Links
Warning: PNG web sites seem to come and go. The fact of life is that it costs money to host a web site (try -- http://pngwebhost.com -- for an excellent, reliable but cheap deal) 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 then mention that you heard about them from this web site. -- The PNG Gossip Newsletter.
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Do you have a web site or link to a PNG related area on the WWW? If so do you want it mentioned here? Then send an email to -- pngnewsqueue @ pnggossip.com
Radio Australia
Crew Shortages for PX? -- http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1938060.htm
Election fears over tribal clash -- http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1936686.htm
PNG immigration boss has been suspended -- http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1936688.htm
Conservation International Melanesia
Conservation International Melanesia has a web site located at -- http://www.cimelanesia.org.pg/ -- Conservation International was founded in 1987, and has been present in Melanesia since 1991.
Misc Links
Coral Sea Hotel chain -- http://www.coralseahotels.com.pg
Eco-Tourism Melanesia -- http://www.em.com.pg
Asian Development Bank -- http://www.adb.org/PapuaNewGuinea/default.asp
Papua New Guinea Tourism and Business Directory -- http://www.pngbd.com/
CIA World Fact book -- https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pp.html
PNG Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS -- http://www.baha.com.pg
Do not forget to visit the PNG Electoral Commission web site located at -- http://www.pngec.gov.pg/ -- for more information about the coming elections.
Aussie Travel Advisory
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's Smartraveller advisory service has issued an updated travel warning for PNG -- http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Papua_New_Guinea
Air Niugini
what is wrong at Air Niugini? Read the following articles and make your own decision -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20070529/news02.htm -- and -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20070530/news03.htm
Real Estate Agents Association
The PNG Real Estate Agents Association, a non-profit making organisation operation under the laws of Papua New Guinea has a site located at -- http://www.reaa.org.pg/news.htm
PNG Accommodation
The tourism promotion authority has a list of some of the accommodation available in PNG located at -- http://www.pngtourism.org.pg/png/cms/services/accommodation.htm. The Coral Sea hotel group with hotels around the country has a web site located at -- http://www.coralseahotels.com.pg
The Kumul Adventure Resort Hotel is a new hotel in Enga Province has a write up on the TPA site -- http://www.pngtourism.org.pg/png/export/sites/TPA/services/accommodation/kumul_adventure_resort_hotel.htm -- and can be contacted by Fax/Phone: (675) 542 1615 and Email: kumullodge@global.net.pg
Also visit -- http://www.pngtours.com/lodges.html
Sports Sites
PNG Aussie Rules -- http://www.afl-png.com
South Pacific Motor Sports Club -- http://www.spmsc.org.pg
The Motor Sports Club also has sub-pages dealing with -- go karting, snooker, game fishing and speedway. Visit the -- http://www.spmsc.org.pg -- web site and navigate from there.
Game Fishing -- http://www.gfa.com.pg
Royal Papua Yacht Club -- http://www.rpyc.com.pg
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
http://www.upng.ac.pg -- University of PNG
http://www.workersmutual.com.pg -- Computer Training
News Items
CAA K5m restructure
The PNG Tourism and Business Directory has reported that the PNG Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is undergoing a K5 million major restructure toward improving its human resources by recruiting new staff and creating new training opportunities for its workers. For the full story you can read the article at -- http://www.pngbd.com/forum/showthread.php?p=64241#post64241
Sports Awards
Ryan Pini and Dika Toua have won the major PNG SP Awards for the fifth consecutive time. For many people it was a fore gone conclusion after their medal-winning performances at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia. Pini won the country's second and only gold at the games in swimming while Toua won silver in weight lifting. Toua was away training overseas so the award was accepted on her behalf by her father. Pini was able to be present and thanked the major sponsors for making the sports awards another success. He also encouraged other athletes to keep striving for the best and never give up in achieving their goals.
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs Secretary Gabriel Pepson has said he would recommend the investigation into the allegations of bribery and corrupt practices within the Immigration and Citizenship section be headed by the Prime Minister's Department. He said the other members on the investigation team should be from the police trans-national crime unit, the Attorney General, Labour, Personnel Management and the Foreign Affairs departments. The Post Courier newspaper recently reported foreigners having paid K10,000 directly to several senior officers of the department to have their citizenship applications processed.
Smuggling
An air crew ferrying a new Fokker F100 plane for Air Niugini have been caught with seven boxes of undeclared goods on the aircraft when it arrived in the country from Malaysia recently. It is believed the smuggled goods are worth around K12,000 and comprise of televisions and other electrical items. Customs have seized the goods and will make a decision on them after the completion of a formal investigation into the matter.
Customs Service
PNG welcomes travellers and trade. PNG Customs is the first point of contact with Papua New Guinea for persons and goods entering the country and their aim is to make this contact as friendly and helpful as possible. Customs core business combines revenue collection and border security and their role therefore is to collect duties and taxes efficiently and to maintain border security by ensuring compliance with Customs and border related legislation. -- http://www.customs.gov.pg
Moresby Shootout
Police have killed two and injured another stolen vehicle suspect critically in a shootout at Erima, a suburb of Port Moresby. Police had spotted the stolen vehicle earlier and given chase when the suspects refused their request to stop. National Capital District / Central commander Assistant Commissioner Alfred Reu said has called for the public to be wary of criminals who are preying on unsuspecting vehicle owners saying that "Car thefts are becoming a big problem and he has urged vehicle owners to take extra precaution when driving around, especially in isolated areas and at night".
PNG to Australia
Nine MSN has reported that PNG is being used as a gateway for illegal travellers to get to Australia.
Three African men detained in PNG after illegally crossing the border from Indonesia's Papua Province have told police they were on their way to seek asylum in Australia. See the web page located at -- http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=270715 -- for the rest of the article.
No Smoking
PNG has laws on smoking but they are not enforced. Health Secretary, Dr Nicholas Mann, and his staff at the World No Tobacco Day celebrations in Port Moresby held recently raised concern while law-enforcing agencies, such as the police and the traffic officers, were not enforcing the law, non-smokers, known as passive smokers, were being exposed to smoke and were high at risk of contracting smoke-related illnesses. Dr Mann said PNG needed smoke-free environments and if the Tobacco Control Act was being enforced, law-breakers would be fined K1000. A recent study has revealed that more than half of the PNG youth were smokers.
Telikom SMS
Telikom PNG is now able offer limited international SMS text messaging services to Telstra or Optus mobile numbers in Australia for all Telikom B Mobile customers (currently approx 173,000). The service is being offered free of charge during the launch period. The Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) is yet to decide and approve the cost of sending SMS text messaging to Australia. People coming to PNG from Australia who have post-paid SIMS from Telstra or Optus will also now be able to have inbound mobile roaming so long as it is available on their plan. Outbound roaming, which was to allow PNG post-paid mobile customers to use their PNG SIM card, while travelling in Australia is technically available, but on hold pending cooperative discussions with ICCC.
Telikom's B Mobile service has been extended to include Buka and Arawa. The mobile telephone network now covers
- Aitape
- Ambunti
- Angoram
- Arawa
- Buka
- Goroka
- Kavieng
- Kerema
- Kimbe
- Kokopo
- Lae
- Lorengau
- Madang
- Maprik
- Mendi
- Mt Hagen
- Mt Turu
- Port Moresby
- Rabaul
- Tabubil
- Tari
- Wewak
- Yangoru
Air Niugini
Air Niugini's Boeing B767 aircraft experienced technical problems at Brisbane airport the other day but Air Niugini officials thought help was close by. The necessary part was tracked and available in Sydney and attempts were made to get the part "quick time". The part missed the first available flight from Sydney and then the paper work was not correct for it to get on to the second flight. The part finally was loaded onto a third plane only to have that plane experience technical problems and have to return to Sydney. The part finally arrived on a fourth plane and while passengers waited on board the part was ferried across from the Brisbane domestic terminal to the International area and installed in the Air Niugini plane before being allowed to depart many hours behind schedule.
Trukai Fun Run
Thousands of people have taken part in the Annual Trukai Fun Run conducted in main centres around the country.
Press Freedom
The issue of Freedom of the Press was tested recently after a Post Courier journalist had written an article that was not liked by some members of the community. It is believed the journalist has helped to expose corruption in government departments.
Criminals, armed with a pump action shotgun, a handgun, a small axe and a hand grenade, broke into a company compound in Port Moresby last week, hunting for the journalist who managed to escape. The criminals were calling the reporter's name as they roamed around the residential compound in Boroko. The criminals stole electrical and other goods belonging to the reporter's family.
The Media Council of PNG has condemned the attack on a member of its industry, a female journalist and mother, in Port Moresby last week.
Media Council president, Peter Aitsi, described the attack as cowardly, inconsiderate, unnecessary and unjust on a helpless and unarmed mother, who had done nothing to deserve such treatment. "It is an absolute shame when a small minority, starts attacking journalists and individuals in their own homes," Mr Aitsi said in a statement. "One of the fundamentals of democracy is the freedom of speech and the freedom of the media. This attack on the journalist symbolises an attack on democracy itself."
Airlink Grounded
The grounding of aviation company, Airlink, by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has affected the delivery of the Post Courier around the country meaning that in some instances when other airline schedules are not suitable the paper may be delivered a day late. The Post-Courier relies on Airlink to airlift newspapers to a number of centres throughout the country daily. These centres include Kimbe, Rabaul, Lihir, Buka, Madang, Wewak, Goroka and Vanimo.
Airlink ground operations manager Derlyn Derr told the PNG Post-Courier the decision for the suspension of the company operations was due to non-compliance of certain procedures revealed by the CAA auditors. He said the company would address all issues identified and take corrective action before the CAA auditors return to review the company's procedures.
Moresby Blackouts
PNG Power is suffering from a shortfall in power generation capacity and has had to carry out load shedding in the National Capital. The shortfall in generation has been caused by faults in the 6 Megawatt machine at Moitaka thermal power station and the 6 Megawatt machine at Rouna 3 hydro power station. The daily demand for Port Moresby is approximately 75 Megawatt.
Eligible Voters
The Electoral Commissioner, Andrew Trawen, has said that there are now 3,938,839 people who have registered to vote on the new electoral roll. This is a drop of about 1.4 million people who were listed on the 2002 common roll. Mr Trawen said the final electoral rolls for this year were being printed in 6,228 wards and would be packed and dispatched to the respective electorates over the next two weeks.
Anti-Malaria Drug
After clinical trials an anti-malarial drug called ARCO has been released for use by the general public in PNG. The Chinese made drug is a combination of Artemisin and Naphthoquine Phospate and comes in a single dose of 8 tablets. It is claimed that the drug will kill 90% of malaria parasites in your body within seven hours.
Coming Events
Tufi Cultural Show, Oro Province -- 9th to the 11th June
Sepik Iron Man Contest -- 11th of June 2007
National Mask Festival, Kokopo - East New Britain Province -- 12th to the 15th of July
Mt Hagen Show - August 2007 -- http://eventsuk.britishairways.com/sisp/index.htm?fx=event&event_id=31325 -- First held in 1964, the Mt Hagen Show moved from its original site in Mt Hagen itself to the Showgrounds after independence in 1975.
International Orchid Spectacular -- 5th and 6th of August
XIII South Pacific Games -- August 2007. To be held in Samoa
Lukim PNG NAU Tourism Expo -- 9th to the 11th September
National Tourism Conference -- 12th of September
Hiri Moale Festival, Port Moresby - National Capital District -- 15th to 18th of September
PNG 30th Independence Day Celebrations -- 16th September
Morobe Show, Lae -- 27th to 28th of October
The Milne Bay Canoe and Kundu (drum) festival is to be in November
Do you have an event that you want advertised? Send email to -- PNGNews[@]pnggossip.com
PNG Media
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