Links
Bill, a pilot, has sections dealing with Tok Pisin and PNG Aviation in General
with special areas on Missionary Aviation Fellowship, PNG Airstrips, Humour
and even some airline related humour. This site has more than mentioned above
so my tip is to visit and take a good look around.
His section on PNG airstrips carries the following disclaimer. PNG Airstrip
Data is published only as a guide to pilots in matters helpful to operations,
such as GPS settings, wind characteristics, and surface conditions. The PNG
AIP-AGA is the legal document governing aviation operations.
General Links
Privatisation Commission -- http://www.ipbc.com.pg
Tufi Dive Resort and Telita Cruises -- http://www.tufitelita.com/index.html
Larry Santana's PNG art pages are located at -- http://www.santartgal.com.pg
Accommodation Links
see http://www.pngbd.com/forum/f73s.html
and the following link will take you to the Coral Sea Hotel website which
covers these hotels around PNG.
Gateway Hotel (Port Moresby)
Melanesian Hotel (Lae)
Highlander Hotel (Mount Hagen)
Coast Watchers Hotel (Madang)
Huon Gulf Lodge (Lae)
Lamington Lodge (Popondetta)
Hibiscus Motel (Port Moresby)
http://www.coralseahotels.com.pg
- They also look after Budget rent a car.
East New Britain Accom
Hamamas Hotel -- http://www.OntheNet.com.au/~hamamas/index.html
Kaivuna Resort Hotel -- http://www.kaivunaresort.com
Kokopo Village Resort (East New Britain) -- kvr@global.net.pg
Kulau Lodge -- http://www.global.net.pg/kulau
Takubar Beach Resort -- lomotaku@global.net.pg
The Beach Hut Lodge - beachhut@daltron.com.pg
Vavagil Guest House -- vavagil@global.net.pg
West New Britain Accom
Walindi Resort -- http://www.walindi.com
Port Moresby & Central Accom
Coral Sea Hotels -- http://www.coralseahotels.com.pg
Ela Beach Hotel -- http://www.elabeachhotel.com.pg
Golden Motel -- rbasix@daltron.com.pg
The Weigh Inn Hotel -- theweighinn@global.net.pg
Granville Hotel -- http://www.islandshotels.com.au
Magila Hotel & Backpackers -- http://www.magila.com
Loloata Resort - 15 minutes from Port Moresby -- http://www.loloata.com
Pondorosea -- P.O.Box 6361, Boroko Fax - +675 323 4555
Budget Inn -- budget-inn@dg.com.pg
Fax: +675 321 7396
Milne Bay Accom
Alotau International Hotel -- http://www.alotauinternational.com
Morobe Province Accom
Lae International Hotel -- http://www.laehotel.com.pg
New Ireland Accom
Nusa Island Retreat -- http://www.nusaislandretreat.com.pg
Lissenung Island Resort -- http://www.lissenung.com
Tree House Village -- http://www.treehouse.com.pg
West Sepik / Sandaun Accom
Sandaun Motel -- http://www.sandaunmotel.com.pg
Western Highlands Accom
Hagen Airport Hotel -- mmakap@online.net.pg
Haus Poroman Lodge -- http://www.hausporoman.com.pg
Dive Sites
If you are interested in diving in PNG then any of the following websites may
be of interest to you -
http://www.underwaterphotos.com/tiata2.htm
http://www.cathychurch.com/png.html
http://www.diversionOZ.com/epngdive.htm
http://www.worlddive.com/phgal/png/pngpix.htm
http://www.blueseacharters.com
http://www.febrina.com
Marine Conservation
Please also have a look at http://www.egroups.com/list/marinenetpng
News Items
OPM Clean-up
The Government has given police orders to push members of the Operasi Papua
Merdeka (OPM) off Papua New Guinea soil.
A joint police / military operation has commenced and troops are now being deployed
into the border area to destroy any known OPM training camps inside the PNG
side of the border. Any members of the OPM found will be arrested and dealt
with under the law of PNG.
OPM Camps
It has been claimed that officials from the Australian High Commission and
the American Embassy have visited Vanimo and later visited the camps, facilitated
by the Catholic Church in Vanimo, against the orders of the local authorities.
The Catholic Diocese of Vanimo has denied it had facilitated the visits by
officers of foreign missions.
University of PNG
Traditionally the 2500 students from the Waigani and Taurama campuses of the
University of PNG use water that costs the university about K1.3 million annually
on water. Hopefully this will be history when a bore water system currently
being installed comes into use. The main water tank for the bore-water system
has already been installed and the pipelines are in place. It is expected
that the university will start using the new system when the treatment facility
is put in place in the next few months.
Anglican Church
The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Port Moresby, Peter Fox, has ordained
two new priests at Saint Mary's Church in Gerehu last weekend. The Bishop
at during the early 1980's was the parish priest of the Gerehu Church.
Miss PNG Quest
The 2003 Miss PNG Red Cross Quest will be launched at the end of the month.
The reigning Miss PNG Red Cross Yaku Ninich has made plans to visit provincial
centres to see projects sponsored by the quest after the 2003 launch.
Lihir Gold Production
Lihir Gold Limited located in the New Ireland Province has recorded its best-ever
gold production producing 168,443 ounces from 1063 kilo-tonnes for the last
quarter of 2002. The company produced a total of 607,087 ounces of gold for
the year 2002.
Swim Record
A swimming record that has stood for 15 years has finally been broken by 15
year old Krystle Babao. The new 100 metres backstroke record for 15-year-olds
is now 1 minute 14.37 seconds which eclipsed the previous time of 1:14.47
set in 1988 by Beryl Madouna at the Pacific School Games in Sydney. 16 year-old
Ana-Liza Mopio-Jane has also swum a national record in her age group for the
200m freestyle in a time of 2:14.16, bettering Emma Huckins' 1992 time of
2:14.33.
Southern Highlands
A gang attempting to rob the Mendi town Post Office with a pistol and what
looked like a rifle came across more than what they bargained for when police
were quickly on their trail and chased the robbers across two nearby rivers,
catching three of the five men involved in the hold-up. Two others managed
to escape when a police car ran out of fuel and could not apprehend them.
The three men who were caught had to face the wrath of members of the public
who injured them.
Female Students
The National Council of Women says that there are more females gaining places
in universities and secondary schools around PNG,
Statistics show that there has been a 30 per cent increase in the number of
women attending universities compared to previous years.
Madang Breakout
Over 30 inmates are on the run after escaping from the Beon provincial jail
in Madang recently. Most of the inmates are remandees awaiting trial for serious
offences such as rape, murder and robbery. The inmates managed to escape during
heavy rainfall that cracked a concrete wall of the prison.
St John's Ambulance
It has become a regular occurrence that the St John's ambulance service is
always waiting for release of grants from the Finance Department. This time
the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) have bailed them out by providing
fuel for the ambulance vehicles. NCDC raised a cheque of K10,000 to Lifu Holdings
for the payment of fuel costs. The cheque was presented to the St John's Ambulance
Service at the Lahara Shell service station
Languages
Some of the 800 plus languages spoken in PNG are under threat of becoming
extinct. The Summer Institute of Languages has reported that at least nine
languages have been lost since 1950. Five more languages have less than five
speakers remaining. The major problem appears to be the widespread use of
Pidgin throughout the country.
Languages of PNG
The National or official languages of PNG are Hiri Motu, Tok Pisin and English.
The number of languages listed for Papua New Guinea is 832. Of those, 823
are living languages and nine are considered to be extinct.
For information on the languages a visit to http://www.sultry.arts.usyd.edu.au/ling/research/papuan2.html
will start you off in the right direction. Another interesting article is
located at http://www.krysstal.com/langfams.html.
It deals with language families and mentions the Rotokas language - Rotokas
is spoken in Papua New Guinea on the Island of Bougainville by approximately
4,300 people and it has the fewest sounds of any language, 11 (compared to
the 44 or so of standard English). These 11 are made up of five vowels and
six consonants: A, E, I, O, U, B, G, K, P, R, T. - can you imagine that -
a language with only 11 sounds. Six of those are used in the name of the language.
It has been reported that PNG has one language for every 900 square kilometres
of the country or roughly one language for every 350 square miles for those
readers who are not familiar with the metric system.
International Airport - Rabaul
The National Government has announced plans to extend the Tokua (Rabaul) airport
to cater for international flights. It is anticipated that Japanese tourists
may soon be pouring into PNG via Tokua airport in East New Britain Province.
The Japanese government has indicated that it is willing to help because Rabaul
had colonial ties with Japan.
East New Britain
A local leader in East New Britain has called on the five national parliamentarians
that represent the East New Britain people to visit their electors in the
province. The five politicians had planned to go on a radio talk back show
but many people in East New Britain do not have access to telephones so they
would not be able to ask questions of the members unless they visited the
areas personally.
Visa Laws
The Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare, has foreshadowed major changes to
the immigration law to give foreign investors, business executives and long-term
residents five-year residency visas at the Business Council of PNG breakfast
at Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Plantations
The Agriculture and Livestock minister will be seeking Government and industry
support for a bold plan to re-vitalise Papua New Guinea's agricultural plantations
to make them productive again. The decline in the plantation sector - coffee,
coconut and cocoa over the last decade had been a disaster for the nation's
economy and for thousands of families who depend on a strong, growing agricultural
sector.
Mining Department
The Mining Department has had several aborted attempts to occupy office spaces
in Port Moresby. The attempts at moving has seen the department pay more than
K190,000 for the fit out of buildings. The department has paid for the fit
out of two floors of the Deloitte Tower and Datec Building but never moved
into the buildings.
Rice Production
The Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare, is determined to see the production
of rice go ahead despite critics saying that PNG people would be inefficient.
If rice production was successful it would see the replacement of up to K700
million in rice imports annually. A similar amount is spent on wheat and flour.
Jimmy Maladina
It is hoped that police have a strong enough case to have Jimmy Maladina extradited
from Australia. Mr Maladina was probably the controversial person at the recent
National Provident Fund (NPF) inquiry. His passport is currently in the possession
of the trustee appointed by NASFUND (formerly NPF). Mr Maladina has legitimate
residential status in Australia and is entitled to the full protection of
the laws of Australia.
Peter O'Neill
The Industrial Relations Minister, Peter O'Neill, who has been mentioned numerous
times in the National Provident Fund enquiry and referred to the police for
alleged perjury investigations will not be asked to step aside from his parliamentary
duties.
National Capital District
A report on security at the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) has
found that the services were unacceptable, costly and highly political. The
report stated that from early January to October 2002, NCDC engaged a total
of 13 security groups to provide security services. According to the report,
the groups engagement appeared suspicious and unbudgeted for, showing an over
commitment of K2.14 million.
Air Niugini
The top workers at Air Niugini were all called to a top-secret meeting at
the Gateway Hotel just across the road from the airline's headquarters at
seven-mile. What was discussed was supposed to be reasonably secret and not
meant to go to the press until a suitable press statement had been prepared.
Well this is PNG and although the meeting ended at after 10pm the front page
of one of the newspapers managed to carry the main points of the story the
following morning. The other daily in PNG carried the story two days later
hidden away inside the paper.
What was so important that it made front-page news? -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20030130/news13
Kundiawa / Gembogl Road
A major landslide has damaged the Kundiawa/Gembogl road in the Chimbu Province.
PMVs (Public Motor Vehicles) are forced to drop off passengers on one end
of the road and then the passengers have to walk to the other end and get
a ride on other waiting PMVs. This has been an ongoing problem and nothing
has been done to solve it. The landslide also destroyed nearby food gardens.
Koki Point Road
Here is a note I made sometime back -- 11 March 2001 - Start of "real"
work on Koki point road. Bottom road closed to traffic. The preliminary works
started a couple of months before that! As of this edition of the PNG Gossip
the bottom road is still closed to traffic and there is no sign of any likely
hood of the job being finished. The same goes for all other roadworks that
ground to a halt after the 2002 elections. The five-mile intersection now
has a crater like appearance and drivers have made as many different tracks
as possible through the halted roadworks in a bid to find a smooth patch of
road.
Travel Allowances
The Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) has said that Government Ministers
and their staff are the main offenders who do not acquit travel allowances.
Allowances are advanced and then receipts or invoices are never produced.
Over K150,000 in allowances has not been acquitted as required over the past
three years.
Plastic Bags Ban
As from next month plastic bags will be banned in the Western Highlands Province.
Businesses in Mount Hagen will be given enough time to use up all the plastic
bags that they have in stock.
Fatima Catholic Station
The Fatima Catholic station at Banz, Western Highlands, has been hit by a
land compensation claim from landowners. A petition presented by the landowners
and signed by eight chief landowners has called for K12 million compensation
for the developed portion of Fatima parish and also for the church to relinquish
the title of the undeveloped portion back to the landowners. As mentioned
in a previous edition the Fr Peter Secondary School is also tied up in the
same claim. The developed portion of the land contains the Fatima Vocational
School, Fatima Primary School, the Good Shepherd Seminary and the Fr Peter
Secondary School.
The Drum
The famous Post Courier Column "The Drum" has been in the
electronic age for sometime now. For all of those people who are familiar
with The Drum you can now email titbits of gossip to thedrum@spp.com.pg
or you can still send a facsimile message to +675 320-1781. For those not
familiar with The Drum then I suggest taking a look at the Post Courier website
located at http://www.postcourier.com.pg
and follow your nose to "The Drum".
Fast Money Scam
Hundreds of people in Lae have paid membership fees to a group calling itself
the Papalain Association. Agents of the association have been collecting membership
fees of up to K55 per ticket over the past few weeks, promising to pay the
investors huge sums of money in return. People are concerned that this is
yet another fast fast scheme taking the money from gullible investors.
Post PNG
POST PNG has become solvent and self-funding since the second quarter of last
year (2002). Post PNG has signed a K250,000 contract with a Queensland-based
software company to supply Post PNG with software and upgrade the computer
system.
Education Sites
http://www.pngmc.ac.pg -- PNG Maritime
College
http://www.dg.com.pg/Che/index.htm
-- Commission for Further / Higher Eduction
http://www.ibs.com.pg -- International
Business Institute
http://www.iea.ac.pg -- International Education
Agency
http://www.pngimr.org.pg -- PNG Institute
of Medical Research
http://www.unitech.ac.pg -- PNG University
of Technology
http://www.uog.ac.pg -- University of Goroka
http://www.upng.ac.pg -- University of
PNG
http://www.workersmutual.com.pg
-- Computer Training
List Merge
This newsletter has been sent out using the List Merge (listmrg.cgi) script
by Ron F Woolley of Melbourne, Australia. I obtained the script from http://www.dtp-aus.com
website. Ron also has other scripts such as a Visitors Book, Graphic, and
plain text counters etc. His scripts, as he mentions many times over in his
documentation, are not for the beginning perl script installer but for "intermediate"
level experienced CGI installers but then again if I can do it then it mustn't
be too hard!
PNG Media
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