Contemporary Chinese Community in Papua–New Guinea: Old Money versus New Migrants

Introduction It is extremely difficult to obtain precise or accurate data on the present state of the ethnic Chinese population in Papua–New Guinea (PNG). In fact, it is almost certain that precise figures are simply not available, given the lax border controls and extensive corruption in the PNG bureaucracy. 2 At the official level, there are several government bodies that are in a position to give a tally of ‘official’ foreigner numbers in the country. The first is the Immigration Department. This the frontline department that controls all entry and exit points in the country. Second is the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) which regulates foreign companies operating in PNG. Third is the Department of Labour and Industrial Relations which issues the work permits. They have a fair idea on the number of foreigners as they keep records of foreigners with approved work visas. Another government entity that is supposed to keep track of foreigners in PNG is the National Intelligence Organisation (NIO). There are major problems in all these departments. Extensive corruption and incompetence have rendered any figures they have wholly unreliable. The situation is so bad that the passport office ran out of blank passports and Australia had to step in to provide the machine to issue work permits. There is also an extensive work permit scam in operation where just about any foreign national can secure a work permit by paying a bribe. It is not uncommon for a foreigner to arrive at Jacksons International airport with a valid work permit but unable to understand a single word of English. The minimum criterion for getting a work permit in PNG is, obviously, the ability to communicate in English. Another source of information is the embassies and diplomatic representatives. When it comes to the ethnic Chinese, the most useful sources are the Malaysian, Indonesian and People’s Republic of China (PRC) embassies. In addition, there is the honorary consul for Singapore and Taiwanese Trade Mission (PNG only recognizes PRC). The figures given by the diplomatic community are also problematic as many citizens simply do not register their presence with their respective embassies and diplomatic representatives. For example, there are many ethnic Chinese Malaysian businessmen trading outside Port Moresby who do not bother to register with the Malaysian High Commission. Many Indonesian Chinese cross the border at Jayapura and do not have any contact with the Indonesian officials in PNG. One could argue that, for many, such as the PRC Chinese who are involved in illegal activities, they stay as far away from the PRC Embassy as possible. Thus the unofficial sources are better. Some of the key ones are the Cathay Club, Malaysian Business Club (MBC), the PNG–China Friendship Association (PCA), and businessmen themselves. The Cathay Club represents the “old” PNG Chinese, those Chinese who settled in PNG prior to independence, who use English as their main language of communication and are almost all Christians. The MBC as the name