The Gangs of Papua New Guinea

 

Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, is regularly ranked one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

From armed robberies and car-jackings to murders, the gangs who rule the streets are known to be ruthless. They often recruit young people from the countryside, who move to the city in a desperate bid to escape poverty. The gangs target the country’s wealthy elite, many of whom have become rich thanks to PNG’s rich natural resources.

The 'Lost Rambos' of Papua New Guinea: how weapons and Hollywood changed tribal disputes

Tribal fighting has long been present in the Papua New Guinea highlands but the influx of modern automatic weaponry in the 1990s turned local disputes into lethal exchanges that threatened to permanently reshape highlands culture. Bootleg copies of the US film Rambo circulated in remote communities, becoming a crude tutorial on the use of such weaponry. The film's influence was so pronounced that the term Rambo is used in Papuan dialects to describe hired mercenaries who are paid to support local combatants in violent tribal disputes. Here we meet the fighters and peacekeepers trying to navigate a path between tradition and modernity

Behrouz Boochani: Living in limbo on Manus Island

Iranian journalist and refugee Boochani talks about life in detention and the closure of the Manus Island refugee camp.

For more than four and a half years, Kurdish-Iranian journalist Behrouz Boochani has been in limbo on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea (PNG).

He was sent there by Australia in 2013, after he tried to reach its shores by boat.

As a journalist in Iran, Boochani published stories that promoted the Kurdish language and culture. He cofounded a Kurdish magazine, but after its offices were raided and several of his colleagues were arrested and accused of undermining the Iranian state, Boochani fled, fearing for his safety.

A war on witches

As witch-hunts and sorcery killings spread across Papua New Guinea, 101 East investigates shocking human rights abuses.

The naked woman is tied to a stake and burnt alive, tortured to death before an entire village.

Her alleged crime: Witchcraft.

This is not a scene from the 16th century. Such violence is taking place today in Papua New Guinea, where sorcery killings are spreading with a frequency and brutality that has drawn global condemnation.

In this disturbing investigation, 101 East exposes several unreported killings and the attacks on those who dare to help victims.

We follow a reptile handler-turned-scientist in his quest to save thousands of people from deadly snakebites.

It’s a fearsome creature cloaked in superstition. The Papuan Taipan kills about 1,000 people in Papua New Guinea each year – more than communicable diseases in some parts of the country.

If bitten, a villager's only hope of survival is the expensive anti-venom that's rarely stocked in the isolated clinics. Their life saver is the "snake man" - Australian herpetologist and toxinologist, David Williams.

Williams' dangerous work handling the deadly Taipan is paying off - he has developed a cheaper anti-venom.

PNG's Bundles of Joy

We follow a medical team on Papua New Guinea's remote islands working to reduce the rate of deaths during childbirth.


Papua New Guinea is one of the most dangerous places in the world to give birth. In the Pacific Island nation, the risk of women dying during childbirth is one in 30 deliveries.

In neighbouring Australia, the risk is one in 10,000.

But a simple idea is helping turn the tide. By providing a bundle of gifts for a new baby and mother, women are being encouraged to leave their homes and come to local medical clinics to deliver their baby in safety.

Papua New Guinea's Snake Man

We follow a reptile handler-turned-scientist in his request to save thousands of people from deadly snakebites.



It’s a fearsome creature cloaked in superstition. The Papuan Taipan kills about 1,000 people in Papua New Guinea each year – more than communicable diseases in some parts of the country.

If bitten, a villager's only hope of survival is the expensive anti-venom that's rarely stocked in the isolated clinics. Their life saver is the "snake man" - Australian herpetologist and toxinologist, David Williams.

Williams' dangerous work handling the deadly Taipan is paying off - he has developed a cheaper anti-venom.