P.N.G. Gossip Newsletter - 6 Apr 2004

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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 use the contact form

Articles for this newsletter

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PNG Gossip Blog

 

 

 

Neo Melanesian

"Pidgin English"
Tok Pisin English
ista Easter
katolik Catholic
luteran Lutheran
seven de Seventh Day Adventist
satan / setan devil
ekelesia church members
haus lotu temple / church
haus lotu bilong ol mahomet mosque
haus pater monastery
pater priest
pekato sin

 

 

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 29.5 - 30 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

For a photograph of the last Air Niugini Fokker F28 to leave Cairns, Australia please visit -- http://www.pngbd.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=5189


Prime Minister's web site -- http://www.pm.gov.pg/pmsoffice/pmsoffice.nsf


If you are interested in PNG Orchids then I suggest visiting -- http://www.orchidspng.com -- this is another web site with layout and design Wolfgang H. Bandisch.


The Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) has a web site located at -- http://www.ipa.gov.pg -- The IPA implements policies and programs aimed at increasing total annual investments, greater increases in non-mining sector investments and increasing the level of investments financed by the domestic sector in PNG. It is a statutory organisation established in 1992 by an Act of Parliament to promote and facilitate investment in PNG.


The Catholic Church of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands has a web site hosted by the Religious Television Association (RTA) of Papua New Guinea PO Box 7671, Boroko, NCD. -- http://www.catholicpng.org.pg -- The RTA web site can be found at -- http://www.rtapng.com.pg


A PNG Music Archive can be located at -- http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/carts/contmusic/musicarchive/PNGArchive.html -- This is hosted on the Southern Cross University web site in Australia.


The South Pacific Tourism Organisation has a web site located at -- http://www.spto.org. If you want to contact the SPTO then fill out the form at -- http://www.spto.org/contact_form.shtml



PNG Tourism Promotion Web Site



The official website of the Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority can be found at -- http://www.pngtourism.org.pg -- If you are interested in Papua New Guinea then this is the web site to visit at least once before you arrive.



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.pngtourism.org.pg
Trans Niugini Tours -- http://www.pngtours.com




 

 

News Items

 


Malaria Fund



The Health Department has set up a working group to make sure that a US$20 million funding obtained from the Global Fund will be used properly to control malaria in the country. One of the priorities of the funding will be to distribute mosquito nets to every one in the country who lives in malaria prone areas. The second priority will be the treatment of malaria. About 80 percent of the funding will be used to buy the nets. The working group will consist of people from Rotary, AusAID, and the World Health Organisation. An international accounting firm has been appointed to keep track of the funding.



Forest Depletion



The Minister for Forests has said that the PNG known forest resources may be exhausted sooner than anticipated. It is estimated that PNG is losing about 120,000 hectares of forests annually through commercial selective logging and other forms of land use practices. The Minister highlighted the need to have an adequate reforestation and afforestation program in place.



Saussi Crossing



Temporary repairs have commenced on the Saussi crossing in Madang province and a temporary crossing has been opened to light traffic. A survey is being carried out and construction of a permanent bridge should begin next month using money from the Yumi Yet Bridge programme. The total cost of a new bridge has been estimated to cost K5.85 million.



Backfired Shooting



It has been alleged that police shot at a lady because her car backfired. The expatriate woman, believed to be an Australian, was travelling on the Poreporena freeway when her car or another car backfired. Police fearing that someone was shooting at them returned a backfire with a gunshot supposedly hitting the woman in the leg.



Governor General



The Supreme Court has handed down its decision regarding the election of Sir Pato Kakaraya as Governor General. The Court has declared the election on the 4th of December last year (2003) null and void. Parliament will now be recalled to elect a new Governor General. It is hoped that this time correct procedures are followed by Parliament. This is the second time that this election, for a Governor General, has been declared null and void.

Parliament is set to be recalled on the 20th of April to elect a Governor General. This session of parliament is likely to test whether the Somare government has the numbers to beat a no confidence motion. Up until February the present Somare government was protected from a vote of no confidence by the constitution but that has now expired.



Rural Bank MD



The Prime Minister has said that he wants action to be taken against the suspended Managing Director of the Rural Development Bank. The MD slipped a nine-millimetre pistol past airport security at Jackson's airport while on a trip to China as part of an advance party before the PM's official visit to China. The Police Commissioner has said that the MD will be charged soon.



Alotau Hospital



The land that the Alotau hospital is located on has been gazetted for sale without the knowledge of the provincial and national authorities. Tenders for the piece of land the hospital is located on closed last week. The Alotau General Hospital has taken out a Court Order to halt the sale. The hospital has recently secured a K10 million funding program through AusAID's PNG Incentive Fund but this may be in jeopardy if the hospital land is sold. The hospital was supposed to be the first government-owned public hospital to obtain a title for the land it was built on. Possessing a title was a prerequisite to obtaining funding through AusAID.



Last Cairns F28



The Last Air Niugini F28 to fly out of Cairns was given a traditional aviation send off. Fire tenders sprayed the aircraft with water as it taxied out. The F28's can no longer fly to Australia because of noise issues that were put in place a number of years ago. The F28 4000 series had been allowed to fly to Cairns under special approval gained from a meeting between the Australian and PNG Prime Ministers. The flights from PNG to Cairns will be flown by an RJ70 leased from National Jet in Australia until Air Niugini's replacement aircraft, the Fokker F-100, becomes available. The F100 is only an interim measure until Air Niugini can purchase a more suitable aircraft. The PNG Business directory has a picture of the aircraft located at -- http://www.pngbd.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=5189



Papa - Lealea Road



The road that connects Papa and Lealea in Central Province to Port Moresby is like many roads in the country very neglected. Many of the people who work in Port Moresby live in the villages along the road and they are finding it very difficult and expensive to get to work each day. Villagers from Porebada, Boera, Papa, Lealea, Kido, Gorohu, Keiva and Gerebaga use the road.



Single Currency



The Prime Minister has said that the idea of a single currency for the Pacific Islands States was a very complex issue. He said it took Europe 20 to 30 years to overcome various issues before adopting the Euro.



Michael Nali



MP for Mendi, Michael Nali, has been fount guilty of four counts of misconduct in office. A leadership tribunal has ruled that his integrity was called into question and that he used his official position to benefit himself.



Cattle Exports



There will be another export of cattle, the fourth, to the Philippines. Sialum cattle farmers will export 300 live cattle to this month. The Rural Development Bank is monitoring the shipment of the animals. The money raised by the sale will help the farmers pay off their debt they owe to the bank.



A$100 Million Loan



A company, described as an investment bank, being considered to help in obtaining a A$100 million loan for the PNG government has been revealed to be an Australian $2 company according to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and has only been in operation for two years. It is possible that the company may not be regulated by the body responsible for the operations of banks in Australia and it is not listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.



Australian Police



The PNG Police Minister is confident that a resolution to the dispute about allowing Australian police operate in PNG with immunity will soon be reached.



Corned Beef



The price of corned beef products manufactured by James Barnes went up by 1.4 percent in PNG recently. This is mainly as a result of the 2 percent import levy imposed by the government during the 2004 budget. James Barnes originally requested a 1.9 percent increase.



Southern Highlands Jail



The Hawa jail in the Southern Highlands has reopened after being closed for over two years ago due to a lack of funding. The Porgera Joint Venture has renovated the jail under the PNG Tax Credit Scheme.



Buimo Jail



Huon Rotary is helping prisoners of the Buimo jail by providing a containerised library. It is hoped that the library will help to rehabilitate and educate the inmates. The prison staff and family members will also be able to use the library.



Seahorses



Dr Mark Baine is interested in seahorse research he can be contacted at the address below.

Director, Motupore Island Research Centre,
University of Papua New Guinea, PO Box 320,
University 134, National Capital District,
Papua New Guinea


Dear All

I have recently been in contact with Project Seahorse, who are very interested in seahorse research in PNG. I am currently considering developing a proposal aimed at filling some of the gaps in knowledge regarding seahorse distribution and diversity in PNG. Project seahorse have agreed to act as advisors for any such research, noting that they have little information on PNG.

I would be grateful for any information (observational, hearsay and recorded) that is out there on seahorses in PNG - species, location etc. It will give me an idea of what is available and what needs to be addressed. Does anyone also know of any fisheries (target or incidental) for medicinal or aquaria markets?

I look forward to receiving some information. Many thanks in advance for your help.

Best wishes

Mark



Diesel Prices



The price of Diesel has gone up in PNG by 4.9 toea per litre. The estimated pump price including VAT for diesel should now be around the K1.88 per litre mark. The price of other petroleum products stays the same as per the last newsletter. -- http://pnggossip.com/news/g040326.html#fp



Port Moresby Hospital



Thanks to a donation of K32,000 from the New Zealand government a backlog of more than 1,000 elective surgery patients can now be operated on at the Port Moresby General Hospital. Two of the four operating theatres have been without lighting for five years. Elective surgery cases include such cases as appendix, bladder, kidney stones and lumps.



Tara Spirit



The MV Tara Spirit is set to start servicing the shipping needs of the Gulf Province after being refloated last month. The ship sank in Port Moresby's Fairfax Harbour. The ship has been surveyed and approved for duty by officials of the Transport Department. New navigational aids such as the radar system and satellite navigation system have been fitted. The Department of Transport is still to launch an investigation into the sinking of the vessel.



PNG Polls



The registrar of political parties has informed political parties that they can only endorse one candidate for each seat in an election. Candidates contesting the elections must be endorsed by a party and not by individual party members. The National Party has endorsed a candidate for the Anglimp / South Wahgi seat and some members of the National Party have endorsed another person for the same seat.



By-Elections



Over 70 people will contest the three vacant National Parliament by-elections. 31 people will contest the Simbu seat. 30 people will contest the Anglimp / South Wahgi Seat. Only 15 people will contest the Yangoru-Saussia Open Seat compared to 32 during the 2002 General Elections.



Markham Bridge



The Japanese Government may be prepared to help with the funding of a new bridge to replace the Markham Bridge washed away by floods recently. The Japanese Embassy has paid a visit to Morobe Province to promote the work of its government in various institutions and communities in the Province.



Telikom PNG



Telikom PNG has invested K34 million in network expansion through one of its subsidiaries. Pacific Mobile Communications (PMC) is expected to increase this K34 million investment in the GSM mobile service even further over the next few years. PMC has finally turned on SMS messaging for the mobile telephone users charging 30 toea per message. The first messages went through on the 29th of March with the system being officially turned on for the 30th of March.



World War II Bombs



It has been estimated that over 200,000 pounds of unexploded bombs left over from the Second World War in PNG have been disposed throughout the country in the past 29 years. The total weight of unexploded bomb recovered so far would have been enough to decimate a city the size of Port Moresby. It has also been estimated that there could be as many as 1,000 more bombs yet to be discovered around the country. The unrecovered bombs are a risk to lives and property as well as being a security risk. Police have recently recovered WWII mortars and hand grenades from criminals between Efogi and Edebu in the Central province.



Oro Province



The Education Secretary is investigating the existence of a "Muslim School" in the Safia subdistrict of Oro Province. The Secretary, Peter Baki, has said that PNG is a nation committed to upholding Christian principles and the existence of a Muslim School was a cause for concern. He also said that he recognised the rights of individuals to freedom of choice and association, as enshrined in the PNG Constitution. Michael Pearson, a Teaching Services Commissioner, said that he believed the school had followed proper procedures to be registered in PNG.

According to the founder of the new school other schools in the Safia area have been closed for a long time and the school is helping to fill the void. The Nursi Muslim Primary School has been built with funds from Port Moresby and Australia. Classes for grade one to seven began in February tis year.



PNG's In Australia



I haven't heard from my usual PNG contacts in Australia recently but Adrian Caoimh is attempting to contact all PNG people in Australia. He hopes to form an association of "Wantoks in Oz". For more information contact him on the following email address -- mkunji10@scu.edu.au



Yarapos School



The Mercy Sisters Girl's High School located at Yarapos outside Wewak, East Sepik Province will be upgraded to a secondary school with direct funding from AusAID through the PNG Incentive Fund. The school will phase out grade 7 and 8 and will start accepting students for grade 11 and 12. Other maintenance will be carried out thanks to the AusAID funding.



Brothel Raid



Police recently detained over 80 people in a raid on a brothel located opposite the General Hospital in Port Moresby. Girls as young as 14 and 15 were picked up in the raid. Those arrested were provided counselling by the National AIDS Council. Prostitution is seen as the main cause of HIV/AIDS spreading in PNG.



Arafura Games



A rare opportunity has come around for the provincial governments to be able to fly their flags at the Arafura Games in Darwin, Australia next year. The provincial flags will be paraded immediately after the PNG flag during the opening ceremony. There are also provisions for two teams to compete in each sport if enough team members can be found. Over 31 sports have been nominated to play between the 14th and 21st of May 2005.






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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 16 Apr 2004
Updated 6 Apr 2004

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