Recommended Sites
Not too far from the town of Port Moresby is the Island Resort of Loloata. They have a web site at http://www.loloata.com.
Take a look at DIVErsion Dive Travel & Training in Cairns, Australia at http://www.diversionOZ.com/epngdive.htm
Another site worth visiting, especially if you are into diving is http://www.walindi.com
Arghh!!!
After preparing a list of the current PNG cabinet members I read in today's paper that Ian Ling-Stuckey has been replaced by Pila Niningi. To see a current?? list please visit http://www.michie.net/pnggoss/png-govt.html but be warned due to the nature of politics in Papua New Guinea it may be out of date! This is a gossip newsletter so what does it matter if it's wrong.
Politicians
For all of you who are unsure about who is whom in the current government I have created a web page with all the cabinet listed in detail. If you want to know who is the Minister for Defence in look at this web page but be warned due to the volatile nature of PNG politics the list could already be out of date. The page is located at http://www.michie.net/pnggoss/png-govt.html
Opposition
The PNG Opposition wants the PM to resign and them renominate himself to prove that he has the numbers in Parliament.
Deputy PM
The Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), the only remaining major coalition partner in the present Govt., is poised to make a grab for the Deputy PM position.
Singirok
Transparency International has slammed the reappointment of the former sacked Defence Commander.
Paper Making
Toshiro Nishida, from Japan, has demonstrated making paper by hand to students of Ara primary school at Mawan about 45km from Madang town.
MRDF
Dr John Fallon, who is the director of Australian consultancy, Economic Insights, said that there is a major problem with the transparency and understanding of the Mineral Resources Development Fund and a review of the fund should sort out these issues.
Elcom
The Elcom General Manager has said he would like Elcom to become the least cost utility in the pacific region. He also said that Elcom was in a poor financial position and blamed this on a number of events and situations. One reason was the huge amount of money owed to Elcom. He said that government organisations alone owed Elcom about K8 million in unpaid electricity bills.
Air Niugini
PX has just lost its Information Technology Manager as well as the Brisbane Manager. Is this "rats" deserting the sinking ship?
Bougainville
Brigadier General Jerry Singirok has claimed that there is no military solution to solving the Bougainville crisis
Pious Wingti
Mentioned here recently must be thinking of making a comeback to politics now that the Governor of his province is accused of so much.
Radar Network
Auatrlian commercial and intelligence interests are trying to block a US$32 million contract which the Papua New Guinea government awarded to an Italian company to establish a radar network within PNG, claims a civil aviation expert.
Telikom
The Telecom Workers Union have been told their strike is illegal because the dispute they have is not with their employer but rather a third party.
Elcom
Due to tropical storms Port Moresby was without power for up to 12 hours on Sunday night. The storm knocked down three power poles providing electricity from the Rouna Hydro-electric scheme. Is this a case of the poles getting older and not being maintained?
Miss PNG
Helai Oala (Miss National Capital District) has been crowned Miss Papua New Guinea. Cheryl Fernandez was crowned Miss Charity Queen. The contestants raised in excess of K300,000. The charity queen raised a total of K123,429
Army
The headquarters of the 1st Royal Pacific Islands Regiment (1RPIR) at Taurama Barracks in Port Moresby was burnt down on Monday (26/10) The cause of the fire is not known.
Chimbu
The courts have awarded a tribe in the Chimbu province K713,000 compensation for an illegal raid carried out by police on their village in July 1990.
Bougainville
"George(s) Lessard" media@citenet.net has been kind enough to forward the following information for other lists which might be relevant to people interested in Papua New Guinea.
QUOTE
mail-TO: N.BRAumann@tu-bs.de (I'm the "owner" of BougI-L and BougI-xL)
Subject: [un?] subscribe BougI-L [or BougI-xL] <your_eMail_address>
if possible, copy the Subject also into your mail itself (the "body"). if you want to change the list, write "change" instead of "subscribe".
Here is an introduction written by the list owner.
INTRODUCTION to the Bougainville Info - Lists [BougI-L] & [BougI-xL]
For quite a long time now, I have been distributing news and background information on the copper-rich and war-torn island of Bougainville, which "belongs" politically to 700 km distant Papua New Guinea (PNG) but has been fighting for its self-determination for over nine years now. Up to 20.000 of the once 160.000 Bougainvilleans have lost their lives (about 40.000 live as refugees) mainly due to an (almost) complete military blockade by the PNG "Defence Force" until mid-97 - which has targeted medical supplies above all - but also through the bloody and often merciless war between the PNGDF and its auxiliary "Resistance Forces" - backed militarily and financially by the Australian government - on the one hand and the independence movement on the other. The independence movement has a military wing, the BRA (=Bougainville Revolutionary Army) and a closely associated political organisation, the BIG (=Bougainville Interim Government). The BRA was formed in the initial period of the conflict, between Nov.88 and mid-89. The BIG, constituted in early 1990, declared the island independent on 17.5.90, after an initial victory of the BRA had forced the PNG army and its Australian ally to withdraw from the island in March 1990. A determined attempt at the reconquest of Bougainville began late 1990, based on attempts to set the multiple Bougainville "tribes" against one another and on the total blockade of the BIG/BRA controlled areas. In early 1995 the PNG government, with Australian support, formed a "Bougainville Transitional Government" (BTG), based in the small northern island of Buka. The strongest base of the BRA is situated in Central Bougainville in the area around the Panguna copper mine, which was run by BCL (=Bougainville Copper Ltd.) which is mainly owned by the Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto. The mine was opened against strenuous opposition by the local population between 1969 and 1972 (production start). The BRA closed it definitely in May 1989 since for the former landowners (and other natives) the Panguna mining meant dispossession and exploitation (of land and people) and heavy environmental devastation and poisoning.
After the last election in June 1997 the PNG government of Prime Minister Skate embarked in peace talks without preconditions with the leaders of the BIG/BRA (and the other Bougainville fractions). Currently a formal ceasefire has been negotiated after a truce has now held for several months. This Lincoln Agreement on peace comprises a "permanent and irrevocable ceasefire" from 30.April on, talks within the next six months about the future political status of Bougainville, elections of a "Bougainville Reconciliation Government" this year, and phased substitution of the PNG troops by local police forces. But scepsis is still more than advisable since the reopening of the Panguna mine seems to be still on the agenda of at least Australia as foreign minister Downer said: "I have worked hard to make sure we keep the mine completely out of sight for all of these talks. It is the most emotive and the most difficult issue of all." WHOSE ISSUE?!
But however it may come - after horrific losses (more than 10% of the population) the desire for peace is intense amongst the people of Bougainville.
Okay - after this short political Introduction, here comes the technical one. I will be running TWO DIFFERING mailing lists so YOU must DECIDE on how interested you are:
[BougI-L] Bougainville Info - List
for ALL the news and "papers" I find in the net. This "normal" list suites to activists or the very interested to get an overview on what is published on the whole issue.
[BougI-xL] Bougainville Info eXcerpts or Bougainville Info eXtended List (incl. BougI-L subscribers) for interested people, specialised journalists, or for the overloaded activists who don't need to know all the details. This mailing list will cover say about a third of BougI-L.
Currently there are 30 subscribers on [BougI-L] and 25 on [BougI-xL].
END QUOTE
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