PNG Gossip Newsletter - 26 Feb 2006

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Neo Melanesian

"Pidgin English"

Neo Melanesian English
kar car
truk truck
motobaik motorbike
wiliwil bicycle
balus plane
ples balus airport
bot boat
pul long kanu paddle or row
sip ship
bateri battery
brek brake
taia tyre (tire)
winskrin windscreen
waipa windscreen wiper
pasindia passenger
 
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Remember that this mailing list is meant (mainly) 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 30 - 30.5 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 -- The PNG Business and Tourism Directory also has daily rates based from a PNG perspective

Welcome to the
Papua New Guinea Gossip Newsletter

A very special welcome is extended to any new readers. If you have comments or suggestions to make then please click here and use the submission form.

Articles for this newsletter

To send a message for submission to the PNG Gossip Newsletter -- please click here and use the submission form.



Warning: PNG web sites seem to come and go. The fact of life is that it costs money to host a web site 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 and if you want to donate to keep this newsletter coming at least twice a month then click on the "donate" button above. -- The PNG Gossip Newsletter.

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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.google.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

Travel Advisory



UPDATED LINK -- The following Travel Advice has changed or been added for PNG by the Australian Government -- http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Papua_New_Guinea



Random Links




The links below have all been taken from the current Paradise Magazine, the in-flight magazine of Air Niugini.

Bank South Pacific -- http://www.bsp.com.pg

Daltron Electronics -- http://www.daltron.com.pg

Oil Search -- http://www.oilsearch.com

Coral Sea Hotels -- http://www.coralseahotels.com.pg

Air Niugini -- http://www.airniugini.com.pg -- http://www.air-niugini.co.jp

Hastings Deering -- http://www.hastingsdeering.cat.com

Kokoda Trekking -- http://www.kokodatrail.com.au

NCS -- http://www.ncs.com.pg

KK Kingston -- http://www.kingston.com.pg

UMW Niugini -- http://www.umw.com.pg

PNG Institute of Banking and Business -- http://www.ibbm.com.pg

Kina Securities Limited -- http://www.kina.com.pg

TE PNG -- http://www.tepng.com

PNG Surfing -- http://www.surfingpapuanewguinea.org.pg

Airways Hotel -- http://www.airways.com.pg

Budget Rent a Car -- http://www.budget.com.pg

Avis Rent a Car -- http://www.avis.com.pg

ConXions -- http://www.conxions.com.pg

PNG Trekking Adventures -- http://www.pngtrekking.com.pg

Walindi Resort -- http://www.walindi.com



Kokoda Trail Map



Charlie Lynn of Adventure Kokoda Pty Ltd in Australia is offering an 800 x 300 mm map of the Kokoda Trail for sale at AUD$149.50 including GST and postage within Australia for the poster size map. You can order the map online from his web site located at -- http://www.adventurekokoda.com.au


News Items

PNG Sick



Markham MP Andrew Baing, has said in Parliament that "We are now living in a sick society". He said that there was a clear breakdown of the social fabric of our society and the legal system does not seem to be addressing the problem. Mr Baing said it was disgusting to see reports of fathers raping their daughters and sons raping their mothers and small children being raped.



Corporal Punishment



Grand Chief, Sir Michael Somare, has suggested the introduction of corporal punishment for universities and colleges in the country to bring in line undisciplined and errant students. Sir Michael told Parliament lack of discipline in schools, colleges and universities around the country was contributing to the deteriorating state of facilities in these institutions.



Remembrance Day



The 23rd of July has been declared a public holiday by Parliament to celebrate Remembrance Day. In 2004 Parliament amended the Act to change the name and date from the 23rd of July to 25th of April to coincide with the ANZAC Day but now it is thought that ANZAC Day was for Australia and New Zealand to celebrate, and not PNG so PNG should have its own day to remember.



Fake Toothpaste



Consumers in PNG often complain about the quality of goods they buy. Recently counterfeit photographic film has been discovered on sale in PNG shops now health authorities have discovered fake toothpaste on the shelves of some shops. The toothpaste branded as Colgate does not meet the strict specifications of genuine Colgate toothpaste. The offending toothpaste is manufactured in Turkey and some of the tubes have a picture of an Asian family and Chinese writing on the box. Colgate-Palmolive have said that the products are not theirs and that the products do not contain the active ingredients necessary to prevent cavities and gum disease



Enga Road



Australian Aid Agency, AusAID, has committed half of the K22 million required for the maintenance of the Wabag to Wapenamanda road this year. The main airport for Enga is at Wapenamanda and the provincial headquarters are at Wabag.



Lihir Mine



The managing director of Lihir Gold, Arthur Hood, says the company is "focused" on making the next step to becoming a 1 million ounce per annum producer. Lihir produced a total of 596,000 oz in 2005 and expects to produce a record 670,000 oz this year.



Air Niugini



The Opposition Leader is questioning the recent terminations at Air Niugini. Recently the CEO, Board Chairman, General Manager Engineering and Supply Manager have all been given the flick. The Opposition Leader raised concerns about alleged fraud over the procurement of aircraft parts.



Bus Fare Increase



An increase in the bus fare from Goroka to Kainantu has caught many passengers by surprise. The approved fare between Kainantu and Goroka is K6 but passengers are being forced by Public Motor Vehicle (PMV) operators to pay K8.00 Officials claim that they are not aware of the illegal increase.



More Coffee Problems



It seems that there is one problem after another with coffee growers trying to get their coffee to the market to sell. A report has just come of coffee growers in parts of Marawaka in Obura-Wonenara district in Eastern Highlands province not being able to get their coffee transported because a heavy flood washed away the Norneda bridge that linked them to Kainantu in October last year. Some of the people are so desperate for money that they have resorted to shouldering their coffee bags and walking 10 hours to reach Aiyura before boarding PMV trucks to Kainantu to sell their coffee to raise funds for school fees.



Gurney Airport Upgrade



The provincial airport for Milne Bay, Gurney, just outside the provincial capital of Alotau, will be upgraded at a cost of K3 million so that it can take direct international flights. The project is scheduled to commence in September of this year. It has been mentioned that overseas budget airlines such as Virgin Blue and Jet Star could offer direct services to Milne Bay if the airport was upgraded to an international standard.



Reserved Businesses



Once again a politician has called on the government to ensure that reserved business activities be restricted to Papua New Guineans. Foreigners are currently running many restricted businesses and the government seems powerless to enforce the reserved activity list. Many PNG businessmen find it difficult to get a foot off the ground when it comes to applying for finance and are being pushed pout of the equation by foreigners with ready access to money.



Angau Hospital



Governor of Morobe Province, Luther Wenge, has said that a qualified doctor must be appointed as the chief executive officer of Angau Memorial Hospital in Lae. The term of employment for the existing chief executive officer has expired.



Mt Hagen Ammunition



The case against a man accused of transporting ammunition from Port Moresby to Mt Hagen has been adjourned to next month. The man has been charged with three counts of transporting more than 1,500 rounds of ammunition on board an Air Niugini flight. He has been charged with transporting dangerous goods on an aircraft and thereby breaching the Civil Aviation Act; illegal possession of ammunitions; and, transporting ammunition without a licence. The latter charges were in breach of the Firearms Act.

It is believed the ammunition came from the Defence Force barracks at Goldie River just outside Port Moresby.



Port Moresby Hospital



Co-founder of the PNG Friends of the Hospital Foundation Dan Kakaraya has called on business houses in the National Capital to once again fund improvements to the Port Moresby General Hospital. The Westpac Bank has recently helped ward 4B with K12,000.00 Mr Kakaraya has also proposed that corporate naming rights be issued to wards so that each ward could be taken care of by individual business houses. He has issued a challenge to the other banks to help with other wards. He has even suggested that British American Tobacco take up sponsorship of the cancer ward.



Robbery Conviction



A man accused of a robbery at the Hoskins Airport more than eight years ago has been found guilty of three counts of armed robbery. Sentencing has been deferred to a date to be fixed. The accused along with three others held up a banker and stole K380,000 in cash belonging to the Westpac Bank. A police officer was wounded in the robbery.



Drug and Alcohol Wewak



Sponsored by the Catholic Bishops' Conference and the Major Religious Superiors of Papua New Guinea, a small Drug and Alcohol Treatment Centre has been opened in Wewak, and is under the Direction of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God.

Because of persistent telephone difficulties, contact is best made with the Director through PO Box 771, Wewak, East Sepik Province, 531.



Koki Battle



The famous Koki market in Port Moresby became a battle scene recently as a fight erupted between two ethnic groups. One person was hospitalised and many others received injuries in the clash between Southern Highlanders and Central province people. Police were called to scene of the clash and with the help of community leaders, managed to get the situation under control.



Bully Beef War



Bully Beef was a staple for diggers during the Second World War but now it looks like a trade war looms over the exporting of PNG processed corn beef to Fiji. The Trade and Industry Minister has threatened a 55 percent import tariff on Fiji's Island Corned Beef. He has said that if that does not bring the Fijians to the roundtable then similar tariffs will be imposed on all products imported from Fiji. The Fijians have stated that the beef in PNG's Ox and Palm must come from either Australia or New Zealand or must be certified as being free from mad cow disease if it is to be exported to Fiji.



Madang International Primary School Reunion 2007



Any ex students and teachers that are interested in attending the Madang International Primary School Reunion around January or February 2007 please contact Karin Hunter (nee Beschel) on -- karinmhunter@hotmail.com. Place/Venue has not been finalised yet but would probably be held in Brisbane or Cairns, Australia.



Phone Cards



A fake phone card racket has been exposed in the National Capital District. It is believed that the racket had fetched a total of over K100,000 for both the supplier and the buyers. Police have also confiscated K1,550 worth of pre-paid mobile and Telikad cards.

Telikom have issued a warning that they will deactivate illegally sold prepaid mobile phone and Telikad cards if these are found to be missing from licensed dealers.



Highlands Highway



Criminals are making good use of the deteriorating road conditions along the Highlands Highway to rob vehicles. Due to the recent rainfall parts of the highway have collapsed allowing criminals to loot trucks shipping goods to other parts of the Highlands. To make matters worse in many of the affected areas, villagers are also demanding for payment before lending a helping hand to stuck vehicles.



Simbu Payroll



Eight senior Simbu public servants living in Port Moresby but on the Simbu Provincial payroll have had their pay axed and employment terminated because they have not been to work in the province for over a year. The employees have been receiving a regular pay packet yet have not been in the province to do any work. Police have also arrested and charged six public servants from the province with misappropriating thousands of kina in public funds.



East New Britain



East New Britain province is expecting tourist numbers to increase this year. Several cruise ships have indicated they will stop in the province with the first, the MV Orion, set to arrive in Rabaul on the 27th of March. The provincial tourism board is also hopeful that there will be direct international flights between Honiara, Solomon Islands and Tokua airport.



Swimming Commonwealth Games



The PNG swimming team for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne has been announced: Ryan Pini, Anna Liza Mopio Jane, Judith Meauri, Nicole Ellsworth and Disabled Swimmers are Benjamin Warkit and George Dikimbi. The team management consists of coach Liz Wells and manager Sarenah Pini. The team leaves on the 12th of March, the Games open on the 15th of March and the swimming competition will start on the 16th of March.



Swimming Sponsorship



PNG Swimming has secured K80,000 from Bank South Pacific, their major sponsor, for the next four years leading up to 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. PNG Swimming will target four events this year and they are the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne (March 16-26), FINA World Short Course Championship in Shanghai, China in April, Oceania Swimming Championship in Cairns, Australia (July 7-12) and Pan Pacific Championships in Canada later in the year.



AIDS Fight



Former health secretary and now Lands Minister, Dr Puka Temu, has warned recently that if a concerted effort was not put in to halt the spread of AIDS over half a million people in PNG would be infected by 2025. Dr Temu has called on all NGOs, faith-based organisations and developing partners to work with the government to fight against the spread of the disease.



Maritime Navigational Aids



Phase one of the rehabilitation of the Maritime Navigational Aids Systems project has been completed in Milne Bay at a cost of K12.8 million.






PNG Media


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-- THE END --

In Tok Pisin - em tasol

For other ways of saying the end please pay a visit to -- ../emtasol

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 26 Feb 2006
Updated 16 Aug 2006

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