Links
Helicopter Info
Hevilift PNG -- Head Office PO Box 49 Mt Hagen -- ph +675 545 1240
and Fax +675 545 1261
Heli Niugini -- admin[@]heliniugini.com.pg
-- http://www.heliniugini.com.pg
Helifix Investments -- helifix[@]daltron.com.pg
Pacific Helicopters -- opsman[@]pachel.com.pg
Columbia Helicopters -- PO Box 1021 Port Moresby -- ph +675 325 3374
and fax +675 325 2395
PNG Aviation Related Web Sites
Air Niugini, National Airline of PNG -- http://www.airniugini.com.pg
Airlines of PNG -- http://www.apng.com
Airlink -- http://www.airlink.com.pg
Bill Purcell's Site -- http://www.billpurc.com/aviation.htm
MAF Australia (PNG Info) -- http://www.maf.org.au
-- and follow the links. Or try this one -- http://www.maf.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71&Itemid=125
Michie.NET PNG Aircraft Register -- http://michie.net/balus
Online Airline schedule -- http://www.pngbd.com/travel/flights.php
PNG Balus Project -- http://www.balus.gov.pg
TNT Air Cargo -- http://www.tnt.kenmore.com.pg
PNG Civil Aviation Authority web site -- http://www.casr.gov.pg
-- and -- http://www.oca.gov.pg/
Shipping Links
http://www.aalpas.com.pg --
Austral Asia Line Project Asia Service.
http://www.newguineapacificline.com
-- New Guinea Pacific Line
http://www.steamships.com.pg
-- Steamships Shipping Agencies
News Items
Warning from TPA
Here is a warning from the Tourism Promotion Authority -- Tourists,
Visitors, Guests to the TPA website are advised NOT to enter into any
business deals or arrangements relating to Tourism business or Travels
in PNG with "Budget Tours/PNG Holidays" or with principal
Benjamin Nelson as they have been blacklisted. For more information,
email them on -- info@pngtourism.org.pg
or ph: (675) 320 0211
PNG Cricket
PNG has qualified for a spot in the July ICC Trophy tournament to be
held in Ireland. PNG secured the 12th and final spot in the tournament
by beating Fiji by 30 runs. The top five teams from the trophy event
will qualify for the ICC World Cup to be played in the West Indies in
2007.
Coming Events
Game Fishing Titles
The Game Fishing Titles will be held between the 19th and the 28th
of March in Madang.
Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The RSPCA of PNG will be holding its annual general meeting on,2nd
of April 2005 at the St Martin's Anglican Church Hall in Boroko.
Mining Conference
PNG's premier mining conference will be held between the 23rd and 25th
of May 2005 at the Lae International Hotel. This will be the seventh
Geology, Exploration, and Mining Conference. For further information
please contact the PNG Chamber of mines -- conf[@]pngchamberminpet.com.pg
- Telephone +675 321 2988 and Facsimile +675 321 7107.
East New Britain Cultural Festival.
+ Warwagira July 4th to 12th 2005 (mostly singing/choir, string bands
groups both Ancient & Modern) followed by
" Mask Festival July 13th to 16th, 2005 (Traditional Masks and
ancient culture ONLY)
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.
Gun Campaign
A campaign to test the views of the public on the issue of guns has
officially begun in Port Moresby. The campaign was kicked off by Sir
Rabbie Namaliu, the acting Prime Minister, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel
in downtown Port Moresby on the 3rd of March as early as 7:00am. The
Opposition Leader, Peter O'Neill also spoke at the opening event to
reinforce that the campaign is aiming for a combined effort from everyone.
Modilon Hospital
With money saved from various cost cutting measures the Modilon General
Hospital in Madang has been able to organise a major facelift to security
and sanity facilities. The hospital has also been able to pay for a
mass burial of unclaimed bodies at a nearby village burial site.
Bail Outrage
The release of a man on bail accused of raping a seven-year-old girl
in Enga has outraged Enga provincial leaders and the general public.
The suspect was released on bail of K200 after police did not object
to bail being granted.
Limestone
A Malaysian company will soon begin to explore for limestone deposits
and eventually build a lime processing plant in the country. The company
has signed an agreement with the Mining Minister recently.
Bougainville Constitution
The Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Don McKinnon, has praised
the Bougainville Constitution and provisions for an autonomous government.
He said that for the first time in the history of Bougainville the people
will be governed under their own constitution. The next step in the
process would be to organise credible elections to form the first autonomous
government.
Dame Rose Kekedo
Dame Rose Kekedo has died at the age of 64 suffering from complications
with arthritis. Dame Rose was of mixed Milne Bay and Central Province
parentage born in 1942 at Abau in Central province. Her mother Mary
was also honoured with the title of a Dame of the Realm.
Law Firm Payout
A private law firm in Port Moresby has received a payout of K18 million
from the government for successfully saving the government from paying
out in excess of K500 million in civil claims. The payout has triggered
spirited debate on the floor of Parliament because it is wondered what
the local government lawyers are paid to do. It was also claimed that
the law firm had "lost" money held in trust for the Eastern
Highlands provincial government by the Eastern Highlands Governor, Mal
"Kela" Smith.
Education
The Kokopo Secondary School in East New Britain has given grade 10
students who did not perform well in 2004 an opportunity to move forward
in 2005. The school has created a special class that will cater for
these grade 10 students who either missed out on moving on to grade
11 because of lack of space or narrowly missed out on achieving the
necessary academic standard. Forty-one students have been identified
and enrolled for the special "grade 11" class. The students
will be taught the standard grade 11 curriculum and those that are assessed
to be doing well after the first and second terms will be absorbed into
the formal school system. The rest will continue to take practical subjects
such as business studies, tourism and hospitality, computing, carpentry
and tailoring etc.
Education Web Sites
http://www.ibs.com.pg -- International
Business Institute
http://www.iea.ac.pg -- International
Education Agency
http://www.iti.com.pg -- PNG International
Training Institute
http://www.pngmc.ac.pg -- PNG Maritime
College
http://www.pta.com.pg -- Pacific
Training Academy
http://www.unitech.ac.pg -- PNG
University of Technology (Lae)
http://www.uog.ac.pg -- University
of Goroka, Eastern Highlands
http://www.upng.ac.pg -- University
of PNG
http://www.workersmutual.com.pg
-- Computer Training
Car Theft
The theft of cars from parents dropping off or picking up children
from schools in the National Capital District is on the increase. Police
have warned parents and relatives to be careful when dropping off children
especially if waiting for children after school.
Buka Power
The people of Buka and nearby villages in the North Solomons will now
have electrical power 24 hours a day. Bougainville leaders, business
houses and villagers witnessed the commissioning of a 1.25 mega Watt
generator purchased by the Japanese Government through the Japanese
International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as a gift to the people of Bougainville.
Additional staff have been moved to the province to help take care of
the new equipment that also includes a 500 Kilowatt generator purchased
by PNG Power that has been shipped from Lae along with a 55,000-litre
fuel tank.
EcoNet Lawsuit
The government will vigorously defend a K1.6 million lawsuit brought
against the government by EcoNet Wireless. The acting Prime Minister,
Sir Rabbie Namaliu has said that he is confident the government will
be able to win the case. EcoNet asserts that the Government of PNG unlawfully
terminated the contract for the privatisation of Telikom and claim that
they were the successful tenderer after satisfying all requirements
set by the Independent Public Business Corporation.
Compensation
The Industrial Relations Minister, Sir Peter Barter, has described
one of the fastest growing industries in PNG, compensation, as a hindrance
to development. He said that people often came forward as work was about
to commence on important projects claiming money as compensation for
the land etc that the project was located on etc. Compensation claims
are not limited to individuals. The Northern (Oro) provincial government
has requested that a 20% stake in the Higaturu Oil Palm Project currently
held by the National Government be transferred to them. The claim is
that the 20-precent stake will be used to develop the province.
Enhanced Cooperation Program
The Internal Securities Minister has said that the Enhanced Cooperation
Program (ECP) police will soon be deployed to other parts of the country
such as to Lae and parts of the highlands region. Currently the ECP
police are only deployed in Port Moresby and Bougainville. Since the
ECP police have been in Port Moresby there has been a surge in crime
around the country especially in Lae.
Capsicum Spray
The use of capsicum spray has been approved for use by properly trained
PNG and Enhanced Cooperation Program (ECP) police on Bougainville. Capsicum
spray can help to stop aggressive people in their tracks for a short
period of time with little residual side effects.
Defence Force
The First Battalion of the Pacific Islands Regiment of the PNG Defence
Force is celebrating its 54th birthday. The battalion was disbanded
after the Second World War in 1946 and was then re-organised in 1951
and became an ally of the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's own Ghurkha Rifles
in 1954.
Defence Secrets Worry
The Governor of Morobe province, Luther Wenge, has expressed his concerns
over the signing of a treaty between Australia and PNG Defence Force
(PNDF) to allow Australian Defence Force soldiers to be engaged in PNG
under the Enhanced Cooperation Program. The Governor is concerned that
the Australians will learn all the miliary secrets and strategies that
PNG has to hide. Sir Rabbie Namaliu that it was not a treaty or even
an agreement rather it was a joint statement that will allow the PNGDF
and the Aussies to further enhance the Defence Force Cooperation program
that is currently in place with Australia.
Tokua Flights
Air Niugini has had to suspend its Fokker F100 flights to Tokua airport
due to an increase in the amount of volcanic ash being discharged from
the Tavurvur volcano in Rabaul. Air Niugini has announced that they
can still fly the older less sophisticated jet-engine Fokker F28 planes
to Tokua.
Tok Pisin Dictionary
This country and its education system has been without dictionaries
for thirty years. The only dictionary of Melanesian Pidgin to English
and English to Melanesian Pidgin has been out of print since the 1970's.
Now, The Jacaranda Dictionary and Grammar of Melanesian Pidgin by F.
Mihalic S.V.D. is available again in 2005. This 375-page dictionary
is a vital tool in the education process of training people to speak,
read and write the Melanesian Pidgin language.
This trusted and concise dictionary that has an excellent Grammar of
Melanesian Pidgin section in the front, along with twenty-three Word
Group sections at the back:
Schoolroom Terms; Anatomical Terms; Physiological Terms; Diseases and
Sickness; Medicines, Remedies, Nursing; Carpentry and Building Terms;
Mechanics and Engineering; Nautical Terms; Fish, Fishing and Sea foods;
Animals, Insects, Hunting; Birds; Plants and Trees with their Scientific
Names; Fruits, Vegetables, Gardening; European Foods; Household Terms;
Clothing: Native and European; Terms used by New Guinea Police relating
to Courts and the Law; Doctrinal Terms; Ethical and Moral Terms; Biblical
Terms; Names of Books of New Testament; Liturgical and Worship Terms;
Liturgical Feasts and Seasons
This dictionary can be yours now for under K20 per copy.
Order today at -- ssaholt
@ datec.net.pg -- or phone Steve Aholt in Goroka at +675 732-2164
The number of copies is limited so order today.
Threatening Weed
A fast spreading weed with a scientific name of Chromolaena ororata
has agricultural scientists and farmers worried. The weed, a native
of Central and South America has spread to 10 provinces since it was
first discovered in the West Sepik 12 years ago. The weed has managed
to find its way to the following PNG provinces - West Sepik, Madang,
Morobe, Northern (Oro), Milne Bay, East New Britain, West New Britain,
New Ireland, Manus and the North Solomons. It is believed that the pest
was introduced from across the border in Indonesia.
Sir Pita Lus
One of the longest serving politicians who was ousted at the recent
elections has received a sum of K500,000 for serving his electorate.
The once only payment was approved by the National Executive Council
for Sir Pita's services for more than 20 years to the people of Maprik.
Many wonders what his pay packet was for during the same period? How
many other long serving politicians will get such a payout especially
since Sir Michael Somare must be heading for retirement some time in
the near future.
Mendi Roads
Work will begin on the Mendi to Nipa road in the Southern highlands
sometime this year. The roadwork is considered a major project with
the road being upgraded and sealed. The work will start at Nipa and
proceed to Mendi and is part of the Asian Development Bank's road maintenance
program.
PNG Media
If a friend has given or sent you a copy of this newsletter and you would like to keep receiving free copies then please visit -- ../news/index.html -- for instructions on how to join the list.
Articles for this Newsletter
If you think you have a PNG page worth mentioning then please click here and use the submission form .
To send a message for submission to the PNG Gossip Newsletter queue please click here and use the submission form.
.gif)
.jpg)
View PNG Gossip Newsletter Archive