P.N.G. Gossip Newsletter - 6 May 2003

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PNG Gossip Newsletter Meri Milne Bay

Welcome to the

Papua New Guinea Gossip Newsletter


A very special welcome is extended to any new readers. If you have comments or suggestions to make then please click here.

CONTENTS

Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce PNG Institute of Directors
Religious Websites Judicial System
Shuttle Images of PNG Miscellaneous Links
Defence Force Telephone Management
Port Moresby War Zone Port Moresby Vet
Agriculture Sector Southern Highlands
Southern Highlands Justice Bulolo
SARS Athletics
Taiwan Tufi and Afore
Goroka University University of PNG
Overseas Missions Enga Prison
Nandex - Kickboxing Nandex - Taekwondo
Bank South Pacific Air Niugini
Law and Order Mobile Phones
Australian Immigration Hours Fun Run
Walindi Malaria FAQ's
Malaria Treatment Mask Festival
Real Estate Agents Sexual Diseases
Landslide Kwikila High School
Lifting Gold Media

 

Articles for this newsletter

To send a message for submission to the PNG Gossip Newsletter -- then please click here.

 

 

 

Neo Melanesian

"Pidgin English"
Tok Pisin
English
colour kala
black blak or blakpela
blue blu
clear klia
dark dak or tudak
green grin
grey gre
half hap
light lait or tulait
pink ret
purple hap ret
red ret
white wait
yellow yelo
multi-coloured makmak

 

 

Remember that this mailing list is mainly meant for people who have an interest and already know a little bit about the people and geography of Papua New Guinea. The PNG Kina, which is mentioned from time to time in this newsletter, is currently worth around 25 United States cents but varies on a daily basis.

If you are really keen on finding out what the Kina is worth a currency converter for most world currencies can be located at http://www.michie.net/pnginfo/moni.html

Want to find out more about Papua New Guinea? Try searching at http://www.michie.net/pnginfo and http://www.michie.net/png_faqs. The PNG Business and Tourism Directory located at http://www.pngbd.com is also an excellent place to look for PNG information.

For those who are not so familiar with the geography of Papua New Guinea I suggest taking a look http://maps.google.com and then click on the find a map option. Go to this link for a quick start to a link to a map of Port Moresby. http://www.michie.net/pnginfo/pom-map.html

Also remember that the accuracy of the information in this newsletter should not be relied upon - it is, after all, a gossip newsletter.



Links

Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce

The Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce website is located at -- http://www.pomcci.org.pg





PNG Institute of Directors



The PNG Institute of Directors has revamped its website with the help of an AESOP Volunteer, Peter Griffin. It is an excellent introduction to PNG company law and related governance issues it can be found at -- http://www.pngid.org.pg



Religious Websites

The web site for Papua New Guinea Church Partnership based in the United Kingdom is located at -- http://hometown.aol.co.uk/pngcpluxton/PNGChurchPartnership.htm. This was formerly known as the New Guinea Mission - Supporting the Anglican Province

Here is a quote from one of the pages on the web site --

Many people who live in remote areas in PNG do not receive any medical treatment. The first ever doctors in Koinambe (an area of malnourishment in the Jimi Valley) returned to UK in July 2002. VSO's Chris and Toni Rolles were able to visit people where they live - sometimes two days walk across difficult terrain. PNGCP recruit, Dr. Susanne Alzinger, returned from Oro Bay to Zurich fifteen months ago....

Pioneer Bible Translators -- http://www.pioneerbible.org.pg
Port Moresby Diocese of the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea -- http://www.portmoresby.anglican.org
United Pentecostal Assemblies of PNG -- http://www.upcpng.org
Catholic Church of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands -- http://www.catholicpng.org.pg
Religious Television Association -- http://www.rtapng.com.pg



Judicial System



The Papua New Guinea National web site can be located at -- http://www.pngjudiciary.gov.pg



Shuttle Images of PNG



The following web site boasts 1,392 images of PNG from the space shuttle -- http://rove.to/papua-new-guinea/



Miscellaneous Links



Eric's Papua New Guinea Website -- http://www.angelfire.com/journal/png/

 


 

News Items



Defence Force



The PNG Defence Force will soon have the experience of a catering officer from the New Zealand Defence Force. The New Zealand Officer will provide training to the PNG Defence Force cooks under an agreement between New Zealand and PNG.



Telephone Management



If anyone is in PNG and looking for a good telephone management system for their Ericsson, Telikom Oki, Panasonic or NEX PABX then I suggest taking a visit to MATRYX -- http://www.matryx.com.pg. This system boasts over 100 customers within PNG. The company can also offer web development and various IT services.



Port Moresby War Zone



After the Supreme Court ruled that the election of Caspar Wollom to the Moresby North-East Open seat for parliament was void supporters from his side and the side of David Unagi went on a fighting spree outside the Court. People were seen to be charging and retreating as sticks, stones and bottles were hurled by each side. Police, who arrived at the scene 15 minutes later, managed to disperse the crowd. The Electoral Commission may appeal against the decision after studying the judgement by Justice Los.



Port Moresby Vet



There is some good news for animal owners in Port Moresby - The new vet has arrived. Dr. Pawel Kita has taken over the operation of the RSPCA veterinary clinic.



Agriculture Sector



The minister for Agriculture and Livestock is keen to see a freight subsidy and tax incentives to get the rural agriculture sector going again. -- http://www.agriculture.org.pg



Southern Highlands



The voting in the Southern Highlands has started. The deployment of over 2000 soldiers and police should ensure that the supplementary elections are peaceful. Over 100 people are reported to have died in the previous elections that had to be cancelled due to the violence.



Southern Highlands Justice



The justice system in the Southern Highlands is said to have collapsed. Apparently there have not been enough magistrates in the province for the last five years and there is a huge backlog of cases to be heard at all levels of the court system. Southern Highlands currently has 3 magistrates when it should have at least ten for the province.



Bulolo



The only bank in the small town of Bulolo has closed indefinitely due to an attempted hold up recently. Thieves attempted to break open an ATM after gaining entry to the area by assaulting a security guard. The thieves ran out of time as the sun rose and had to abandon the attempted robbery.



SARS



The Inter-Government Relations Minister, Sir Peter Barter, has called on more stringent checks to be made at the international arrivals area of Jackson's Airport to prevent SARS from entering PNG. Although by that time it would be too late unless a quarantine area is set up where any passengers suspected of having SARS could be questioned.



Athletics



Litiana Miller from Fiji has blitzed the women's 100-metre final at the Melanesian Athletic Championship held recently in Lae by point 2 of a second. Litiana's time for the sprint was 11.8 seconds beating the next best runner, Mai Koime from PNG.



Taiwan



The PNG Government has upset the Chinese Government by granting diplomatic vehicle number plates to it bitter rival Taiwan.



Tufi



The people of the Southern Highlands are getting the opportunity to vote for representatives in government but the people of Tufi and Afore in the Oro (Northern) Province are yet to have their local level government elections. The elections were supposed to have been held at the same time as the 2002 elections.



Goroka Uni



The University of Goroka has appointed a new Vice Chancellor. He is only the second in decades such is the stability at the Uni. He is Dr David Rawlence from New Zealand who succeeds Dr Mark Solon who has served since the early 1970's at Goroka.



University of PNG



The first Open Day of the University of PNG, held at the Waigani Campus, was a success. A mini-missile fired off by the Physics strand of the Natural and Physical Science faculty was the major highlight of the day. The project leader estimated that the missile travelled as far as 2.5 kilometres.



Overseas Missions



Six new heads of overseas missions have pledged to help the government achieve its development objectives via its export driven economy policy. The six will be looking after missions located in --



Enga Prison



Lack of funding has meant that a proposed prison for Enga Province is left with little more than an accommodation for the jail commander and staff houses and nothing else. No accommodation for the prisoners that are yet to be constructed.



Stanley Nandex - Kickboxing



Stanley Nandex from the Southern Highlands of PNG has added another feather to his cap by retaining his Commonwealth Kick Boxing title. He won the fight against Evan Themelakis in a close bout recently held in Melbourne Australia.



Stanley Nandex - Taekwondo



The champion Kick Boxer, Stanley Nandex, has said that he is available to contest the South Pacific Games to defend his gold medal in Taekwondo. He won the medal in 1999 at the South Pacific Games held in Guam. Nandex is a professional kick boxer but he is not a professional in Taekwondo and if allowed by the international Taekwondo rules there would be no problem with him competing at the SP Games.



Bank South Pacific



The Bank South Pacific (BSP) hopes to list on the Port Moresby Stock Exchange by July this year (2003). The bank already has many of the larger financial institutions and the government as shareholders.



Air Niugini



Air Niugini is aiming to please a few customers who have not been able to travel recently due to the ever-increasing airfares. As from May anyone who fronts up with money in their hand will have the opportunity to get a special fare. People could do this previously but they had to book weeks in advance and stay away for at least a couple of weeks. As seats are limited passengers have been advised to book and pay in advance anyway to avoid disappointment. The mid week fare offers a massive 50 percent discount off the normal fare.

Air Niugini has also announced a general sales agent in Stockholm who will be responsible for looking after the northern part of Europe and Scandinavia.



Law and Order



The law and order problem in provinces is increasing due to the fact that many of the police force have been moved to the Southern Highlands during the supplementary elections. For example five business houses in Goroka have been held up recently. It is not only a shortage of manpower causing problems but vehicles have also been sent to the Southern Highlands for support.



Mobile Phones



Pacific Mobile Communications (PMC) has officially launched the digital telephone network in the country. The system is known as the Global System Mobile 900 (GSM) Network and is compatible with most countries in the world. The current GSM network will cover Port Moresby, Lae, Mount Hagen, Madang and Goroka. At the launch, Sir Michael Somare said that his government expect PMC to roll out the GSM network to other areas as soon as it was technically possible.



Australian Immigration Hours



The Consul at the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby has supplied the following information. The Immigration Office at Waigani in the National Capital is open to the public from 0800 - 1200 Monday to Friday.

The Consul has advised that processing standard temporary visitor and business visa applications requires lodgement with the Visa Office at least five days prior to the intended date of travel from PNG. Processing for permanent migration to Australia is a much more lengthy process. Members of the general public who require a visa to travel to Australia are advised to apply well in advance of their intended travel date. In particular, those persons who are not resident in Port Moresby, or those who need to undertake medicals, or those who are required to provide supporting documentation, should contact the Visa Office well before their intended date of travel. The timely lodgement of visa applications with full documentation will ensure prompt processing and avoid delays.



Fun Run



The annual fun run for the Sports Federation was run on the 4th of May 2003 at most centres around the country. The money raised will be used to send athletes to various events around the world including the South Pacific Games. Not as many participants turned up as what the organiser expected.



Walindi



If anyone is looking for accommodation in West New Britain the not far from Kimbe, the provincial capital, then try Walindi Plantation Dive Resort. Walindi is situated just ten kilometres from Kimbe on the road to Talasea. Close to the Resort is the Walindi Nature Centre sponsored by the owner of the resort. -- http://www.walindi.com



Malaria FAQ's



If you think you have malaria then my suggestion is see a doctor or a nurse as soon as possible so that a trained professional can offer the correct treatment.


QQQ What is the most common disease in PNG?
AAA Malaria is the most common disease and the second leading cause of death in PNG hospitals. Pneumonia is the most common cause of death.


QQQ What are the various types of malaria found in PNG?
AAA There are four types of malaria found in the world that can affect humans but only three types are found in PNG

and (thanks to John Mackerell)


QQQ Of the types of malaria found in PNG which one is the most dangerous?
AAA falciparum malaria is the most serious. If not treated falciparum malaria may result in shock, kidney and liver failure, coma and death. Death is often due to clogging of the small blood vessels in vital organs by the malaria-infected blood cells.


QQQ What is the less life-threatening malaria found in PNG?
AAA vivax malaria is generally not life threatening, but deaths may occur in young children, very old people and in people already weakened by another disease.


QQQ Where is malaria found in PNG?
AAA Malaria is generally found at altitudes lower than 1,600 metres. The temperature above this altitude restricts mosquito and parasite growth. As a result of increased travel, malaria does occur in some of the highlands valleys.


QQQ How is malaria spread?
AAA Malaria is spread by the bite of the Anopheles mosquito. These mosquitos almost exclusively bite at dusk and during the night. Daytime mosquitoes are usually not carriers of malaria.


QQQ What are the drugs used to treat malaria?
AAA The drugs used are dangerous and should only be taken under medical supervision. Chloroquine, Fansidar, artesunate / artemether and primaquine. No drug or combination of drugs is completely effective in all people. See next item on the correct use of artemether or artesunate


QQQ How can I protect myself against malaria?
AAA Prevention of being bitten by an infected mosquito is important but nor perfect. Added protection from malaria is possible by taking anti-malarial drugs. Taking drugs before becoming sick, to prevent disease from developing is called prophylaxis. A prophylactic drug is supposed to prevent or suppress the disease even if bitten by an infected mosquito.


For other FAQ's about PNG please pay a visit to http://www.michie.net/png_faqs -- if you know an answer to a FAQ or find and answer that is wrong then please send email to have it added or corrected.



Malaria Treatment



Steve Bjorge has advised the following on the use of artemether or artesunate for the treatment of malaria, it is important that people understand that artemether or artesunate used alone may not cure the malaria infection. The NDOH recommended treatment is artemether or artesunate (they are closely related compounds) taken daily for 7 days IN COMBINATION with a single dose of Fansidar (for an adult, 3 tablets). The artesunate/artemether drugs are very effective in knocking down the parasite biomass in the blood and thus reducing the fever, but they still can fail to knock out every last parasite. Studies have shown up to a 50% recrudescence rate after 5 days of artesunate/artemether, and a 5% recrudescence rate after 7 days of artesunate/artemether (i.e. less than 100%).

Note: According to http://www.dictionary.com/ -- re·cru·desce means "to break out anew or come into renewed activity, as after a period of quiescence" and recrudescence means "a return of something after a period of abatement" "a recrudescence of malaria"



Mask Festival



The Seventh National Mask Festival and Warwargira will be held at Queen Elizabeth II Park in Rabaul, East New Britain Province from the 7th to the 19th of July 2003.



Real Estate Agents



Arthur Strachan (Lae) -- http://www.arthurstrachan.com.pg
Century 21 -- http://www.century21.com.pg/ and http://www.siule.com.pg/
Kohoy Real Estate -- http://kohoyrealestates.tripod.com/
L.J Hooker -- http://www.ljhooker.com
Ray White Real Estate -- monian@online.net.pg
Strickland RE -- http://www.sre.com.pg/
The Professionals -- http://www.theprofessionals.com.pg



Sexual Diseases



PNG has the dubious honour of topping the Asia Pacific Region for Sexual Transmitted Infections (STI). PNG Has the highest statistics in the region for syphilis, gonorrhea and Chlamydia and has been for over a decade.



Landslide



A landslide has hit Tokia village in the South Koroba area of the Southern Highlands Province killing at least eleven people so far. It would appear that at least a dozen people have been injured. The Southern Highlands is in the middle of supplementary elections at the moment.



Kwikila High School



The once renowned school at Kwikila, that used to produce prominent figures in the community, has been allowed to run down. It would appear that frustrated people in the community have also done damage to the school. The school is now hoping that some of the previous students can help raise money to fix the school.

For a map of Kwikila visit -- http://www.multimap.com/wi/32537.htm



Lifting Gold



PNG Olympian Dika Toua and Jeffrey Robby have won gold medals at the Commonwealth Oceania and South Pacific weightlifting championships held in Tonga. Dika, a teenager from the big village of Hanuabada, snatched 60Kg and managed a clean of 82.5 Kg to win gold. Her nearest rival from Nauru only managed to lift a total of 120 Kg.

 





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-- THE END --

Some of the ways of saying "that's all" are courtesy of Liz and her friends at the University of Technology in Lae. -- http://www.unitech.ac.pg

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Created 6 May 2003
Updated 6 May 2003

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