Links
http://www.online.net.pg/-tabis
-- Tabubil International School
http://www.spjc.org -- 15th Annual South
Pacific Judicial Conference website.
http://www.pngbuai.com -- PNG BUAI (Papua
New Guinea Books Useful Articles & Information) seeks to provide a virtual
home for a growing collection of research level electronic material on and
from Papua New Guinea.
News Items
Christmas
To all the readers of this newsletter who celebrate Christmas -- A very Merry
Christmas to you.
The Christmas star has appeared on the top of Signal Hill
at Murray Barracks in Port Moresby. The road to the top of the hill is so
bad that not even a four-wheel drive vehicle was able to help carry the star
to the top of the hill. Soldiers had to man handle the star and then have
enough energy to erect the structure.
PNG Religious Sites
Anglican Church of PNG -- http://portmoresby.anglican.org
Catholic Church of PNG & Solomon Islands -- http://www.catholicpng.org.pg
Pioneer Bible Translators -- http://www.pioneerbible.org.pg
Religious Television Association -- http://www.rtapng.com.pg
Ukarumpa Alumni -- http://www.ukarumpa.net
Ukarumpa Mission Station -- http://www.ukarumpa.com
United Pentecostal Assemblies of PNG -- http://www.upcpng.org
Contribution
Here is a contribution from Kevin in Western Australia.
I am reading C.A.W. Monckton's "Some Experiences of a New Guinea Resident
Magistrate" first published early last century. A great read! Reference
in the text to 'Giaman' shows that its origin is English in the form of the
word 'gammon'. Monckton was very unkind to Pidgin English in the book's preface
and it is interesting that his use of the word 'Gammon' in relation to some
natives who were telling a few fibs obviously precedes its use in Pidgin English.
Moresby Hospital
The National Capital District Commission has given the Port Moresby General
Hospital K100,000 worth of assistance. The money is part of a K500,000 grant
for then year 2002 from the Commission. So far this year the Commission has
only donated K313,00 including this latest payment. Another donation is expected
before the end of the year.
National Capital Commission
The new board of the National Capital District Commission (NCDC), under the
guidance of the chairman, Jack Pidik, is keen to get the NCDC back on track.
The NCDC in recent times has diverted funds to other areas and has been seen
to neglect its municipal responsibilities. Mr Pidik has called on businesses
within the NCDC area to assist wherever possible to assist organisations such
as the Port Moresby General Hospital.
Mr Pidik has received death threats allegedly due to the tough stand his
board has taken on corruption in the city council.
Electricity
Consumers of electricity have been advised that there will be a 15 percent
increase in what they have to pay for power next year if they have meters
otherwise the people using easy-pay have an immediate increase. PNG Power
has said that the increase is 12 months behind which probably means more increases
are to be sought from the price controller.
Post PNG
Post PNG is set to turn a profit at the end of this financial year. In the
previous five years Post PNG has accumulated losses of K19 million but this
year a small profit of K2 million is anticipated.
Police Ministry
Politician Peter Yama has said that he will not takeover the police ministry
whilst he is under investigation. He has said that it would be morally wrong
and that his conscience tells him it would be wrong. The leadership charges
he is to face are not yet known.
Diabetes
Reports from major hospitals in PNG have indicated that diabetes is on the
increase. The Port Moresby Hospital is seeing at least 135 new cases every
year but many cases are not recognised by the individual until it is too late.
The increase has been attributed to eating non-traditional fast food.
Cocoa Board
Private accounting firm Tengdui and Associates have revealed that the previous
Cocoa Industry Board spent more than K2 million on travel in three years.
It has also been stated that the daily allowance given to officers was three
to four times of what other government and statutory authorities give their
workers on duty travel.
Mount Pago
The Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA) has given 32 cartons
of masks to victims of the Mt Pago volcano. The 32 cartons contained almost
8000 masks.
Tourism Promotion Authority
The following people have been appointed to the board of the Tourism Promotion
Authority.
Nick Kumine -- Ex-officio chairman
Thadeus Kambanei -- Finance department,
Warren Daniels -- hoteliers,
Ruth Japhlom -- tour operators,
Bob Martin - national airline,
Justin Tkatchenko -- tourist attraction section,
Peter Honale -- recognised tourism industry,
Florian Bahin -- general tourism and
Esau Niba -- charter airlines.
Madang / UPNG
The University of PNG (UPNG) has signed a five year agreement with the Madang
Provincial Government for its distance education program in the province.
This system will make it possible for people in Madang to study for a bachelor,
masters or post graduate degree from UPNG.
Bougainville
The PNG Defence Force Soldiers stationed on Bougainville require at least
K500,000 to pay outstanding bills and to ensure that the soldiers do not go
hungry over the Christmas New Year period. It has been reported that the army
has not received funds for the soldiers on Bougainville since April this year.
NPF Inquiry
The Parliament of PNG has adopted the NPF report. This means that the police
and the Ombudsman Commission can now go ahead and investigate people mentioned
in the report. Several prominent PNG citizens have been implicated in the
report. Speaker Bill Skate, Labour and Industrial Relations Minister - Peter
O'Neill, Gulf Governor - Chris Haiveta and Former NPF Chairman - Jimmy Maladina
have all rated a mention in the report.
US Lawsuit
The multimillion US Dollar class action lawsuit that the Bougainvilleans are
bringing against mining giant Rio Tinto will still go ahead in USA.
Port Moresby Roads
The Prime Minister, Michael Somare, has given his assurance that funds will
be made available to help finish off the outstanding roadworks in Port Moresby.
Many residents of the National Capital have to drive over rapidly deteriorating
temporary bush tracks to get to or from work and drop their kids off at school.
National Gaming Board
The National Court has cleared the former boss of the National Gaming Control
Board of 47 counts of misappropriation whilst in office. The Judge slammed
the State for not proving beyond a reasonable doubt the charges that the State
had laid against Paul Aisa.
Department Heads
Many heads of government departments and statutory bodies have signed employment
contracts. The Governor General, Sir Silas Atopare, has called on the departmental
heads to serve both the government and the people of PNG with loyalty and
dedication.
Weight Lifting
The PNG power lifting team to the Oceania championships have returned with
three gold medals and one bronze. Overall the PNG team finished third behind
Australia (2nd) and New Zealand in first place.
Chinese English
Overheard at the Aussie High Comm the other day. The lady behind the counter
was explaining to the customer about some documents. The conversation went
along these lines.
Do you want us to post them for you or will you courier them? The customer
replied "No, me not Korea -- me China" This went on for a while
until the lady behind the counter got the message across by mentioning sending
via TNT. Getting the message across is a bit hard to do when you have to talk
through the security glass at the High Comm.
Mekere Morauta
The former Prime Minister, Mekere Morauta, has been dumped by his party in
favour of Bulolo MP John Muingnepe as the PNG Opposition Leader. It is thought
that the move may have been orchestrated by another former prime minister.
Paias Wingti.
Paias Wingti, the Western Highlands Premier, is now back at the head of the
People's Democratic Party(PDM).
Sir Mekere claims that he is STILL the leader of PDM.
PNG Gas Pipeline
The Queensland (Australia) Premier Peter Beattie has said that Queensland
would offer to send advisers to help the PNG Government negotiate deals with
local landowners to ensure they did not intentionally disrupt supply once
the gas pipeline was operational. Mr Beattie also revealed a bold tourism
plan being pursued by his Queensland government that would see cruise ships
packed with wealthy European and American holiday makers sailing between Queensland,
Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.
Southern Highlands leaders have warned that it would be a "time bomb"
if the Queensland gas pipeline deal was allowed to go ahead before the supplementary
elections in the province were held.
Civil Aviation
The head of the Civil Aviation Authority, Miria Ume, has been suspended. The
suspension has come after the renewal of Mr Ume's contract for another four
years.
IPBC
It has been claimed the Independent Public Business Corporation is insolvent.
If the IPBC is going to be effective in helping to sell off government assets
worth K200 million then the government will need to inject at least K8 million
into it. The IPBC was the successor to the Privatisation Commission.
Maternal Death Rate
The Maternal Death Rate for PNG woman has been reported as being the highest
in the western pacific area. The rate is 370 deaths for every 100,000 mothers
in PNG. Many mothers die during the delivery of their children.
Cyanide Spill
In March 2000 the Hevi-Lift helicopter company dropped a one tonne drum of
cyanide, intended for the Tolukuma gold mine, 15 kilometres south of the mine.
The compensation claims have reached K70 million which the company feels is
excessive when they say the claim should be in the thousands and not millions.
PNG Defence Force
A PNG Defence Force pilot, Major Dennis Gareitz, has died only hours before
he was due to be flown to Australia for a kidney transplant after a donation
from the Australian Defence Force.
TPA Germany
The Tourism office in Germany seems to be treated like a political football
every time the politicians and government departments start counting toeas.
It is unknown how many tourists from Europe that the office brings in but
it would be a substantial amount of both tourists and the all important money
that the tourists tend to spend once they get here.
The office has been run by Air Niugini and then bounced around to the Tourism
Promotion Authority in the past. Maybe it is now time for Air Niugini to pick
up the job again?
Hospital Power
It has been claimed that many hospitals around the country will soon have
to close due to the large sums of money owed to PNG Power for the supply of
electricity.
Warangoi Power
The Baining landowners at Warangoi have been told that the East New Britain
Provincial Government will not hesitate to use force against them if they
shut down the Warangoi hydro power plant. The landowners issued a 10 days
ultimatum that they would shut down the plant if land compensation claims
were not met.
2003 Budget
The Somare-Marat 2003 Budget has been passed by parliament on the same day
Sir Mekere Morauta lost his leadership of the opposition. PNG Power has already
sent a notice to the Wewak hospital giving notice that PNG Power would disconnect
the power to non-essential areas of the hospital if the outstanding bills
were not settled soon.
PNG Media
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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