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 due to very poor e-commerce infrastructure. 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.
If links in the newsletter do not work properly, copy and paste the URL into your browser and press Enter. Be sure to copy the entire link, as it may wrap to the next line. If this still does not work please send an email to the newsletter advising of the broken link.
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
PNG Blogs
Nineteen years and counting in PNG -- Nancy Sullivan's pages -- http://nancysullivan.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/11/tane.html
Vacation Specials -- http://tinyurl.com/2wrcjp
http://malumnalu.blogspot.com/2007/11/downstream-processing-of-peanuts-in.html
Popondetta flooded. Can't believe that! I lived there from 1996 -- http://ohso-random.blogspot.com/2007/11/popondetta-flooded.html
http://rabauldailyphoto-jules.blogspot.com/2007/11/pikinini-kirap-long-slip.html
Sorcery-related violence rife -- http://www.newnation.vg/forums/showthread.php?t=114934
Helene Holzknecht Another chapter in the history of PNG -- http://malumnalu.blogspot.com/2007/11/helene-holzknecht-another-chapter-in.html
Young entrepreneur talks about the future of IT in PNG -- http://malumnalu.blogspot.com/2007/11/young-entrepreneur-talks-about-future.html
Ian Downs Many of those legendary Australian kiaps -- http://tinyurl.com/344kly
PNG in the News
PNG flood aid to continue while needed -- http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/27/2103010.htm?section=justin
Red Cross Red Crescent launches appeal for Papua New Guinea -- http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EDIS-79CRQR?OpenDocument
Diarrhoea drugs in short supply as Oro cases rise -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/112907/Nation%202.htm
Popondetta is 'drying up' -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/112807/Nation%2020.htm
PNG flood victims may need long-term aid -- http://tinyurl.com/37tksu
Snakes and crocs roam flood areas -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/113007/Nation%2026.htm -- also -- http://tinyurl.com/3dqp4e
More supplies reaching displaced villagers -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/113007/Nation%205.htm
Milne Bay people join fight against AIDS -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/112907/Business1.htm
WHP firm wins Paris top award -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/112907/Business1.htm
More than 300 women sacked from tuna company -- http://tinyurl.com/37gskb
A group of millionaire businessmen have fled to Cairns on an emergency private jet flight from Papua New Guinea after police and military accused them of being terrorists who planned to assassinate visiting UK royal Prince Richard -- http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=302418
Customs officer caught for cheating -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/112807/Nation%2013.htm
Tribal war forces locals to build new road link -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/112807/Nation%208.htm
Illiteracy rate fuels HIV/AIDS growth -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/113007/Nation%207.htm
Defence Force Badges
Badges of the PNG Defence Force
-- http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-badges/png.htm
It has been announced that the Defence Force has recently launched its own web site. Does anyone know what the URL of the site is?
Miscellaneous PNG
http://www.cruising-png.com
http://hometown.aol.co.uk/pngcpluxton/PNGChurchPartnership.htm
http://www.pngreunion.com
Ambunti-Drekikir website -- http://www.ambunti-dreikikir.gov.pg
New Ireland Tourism -- http://www.newirelandtourism.org.pg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papua_New_Guinea
http://www.geographia.com/papua-newguinea
http://www.janeresture.com/png_home/index.htm
News Items
PNG News Feed
News Feed - for some of the latest headlines from around the world visit the PNG Gossip newsletter RSS News Feed located at -- http://pnggossip.com/news/pngrss.php -- At the moment this uses Yahoo and Google but it seems they pick up on the same news stories so there is not much difference between the two feeds and some of the links remain on the feed for days at a time.
Pacific's Person of the Year
Dame Carol, currently a minister in PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare's cabinet, has been awarded the Pacific's Person of the Year by the Islands Business magazine. Dame Carol is Australian born but married Papua New Guinean Buri Kidu, who later became PNG's first local chief justice. She was knighted dame by Queen Elizabeth the second in 2005.
World AIDS Day
The National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) commemorated World AIDS Day by launching it HIV/AIDS workplace policy. The document sets out NARI's corporate response to threats and hardships likely to be imposed on its functional capacity and staff welfare in its own workplace.
Siassi School
There have been allegations that the Siassi Lutheran High School is being mismanaged. The report says that students are being allowed to attend classes if and when they want to because discipline is non existent. Reports also say that staff and students are participating in drinking parties. There have also been reports of female students having to leave the school early due to becoming pregnant.
St John's
As part of the 50th anniversary of St John's in PNG the Grand Prior of the Order of St John has visited PNG. The Duke of Gloucester arrived in Port Moresby for a short visit recently. This the second trip to PNG for the Duke who first visited PNG as a university student prior to independence in 1969.
The Duke of Gloucester and head of the Order of St John arrived in
Wewak recently to a rousing welcome by hundreds of people -- http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/court_and_social/article2962544.ece
ATM Robbery
Following closely on the heels of the hijack of an aircraft and the loss of almost K5 million by a bank thieves have conducted a daring raid on a bank ATM. The bank was using the refilling of the ATM as a training program and during the exercise criminals once again masquerading as police stole K150,000. The criminals threatened to shoot the staff if they did not give them the combination to the ATM.
Popondetta
Aid has begun to flow into Popondetta and Oro province in the wake of cyclone Guba. The PNG Water Board working around the clock has been able to restore water to the town -- http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=36727 -- The government has been urged to slash bureau tic red tape due to the slowness of getting aid to the province.
As reported in the last edition "Guba" means "sky" or "heaven" in Motu but in the middle of Oro province Guba means "blind". PNG has over 800 languages.
A total of 36 bridges and culverts have been destroyed in Oro Province. It is estimated that K16 million will be needed to replace and repair the damaged or destroyed infrastructure.
Click here for info. about disastrous Cyclone Guba and ways to donate to the Cyclone Appeal -- http://hometown.aol.co.uk/pngcpluxton/PNGChurchPartnership.htm
See also -- http://www.ausaid.gov.au/hottopics/topic.cfm?ID=3045_3365_3490_3644_7021 -- http://www.popondota.anglican.org/ -- and -- http://portmoresby.anglican.org/news/oronov2007.html
Suspect Escapes
One of the people suspected of hijacking the Tropicair plane and making off with almost K5 million has been allowed to escape from the holding cells. A policeman has been thrown behind bars for allegedly helping the suspect escape.
It has been reported that several criminal gangs in PNG vied to take part in the hijack and robbery of the aircraft. The source claimed that those involved were first time criminals who were caught. One guard was caught in police crossfire and died from the wounds he received. It is understood he was part of the criminal gang.
Associated story -- http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=326891
Govt Aircraft
The allocation of K40 million in the 2008 budget to replace the government aircraft has been called a "joke" by the director of the Institute of National Affairs. Another allocation of K20 million for Central City on top of another K30 million in the recent October supplementary budget is seen as being a waste of taxpayers money. The INA Director, Paul Baker, has said that the money could be better spent on maintaining the Defence Force aircraft so that th4e force can attend natural disasters such as the one in Oro province.
Namatanai
A drug dealer disguised as a Catholic rehabilitation officer has been arrested in Namatanai, New Ireland province. The worker was found to have K3,740 worth of marijuana with him when he was arrested by the police. The suspect had travelled to most of the province selling drugs as he went.
Fuel Shortage
The airlines have been threatened by a fuel shortage brought on by a dispute between the government and the InterOil refinery over the pricing formula used to calculate how much fuel can be sold for around the country. InterOil has denied a shortage of fuel although some service stations in Port Moresby have had to turn customers away due to lack of fuel.
InterOil has increased the price of petroleum products without the approval of the Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC). Petrol has gone from K3.11 a litre in Port Moresby to K3.27. Diesel was KK2.65 now K2.81. Kerosene was K2.52 now K2.68. This is one of the largest fuel price increases seen in the country. It has been claimed that InterOil are using the price increase to "threaten" the Government into renegotiating the formula used to calculate fuel prices.
Lae Wharf
The Lae wharf is about to embark upon a K500 million development program. Most of the funding will come from the Asian Development Bank who is still to approve the loan. If the loan is approved in mid-December K80 million will be used in the early stages to relocate over 2,000 families away from the seafront.
Tribal Fight
At least five people have been shot dead in an ongoing election-related tribal fight in Simbu province, according to police reports. The clash has been going on since the end of the recent general elections. The fight started between supporters of two rival candidates from the Gunagi area contesting for the Sinasina-Yongumugl Open seat.
Sorcery Deaths
The mysterious death of several people in the Kote local level government area of Finschhafen is being investigated by a police team who swooped on three villages to look into claims of sorcery. The investigation team included, officers from the district office, courts, peace and good order committees, churches, health and education officials.
SIL and BTA
The Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) and the Bible Translation Association (BTA) have agreed to strengthen one another and to avoid duplication of the work by working hand in hand. Both organisations share a mutual view of the bible as the transforming Word of God and desire to see it available for everyone in the country.
Telephone Numbering
PANGTEL, the PNG Radio communications and telecommunications Technical Authority is implementing a new numbering plan for the PNG network. For example mobile phone numbers will now start with 7 and be 8 digits long. Digicel has already implemented the numbering plan and its mobile phones are eight digits long and start with seven.
Landlines around the country will also change although it looks like they will stay at 7 digits in length.
Momase Region (Madang, Wewak) - change 1st digit currently 8 to a 4
Southern (Central, Gulf, Western, Oro) - change 1st digit currently 3 to a 6
Highlands (Chimbu, Eastern) - change 1st digit currently 7 to a 5
New Guinea Islands (Manus) - change 1st digit currently 4 to a 9
The international access code presently 05 will now change to 00 making it easier for someone to accidentally add an extra zero and call emergency services.
Maternity Leave
A memorandum of agreement has been signed between the Public Employee's Association and the Government. The agreement allows for women public servants to get 12 weeks fully paid maternity leave and also all temporary public servants who have served more than 12 months in the job will now be made permanent. Women public servants currently are eligible for six weeks paid leave and six weeks without pay. Public Servants will also get an additional 5 days paid leave so they can spend Christmas with their families.
Liquefied Natural Gas
The Exxon Mobil group says the PNG Liquefied Natural Gas development is facing the least barriers to success in the region. It is said that the PNG project would have an estimated return of 22 per cent and this would boost the net present value of project partners Oil Search Ltd and Santos Ltd.
Kone Oval Sold
The Kone Tigers oval at Waigani has been sold under suspicious circumstances. The registrar has blocked the sale and an investigation is under way how an oval zoned for sporting use could be sold to a foreigner for K3 million.
Coming Events
11th University of Goroka Graduation - 7th December 2007
Anti Corruption Day - 9th December
Christmas Day -- 24th December
New Year's Day -- 1st January
Coffee Festival, Goroka, Eastern Highlands -- May
40th anniversary of the PNG Institute of Medical Research - between the 18th and 22nd of June 2008 in Goroka
Medical Symposium - September 2008, Rabaul East New Britain.
Hiri Moale Festival - September
PNG Independence Day Celebrations -- 16th September
Morobe Show, Lae -- October
Do you have an event that you want advertised? Send email to -- PNGNews[@]pnggossip.com
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