means. Sanitation is inadequate and in recent years, Port Moresby has seen its first cholera outbreaks since the 1960s.

The compounds of the city’s close-knit expatriate community are protected by security guards and attack dogs. The Australian High Commission, surrounded by high concrete walls and razor wire, provides arguably its most secure accommodation. It is jokingly referred to by locals as "Fort poo poo-Scared".

quote:

The criminals from the exotic island of Papua New Guinea are the subject of a new photo book about the Raskol gangs ruling the streets of the country's capital city, Port Moresby.

Photographer Stephen Dupont traveled to the mysterious land off the northeast tip of Australia to photograph the faces of these gang members who roam the streets of the city.

Dupont, a native of Australia, traveled to the island, which is one of the least explored spaces on earth, in 2004 and captured the essence of the renegades running the city, in a recently to be released book 'Raskols: The Gangs of Papua New Guinea.'

mcustic posted:

Gotta admire the Chinese willing to open a grocery store in a place like that. Or any other place on Earth, I guess. There's probably a couple of them in Raqqa.

mcustic posted:

Gotta admire the Chinese willing to open a grocery store in a place like that. Or any other place on Earth, I guess. There's probably a couple of them in Raqqa.

Vladimir Poutine posted:

boom boom boom posted:

that picture is misleading, it doesn't show off the blasted hellscape that is the center of the island



Notice that there's no loving trees in the middle. The destroyed the island to mine all the phosphate, and now there's not even any loving phosphate left. so the middle of the island is just a barren wasteland of windblown garbage and feral dogs.

OlmanRiver posted:

This honestly sounds like the making of a great video game.

Moon Atari posted:

The report I heard earlier chose to approach this development by focusing on fears that the freed asylum seekers will harass local women.

Moon Atari posted:

PNG just decided to release the detained asylum seekers into those hellish streets, because their supreme court ruled that indefinite detention is inhumane and unconstitutional (unlike the Australian high court which approved it). The report I heard earlier chose to approach this development by focusing on fears that the freed asylum seekers will harass local women.

OlmanRiver posted:

This honestly sounds like the making of a great video game.

nockturne posted:

Coober Pedy runs a close second. Although living underground like that is kinda cool (har har).

Hey Lascivious Sloth, if it's not going to result in a visit from ASIO would you happen to have any photos of the detention centres? Or stories from people caught there?

Jack Gladney posted:

Mad Max makes more and more sense every time I lean something new about Australia. I can't loving imagine living in a town that I knew was 1,000 miles away from anything in every direction, or having to live in old mines because I would die on the surface.

OlmanRiver posted:

This honestly sounds like the making of a great video game.

Serak posted:

Nauruan medical system update:

http://twitter.com/ResignInShame/status/730759903480938496

Serak posted:

Nauruan medical system update:

http://twitter.com/ResignInShame/status/730759903480938496

doctorfrog posted:

Not sure if I believe it, given that Australia is permitting a brown person to enter their country.

Darth123123 posted:

Maybe these stories are over blown and fanfic of nerds?

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

Our doctors are pretty great though and usually put up a fight to stop people being inevitably sent back to the concentration camps.


Yeah nah.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-22/baby-asha-transferred-to-community-detention-peter-dutton/7188252

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

q=/=e

nockturne posted:

Is this the baby who was born on Nauru and is essentially a stateless person because lol stop the boats?

Tried to sneak into the country in her mother's womb. If we're not tough on that sort of thing it just encourages them.

Darth123123 posted:

Why do people do this?

nockturne posted:

Is this the baby who was born on Nauru and is essentially a stateless person because lol stop the boats?

Tried to sneak into the country in her mother's womb. If we're not tough on that sort of thing it just encourages them.