P.N.G. Gossip Newsletter - 16 Jul 2004

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PNG Gossip Newsletter Meri Milne Bay

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Papua New Guinea Gossip Newsletter


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Neo Melanesian

"Pidgin English"
Tok Pisin English
aisblok iceblock
aiskrim ice-cream
bret bread
draibisket cracker
hangre long dring thirsty
hangre hungry
hani honey
jem jam
kaikai long moning breakfast
kaikai food
kaikaim bite / eat
karet carrot
kari curry
kastet custard
kek cake
kiau egg
kindam crayfish
kokonas coconut

 

 

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 29.75 - 30.25 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

Rotary PNG Web Site



ROTARY CLUBS OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA - District 9600 -- http://www.rotary.org.pg

Rotary has branches in Boroko, Bulolo-Wau, Mount Hagen, Goroka, Huon Gulf, Madang, Kavieng, Kokopo, Kimbe, Lae, Port Moresby, Rabaul, Wewak and the Interact Club of Port Moresby International School



Trepanation



If you are interested in trepanation across cultures and civilizations then I suggest a visit to http://www.trepanationguide.com/trepanation_across_cultures.htm -- Trephining is the making of a depression or hole in the intact skull. The link above mentions New Ireland (Neu Mecklenberg) and the Duke of York Islands (Neu Lauenburg) between New Britain and New Ireland.



Ambunti Lodge



Ambunti Lodge and Sepik Tours - Mystical Sepik web site -- http://www.ambuntilodge-sepiktour.com.pg/index.html -- for Sepik Adventures, tours and accommodation please visit this web site.



HIV / AIDS Stigma



For an article written by Lawrence Hammar, who works for the PNG Institute of Medical Research in Goroka, please visit this link -- http://pnggossip.com/news/stigma.html



Land Management



The website for the Land Management Group at the Australian National University contains material based on their research into land use and agriculture in PNG. The URL is:

http://rspas.anu.edu.au/lmp/

Through this site, one can access a report on Sustainability of Agriculture in Bougainville Province; an agricultural literature database for PNG that can be searched by keyword, authors, titles, etc; the Papua New Guinea Rural Development Handbook; and some of the output from the project "Mapping Agricultural Systems of Papua New Guinea".

The last named was a major project which required six years of fieldwork to describe village agriculture for every location in PNG. The PNG Rural Development Handbook is a tool to help planners, development experts and researchers to plan rural development in PNG. It draws on the mapping project named above, as well as other spatial databases on PNG, including the National Nutrition Survey and the PNG Resource Information System.

Other items to be placed on the website in 2004 include new estimates of production of staple food crops in PNG, as well as an updated version of the agricultural literature database.



Rimbunan Hijau



Rimbunan Hijau with core business interests including Timber Processing, Media and Information Technology has established a web presence at -- http://www.rhpng.com.pg. The company is often criticised for its logging operations in PNG.


 

News Items

Hansard



Since 1997 PNG has not had an official record of the goings on in parliament. PNG is the only Commonwealth country that does not have a Hansard (official report of proceedings in parliament). The matter has been brought before parliament but no action has been taken so far.



Diesel Price



The price of Diesel has risen to K1.98 per litre. This is an increase of 6.5 toea over the previous price. The increase will take effect in Port Moresby, Lae, Madang and Rabaul. Many organisations rely on diesel not only to run their trucks and buses but also to run their generators because the power company can not provide reliable electricity on a 24 hour basis. The power company also is a large user of diesel.



Alotau



A rising crime rate in Alotau, Milne Bay Province has left the local police with little or no resources to curb the problem. The police in Alotau are suffering from a lack of manpower, ammunition and accommodation and this is causing moral to drop. It has also been reported that members of the general public are also not cooperating with the police making their job even harder to do.



New Judge



New Judge, Gregory Lay, has been sworn in by Sir Paulias Matane. This brings the number of judges to 21 with another four to be sworn in soon. Mr Lay came to PNG when he was 19 and is now a citizen of PNG.



Medical Symposium



The Medical Society of PNG has received some more money to help with the hosting of the 2004 Medical Symposium. This time K10,000 has been donated by the Mineral Resources Development Corporation. The cost of holding the Symposium has been estimated to be K200,000 and the fund raising committee has already been able to collect K100,000 towards the event. This year the symposium will be held by the Medical Faculty of the University of PNG.



Governor General Delay



The investiture of Sir Paulias Matane as the Governor General of PNG will have to be delayed because the Queen is on holidays and will no be back until October. The selection process was delayed for many months as various candidates battled the selection out in court.



Fast Money Schemes



The Bank of PNG has yet again warned investors to steer clear of investing their hard earned savings in quick money schemes. The operators of the various schemes prey on the vulnerability and gullibility of people wanting to get rich quick. The only people to get rich out of these schemes are the people who invent the scheme and possibly a few of their friends who have been the first to invest.



Aitape Tsunami



It has been six years since the tsunami devastated the coast at Warapu near Aitape. The tsunami has been described as the country's worst natural disaster killing more than 1000 people from the Warupu, Arop, Malol and Sissano areas. A solemn occasion, expected to be attended by over 5,000 people, will commemorate the event on the 17th of July.



Milne Bay



The people of Upalao village in Milne Bay have received assistance from the PNG Red Cross Society. Some of the houses in the village were washed away in recent floods and many food gardens were destroyed as a result of the heavy downpour. Eight homes housing 14 families were swept away into the sea or buried under debris from the flood.



Defence Force



The PNG Defence Force has declared war on HIV/AIDS before it decimates the force. The Defence Minister, Mathew Gubag, has said that the military were already at risk from the virus with a large number of the men already exposed. He said that the force must do something now before it is too late and several soldiers have already died from the virus.



National Research Institute



The National Research Institute has a new director. Dr. Thomas Webster will take up the position in August after the previous incumbent was sacked.



Coming Events



Markham Banana Festival. The festival is set to be held between the 26th and 28th of November, 2004. This year's festival will be held at the Mutzing government station. Last year it was held at the Wampua village and it was attended by 11 groups.



Gun Cartridges



Overseas countries that see PNG as a threat, because of the law and order problem, have banned gun cartridges from being sent to PNG. PNG is also looking at ways of banning or controlling the sale of guns within the country.



AIDS Help



The Post Courier -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg -- has reported that PNG will receive $US10 million (K35 million) to help fight AIDS and The National -- http://www.thenational.com.pg -- has indicated that K10 million will be made available from the Geneva Global Fund. . Does anyone know what the figure is?



Aussie Rules



A Northern Zone Junior Aussie Rules Football Regional Championship is being planned for the 22nd to the 25th of July. Children between the ages of 12 and 18 will be participating in the first championship of its type to be held in Goroka. Aussie Rules is making a comeback in the highlands area. The sport was popular in the 70's and the 80's.



Pesticides



The National Agricultural and Research Institute in partnership with the German Development Service have developed and released technology that allows farmers to make their own pesticides at home from local plants to control insect pests. The organic pesticides known as plant derived pesticide (PDP) are made from extracts of plants that have natural protection from insect pests. The process is a low cost, natural and effective way of controlling pests.



PNG Prostitution



Dues to the continued economic woes faced by everyone in PNG more and more people are turning to prostitution to survive. There has been a rise in the number of sex workers in major towns. This situation will only make the HIV/AIDS situation worse.



Agricultural Exports



A record level of K1.3 billion was achieved for agricultural exports last year (2003). This compares favourably against a record low in 2001 of only K800 million. The increase has been attributed to higher production in some areas such as copra. Tea has seen an increase of 21 percent. Some commodities have fallen in price due to the slight appreciation of the Kina against the US Dollar and an oversupply due to increased production by other countries.



Courts Exhibition



A weeklong exhibition entitled "Bringing the Courts to the People" will end this weekend. The exhibition is an initiative of the judiciary to open its doors to the public and provide them with an opportunity to have a say in the running of the courts. It is hoped that the exhibition can educate the people about the different types of courts, the processes and procedures involved.



Oceania Snooker Titles



PNG has won the right to host the 2007 Oceania Snooker Titles. The PNG Snooker and Billiards Association will now have to raise a substantial sum of money to ensure that the is run successfully. Australia will host the titles in 2005 and New Zealand in 2006.



Miss Pacific Quest



The Little Miss Pacific Quest has recently been launched at the Lamana hotel in Port Moresby. Ten contestants aged between 8 and 12 are vying for the crown. Last year six contestants raised K47,000 for Bougainville children and other less privileged children in the country.



Lost Firearms



Six soldiers and a member of the Police force have appeared in court over charges of conspiracy, misappropriation and stealing firearms and ammunition belonging to the Defence Force. The suspects were arrested for stealing two boxes containing six self-loading rifles, a 9mm pistol, and ammunition that were in transit at Jackson's Airport.



Shipping



PNG has managed to meet all requirements associated with new security measures set by the International Maritime Organisation. The new requirements have been introduced after the September 11th tragedy in 2001. The public ports that have qualified are --

Port Moresby, Lae, Madang, Rabaul, Alotau, Wewak, Kimbe, Kavieng, Vanimo, Buka and Oro bay.

Several private ports have also met the increased security requirements. The requirements not only cover ports but also the ships that sail to those ports must also meet the international requirements. Many PNG ships have met the requirements and they are --

Goada Chief, Lahara Chief, Kiunga Chief, Boset Chief, Obo Chief, Western Zenith, Western Taumph, Western Star, Western Flier, Western Endeavour, Wewak, Kuder, Bosavi, Morobe Coast, Gazzel Coast, Newgini Coast, Madang Coast, Petro Discover and the Petro Navigation.



Murray Barracks Mess



Thanks to the Chinese government soldiers at Murray Barracks now have a new mess and a renovate gymnasium. Five soldiers from the PNG Defence Force have been selected to pursue further studies in three locations in China. They will study during the 2004 and 2005 academic years in Beijing at the National Defence University, the Army Command College in Najing and the Infantry College in Shijiazhuang.



Baisu Jail



Five prisoners from the remandee's section at Baisu Jail in the Western Highlands have been hospitalised with suspected typhoid. It is suspected that they may have eaten contaminated food brought to the prison by relatives of the prisoners.



Air Niugini



Air Niugini has announced an after tax 2003 net operating profit of over K50 million. They suffered a loss of almost K39 million in 2002. Operating revenue rose by 18.7 percent to K421.7 million (K355.2 million in 2002) during 2003 operational costs increased by 10 percent to K365 million. (K331.9 million in 2002). The board of Air Niugini believe the airline is firmly on course to maintain safe, reliable and profitable services in spite of external factors such as fuel prices fluctuations.



Witchcraft Case



The four charged with the murder of a woman through witchcraft have been found guilty of wilful murder by the District Court in Tabubil. The presiding magistrate found, after a two-day hearing, the three women and one man guilty of the offence and adjourned the case for a sentence hearing.



Academic Report



A report by Australian academic, Professor Helen Hughes, has said that PNG would be better served if the minerals in the ground were left in the ground until the government demonstrated that it had a capacity to offset the economic rent effect that deter agricultural production and job creation. She also picked out that the job of a politician and a public servant as being the lead jobs in personal wealth creation in the country.

The Foreign Affairs Minister, Sir Rabbie Namaliu, has lashed out at the report saying that it was outdated.



Lutheran Church



The Lutheran Church in PNG has recently celebrated its 118th birthday of being in PNG. The first German Missionary arrived on the shores of Simbang in Finschaffen, Morobe Province, on the 12th of July 1886. Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea -- http://www.lutheranworld.org/Directory/ASI/EvangelicalLutheranChurchofPapuaNewGuinea.EN.html



Dirt Meal



A village court magistrate in Sialum, Morobe Province has ordered two men to swallow one kilogram of dirt while watched by fellow villagers. The incident has now gone before the Lae District Court after the two men filed a suit claiming redress. The men were ordered to eat the dirt as part of a land dispute.



Angau Hospital



The Women and Child Support Centre at Angau Hospital has received K10,00 from the Finance and Treasury Minister, Bart Philemon, to assist with the operation of the centre.



No Confidence Vote



The Prime Minister is claiming that he has the support of 64 members of parliament. The government would require an absolute majority of 55 MP's to survive a vote of no-confidence. Knowing PNG politics the true answer will not be known unless an actual vote is taken.



Civil Aviation



A nationwide strike by Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) employees has been averted by the promise of a K1.9 million guarantee by the Civil Aviation Minister. The unions had planned to hold a four-day strike in protest against management's failure to pay outstanding airfares for retrenched and non retrenched officers as well as back payments. 200 CAA workers had agreed to go on strike.






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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 16 Jul 2004
Updated 26 Jul 2004

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