The Wire

It’s become quite the thing to do to walk the Kokoda Trail in PNG so there was a bit of a fuss earlier this year when landowners around the trail closed it to walkers because they wanted to mine in the area. The Australian Government stepped in and sorted it out with a package of aid tied to the PNG government keeping the track open Now a group of landowners are threatening to close it again – they say they are getting no benefit from the aid package – that’s all going to communities right along the trail. Kenny Abau says other owners in the area have had their mining licences and their livelihood taken away and they plan to protest by closing the track early next month.