Links
Warning:
PNG web sites seem to come and go. The fact of life is that it costs
money to host a web site and there is not much return on the outlay
to most businesses in PNG. If you do click on a link and use the services
or even have some comments to make then please contact the people at
the relevant web site and let them know so they at least know that someone
has gained some value from their efforts. If you are so inclined them
mention that you heard about them from this web site. -- The PNG
Gossip Newsletter.
Mention
of a website or service does not necessarily mean that this newsletter
endorses the website or service
Volunteer Web Log
Want to find out about the life of an Australian volunteer living in
PNG? then take a trip to the blog located at -- http://pnglife.blogspot.com
Lae International School
The International School Of Lae (TISOL) has recently launched a school
web site. It contains photos, useful information and downloads about
the school in Morobe province -- http://www.tisol.ac.pg
Morobe Goldfields prior to WW2
Michael Waterhouse is well advanced in writing a book on the Morobe
Goldfields prior to WW2, and is looking for photographs of people who
were on the field at this time. He has arranged for a number of stills
from some 1929-30 film footage to be added to the website of the PNG
Association of Australia. These show a number of people from the goldfields
and elsewhere in New Guinea whose names are unknown. They can be viewed
on two pages at -- http://www.pngaa.net/Photo_Gallery/Morobe_Goldfields_research.htm
-- If anyone has photos of people from this period and can use these
to identify people in the stills; Michael would very much appreciate
it if they could contact him by email -- (mhwaterhouse@hotmail.com)
or on +61 2 9360 0226.
The website also lists a number of people, including Shark-Eye Park
and Cecil Levien, whose photos he is particularly anxious to obtain.
Could anyone with photos of these or other people from the goldfields
between 1926 and 1942, particularly individual miners or pilots, please
contact Michael. He will acknowledge the source of all photos used in
his book.
Superannuation Funds
The Association of Superannuation Funds PNG (ASFPNG) has a website
located at -- http://www.asfpng.org.pg
-- ASFPNG is an industry body established in 2002 by interested industry
participants with the common goal to protect superannuants retirement
savings within a regulated environment whilst fostering a competitive
industry.
Stories About PNG
http://www.pngaa.net/Articles/articles_A_Family_Matter.htm
-- A FAMILY MATTER by Chips Mackellar -- just one of many articles that
can be found at -- http://www.pngaa.net
Email Contacts
* Tailors
Kokoda Tailoring and Kokoda Collection can be contacted at -- kokodatailoring{@}daltron.com.pg
PNG tailoring -- pngtailoring{@}daltron.com.pg
Bismil Trading -- bismil{@}datec.com.pg
* Printers
Star Printing -- starprinters{@}thenational.com.pg
Times Printing -- timesprint{@}daltron.com.pg
Treid Print -- sales{@}treidpacific.com.pg
Superannuation Funds
The Association of Superannuation Funds PNG (ASFPNG) has a website
located at -- http://www.asfpng.org.pg
-- ASFPNG is an industry body established in 2002 by interested industry
participants with the common goal to protect superannuants retirement
savings within a regulated environment whilst fostering a competitive
industry.
Misc Sites
Investment Promotion Authority -- http://www.ipa.gov.pg
Bank of PNG -- http://www.bankpng.gov.pg
Internal Revenue Commission -- http://www.irc.gov.pg
Milne Bay Tourism Site -- http://www.milnebaytourism.gov.pg
Air Niugini, National Airline of PNG -- http://www.airniugini.com.pg
TNT Air Cargo -- http://www.tnt.kenmore.com.pg
More links to information about Papua New Guinea -- http://www.uga.edu/cuda/PNG.html
Diversion Dive Travel -- http://www.diversionoz.com/en/index.html
Radio Australia Tok Pisin service -- http://www.abc.net.au/ra/tokpisin/
Newspapers
For the latest news about PNG visit the Post Courier web site at --
http://www.postcourier.com.pg
-- or the National Newspaper web site at -- http://www.thenational.com.pg
-- both offer up-to-date news about PNG. If you want to catch up on
news or join a forum about PNG it is also good to visit -- http://www.pngbd.com
-- The PNG Business and Tourism web site.
News Items
Fuel Prices
PNG fuel prices were mentioned in one of the overseas newspapers. The
writer of a letter to the editor wanted to know how come PNG could have
cheaper prices for fuel than what was currently being paid in Australia.
Fuel prices have recently gone up but are still lagging behind prices
in Aussie.
Petrol - K2.86 per litre in Port Moresby and K2.93 in Lae
Diesel - K 2.31 per litre in Port Moresby and K2.39 in Lae
Kerosene - K K2.26 per litre in Moresby and K2.33 in Lae
Aussie English
A retired public servant, Joe Maliaki, from Butibum village in Lae
Morobe province has suggested that English teachers, from Australia,
should be allowed to return to PNG to teach English in all schools around
the country in order to improve the drastic drop in the level of written
and spoken English. Mr Maliaki has said that if you walk around a school
ground you will hear the students and the teacher conversing in pidgin.
He said that even Balob Teacher's college, a college that trains teachers
to teach subjects such as English, you will hear very little English
being spoken. He says that English is an international business language
and a main language for used with computers and if you want to develop
the country the standard of English needs to be improved.
Internet Service Providers
It has been proposed that the four Internet Service Providers (ISP)
in PNG adopts a Code of Practice. The Independent Consumer and Competition
Commission (ICCC) has produced a draft code of conduct for the ISP's.
The document is aimed at improving the quality of Internet service in
the country. It has been mentioned that the cost of having Internet
access in PNG is one of the highest in the world.
It has also been rumoured that the much talked about increase in bandwidth
into the country will be happening soon. PNG currently only has 8mbit
into the country and due to problems this has been reduced to half this
amount recently for short periods of time.
The Internet Service Providers are:-
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
PNG Flag Song
Thanks to Carole Saunders here is the PNG flag song.
This is our flag
Flag of our land
Proudly it flutters
And proudly we stand
Flag of our island
Home in the sun
Papua New Guinea
We are one
Papua New Guinea
We are one
Paradise bird
Flying on high
Lifting our vision
Right up to the sky
Shine cross of
Five bright stars
Never cease
Leading our land
To strength and peace
Leading our land to strength and peace.
Carole says the song was sung at Lae International Primary School in
the seventies but asks does anyone know who wrote it?
Vanimo
Plans are underway to make Vanimo in Sandaun province an international
shipping port. This is part of the Medium Term Development Strategy
to upgrade ports and airports to help promote trade. Sandaun could become
the gateway for ships to take timber to Asia if the plan was approved.
New Telephone System
ConXions PNG has launched a new small to medium telephone system. The
new system, the Samsung DX, besides just being a telephone system also
has added features such as voicemail, caller identification and direct
in-dial, auto attendant, wireless mobility, automated call distribution
and computer telephony integration. ConXions Limited trading as Ericsson
Business Communications has been operating in PNG since 1967.
Regional Seat Law
The bid to amend the Organic Law on Provincial Local Level Governments
to retain regional seats in 2007 is set to go before Parliament in October.
Under the current Organic Law the provincial seats will cease to exist
in 2007. Only a constitutional amendment would allow the seats to continue
but a constitutional change would require at least nine months for it
to go through the normal process and be voted in Parliament.
Rain
Port Moresby has had rain over several days and this has meant that
the ever-present Port Moresby potholes are getting deeper and deeper.
Luckily many of the larger ones on important roads, i.e. those to be
travelled by VIP's, were patched in time for the 30th Independence celebrations.
Potholes are not just causing problems for drivers of road going vehicle.
Some of the major airlines have had to cancel flights to Wampenamanda
and Mendi due to large holes in the runway making it unsafe for big
planes to land and takeoff. It is not just smaller runways that are
causing problems. Travellers to other major towns have had seen the
pilot dodging a pothole or two in the various town runways this year.
PNG Coffee
It has been estimated that the amount of coffee to be exported from
PNG this year will fall short of the expected 1.1 million bags by at
least 100,000 bags. The price of coffee has also decreased recently
due to the very good outlook for the 2006-2007 growing season in Brazil
because of the recent rains that was bringing on good flowering for
the coffee crop.
GG Books
The Governor General, Sir Paulias Matane, has launched two more books
recently. This brings the total number of books that he has written
to 36. The two books are Time Traveller and Papua New Guinea, Land of
Natural Beauty and Cultural Diversity. The vice-regal is now working
on his 37th book scheduled to be released next year.
Aussie Air Traffic Control
Aviation sources have indicated that the three unions representing
most of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) workers are working behind
the scenes to make a formal complaint to the Government about the new
arrangement with Airservices Australia (AA) to provide air traffic control
services in PNG's upper airspace. A three-year deal was announced by
the Transport and Civil Aviation Minister, Don Polye, saying that the
Australian government-owned agency would manage the country's upper
level airspace for planes flying above 29,000 feet . It is understood
that a large number of experienced CAA-trained air traffic controllers
could be made redundant in light of the decision to award the contact
to the Australians.
Fake Currency
Once again the population has been warned to look out for fake currency
especially in remote parts of the provinces. It has been estimated that
over K60,000 of fake K20 notes could be in circulation.
Doctor Shortage
There is a shortage of doctors in PNG especially to serve the remote
areas of the country. The current ration is one doctor for every 120,000
people. In comparison there is one doctor for every 400 patients in
Australia. Making the problem worse is that around 50 doctors have left
the country to work overseas where they have better conditions and pay.
Yet Another Political Party
Yet another political party is being planned for the 2007 elections.
Several leaders from Enga and the Southern Highlands plan to form the
party because they say that although the two provinces provide over
65 percent of national revenue very little is returned back to the provinces.
Existing politicians are allowed to change political parties or form
new ones after April 2006 - 12 months before the election in 2007.
PNG Power
The threat of a strike by workers of PNG Power still hangs over the
head of all electricity users in the country. The union claims that
the results of a recent secret ballot gives the union the mandate to
take strike action of several issues. One of the issues in question
is the proposed delocalisation of the CEO's position by an Australian.
Strike action was planned for last week but the disgruntled workers
agreed to delay the planned strike to avoid disrupting nationwide celebrations
of PNG's 30th Independence anniversary.
Hiri Moale
Miss Hanenamo for 2005 is 18 year old grade ten Badihagwa High School
student Hitolo Mase Talai from Manumanu village. She was crowned from
a group of 20 young girls in front of thousands during the Hiri Moale
festival held over the recent PNG Independence weekend at the Sir Hubert
Murray Stadium. Last years winner was Mary Toua from Pari village.
PNG Economy
A budget strategy paper presented at the Consultative Implementation
and Monitoring Committee has predicted that the PNG economy will grow
by 3.4 percent next year (2006) This would be the fourth successive
year that economic growth has equalled or bettered the population growth
of 2.7 percent. This is a major improvement from previous years. The
GDP per capita for Papua New Guineans currently averaged K600 per year
compared with K27,000 for Australia and K20,000 for New Zealanders.
Motorcycle Police
The police force now has several new police motorbikes first used to
escort dignitaries around during the Independence celebrations but primarily
purchased for the visit by Princess Anne later this month. The motorbikes
are 950cc Yamaha motorbikes and are the biggest ever purchased for the
police force. Many years ago I can remember the sight of a 250cc Suzuki
police bike rider attempting to pull over the now defunct Port Moresby
Bus Company bus with great difficulty simply because the bus was nosier
than the horn of the two stroke small capacity Suzuki.
International Coffee Competition
An International Coffee Competition is being hosted by Coffee Pacifica,
Inc and the PNG Coffee Growers Federation from the 26th to the 30th
of September 2005 in Goroka. Contact -- willemboot@bootcoffee.com
-- and -- shailen@coffeepacifica.com
-- for more details. Head judge of the competition will be Willem Boot.
HF Radio
The PNG Institute of Medical Research has had a High Frequency (HF)
radio installed at its Madang site. The installation is part of the
National Health Network through the Health Services Support Program
being funded by AusAID. The program has been installing HF radios at
rural health centres since 2001. The radios help to provide a medium
of comfort to those in remote locations. The HF radios are replacing
a Very High Frequency (VHF) Network that was not as reliable as the
HF network.
Rice
Every year PNG imports 200,000 tonnes of rice at a cost of K300 million.
This is a significant food bill that could be saved by placing an emphasis
on growing rice within the country. The money saved could then be used
on more important projects for the country.
Coming Events
International Coffee Competition -- 26th September to the 30th September
2005
Morobe Show, Lae -- 15th and 16th of October 2005
The Milne Bay Canoe and Kundu (drum) festival will be held between
the 4th and 6th of November this year.
Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in March 2006.
2006 - April 8th to the 16th -- National Game Fishing Titles
PNG 31st Independence - 16 September 2006
PNG Media
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