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

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PNG Gossip Newsletter Meri Milne Bay

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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 e-mail them to giaman@pnggossip.com

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Neo Melanesian

"Pidgin English"
Tok Pisin English
wan one
tu two
tri three
foa four
five five
sikis six
seven seven
et eight
nain nine
ten ten
wanpela ten wan eleven
wanpela ten tu twelve
wanpela ten tri thirteen
tupela ten twenty
tupela ten wan twenty-one
tripela ten thirty-one
wan handet one hundred

 

 

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 28.5 - 29 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.expedia.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



PNG Weather



Here are a few sites that will give you an idea of what the weather is like in some parts of PNG.

Port Moresby -- http://my.iwon.com/weather/obs.jsp?id=PPXX0004
Kerema -- http://my.iwon.com/weather/obs.jsp?id=PPXX0001
Kikori -- http://my.iwon.com/weather/obs.jsp?id=PPXX0002
Morobe -- http://my.iwon.com/weather/obs.jsp?id=PPXX0003
Samari -- http://my.iwon.com/weather/obs.jsp?id=PPXX0005



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



Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce



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



Miscellaneous Sites



Pacific Dream -- German Language Web Site -- http://www.pacificdream.de/index_ger.html

Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research -- http://www.pngimr.org.pg

Daru Research -- http://fp.involved.com/methodsman/Daru%20research.htm



Tourism Sites



Air Niugini -- http://www.airniugini.com.pg
DIVErsion Dive -- http://www.diversionoz.com/en/png.htm
Lonely Planet Website -- http://www.lonelyplanet.com.au/dest/aust/png.htm
Madang Diving -- http://www.madangdiving.org.pg
Melanesian Tourist Services -- http://www.meltours.com
MV Golden Dawn -- http://www.mvgoldendawn.com
Niugini Art -- http://www.global.net.pg/niugini-art
Niugini Diving -- http://www.niuginidiving.com
Tourism Promotion Authority -- http://www.paradiselive.org.pg
Trans Niugini Tours -- http://www.pngtours.com



Accommodation Sites



see the webpage at the PNG Business and Tourist Directory first -- http://www.pngbd.com/forum/f73s.html -- and then try some of the links below.



East New Britain Accom



Hamamas Hotel -- http://www.OntheNet.com.au/~hamamas/index.html
Kaivuna Resort Hotel -- http://www.kaivunaresort.com
Kokopo Village Resort -- kvr[at]global.net.pg
Kulau Lodge -- http://www.global.net.pg/kulau
Takubar Beach Resort -- lomotaku[at]global.net.pg
The Beach Hut Lodge -- beachhut[at]daltron.com.pg
Vavagil Guest House -- vavagil[at]global.net.pg



West New Britain Accom



Walindi Resort -- http://www.walindi.com



Port Moresby Accom



Coral Sea Hotels -- http://www.coralseahotels.com.pg
Ela Beach Hotel -- http://www.elabeachhotel.com.pg
Golden Motel -- rbasix[at]daltron.com.pg
The Weigh Inn Hotel -- theweighinn[at]global.net.pg
Granville Hotel -- http://www.islandshotels.com.au
Magila Hotel and Backpackers -- http://www.magila.com
Night Owl Guest House -- nightowl[at]global.net.pg
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

The Milne Bay Tourist Bureau can be contacted on +675 641 1538 or fax +675 641 1641 (email - jnsowelu@online.net.pg or info@milnebaytourism.gov.pg) and the Milne Bay Tourism website can be found at -- http://www.milnebaytourism.gov.pg



Morobe Province Accom



Lae International Hotel -- http://www.laehotel.com.pg
Honale Guest House -- +675 472 7761 fax - 472 3702



West Sepik / Sandaun Accom



Sandaun Motel -- http://www.sandaunmotel.com.pg



Western Highlands Accom



Hagen Airport Hotel -- mmakap[at]online.net.pg
Haus Poroman Lodge -- http://www.hausporoman.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


 

News Items



Australian Ball



The Australian High Commission is holding a ball on the 25th of October 2003 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel ballroom. Tickets are on sale for K150 per head and include a three-course meal, beer, wine and soft drinks. Entertainment on the night will be by X-Tensions. There are some great lucky door prizes on offer as well. The main prize is two return economy airfares to Auckland, NZ (courtesy of Qantas), NZ$1000 worth of traveller's cheques (courtesy of Bank South Pacific) and four days car hire (thanks to Avis). There are other prizes such as a helicopter joy ride for five people. A donation will be made to local charities from the fundraising raffles and ball ticket sales.



Morobe Show



The 43rd Morobe Show is ready to be held in Lae on the 11th and 12th of October 2003. Some stallholders have already begun their preparations in earnest for the show. There are also a number of new exhibitors taking part this year. Some of the groups taking part will come from the Agricultural, Mining, Cottage Craft, Manufacturing, Government and Educational Sectors. There have been a number of improvements to the Lae showgrounds recently and they include a new public grandstand as well as the establishment of the Greg English Jnr Didiman garden and village display area. Approximately 60 singsing groups are set to take part in the show.



PNGDF Commander



It appears that the PNG Defence Force (PNGDF) Commander Brigadier-General Peter Ilau is to be reprimanded for a confrontation with Defence Minister Kappa Yarka over what amounts to be misunderstanding of ranks. The confrontation was over a misunderstanding in navy and infantry ranks. Brigadier-General Peter Ilau wears the rank of Commodore that, it seems, is the equivalent of Brigadier-General in the army. Both ranks are equal to a one-star general. Brig-Gen Ilau took over his role as the PNGDF Commander from his position in the navy. It is believed that some people within the PNGDF were mischievously trying to tarnish Brig-Gen Ilau's good reputation.



Governor General Voting Probe



The Ombudsman Commission has referred the voting for the Governor General to the Supreme Court. It has been alleged that some members of parliament supported more than one candidate. Some members are supposed to have supported one candidate and then supported another one later. In one instance someone who was no longer a member of parliament may have signed a nomination form. There are other discrepancies and this is why the Commission would like that matter cleared up before the nomination is sent on to Buckingham Palace.



Telikom PNG



Telikom PNG is set to record profits just as the Telikom Union announce a series of stop-work meetings. It is expected that Telikom will record a profit of K90 million by the end of 2003. A Telikom Union has said that a series of stop work meetings will see telecommunication services come to a standstill. This will include all voice and data communications including the Internet and mobile telephones services. During the stop work meeting Telikom technicians will not be attending to any faults that may occur.



Telikom Cables



During the stop work meetings major telecommunication cables connecting PNG to the rest of the world were sabotaged. Telikom workers have been working 24 hours non-stop to attempt to rectify the problem. Many local services were also affected by the vandalism. The cables were sabotaged outside the Able Computing store in Port Moresby and since the event the area has sprung up to look like a tent city. There are four tents like structures and usually about 20 motor vehicles parked outside. Several of these are security vehicles.



Computer Companies in PNG



Able Computing -- http://www.able.com.pg
Comserv Computer Centre -- http://www.comserv.com.pg
Daltron -- http://www.daltron.com.pg
Data Nets -- http://www.datanets.com.pg
Datec -- http://www.datec.net.pg
Global Technologies -- http://www.global.net.pg
Remington Technologies - http://www.remington.com.pg



Telikom Privatisation



The monopoly currently enjoyed by Telikom PNG may end when the company is privatised. The Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare has said that there was a strong possibility the government may allow one company to partially privatising Telikom PNG and then allow three other companies to take up interests in the development of PNG's telecommunications.

11 telecommunication companies from Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, two from America and Malaysia have bid for the 51 percent share in Telikom. It is thought that four were likely to be short-listed. Out of that four short-listed companies one would be selected to be a partner.



Gembogl



The people of Gembogl in the Chimbu Province are successfully growing barley and oats. The crops are being used as stock feed for chicken. Barley is also being fed to fresh water trout a common form of meat in the remote parts of Chimbu. The Mt Willhelm area of Gembogl is classified as the fresh water trout producer in the region. Bundi woman, Betty Higgins, has set up one of the largest trout farms in the country.



NASFUND



The National Superannuation Fund (NASFUND) hopes to raise K600,000 from the sale of vacant land it owns at Eight-Mile just outside Port Moresby. The area has an approved residential, commercial and special purpose sub-division design and planning proposal to accommodate a total of 236 allotments.



Modilon Hospital



The financial situation at the Modilon General Hospital in Madang has worsened due to a lack of donor and provincial government funding. It has worsened because the hospital has not received any funding from the Madang Provincial Government and the Health Services Improvement Program (HSIP). The HSIP funding for Madang had been suspended since 2001 because the provincial health office and the administration officers managing the fund were not accounting for its use.



East New Britain



The Bank South Pacific branch in Kokopo, East New Britain Province has suffered from a bank system crash and a hold-up this week that saw the bank closing its doors 30 minutes after it had opened for business. The computer system stopped working due to the Telikom problems in Port Moresby.



The University of Goroka



The University of Goroka was established in 1965 by the Department of Education as a Primary teachers college. In 1967, it became a secondary teachers college, awarding 2-year Diploma in Secondary Teaching (DipST) to Grade 10 graduates following successful completion of a one year Preliminary year.

In 1975 it was handed over to the University of Papua New Guinea to become the Goroka Teachers College of the University of Papua New Guinea. It continued to award a two-year DipST until 1989 when it started admitting Grade 12 graduates for a three-year DipST. Other one-year teacher education programs were offered from time to time; and an Advanced Diploma in Teaching, a Distance and Residential program for holders of DipST to upgrade their teaching subject content knowledge was offered from 1982 to 1996.

In 1992, it became a Campus of the University of Papua New Guinea and a degree granting institution from 1995 when it admitted it's first batch of 4-year B.Ed. degree Pre-Service and one to two-year B.Ed. In-service degree students. A Bachelor of Education Honours (B.Ed. Hons) and Master of Education (M.Ed) programs began in 1996.

In January 1997 the Government of Papua New Guinea declared the University of Papua New Guinea-Goroka Campus as a fully-fledged University of Goroka.



Sepik Highway



The National Government is looking at various options to source funds to maintain the Sepik Highway. This is because available funds have already been exhausted.



Accidental Shooting



A shot fired at criminals by an expatriate man recently during a carjacking attempt in Port Moresby hit a toddler resulting in his death. The two-year-old child was hit in the back and died at the Port Moresby General Hospital. Four men attempted to hijack a car at the Koki Big Rooster restaurant when an expatriate man got out of a nearby parked car and fired a couple of shots at the gang but failed to find the target instead a stray bullet hit the youngster sitting in the back of his parent's utility.



Miss Morobe



As mentioned in an article above Lae is definitely in a show mood. A popular section of the show is the Miss Morobe Queen contest, which has over the years grown in popularity, attracting a large number of girls.



Freeway Buses



The Minister for Social Development and Welfare, Lady Carol Kidu has urged transport authorities in Port Moresby to fix the woes of city bus commuters in the nation's capital.
Lady Carol says there is an urgent need for an express bus service on the Poreporena Freeway.



Graduate Jobs



The Education Department has made it known that is not responsible for the fate of about 1000 university and tertiary students graduating at the end of every year. The people of PNG should be aware that the education department only provides the skills and knowledge to young PNG people and after they leave at whatever level of education it's up to them to find employment.



Air Niugini



The appointment of Rod Nelson as the Chief Executive Office of the National Airline (Air Niugini) is under investigation. The job was previously titled Managing Director and when this was the case it had been localised so that a national of PNG could only hold the position. Since the job title has been changed to Chief Executive two Expatriate Officers have held the position. The number of expatriates in general being employed by Air Niugini has also been questioned as to whether they are all needed.



Civil Aviation



It has been rumoured that former Managing Director of Air Niugini, Andrew Ogil, has been appointed to take up the position of the head of the Civil Aviation Authority.



Vic Pasco



I have been advised that renowned PNG painter, Vic Pasco, has died in Madang on the 1st of October just two days short of his 70th birthday.



Illegal Immigrants



It has been said that there could be as many as 10,000 illegal immigrants in PNG. This has led to concern about jobs and businesses for Papua New Guineans that are currently occupied by foreigners. An example was given of the RD Tuna Cannery where over 600 expatriate workers are employed with many of then allegedly doing work that should be done by locals that have the expertise.



People's Progress Party



Andrew Baing has been voted in as the leader of the People's Progress Party (PPP). He is now hoping to be able to take up the position of Deputy Prime Minister on top of his current Fisheries portfolio. Mr Baing assisted by Lands and Physical Planning Minister, Michael Nali toppled the previous leader of the PPP.



Ice Cream



The oldest manufacturer of dairy products in PNG has been taken over. Tanubada Dairy Products has been sold to new owners Lae-based Laga Industries. This means that the making ice cream in PNG has now become a monopoly. It is hoped that the public will benefit by better efficiency in the industry and maybe cheaper prices?



Air Link



The Madang based aviation company is set to receive ATR aircraft by December. It has recently upped the ante against Air Niugini by hiring many ex-Air Niugini expatriate employees. With the arrival of the ATR's the airline will be able to compete almost head on against the national airline (Air Niugini)



Marijuana



Police has intercepted a large shipment of marijuana at the Jackson's Airport, Port Moresby. Two men from the Eastern Highlands province have been questioned and arrested. The 19-kilogram of marijuana, packed inside two 10-kilogram rice bags, was hidden amongst two larger bags of vegetables shipped down from Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province. This becomes the second biggest haul by the police this year.






PNG Media


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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

If you can add to this list then please send email to PNG-News@pnggossip.com

 






Created 6 Oct 2003
Updated 16 May 2004

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