The trend in South East Asia is to look to casino revenue as a new national opportunity to fill the governments’ tax coffers.

Papua New Guinea’s parliament has passed a gaming law to allow casinos and internet gambling. The Gaming Control Bill 2007, introduced by Prime Minister Michael Somare on Tuesday and unanimously passed through parliament 61-0 .

Those who didn’t agree had already left the room… eight MPs, including Treasurer Rabbie Namaliu and Community Development Minister Carol Kidu. Although head-hunting is virtually extinct in the eastern part of the island it’s probably a cultural throw-back….the ‘leaving the room before the vote’ and then the vote could be unanimous…woah betide any voice of opposition.

Mr Somare said the casinos are to charge a high entrance fee to locals to discourage them from losing their relatively small salaries.

The PNG cabinet have already approved a license for Korean group who plan to build a $US35 million five-star hotel and casino in Port Moresby, the capital. .

Irian Jaya years ago was divided in two….it’s big enough. It’s the world’s second largest island.

For many years Australia reaped heaps from the eastern part known as Papua New Guinea (PNG). Many international companies have businesses here which has helped the country develop.

The western part of the island, Irian Jaya, belongs to Indonesia, who’s government would do well to give it autonomy, as most of them probably don’t even know where it is.

When we talk of head-hunters these days we usually infer, and imagine it in a corporate situation. Not so in Irian Jaya, here it still means what it says.

However it’s so far removed, the other side of great expanses of impenetrable jungle infested ranges, that it’s worlds’ apart from its land neighbour, PNG.

As usual it is expected that opposition to the new law will be voiced by churches and women’s groups in PNG.

Although women in many South East Asian countries are assuming more equal rights, they are less likely gamblers, drinkers and smokers than their male counterparts.

Bit different in the West, eh.

later mav

Dunno if tourists other than masochistic back-packers actually go to Papua do they?