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.
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
Swamp Ghost
The Swamp Ghost has been the centre of much controversy over the attempted movement of the old World War II Boeing B17E Bomber from what should have been its final resting place to overseas. Read about the history of the aircraft by visiting -- http://theswampghost.com/
PNG History
If you are looking for the history of PNG then a good place to start is the Wikipedia free encyclopaedia as well as the other links below.
-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Papua_New_Guinea
-- http://sg.travel.yahoo.com/guide/australasia_and_pacific/papua_new_guinea/history.html
-- http://www.world66.com/asia/southeastasia/papuanewguinea/history
-- http://www.michie.net/balus/px-history.html -- (Air Niugini - not complete)
-- http://www.michie.net/balus/cg-history.html -- (Aviation Database of PNG - very incomplete!)
If anyone can add to the Air Niugini or the Airlines of PNG (Milne Bay Air) history please send an email to this newsletter and I will pass it on. Does anyone have a picture of the MBA, Grumman Goose?
Morobe Violence
Police say the violence in the Morobe township of Bulolo started over a portable radio. The clash involved people originally from Tari, in Southern Highlands province -- read the story on the Radio Australia web site -- http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1931155.htm
PNG Research
http://www.rcf.org.pg -- Research and Conservation Foundation. RCF works with landowners, related government departments and local and international organisations to conserve the unique biodiversity and related cultural history of the Crater Mountain Wildlife management Area.
http://www.pngimr.org.pg -- Institute of Medical Research has its headquarters in the Eastern Highlands Province
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
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
News Items
Fair Elections
Jeffery Nape, the Speaker of the National Parliament, has called for a free and fair election to allow people to exercise their full constitutional and democratic rights to vote for leaders. He urged candidates not to use intimidation and bribery to lure voters, instead respect them to exercise their democratic and constitutional rights to cast votes for any candidates of their choice.
Eye Specialists
A team of eye specialists from Australia, a young national doctor from Port Moresby, are in Wewak, East Sepik province to perform cataract operations over a five-day period. The operations have been carried out at no cost to the Government of PNG. The team has also donated various microscopes to Goroka, Wewak, Kavieng and some other hospitals in the country over the years and that "reflects their readiness in helping PNG become a cataract free country.
Party Jumpers
The Registrar of Political Parties and Candidates, Paul Bengo, has warned successful candidates that if they change parties after nominating and if they win the elections their election would be declared null and void.
Political parties have been warned they have 48 hours from tomorrow to verify their list of endorsed candidates for the 2007 general elections or risk having them listed as Independent Candidates.
Wewak Police Building
It is believed that arsonists burnt down the auxiliary police station situated next to the Wewak district administration facilities. Police have detained eight suspects from the neighbouring settlements for questioning in relation to the fire. The building was made from bush materials and had a thatched grass roof. Police lost a telephone, uniforms and files of summary offences handled by auxiliary police personnel each day in the fire.
Maprik Conflict
Police in Maprik East Sepik province have been fired upon by unknown gunmen in Yambi village near Pagwi while they were in the area to investigate reports of break and enter and theft. The provincial police commander chief Supt Leo Kabilo has travelled to the area where the incident took place, to hold talks with community leaders to help identify and bring those responsible to justice. Supt Kabilo said police had taken in some suspects for questioning in relation to the fire but were later released due to lack of evidence.
Daulo Pass
The Daulo Landowners Association is demanding millions in compensation over their grievances over the Highlands Highway at Daulo Pass in the Eastern Highlands province. Crucial maintenance of the fast-deteriorating portion of the Highway has grounded to a halt because of persistent compensation demand by the local people. The highway has been reduced to a five-metre wide strip while more than half the stretch has been eroded by rainwater and water deliberately being diverted by the locals.
Siassi Islanders
Ritter Island - an active volcano - is causing problems for nearby Siassi Islanders following a recent eruption which triggered an earthquake and huge waves. Hundreds of people from Kabi and Kampalap villages have fled to the mountains fearing a tsunami. Ritter Island is located between Siassi Island in Morobe province and West New Britain province. There are fears fro the welfare of islanders living on the smaller islands neat the volcano. The Volcano Observatory in Rabaul has said that there is no further indication of volcanic activity.
People are refusing to return home until PNG volcano assessed. See report on the Radio New Zealand web site -- http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=32456
Emergency Services
Cabinet has approved a proposal to amalgamate the PNG Fire Service, the National Disaster Centre and the Ambulance Service into a single body known as PNG Emergency Service. There is also another proposal to set up a National Disaster Fund with an estimated K20 million which is yet to be approved. The merger is aimed at providing effective service with the limited resources to counter disasters and emergencies. It is hoped that the rationalising of the services will speed the response process during times of disaster and emergency.
Kokoda Track
Three principal landowners of the Kokoda Track have threatened to close the track if the Kokoda Tracking Authority (KTA) does not help to fund a candidate in the coming elections to the tune of K40,000. The landowners have also called on KTA executive manager Warren Bartlet to withdraw comments he made about the alleged mismanagement of K18,000 by KTA board members including the candidate who was a member of the KTA board.
Independent Candidates
Over half of the 2,700 candidates contesting next month's general election are not affiliated with a political party. A total of 1,625 are independent candidates. The National Alliance party has nominated the largest number of candidates - 82 - among the registered parties.
A total of 91 women are contesting, 42 of them as independents.
Tuberculosis
Sir Peter Barter, the Minister for Health, has informed the World Health Organisation in Geneva that the number of TB cases being recorded in PNG did not give a true picture because these were only based on case notifications. He said the situation was getting worse because of the deterioration of the health services and the increase in HIV and AIDS cases.
As a country, PNG ranks third (233/100,000 per year; 44/100,000 and 42/100,000 per year respectively) in terms of estimated incidence, prevalence and death rates in the Western Pacific Region.
Manus Aid Posts
Twelve vandalised aid posts in Manus province will be maintained using K100,000 received as an award for the second most efficient province in delivering health services to its people.
Police Discipline
The Police Commissioner, Geoffrey Vaki, has announced his plan to restore discipline on all fronts within the police force. Mr Vaki will start the campaign in Port Moresby before moving to the other provinces. He said the constabulary was guided by procedures but these rules are not being followed.
Student Clash
A violent clash between male students from Vunabosco Agro-technical School and St Mary's Vuvu Secondary School brought traffic in Kokopo to a halt recently. The fight erupted, after a sporting carnival between the two school, when the students were travelling towards town in their respective school trucks. It is claimed that students were throwing objects and abuse at each other as they travelled along the road.
PNG Dentists
Colgate-Palmolive PNG has announced sponsorship of K300,000 over a five-year period for the PNG Dental School. The sponsorship involves an initial donation of K200,000 for renovation of the facilities at the school, located within the University of PNG's School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Port Moresby General Hospital, and an additional K20,000 each year for five years.
Finance Inquiry
Yet another inquiry has been shelved. This time it is the Inquiry into the Finance Department. Transparency International PNG has expressed its anger at the Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare's announcement to suspend the Commission of Inquiry in the Finance Department.
Transparency International PNG (TIPNG) said in a recent statement the inquiry was seen as an important and positive step forward in combating corruption in the public sector. It said the inquiry was a means of getting to the root of corruption in the country.
The suspension was reportedly because Sir Michael was worried about the credibility of the inquiry following revelations that two of its senior investigators had been involved in facilitating fraudulent payments whilst they were with the Finance Department, the very department the commission was investigating.
Sir Michael has said the inquiry was suspended because the commission had spent large sums of money and had requested for more. He said the Commission of Inquiry will continue after a review of the areas of investigation.
Welsh Culture Shock
Here is a news item for David Clues.
The chief and two other members of the Swagap tribe of the Sepik have experienced a fair degree of culture shock on their trip to Wales to stay at an 80-acre sheep farm near Abergavenny. The members of the tribe were able to experience snow for the first time and using hawks to hunt prey.
Full story can be found at -- http://tinyurl.com/23p5la -- or -- http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_headline=jungle-tribe-members-come-to-wales&method=full&objectid=19140300&siteid=50082-name_page.html
Crash Landing
An Airlink Cessna aircraft recently crash landed at Goroka airport. The pilot landed the plane from the northern end of the airport and skidded the plane into the fence at the southern end before ending up on what appears to be the airport ring road rather than the Highlands Highway which is at the end of the runway (when landing the wrong way!) No fire tuck attended the incident and an ambulance turned up an hour after the event. The four passengers and the pilot of the aircraft walked away badly shaken but relatively unharmed.
A Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) officer said the Goroka Airport was a "one way landing and take off" airport unlike Nadzab, Jackson, Madang, Boram, Momote, Kagamuga, Vanimo and Tokua.
CAA boss. Joe Kintau has been quoted as saying that the accident has been attributed to pilot error but CAA is doing a thorough investigation of the airline to ensure all safety rules were followed.
Visit the Professional Pilots Rumour Network as a guest for more info and pictures of P2-ALK -- http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=276563
Tourism Plan
The government will commit K39 million over three years to implement a tourism master plan. The goal of the tourism master plan will be to coordinate the development of the tourism industry over the next 10 years through proper marketing, investment incentives and product development, transport and infrastructure, human resources development and institutions and industry partnership. One of the measures already approved by cabinet is the waiver of entry visa fees for bona-fide tourists from major markets such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the United States and Europe.
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
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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