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PNG in the News
A helping hand for people living with HIV -- http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=82177
Water supply to Kamkumung in Lae city has been restored after three weeks of disconnection by the PNG Waterboard. -- http://article.wn.com/view/2008/12/29/Water_supply_back_on_for_Lae_blocks/
Landowners Face New Hearing in Rio Tinto Case -- http://giaman.com/pg/?30514c
Walindi: Recent Experience, can any one help? -- http://giaman.com/pg/?5b5855
PNG Blogs
How to win friends and influence people, PNG style: Central Province -- http://steveinpng.blogspot.com/2009/01/central-province.html -- and -- http://steveinpng.blogspot.com/2009/01/morobe-province.html
Asian Energy -- http://giaman.com/pg/?f5dfaf
Pair O' Grafs' Paragraphs -- http://pairografs.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html -- and -- http://pairografs.blogspot.com/2009/01/safe-new-years-trip.html
http://www.trupela.com/2009/01/04/categorisation-wordpress-posts-complete/
http://www.trupela.com/2008/12/22/when-the-police-become-judge-and-executioner/
ASOPA - PNG Atitude -- http://giaman.com/pg/?946ab1 -- http://giaman.com/pg/?b06147
At the Mt Hagen Market -- http://dooleysinpng.blogspot.com/2009/01/at-market.html
Languages of Papua New Guinea -- http://giaman.com/pg/?c7127f -- and -- http://www.michie.net/pnginfo/language.html
Ocean Patterns -- http://www.messersmith.name/wordpress/2009/01/02/ocean-patterns/
Rabaul Daily Photo -- http://rabauldailyphoto-jules.blogspot.com/2008/12/january-theme-lukim-yu.html
Misc
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/9724713 -- image of Kimbe Bay, West New Britain
http://www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pays/report_rapport-eng.asp?id=234000 -- PNG Travel report from Canada
http://www.kimbebayhotel.com/ -- Kimbe Bay Hotel, West New Britain
http://www.alotauinternationalhotel.com.pg/ -- Alotau International Hotel, Milne Bay
http://www.airways.com.pg/ -- Airways Hotel, National Capital District
http://www.kudjipnazarenehospital.org/ -- Kudjip Nazarene Hospital Website
http://www.pngbd.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/11953 -- just one PNG Photo - Thousands of PNG Images and Photographs can be found on this site.
News Items
Bougainville President
Former guerrilla fighter, James Tanis, is the new president elect of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. Mr Tanis won the recent bi-election following the death of former president, Joseph Kabui in June.
New Settlements
Powes Parkop, the Governor of the National Capital District, wants to ensure that residents from Port Moresby's squatter settlements are rehoused in communities that are not structured around ethnic groups. He is also adamant that the Tete settlement, much of which was destroyed under police direction two weeks ago, must be closed permanently.
see -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20081231/news08.htm
Police Resolutions
Assistant Commissioner of Police Giossi Labi has said the PNG Constabulary has achieved a lot in 2008 and will try to improve and better serve the six million people of PNG in 2009.
A Strike force has been formed by members of the police Internal Affairs directorate to clamp down on unethical practices within the constabulary and the operation would be expanded throughout the country in the New Year progressively in efforts to stamp out unethical behaviour and corrupt practices within the constabulary. The general public can contact the strike team on telephone number 308 1363 or on a special mobile number 638 6115 to report police misconduct. All allegations would be investigated fairly and within the confines of the constabulary's standing orders.
PNG's Future
According to Governor-General of PNG, Sir Paulias Matane, PNG's future looks promising with economic growth expected in major agriculture and mining sectors and there is potential for further investment. He has appealed to all of PNG to take time during the holidays to reflect.
WWII Corsair Wreck
In 1944 the huge Japanese base at Rabaul in PNG, was under heavy bombardment by Allied forces in an operation known as Operation Cartwheel - read more of this news item at -- http://ctpost.com/ci_11309115?IADID=Search-ctpost.com-ctpost.com
Teacher Travel
As usual teachers have been stranded while attempting to travel back home to celebrate Christmas with their families and relatives over the holiday period. Many of the teachers sacrifice a great deal to teach in remote locations of PNG expecting little more than a meagre pay each fortnight and a trip home every two years for themselves and their families. Surely it is not rocket science booking travel when teachers have submitted travel forms in October but year after year teacher face the same problem. Many teachers will also face problems when they resume in the New Year and find their name is not on the payroll.
Vagrancy Law
The Morobe Community Welfare and Justice group has called on the Morobe Provincial Government to re-introduce vagrancy laws in the province. A peace reconciliation ceremony was held between two warring Highlands groups recently after three people were killed and property worth thousands of kina was destroyed. It is thought that the escalating law and order problems in the city are due to the influx of people, especially from the Highlands and Mamose regions.
see -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20081231/news01.htm
Inflation High
The Bank of PNG is expecting that inflationary pressures will remain, despite a decline in international food and fuel prices. The bank advised that while the Kina exchange rate has appreciated and the flow on effects on the impending global slow down stood to dampen inflation, inflationary pressures still remained in PNG.
High Seas Disaster
As news filters in from remote locations around the country more areas are reporting damage from the recent high seas. Reports have now been received that areas of Morobe province were also affected with houses in Wasu (Local Level Government - LLG), Sialum LLG and Siassi LLG completely washed away. The final figures could be much higher as there were communication difficulties with provinces like East Sepik, Madang and all outer islands both in Manus and other provinces.
The National Weather Service (NDS) has issued further warnings that spring tides or king tides are expected to occur throughout the country in early January. (This is expected to occur from tomorrow - the 7th of January through to the 14th.) see also -- http://giaman.com/pg/?091b41
Nurse Pay Rise
Nurses throughout the country will hopefully have received their long awaited salary increments through the salary reclassification by the 25th of February this year is finished. The new salary level will be higher than the current one and will be effective for all nurses in the public health sector.
Road Work
Obura/Wonenara district MP and Eastern Highlands Deputy Governor John Boito has spent more than K1 million to help construct better roads for his electorate. He said the Nombi/Baira road was the lifeline for his people and he would give priority to it so that it would enable them to transport their coffee bags to main markets to sell. He said he would make sure the road linked Wonenara and other areas that share the border with Gulf and Morobe provinces.
Road Maintenance
The National Roads Authority (NRA) will soon take over the maintenance of all national roads in the country. There is over 9,000km of national roads that the NRA would become responsible for. The NRA currently is responsible for a 40km section of road from Lae to the turn off to Nadzab airport.
Home Brew
It is the festive season and some people find home brew easier to obtain than commercial products. There have been reports of police in the National Capital District confiscating containers containing home brewed alcohol from the settlements during raids and police cells in Kavieng being full of detainees arrested for drinking home-brewed liquor over the festive period.
Food and Beverage Bible
http://www.foodnbeveragebible.com/ -- a 300 page ebook - this book serves as a practical guide to all the Food and Beverage professionals already in the industry or to the novice - who wants to pursue a career in the Food and Beverage. Book prepared from work experience in 11 different Countries including PNG.
Milne Bay
John Rayner from Aviation Art in Melbourne, Australia has advised the commissioning of a painting featuring RAAF Kittyhawks over Milne Bay during 1942. This Limited Edition print is likely to appeal to many aviation buffs that live or have lived in PNG. The Battle for Milne Bay in New Guinea was a story of true grit, determination, and valour; it was the moment when the Imperial Japanese Army tasted defeat on land for the first time in nearly three centuries.
see -- http://www.aviationart.com.au/index.php -- for more details of this limited edition offer.
New Fishing Agreements
The Philippines government is scheduled to negotiate fishing access agreements with PNG this month after recent talks with Indonesia look likely to fail. The Philippines Department of Agriculture is also working on access agreements with the Solomon Islands, Micronesia, Kiribati and Palau.
New Central Hospital
Plans are underway to build a hospital somewhere in Central Province to ease the over crowding and other problems faced by the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) in the National Capital. The clinics within the National Capital and the PMGH can no longer cope with the growing number of patients queuing up for treatment every day.
New Year's Honours
Former Australian Prime Minister Robert James Lee Hawke (Bob) and Catholic Archbishop Karl Bernhard Hesse have received the highest of the PNG Logohu (Bird of Paradise) awards on the 2009 New Years Honours List. Both have been appointed Grand Companions of the Order of Logohu (GCL).
see -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20090102/news02.htm
Natural Gas Find
InterOil has hit natural gas at its Antelope onshore exploration play in south-eastern PNG.
see -- http://giaman.com/pg/?aa9da7
Out Gunned
The police in the Mul-Baiyer electorate in the Western Highlands have less gun power than what criminals are using in tribal fights. Two tribal fights in the electorate have claimed the lives of more than 30 people. The fights are in the electorates of Police Minister Sani Rambi and Governor Tom Olga. Police from Mt Hagen are unable to stop the fight due to inferior fire-power and shortage of police.
Fuel Shortage
Fuel is in short supply in the East Sepik province. Rationing has started in Wewak because of a critical shortage at InterOil's regional terminal. Due to recent high tides InterOil's ship has not been able to berth to discharge fuel recently. The next scheduled cargo vessel is not due to arrive in Wewak until the 14th of January.
Airline Scare
Radio Australia's Firmin Nanol reports that police in PNG's Western Highlands province found a rocket launcher and nine grenades in a traveller's baggage. The passenger arrived at Mt Hagen's Kagamuga airport via a light plane from Kikori in the Gulf province recently.
In another incident Air Niugini management confirmed that a grenade had been found in a passenger seat pocket on a flight between Buka, Rabaul, Lae and Port Moresby. The national airline has immediately taken steps to boost the checking of planes and luggage in the interests of passenger safety, including sending marshals on every flight to and from Buka.
see -- http://malumnalu.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-terrible-way-for-papua-new-guinea_05.html
see also -- http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/200901/2459446.htm
Coming Events
Inaugural Madang Golf Classic February 2009 sponsored by Airlines of PNG.
Symposium on Sea Turtles - to be held in Brisbane, Australia between the 17th and 19th of February 2009.
Oceania Snooker and Billiards titles in Port Moresby from the 20th to the 29th of March, 2009
34th Games Fishing Association PNG National Game Fishing Titles - Madang - from the 3rd of April to 13th of April 2009.
PNG Kickboxing Association has postponed its world title fight -- 25th April 2009
ANZAC Day - 25th April
Arafura Games - 9 to 17th of May 2009 -- http://www.arafuragames.nt.gov.au/
The International Cricket Council (ICC) East Asia Pacific (EAP) Under 19 Cricket Trophy tournament will be held from the 1st to the 7th of June 2009
5th National Tourism Conference -- June 2009 (date to be confirmed) - to be held at Madang Resort Hotel.
Tolai Warwagira from 8 to 14 July 2009 and Mask Festival from 15 to 18 July 2009 at Kokopo East New Britain
PNG Remembrance Day - 23rd July
45th Medical Symposium - Port Moresby - sponsored by the Pacific International Hospital from the 1st to the 5th of September 2009
National Elections - June 2012
Do you have an event that you want advertised? - use the submission form located at -- ../misc/ctc.html.
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