P.N.G. Gossip Newsletter - 8 Jul 2004

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PNG Gossip Newsletter Meri Milne Bay

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Papua New Guinea Gossip Newsletter


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Neo Melanesian

"Pidgin English"
Tok Pisin English
Mande Monday
Tunde Tuesday
Trinde Wednesday
Fonde Thursday
Fraide Friday
Sarere Saturday
Sande Sunday
tede / tude today
wik week
wiken weekend
fotnait fortnight
asde yesterday
aua hour
yia year

 

 

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

British High Commission



The followiung link will take you to the British High Commisison Web Site -- http://www.britishhighcommission.gov.uk/papuanewguinea -- British High Commission, Kiroki Street, Port Moresby, Postal address: Locked Mail Bag 212, Waigani, National Capital District, Papua New Guinea
(675) 325 1677 -- bhcpng @ datec.net.pg



PNG Recipes



Learn to make dishes from Papua New Guinea featuring coconut, fruit, vegetables, and fish.

http://www.michie.net/pnginfo/recipe1.html

http://www.anahitagallery.com/ahrecipe04.html

http://www.pngbuai.com/600technology/cookery/



Strange Meals



Thanks to Rick for the following link -- http://www.familyhaven.com/travel/melanesianman.html -- Make sure you are not eating when you read the contents of this page!



PNG Association of Australia



Papua New Guinea Association of Australia. PNGAA's world wide membership consists of former PNG public servants, missionaries, entrepreneurs and individuals. -- http://www.pngaa.net



Pterodactyls



For the latest from the Rev. Carl Baugh on the bioluminescent Pterodactyls that he found in Papua New Guinea, go to -- http://www.fni.com/heritage/index.html .



Miscellaneous Sites



The Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce website can be found at -- http://www.pomcci.org.pg

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

Papua New Guinea Institute of Accountants -- http://www.pngia.org.pg

http://www.rotary.org.pg -- Rotary Club of Boroko and Papua New Guinea

http://www.foda.org.pg -- Friends of the Disabled Association



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 tidbits 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".



Pryde Furniture



Pryde Furniture in Port Moresby has a website located at -- http://www.pryde.com.pg -- Take a look at the web site and see what the company has to offer.


 

 

News Items

Squatter Settlements



It has been reported that there are over 100 distinct squatter settlements in Port Moresby. Squatter settlements in the city are often seen as only a police problem but they are really a problem for all government departments especially the Department of Lands, Social Welfare, Health and the National Capital District Building Board. These departments must co-operate and identify which settlements and settlers were approved and which were not.



Coming Events - Enga



The 10th annual Enga Show will be held at the showgrounds (Mommers Oval) in Wabag later this year from the 13th to the 15th of August. Typical events will be cultural singsing groups, ritual performance, arts and Crafts demonstrations and Enga Made Product Displays. Visitors are asked to make contact with the chairman of the show for further information on +675 547 1272 - attention Akik Tumu or Margaret Potane. Letters can be sent to -- The Chairman, Enga Cultural Show, PO Box 124, Wabag, Enga Province, PNG.



East New Britain



The East New Britain Chamber of Commerce and the East New Britain Tourism Board are offering a test flight from Tokua (RAB) airport to Honiara in the Solomon Islands on the 22nd of July for only K750 return. The same trip via Port Moresby would cost a passenger K4000.



Tokua Airport



As part of the East New Britain Provincial Tourism Bureau's drive to attract tourists a local artist from Nordup village in the Rabaul district has painted nine murals for display at Tokua airport. The murals depict Tubuans welcoming visitors, women, wildlife and provincial scenery.



Jails in PNG



The following is a list of some of the prisons in operating in PNG supplied by Uve.

- Bomana in Port Moresby, NCD also for Central
- Buimo in Lae, Morobe Province
- Baisu in Mt. Hagen, Western Highlands Province
- Keravat in Rabaul, East New Britain Province
- Bui-Iebi in Mendi, Southern Highlands Province
- Bihute in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province
- Biru in Popondeta, Oro Province
- Bundaira in Kainantu, Eastern highlands Province
- Boram in Wewak, East Sepik Province,
- Vanimo in Vanimo, West Sandaun province
- Daru in Daru, Western Province
- Ningerum in Kiunga, Western Province,
- Beon in Madang, Madang Province
- Barawagi in Kundiawa, Simbu province
- Giligili in Alotau Milne Bay Province
- Hawa in Tari, Southern Highlands Province
- Wabag in Wabag, Enga Province
- Lakiemata in Kimbe, West New Britain Province
- Kavieng in Kavieng, New Ireland Province
- Manus in Lorengau, Manus Province



Kick Boxing



PNG has another World Kick Boxing Champion. Kartu "Wantok" Arang was awarded the World Kick Boxing Federation's world featherweight title on Friday at the Crowne Plaza. Kartu defeated Australian David Hoy in an eight round fight.

Stanley Nandex was unsuccessful and Chris Johnson, the "White Sniper" from New Zealand, won the vacant World Kick Boxing Federation super middleweight title.



Fokker F100



Air Niugini has taken delivery of a temporary Fokker F100 to do the Cairns - Port Moresby - Lae route. The plane has been leased from Alliance Airlines in Australia for a period of three months while Alliance prepares another F100 for Air Niugini to take on. The current F100 is painted in Alliance colours but the one coming in three months will be painted in Air Niugini colours. The F100, the largest plane flying domestic flights in PNG, offers 89 economy seats and eight-business class. Cairns passengers have not had an opportunity to see real business class seats on the Cairns run since the Airbus stopped flying to Cairns a few years ago.



Air Niugini



Air Niugini, just managing to catch up after a problem in Auckland has suffered two bird strikes on its Boeing B767 throwing the schedule into complete chaos. Both strikes have been at Jackson's in Port Moresby. It is not known how much theses strikes have cost the company but with the number of disrupted passengers reaching the thousands it can't be cheap. For example each passenger that fronted up for the 10:55 service from Brisbane to Port Moresby received vouchers totalling twenty Australian dollars ($20) and then a great percentage had to be accommodated in Port Moresby because by the time the flight arrived at 21:30 there were no outward bound flights from Port Moresby. Going the other direction some passengers had to be re-routed from Brisbane to Sydney on domestic flights costing the company further expense.

It is the responsibility of Civil Aviation to patrol and keep the airport free of birds but time and time again they fail miserably but still collect a K60 facilities charge off each departing passenger. Once again what does the Civil Aviation Authority do with the Facilities Charge?



Record June Rainfall



Port Moresby has experienced the wettest June since 1875 when the first records were kept. The average June rainfall from 1950 to 2000 was only 43.2 mm. The June rainfall far surpassed that figure.



Governor General



Sir Paulias Matane has been sworn in as the latest Governor General of PNG. However the legal battle for the position may not be over as Sir Pato Kakaraya, a losing candidate, has lodged a new application in the Supreme Court to halt Sir Paulias Matane from performing the duties of Governor General.

Sir Paulias Matane will leave for his investiture as Governor General on Tuesday the 13th of July. The ceremony is set to take place at 10am London time on the 16th of July.



Frequently Asked Questions



How many people have served in the position of Governor General in PNG?
There have been eight people who have been the PNG Governor General.

They are: -
- Sir John Guise,
- Sir Serei Eri,
- Sir Ignatius Kilage,
- Sir Tore Lokoloko,
- Sir Kingsford Dibela,
- Sir Wiwa Korowi,
- Sir Silas Atopare
and the latest being Sir Paulias Matane



Bride Price in PNG



Does anyone know of any good web sites dealing with bride price in PNG? I have found some articles at -- http://groups.google.com -- but no web sites -- for example -- http://groups.google.com/groups?q=papua+new+guinea&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=5nh0sf%241eie%241%40news.missouri.edu&rnum=6 -- but I have not been able to find anything definitive on the subject.



Singapore Gun



The person accused of carrying a gun aboard an Air Niugini aircraft, while flying to Singapore, has had his case dropped because the Waigani Committal Court says that there is a lack of evidence to proceed further. The 9mm gun has gone missing believed stolen from a car parked in Boroko and also the same court has ruled that it does not have jurisdiction as the offence was committed in Singapore airspace.



National Gaming Board



The former National Gaming and Control Board chairman, Daniel Mapiri, has asked the courts to not send him to jail after his recent conviction for stealing over K3.1 million belonging to the Board. The National Court found him guilty of dishonestly applying, for his own use, K3,188,000 between September 1998 and July 1999 in Port Moresby. It was alleged by the State that the former chairman and the registrar of the board, Paul Aisa, signed 41 cheques belonging to the board but used by the chairman for his own use.



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".

An interesting article in "The Drum" on the 6th of July was a mention that until the law and order problem is brought under control the Post Courier will offer half price advertisements for reward notices to all victims of crime.



Crime Rate



The chief of police has said that the serious crime rate for the first five months of the year has decreased compared to other years. The man on the street would say that maybe that is so but minor crime seems to be increasing over and over again and much of it is going unreported simply because the general public do not believe the police will do anything about it even if it is reported.



Cooperation Program



The Australian Foreign Minister and Sir Rabbie Namaliu, his PNG counterpart, have signed the much-delayed Enhanced Cooperation Program between the two countries. This will finally allow the deployment of more than 300 personnel (police and public servants) from Australia to help fight crime and corruption in the country. It is hoped that they can be deployed as soon as possible.



Telikom Sale



Subject to government approval 51 percent of Telikom PNG has been sold to a company from Zimbabwe called Econet Wireless Group. Econet pay K150 million to the Independent Public Business Corporation and K50 million will be invested in Telikom to help fund future capital expenditure. The proposed rehabilitation processes for Telikom is expected to significantly improve the quality coverage currently provided by Telikom. It is expected that between K400 and K500 million will be invested in the Telikom network over the next five years.



New Aircraft



Airlink has taken delivery of a new and bigger aircraft, an ATR 42-320 aircraft. The plane is currently dong technical tests before being placed into service. The plane can take 46 passengers or five tonnes of cargo. It may be used on a possible Madang and Cairns route via Port Moresby.



New Airline



The Sandaun provincial government wants an Indonesian airline to be able to fly to the region because jet fuel is subsidised in Indonesia and that would mean the airline could operate at a cheaper rate than Air Niugini.



Japanese Compensation



PNG Redress International is eagerly pursuing a claim of almost K10 billion from the Japanese government for damages to the people of PNG and properties during the Second World War. The group claims a membership of almost 145,000 members. Japan has denied that the group has any claim to compensation citing the 1951 Peace treaty signed by them and the Allied powers.



Goroka



The Goroka Town Authority is owed an estimated K6 million by residents and organisations for outstanding bills some of them going back several years. The Town Authority has now said that they will start legal action to recover the money owing to them.



Markham Bridge



The people from Wau, Bulolo and Menyamya are now linked back to the provincial capital of Lae after the Markham Bridge was reopened recently. The first across the bridge were members of the Morobe Provincial Government who abandoned a provincial government meeting to be at the event. The bridge had been closed to all traffic for 16 weeks after heavy flooding damaged the base of one of the piers supporting the bridge. The bridge now has a load limit of 20 tonnes and has been reopened to light traffic only.



Coming Events - Port Moresby



The 40th annual Medical Symposium is set to get underway between the 6th and 10th of September. The symposium committee is appealing for funds to hold the event at the UPNG School of Medicine. Many organisations have already donated in cash and kind to help stage the event.



Central Food Aid



The people living along the banks of the Laloki River in Central province are appealing for help from the National Disaster and Emergency Services after heavy flooding destroyed their food gardens. A bridge connecting over 200 villages has also been washed away. The bridge connects the people from Katia with the 14 Mile/Tanubada areas.



Nursing Degrees



37 nurses have graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing Convention Degree from Monash University in Australia. Many of the nurses have had to balance sleepless nights and a hectic schedule with family and work commitments before graduating.



Sea Slugs



Two Asians have been fined a total of K20,000 for trading in beche-de-mer. The two men were not licenced to trade in the valuable sea slugs and were caught buying them from villagers and processing and storing them.



Buka Airport



Angry landowners recently shutdown the airport at Buka because compensation promised by the government had not eventuated. The airport has reopened after successful negotiations between the landowners and the government over the outstanding land claims. The first Air Niugini flight was able to land on Saturday the 3rd of July.



Case Management System



The District Court registries now have a new computerised management system to help enhance efficiency and effectiveness. The new software package has been developed to electronically document all registered court file details and other activities including the tracking of case files from start to finish. The system is being tried out in the National Capital District and it is planned to roll out the system to all provinces in the future.



No Confidence Vote



The first attempt by the opposition to cast a vote of no confidence against the present government has failed because there was no person nominated as being the seconder to the vote.



South Pacific Exports



If you need that hard to get part for your electrical / communications gear or even a special tool send email to Peter Goleby at < sp.exports @ bigpond.com > - he might just be able to help you out or at least point you in the right direction. Peter claims he will attempt to get anything legal for you so long as he can add a small amount to cover his own costs.






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 8 Jul 2004
Updated 16 Jul 2004

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