P.N.G. Gossip Newsletter - 6 Mar 2004

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PNG Gossip Newsletter Meri Milne Bay

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Papua New Guinea Gossip Newsletter


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PNG Gossip Blog

 

 

 

Neo Melanesian

"Pidgin English"
Tok Pisin
English
anien onion
belo kaikai noon
kai bar / kaibar takeaway food bar
kaikai food / meal
kaikai long belo dinner
kaikai long moning breakfast
kaikaim bite / eat
kakao cocoa
kakaruk chicken / fowl
kapiak breadfruit
kulau green coconut
kumu potato / wild sweet potato
kumu / sayor / grins / saior vegetables / greens
kunai sword grass
laulau Malay apple
liklik kaikai or belo lunch

 

 

Remember that this mailing list is mainly meant for people who have an interest and already know a little bit about the people and geography of Papua New Guinea. The PNG Kina, which is mentioned from time to time in this newsletter, is currently worth around 29 - 29.5 United States cents but varies on a daily basis.

If you are really keen on finding out what the Kina is worth a currency converter for most world currencies can be located at http://www.michie.net/pnginfo/moni.html

Want to find out more about Papua New Guinea? Try searching at http://www.michie.net/pnginfo and http://www.michie.net/png_faqs. The PNG Business and Tourism Directory located at http://www.pngbd.com is also an excellent place to look for PNG information.

For those who are not so familiar with the geography of Papua New Guinea I suggest taking a look http://maps.expedia.com and then click on the find a map option. Go to this link for a quick start to a link to a map of Port Moresby. http://www.michie.net/pnginfo/pom-map.html

Also remember that the accuracy of the information in this newsletter should not be relied upon - it is, after all, a gossip newsletter.



Links

Tok Pisin Language



Here is an article on - "Tok Pisin" - The National Language of Papua New Guinea --
http://www.siu.edu/departments/cola/ling/reports/Etepa/ -- Prepared and written by Edward Etepa.

Here is a paragraph from the article.

The historical beginning of Tok Pisin can be traced in the early 18th century, however, it does not appear fully formed until mid 1885. Its genesis was the result of a gradually stabilizing and expanding contact language which went through the following stages of development: jargon stage, to stable pidgin, expanded pidgin, followed by creolisation on the notion of the pidgin/creole life cycle. The history of Tok Pisin is complex, recent research by numerous pidgin/Creole linguists have shown that it would be an oversimplification of the situation to suggest that Tok Pisin represents a direct linear descendant of Pacific Jargon English which developed in several varieties in various parts of the South Pacific before the middle of the 19th century as a result of contacts between Europeans and South Sea islanders.

Jimmy Harlindong, who looks after various websites about Papua New Guinea, has announced that he has readied his Pidgin / English / Motu dictionary website located at http://www.pngbd.com/dictionary.php to a stage where it can be used. It allows the user to lookup the meaning of words in all directions. Of course, like any web site, it will never be finished so if you have some words to add or alterations that need to be done then let me know and I will pass them on to Jimmy.

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PNG Tourism Promotion Web Site



The official website of the Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority can be found at -- http://www.pngtourism.org.pg -- If you are interested in Papua New Guinea then this is the web site to visit at least once before you arrive.

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Tourism Sites



Air Niugini -- http://www.airniugini.com.pg
DIVErsion Dive -- http://www.diversionoz.com/en/png.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
Niugini Art -- http://www.global.net.pg/niugini-art
Niugini Diving -- http://www.niuginidiving.com
Tourism Promotion Authority -- http://www.paradiselive.org.pg
Trans Niugini Tours -- http://www.pngtours.com

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Jane Resture



If you want good information about PNG then I cannot recommend highly enough Jane's PNG web pages starting at -- http://www.janeresture.com/png_home/index.htm --

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Education Web Sites



http://www.ibs.com.pg -- International Business Institute
http://www.iea.ac.pg -- International Education Agency
http://www.iti.com.pg -- PNG International Training Institute
http://www.pngmc.ac.pg -- PNG Maritime College
http://www.pta.com.pg -- Pacific Training Academy
http://www.unitech.ac.pg -- PNG University of Technology (Lae)
http://www.uog.ac.pg -- University of Goroka
http://www.upng.ac.pg -- University of PNG
http://www.workersmutual.com.pg -- Computer Training

 

News Items

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Internet Kiosks



Air Niugini in conjunction with a local Internet Service provider is about to introduce Internet ready computers for its Executive Club members. Initially they will be set up at the Jackson's airport International and Domestic Paradise Lounges but if this proves to be successful then there is a possibility of extending the service to some of the main domestic outports. Just as Air Niugini has found an employee with the drive to get the Paradise Lounges going the employee has decided to leave the shores for Australia. It is hoped that Air Niugini can find someone with the same drive to expand on the work already started.

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Coming Events



The 4th Annual Forest Investment Seminar is being held on the 17th of March at the Crowne Plaza in Port Moresby.

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PNG Awards



PNG is introducing its own honours system to eventually replace the Imperial (British) Honours System which has been in use in the country since Independence in 1975. The awards will be known as the Order of Logohu and will be modeled on the British Imperial system. "Logohu" is a Motuan word for the national symbol of PNG - the Bird of Paradise.

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Lae Morgue



After a mass burial of bodies the morgue at Angau Memorial hospital in Lae, Morobe province is now open again. Some of the reasons given for having to do a mass burial are that society has come to ignore the dead and others simply say that it is a fact that burials cost money and money is in short supply.

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Fokker F100



Air Niugini is preparing its flight attendants for the introduction of the Fokker F100 plane between Cairns, Port Moresby and Lae and return. The Flight Attendants are currently undergoing a month long training course in Australia to be "type approved" on the aircraft. Part of the pre-requisites for the course they are attending is an intensive course on the responsible serving of alcohol something is lacking from many establishments in PNG. The course has opened the eyes of many attending to the dangers of alcohol and the legal requirements in Australia that vastly differ from what happens in PNG.

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Horse Race Machines - NCDC



The National Capital District Commission (NCDC) has impounded a total of seventy horse race gaming machines. The Internal Revenue Commission has also declared war on those importing parts to maintain the equipment. All gaming machines parts, other than licenced poker machines parts, are classed as illegal imports into PNG. The crackdown has been successful mainly because of the cooperation of the general public. Unfortunately the NCDC crackdown cannot be completed fully because of an outstanding court case between the NCDC, the gaming board and the owners of some of the horse racing equipment.

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Horse Race Machines - Mt Hagen



A group of mothers in Mount Hagen also wants the Horse Race Gaming machines outlawed in the Western Highlands province. It has asked the MT Hagen City Authority to remove all horse racing and bike racing machines in the city.

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Pacific Mobile



Pacific Mobile Communications, the arm of Telikom responsible for the running of the mobile telephone service in PNG and ably headed by Peter Loko, may be deeper in financial trouble than first thought. A reader has been trying to get a refund of a K200 bond paid for the old analogue system since the change over to the digital GSM system all with no luck despite many, many trips to Pacific Mobile Headquarters. Of course this could just be bureaucracy at its best and nothing to worry about unless you are trying to get your refund.

The SMS messaging system has also been delayed over and over possibly due to a lack of money to fund the system or a lack of expertise - no body really knows because Pacific Mobile are keeping very quiet about the event. Some people are able to send SMS messages so the system is working so it could possibly be ready this month but don't wait for me to SMS you about the event. They also seem to be keeping very quiet about the suspension of the chief as well.

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Jerry Singirok



The former commander of the PNG Defence Force, Jerry Singirok, has been cleared of sedition charges in connection with the Bougainville conflict. The National Court Judge hearing the case ruled that General Singirok had acted innocently when he called on the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister to resign in 1997, and for the people to help the army and police to remove the government of the day. General Singirok has said that he has no work plans but if the government request he would be prepared to rejoin the defence force.

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Bill Skate



The Speaker of Parliament, Bill Skate, who is currently the acting Governor General, has stepped aside due to a court hearing against him. The case involves a charge of misappropriation dating back to February 2000. Mr. Skate has said that he will resume the acting Governor General's position if the court matter is resolved in his favour.

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PNG Stamps



Post PNG has just issued twelve new stamps and a souvenir sheet highlighting prehistoric animals. The issue consists of a sheetlet of six K1.50 stamps that depict dinosaur creatures of Edmontonia, Struthiomimus, Psittacosaurus, Gastonia, Shunosaurus and Iguanodon. Another set of six stamps depicts yet more historical animals and a souvenir sheet valued at K7.00


Edmontonia - an armoured, plant-eating dinosaur that lived during the late Cretaceous period, roughly 76-68 million years ago

Struthiomimus - "the ostrich mimic" dinosaur.

Psittacosaurus - meaning "parrot lizard", was a small, primitive ceratopsian, a plant-eating dinosaur.

Gastonia was a member of the family of armoured dinosaurs that included Ankylosaurus.

Shunosaurus lii was a slow-moving herbivorous dinosaur that lived around 170 million years ago and probably had a lifespan of over 120 years. Shunosaurus (meaning "Sechuan lizard;" Sechuan is a province in China) was a sauropod dinosaur about 40 feet long.

Iguanodon - meaning "Iguana tooth", was a beaked, plant-eating iguanodontid dinosaur with conical thumb spikes

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Radar



The use of the radar gun around schools in Port Moresby has indicated that some drivers are doing 100 kilometres per hour past schools and the slowest was still double the legal school speed limit of 20 kph. For those outside of PNG and for some in the country the PNG speed limits are supposed to be 20 kph around schools, 60 kph in towns and a maximum of 80 kph on the open road. There are many drivers that do more than that on the streets of Moresby.

On one of the recently completed streets close to three main schools officials have decided that they will have to modify the design of the road to slow drivers down to a reasonable speed. It is a shame that this sort of exercise could not have been done before millions of Kina were spent on upgrading the street.

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Goroka Coffee



Coffee worth millions of Kina is rotting away in rural areas of the Eastern Highlands province. The coffee harvested last year is stranded because of transport problems to bring the coffee to Goroka for sale. Much of the coffee is organically grown.

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Tari - Southern Highlands



Air Niugini has had to suspend flights to the Southern Highlands town of Tari due to lack of maintenance to the runway. Air Niugini will not resume flights until the Civil Aviation Authority carries out the necessary maintenance. They have also had to suspend flights to Buka due to tall grass making it unsafe to use the runway.

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Aussie Cops



The row over the immunity for the Australian police to be deployed in PNG is still not sorted out. It has been reported that the Prime Minister is opposed to granting legal immunity to the Aussie police and bureaucrats despite the fact that it is the usual practice world wide to grant immunity.

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Go Home Aussie



It has been reported that the Governor of Morobe, Luther Wenge, has urged a gathering of up to 2000 of the Morobe public to physically remove Australians who might be posted to work in the province under the Enhanced Australian Aid Program. He told the gathering to either chase them away or come to his office and he would personally make sure that they go away. Mr. Wenge is against the deployment of Australian public servants in various government departments including more than 200 police personnel and four judges to help clear the backlog of cases.

The Governor has also threatened to declare independence for his province if the national government allows the deployment of Aussies to the province. Needless to say the governor has been heavily criticised for his opinion and for inciting people to break the law.

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Lae City Airport



The Lae City Council has won a large section (18-Hectares) of the old Lae city airport. The council plans to turn the land into a residential area but lacks the necessary money to develop the land within the five-year time scale imposed on the council by the National Lands Board. Other sections were awarded to different parties for development.

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Vanilla Theft



The court at Waigani has discharged the two Air Niugini employees accused of helping in the theft of vanilla from the Air Niugini Cargo shed in Port Moresby. The airline has been instructed to reinstate the national airfreight manager and the other accused employee.

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Vanilla Problems



Money from the sale of vanilla has been linked to many social problems in the East Sepik province. There have been reports of husbands fighting with wives, brothers fighting and a general downturn in law and order all related to the fights of money brought in from the sale of vanilla. There has also been an increase in the frequency of alcohol related problems.

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Daru Hospital



The Daru General Hospital in the Western Province is facing a serious drug shortage. There is an extreme shortage of all drugs especially drugs for asthmatic patients.

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Angau Memorial Pharmacy



The pharmacy at the Angau Memorial Hospital in Lae has been upgraded recently thanks to funding from Australian AusAID. The pharmacy was being funded under the first phase of the AusAID's K13.5 million project. The project aims to improve the health of PNG people by preventing and treating diseases through the availability and rational use of safe, effective, and affordable medical supplies.
Local Lae company Niugini Builders completed the upgrade on time.

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Teacher Training



The training of teachers has moved closer to other advanced countries with the introduction of a K1.8 million information technology-learning centre in Port Moresby recently. The faculty, the third built with AusAID assistance is one of five new learning centres being built at cost of about K10 million under the AusAID primary and secondary teacher education program. Centres have already been established in Lae and Madang with work on two other centre for Rabaul and Mt Hagen underway and expected to be completed by July 2004.

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Governor General



A five judge bench will deliberate on the case being brought by a losing Governor General candidate against the winner. The Supreme Court is expected to deliver its decision before parliament resumes in June. If the election in December is deemed null and void then parliament may meet earlier to go through the election process again.

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Markham Bridge



It has been estimated that it will cost at least K300,000 to restore the Markham Bridge in Morobe province. The condition of the bridge is considered too dangerous for vehicles to cross. Cargo is being unloaded from vehicles on one side and then wheeled across on a trolley to vehicles waiting on the other side.



School Cults



In recent weeks there has been much discussion about cults and certain schools in PNG. The East New Britain education advisor has said that various cult movements are probably entrenched in all national high schools. The Post Courier has reported that Grade 11 students at Keravat National High School are being forced by Grade 12 students to join the generation cult, much to the disgust of parents. A similar generation cult, involving satanic worship, has been reported by The National at Sogeri National High School last month.

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Namatanai Roads



The governor of New Ireland has said that work on the roads and bridges in the province have been delayed due to the lack of funds from the national government. Australian AusAID has allocated counterpart funding towards the project. The main part of the funding will cover the upgrading and maintenance of 116 kilometres of the Buluminsky Highway as well as 20 kilometres of the West Coast Road.

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Justice Mockery



The sentencing of a rapist to a seven year suspended sentence has been described as a mockery of justice by the Office of the Public Prosecutor in Lae and goes against public outrage over crimes against women and children. The Public Prosecutor will be appealing the lenient sentence given to the man who was in a position of trust as a deacon of the SDA Church.







PNG Media


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-- THE END --

Some of the ways of saying "that's all" are courtesy of Liz and her friends at the University of Technology in Lae. http://www.unitech.ac.pg

If you can add to this list then please send email to PNG-News@pnggossip.com

 






Created 6 Mar 2004
Updated 16 May 2004

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