Links
Tree House Village web-site is now up and running -- http://www.treehouse.com.pg
The Tree House Village is about 15 minute along the scenic Buluminski Highway
from Kavieng in the New Ireland province. If anyone wants further details then
please write to Tree House Village PO Box 351 Kavieng, PNG. Phone +675 984 2666
/ facsimile +675 984 2693 or email albeck@global.net.pg
The main building (tree house) is a three story traditional building starting
five metres up a huge 200 year old callophylum tree on the edge of a lagoon.
The Balus Bar and the Raintree Restaurant are located on the first floor.
Papuan Philatelic Society -- http://www.communigate.co.uk/york/pps/index.phtml
Postal history of British New Guinea -- http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/bng.stamps/
Post PNG website -- http://www.postpng.com.pg/home.html
Tourism Sites
Air Niugini -- http://www.airniugini.com.pg
DIVErsion Dive -- http://www.diversionOZ.com/epngdive.htm
Lonely Planet Website -- http://www.lonelyplanet.com.au/dest/aust/png.htm
Madang Diving -- http://www.madangdiving.org.pg
Melanesian Tourist Services - http://www.meltours.com
MV Golden Dawn -- http://www.mvgoldendawn.com
New Ireland Tourism -- http://www.discovernewireland.com.pg
Niugini Art -- http://www.global.net.pg/niugini-art
Tourism Promotion Authority -- http://www.pngtourism.org.pg
Trans Niugini Tours -- http://www.pngtours.com
Communication Related Companies
ConXions PNG -- http://www.conxions.com.pg
TE PNG -- http://www.tepng.com
PACOM -- http://www.prosec.com.pg/pacom.
They offer a vehicle tracking device (SigTec MobiTag) which has helped to
stop a few thieves in their tracks. A PDF file is available from that website.
PACOM grew from a requirement of its parent company to have good reliable
communications. From these first steps PACOM have gone from strength to strength.
They can even boast having a Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory (PMEL/NATA)
Calibration centre.
News Items
Warangoi Power
The hydroelectric scheme at Warangoi, in East New Britain, has been threatened
by the Baining landowners who have decided to take up a fight for a better
deal for the use of their river and land.
Police Hats
> my name is David Poole I am 37yrs old and work as a navigator flight
> planner for Air New Zealand my hobby is collecting police hats and I
> would love a Royal PNG Constabulary one to finish my
> collection...well actually 2 would be better but one is better than
> none. Do you have any contacts I could try...we do have some PNG
> pilots coming thru work at the moment as they are leasing one of our
> Boeing 767s but I haven't been able to see any of them yet. I can
> trade with a NZ police helmet or Aussie hat or else something from
> NZ that they maybe interested in or even pay for one if possible. It
> has to be the visor hat not a baseball type and one that is complete
> with badge and obviously not damaged. Thanks very much for your time
> and I hope I hear back from you
>
send mail to dpoole@pnggossip.com
Quote
Thanks to Mark Wilson I can now say that the following quote can be attributed
to Douglas Casey (1992)
Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer from poor people in rich countries
to rich people in poor countries.
Fuel Prices
Fuel prices are on the rise again. This time both petrol and diesel have increased
in price.
School Fees
The price of educating children at International Education Agency run schools
has increased. The cost for early learning to pre-school will now cost K15,000
per annum, Prep school to Grade 6 - K21,000, Grade 7 to grade 8 - K23,000.
Koiari Landowners
The Koiari Landowners are set to receive a payment of K250,000 from the Government.
This is part payment of K2.7 million that is owed to the landowners of the
Sirinumu dam where Port Moresby gets water from for human consumption and
hydro electricity generation.
National Roads
A National Road Authority is to be set up to oversee the improvement of all
roads in the country. It is hoped that the Authority will be a self-financing
government agency initially responsible for the rehabilitation of the Highlands
Highway.
Oceania Championship
14 athletes have been named by the PNG Athletics Union to travel to Christchurch
in New Zealand for the Oceania Championships in December.
Morobe Police
The operation of police in Lae could grind to a halt if money can not be found
to pay for fuel and other operational costs over the Christmas period.
National Capital Water
Eda Ranu, the authority responsible for National Capital District's water
supply, has a new executive chairman. He is Mr. Eno Daera, a founding director
of Siule Real Estate in Port Moresby.
Ombudsman Commission
A reader has commented that that money used recently to bail out the Ombudsman
Commission at Deloittes Tower should really have been paid to another company
for debts outstanding for a longer period of time at their old building. The
Ombudsman Commission is still renting the old building at Garden City from
Ray White Real Estate.
Copra Production
The new minister for Agriculture and Livestock, Moses Maladina, has said that
copra producers throughout PNG must raise copra production. 80 percent of
all people involved in the production of copra are small village growers.
Defence Force Armouries
Three new modern armouries are to be built for the Papua New Guinea Defence
Force (PNGDF) by AusAID in a bid to improve security of military weapons in
the country. The armouries similar to three already built in Port Moresby
will be worth about A$2 million
PNGDF Retrenchment
It has been reported that the retrenchment exercise being carried out by the
PNG Defence Force is progressing well. The Australian Government has provided
A$40 million towards the exercise.
PNGDF Vehicles
> I am trying to get some images of general service vehicles used by the
> PNGDF, particularly Land Rovers in Army service. Regards Brenton R.
> O'Brien (send email to bobrien@pnggossip.com)
Buin Hospital
The Buin District Hospital requires the services of a specialist doctor. The
hospital is the referral centre for South Bougainville. The sole doctor, who
works in the hospital, leaves next month for Moresby to complete his residency.
Western Highlands
Paias Wingti, the Governor of the Western Highlands, has officially launched
a K3 million road upgrading program for the province.
Air Niugini
The National Airline has been plagued by faulty aircraft and cancelled flights.
To make matters worse people who were previously board members of Air Niugini
still expect to be carted around on a director's discounted fare and then
get upset when they are off loaded to make way for full fare paying passengers.
Air Niugini has just taken delivery of another F28 4000 series from the defunct
Flight West Airlines in Australia. The plane has had a thorough going over
in Australia and should be able to be in service with the national airline
for the peak period over Christmas New Year.
Air Niugini sources have warned of a possible increase in airfares due to
the costs of aviation fuel and aircraft parts all of which are pegged to the
US Dollar.
A rumour is saying that Air Niugini now has a new board of directors. Replacing
the Joe Tauvasa led board appointed after the demise of Sir Michael Bromley
immediately after the elections. The new board is headed by Joe Tauvasa but
with different members to the one he has been leading recently.
Price Increase
Merchants have been warned not to take advantage of the fall in the Kina by
increasing prices, even prices of old stocks. Marking up the prices of old
stock is deemed illegal but this does not seem to have stopped many of the
shops increasing prices overnight.
The price of flour has risen by 12 percent. It is not known what effect this
will have on the cost of bread and other products that use flour.
Besta Tinned Fish is set to rise as well. The company located in Lae imports
almost all the ingredients for the brand of tinned fish that it sells around
PNG.
Yahoo
If anyone is using a Yahoo account to receive this newsletter I suggest that
you review the following page -- http://subscribe.yahoo.com/showaccount.
Rural Development
The parliamentarians are set to receive K250,000 under the Rural development
Program (RDP) before Parliament rises for Christmas. Wish I could get a Christmas
present like that. I wonder how the government can afford such a gift when
public servants are not being paid on time, prisoners aren't being fed, the
Highlands highway is in a mess, the road works in Moresby are half completed
and have been that way for weeks plus a whole lot more all due to a lack of
money?
Gas Project
A critical countdown is now on for the players in the US3.5 billion (K15.3
billion) Papua New Guinea to Queensland gas pipeline to commit to the next
phase of the long-delayed project. The Government intends to set up two new
subsidiaries of the Mineral Resources Development Corporation (MRDC); one
responsible for holding the Government's equity in the gas project, and the
other in oil and petroleum.
They are:
1. Eda Gas
2. Eda Oil
The Queensland, Australia Government has said that it supports the PNG Gas
project and wants to see it get off the ground.
Pre Paid Web Access
For visitors coming to PNG and wishing to have an Internet Connection Daltron
have pre-paid web access available starting from K66 for 10 hours up to K154
for 40 hours. The customer is not charged a connection fee or any other monthly
fees. Users are, however, charged a fee by the telephone company for access
as well. For more information please contact sales@daltron.com.pg
or visit their website at http://www.daltron.com.pg
Internet Service Providers
Daltron -- http://www.daltron.com.pg
Data Nets -- http://www.online.net.pg
Datec -- http://www.datec.net.pg
Global Technologies -- http://www.global.net.pg
Cassowary
Some information on the cassowary that is now considered endangered. Cassowaries,
smaller than the ostrich and emu, can grow to be up to 2 metres (6 feet) high
and weigh as much as 60 kg (130 pounds). There has been a report from here
(PNG) of one weighing 86 Kilograms. They defend themselves by kicking with
dagger like claws on its toes. A kick from a cassowary can rip open a human's
stomach. They are a flightless, swift-running, pugnacious forest bird. Their
plumage is dark and glossy and the head and neck unfeathered. The head bears
a horny crest. They are fast runners, attaining speeds up to 50 kilometres
(30 miles) per hour. The female Cassowary lays a clutch of four to ten eggs.
The male Cassowary incubates the eggs
Cassowaries feed on fallen fruit, but will eat almost anything, including
birds, dead rats, reptiles, and even fungi that they might find on the ground.
Unlike most seed eating birds, which swallow grit to help in grinding up the
food in the stomach, the cassowary's stomach appears to massage the flesh
off the seed. Many of these seeds excreted are still viable and in fact may
benefit from the scarifying effect of the bird's stomach. Cassowaries are
important disperser's of seed of the larger fruited forest trees, which may
be deposited many kilometres from where they were picked up. The survival
of these plants is apparently intricately bound with the survival of the cassowary.
It is believed that Europeans sighted the first cassowary when one was taken
back to Amsterdam, Holland, where it arrived in 1597 and was presented to
the Holy Emperor Rudolf II as a gift and was put on public display for some
years. One bird at Healesville Sanctuary in Australia has been recorded as
living to 61+ years.
Computer Companies in PNG
Able Computing -- http://www.able.com.pg
Daltron -- http://www.daltron.com.pg
Data Nets -- http://www.datanets.com.pg
Datec -- http://www.datec.com.pg
HT PNG (formerly High Tech Industries) -- http://www.hightech.com.pg/
Global Technologies -- http://www.global.net.pg
Kick Boxing
A grade seven 14 year old girl, Cathy Karo, has won the Miss Highlands regional
kickboxing contest held in Kundiawa recently. World Kick boxing champion Stanley
Nandex presented her with her medal.
British Week
Connect UK in association with the British High Commission has planned a British
cultural celebration starting on the 22nd of November and going through to
the 11th of December.
Australian Aid
The leader of the Australian delegation to the 14th PNG-Australia Ministerial
Forum, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, has said that Australia
was prepared to provide some "reprioritisation" to the tune of K100
million if PNG's financial reforms proved successful.
This means that the PNG Government will now have to concentrate on its "home
grown structural reform program", consistent with the World Bank and
International Monetary Fund guidelines.
2003 Public Holidays
Thanks to PNG Business Directory -- http://www.pngbd.com
for supplying the following dates for Public Holidays in 2003.
1st January, Wednesday - New Years Day
18th April, Friday - Good Friday
19th April, Saturday - Easter Saturday
20th April, Sunday - Easter Sunday
21st April, Monday - Easter Monday
9th June, Monday - Queen's Birthday
23rd July, Wednesday - Remembrance Day
16th September, Tuesday - Independence Day
25th December, Thursday - Christmas Day
26th December, Friday - Boxing Day
Bendigo Books
About 40,000 books have arrived from Spring Gully Primary School near Bendigo
Victoria, Australia. The books are a donation from the staff and children
at Spring Gully and were flown in by an Australian Air force Hercules.
Tari - Southern Highlands
A high level AusAID delegation from the Australian High Commission in Port
Moresby and Canberra were taken on a tour of the trouble-torn Hela region
in the Southern Highlands Province recently.
Wewak Housing
42 houses in Wewak have been identified by the National Housing Commission
for give away to the tenants. tenants will have to pay any outstanding rental
and a K450 statutory charge before being given title to the houses they are
occupying.
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
use the contact form
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queue please use the contact form
Some of the above are courtesy of Liz and her friends at the University of
Technology in Lae. http://www.unitech.ac.pg
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PNG Gossip Newsletter Archive
22
Sep 2002