Links
Warning: PNG web sites seem to come and go. The fact of life is that it costs money to host a web site (try -- http://pngwebhost.com -- for an excellent, reliable but cheap deal) and there is not much return on the outlay to most businesses in PNG due to very poor e-commerce infrastructure. 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. -- The PNG Gossip Newsletter.
If links in the newsletter do not work properly, copy and paste the URL into your browser and press Enter. Be sure to copy the entire link, as it may wrap to the next line. If this still does not work please send an email to the newsletter advising of the broken link.
Do you have a web site or link to a PNG related area on the WWW? If so do you want it mentioned here? Then send an email to -- pngnewsqueue @ pnggossip.com
Defence Force Badges
Badges of the PNG Defence Force
-- http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-badges/png.htm
It has been announced that the Defence Force has recently launched its own web site. Does anyone know what the URL of the site is?
Miscellaneous PNG
A sample of PNG web sites -
The National Parliament of PNG -- http://www.parliament.gov.pg/
Goroka Grammar School Web Site, Eastern Highlands Province, Preschool through to Grade 12, located -- http://www.gorokagrammarschool.ac.pg/
New Tribes Mission -- http://www.ntm.org/
Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce -- http://www.pomcci.org.pg
PNG Institute of Directors -- http://www.icd.org.pg
New Ireland Tourism -- http://www.newirelandtourism.org.pg
Independent Consumer and Competition Commission -- http://www.iccc.gov.pg
Thousands of PNG Images and Photographs -- http://www.pngbd.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/9208/sort/1/size/medium/cat/500/page/
National Capital District Commission -- http://www.ncdc.gov.pg
Department of Treasury and Finance -- http://www.treasury.gov.pg/
Bank of Papua New Guinea -- http://www.bankpng.gov.pg/
Internal Revenue Commission -- http://www.irc.gov.pg/
PNG Education Institute -- http://www.pngei.ac.pg
PNG in the News
The China Post has carried a report that Sir Michael Somare has called on PNG husbands to stop beating their wives -- http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/2007/11/09/130183/Papua-PM.htm
Kokoda -- http://jhalbrook.wordpress.com/2007/11/05/kokoda/
Two men have accused the Goroka police of allegedly stripping their vehicles of parts and accessories worth thousands of kina. -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/110507/Nation%2017.htm
The Mt Hagen City Council has seized a generator and five computers from Telikom PNG Ltd's office in Mt Hagen for non payment of outstanding accounts. -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/110207/Nation%2010.htm
One night more than 30 years ago in the Kobon village north of Mt. Hagen in Papua New Guinea, a man asked for Costa Mesa pastor John Davies. -- http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2007/11/01/education/dpt-davies01.txt -- and -- http://guinea.blamfluie.com/2007/11/01/?-pastor-helps-in-papua-new-guinea-5488356.html
Ossie and Jenny Fountain, Lifeswitch's supported workers -- http://lifeswitch.net.nz/?p=635
PNG Blogs
Rabaul Daily Photo -- http://rabauldailyphoto-jules.blogspot.com/
http://rabauldailyphoto-jules.blogspot.com/2007/11/no-pigeons-on-pigeon-island.html
http://theduffies.blogspot.com/2007/10/papua-new-guinea-to-great-barrier-reef.html
My Short Career as A Servant Of The Crown -- http://briandarcey.blogspot.com/2007/11/my-short-career-as-servant-of-crown_05.html
Korobosea / Boroko East School -- http://koroboronews.blogspot.com
News Items
Telephone Numbering
PANGTEL, the PNG Radio communications and telecommunications Technical Authority is implementing a new numbering plan for the PNG network. For example mobile phone numbers will now start with 7 and be 8 digits long. Digicel has already implemented the numbering plan and its mobile phones are eight digits long and start with seven.
Landlines around the country will also change although it looks like they will stay at 7 digits in length.
Momase Region (Madang, Wewak) - change 1st digit currently 8 to a 4
Southern (Central, Gulf, Western, Oro) - change 1st digit currently 3 to a 6
Highlands (Chimbu, Eastern) - change 1st digit currently 7 to a 5
New Guinea Islands (Manus) - change 1st digit currently 4 to a 9
The international access code presently 05 will now change to 00 making it easier for someone to accidentally add an extra zero and call emergency services.
World War II Crash
"Injuries slight..., please advise" Those were the words uttered by crashed World War II pilot Capt. Charles O'Sullivan after surviving 30 days in the forest of Papua New Guinea, evading capture by Japanese and hostile cannibals. See -- http://www.jacksonvillepatriot.com/articles/2007/11/10/jacksonville_patriot/news/nws01.txt -- for full article.
Wewak Fishery
The design for a proposed Wewak fish market and jetty has been completed and work will now enter the next phase. -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/110607/Nation%2017.htm
Hailstorms
Hailstorms and strong wind have flattened more than 10 classrooms and teachers quarters at the Koro Primary School in the East Sepik province. Six students, who failed to follow instructions to take shelter, were also thrown into a drain but they suffered only minor bruises
A hailstorm and frost has hit Kopafo, Kaiyufa and Ketuyarobo villages in the Kona Bena area just outside Goroka in the Eastern Highlands province ruining food gardens and coffee trees.
Walk for Life
The annual Walk for Life corporate challenge fund raising event sponsored by Price Waterhouse Coopers is on again on the 25th of November in Port Moresby starting from the Ela Beach IEA complex at 6:30am.
Robbers Lose Loot
Security personnel foiled a robbery at the Ela Motors office in Wewak recently and chased the robbers into a private college's campus before the suspects escaped on foot. The robbers, in police uniform, left behind a safe which they were about to load into a vehicle when the Guard Dog security personnel arrived at the scene.
Hoskins / Kimbe
The Civil Aviation Authority has closed Hoskins airport to Fokker F100 operations. Air Niugini already with a full schedule for its fleet of Dash 8 aircraft has been unable to slot a Dash 8 in to service the downgraded airport due to one of its Dash 8 aircraft undergoing routine, scheduled, major maintenance. It is hoped that the plane will come out of service this weekend to allow some of the suffering passengers to fly out of West New Britain.
Simberi Island
Two men from Simberi Island in Tabar, New Ireland, have been committed to stand trial in the National Court for allegedly raping two minors in two separate incidents.
Suspects Escape
Three suspects, including an elderly man detained for alleged rape, escaped from the Goroka police station after cutting through the cell's roof recently. They escaped during a blackout but it was not known what they used to cut through the roof. Eastern Highlands police chief Supt Philip Solala blamed the frequent power blackouts in Goroka as the main contributing factor for the escape but admitted that the policemen should have been more alert.
Customs Offences
An Indian national has been found guilty of two counts of attempting to bribe a Customs officer and for failing to produce proper documentation of several imported items. He allegedly offered a female Customs officer K50 and body sprays as a bribe to allow the importation of goods without any further inquiry. He had imported personal items and literature that did not have supporting invoices to help calculate how much duty he had to pay.
Power Strike
PNG Power workers have shut down supply to major towns around the country. Some organisations are so far coping with little interruption to business. Others are finding that after running a generator continuously for hours at a time that they must be shut down and allowed to cool down before being switched on again.
Protest Walk
A public walk from Gerehu to Waigani was scheduled yesterday to protest against the Prime Minister's handling of the Telikom / Digicel affair amongst other things but it was called off at the last minute. Non Government Organisation leaders called off the march in respect of the National Parliament's budget session. Most people, however, say it was called off because of the bad weather in Moresby.
Threat on PM
The Police Commissioner, Gari Baki, is treating reports about an assassination plot on the Prime Minister, Grand Chief, Sir Michael Somare, as serious.
State of Emergency
If the PNG Power strike worsens the National Executive Council will call an emergency meeting to declare a state of emergency around the country under the Emergency Services Act of 2002. Many households around Port Moresby have not had electricity for over 24 hours and some for 3 days!
University of Goroka
The newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Goroka, Dr Gairo Onagi, has been challenged to maintain the good spirit at the campus located in the Eastern Highlands. The call was made by acting vice-chancellor Dr Michael Mel during an official handover ceremony. Dr Mel and out-going acting pro vice-chancellor Dr Jerry Semos were put at the helm of the premier teacher education institution during the UOG crisis and successfully managed the university through until their recent replacement.
University of Vudal
The University of Vudal has recently celebrated its ninth graduation ceremony. A total of 90 students graduated with Degrees and Diplomas in Tropical Agriculture and Management Studies.
World Bank
The vice president of the World Bank, James Adams, has given the thumbs up to the Somare led government for its efforts in revamping the nation's economy but he also said that the Bank has not yet seen the transition of the efforts into broad based poverty reduction.
Wet Season
The wet season in East New Britain has seen flooding of major roads in the province. The wet weather came as no surprise to the Weather Bureau who was expecting the heavy rain.
The Bougainville Highway is in a mess between Buka and Arawa after the recent heavy rain. All of the PMV's travelling along this route have been stranded at river crossings along the way.
Port Moresby has experienced several good downpours. A normal wet season for Port Moresby starts in November and should last until May but in recent times this has not been the case.
Rumour has it that the road from Popondetta town to Girua Airport has been cut by floods.
Airport Taxis
The Civil Aviation Authority has advertised for Expression of Interest from suitable taxi companies for the provision of a better quality taxi service at Port Moresby's Jacksons Airport. Successful companies will be allowed to park in the Taxi bays while non-approved taxis will be relegated to the standard car parking area where all taxis have had to park recently.
City Facelift
Starting in January 2008 Port Moresby's parks, gardens and public places will get a K7 million facelift courtesy of the National Capital District Commission and Justin Tkatchenko. Mr Tkatchenko said youth groups, churches and women's groups in the city will all be able to participate in the project.
PNG Lighthouses
PNG now has 55 fully rehabilitated and maintained lighthouses. This is 90 per cent of the country's marine navigation aids. The lighthouses stretch from West Sepik all the way to Western province. The contractor, Curtain Brothers, handed over the completed project to the National Maritime Safety Authority recently. Only equipment on Bougainville is outstanding. The rehabilitation work has been funded by the Asian Development Bank.
Copra Production
The production of copra in coastal villages from Sandaun to Milne Bay including Manus has increased. The increase has been attributed to the purchase of a boat to transport copra for sale. The arrival of regular transport has meant that the villagers now have a guaranteed method of selling copra especially at a time when the price of copra is increasing on the world market.
Road Toll
It has been reported that road accidents are costing PNG K200 million a year. It was not reported how much money is collected in registration and third party insurance fees.
PMV Fares
Public Motor Vehicle fares are set to rise. From today a PMV trip in Port Moresby will cost 80 toea. PMV fares will increase in the National Capital District (Port Moresby), Lae, East New Britain's Kokopo, East Sepik Province and West New Britain's Kimbe. An increase in taxi fares is anticipated later.
Trading Licence Fees
Many business houses operating in Mt Hagen are reluctant to pay fees for a trading licence imposed by the city council. Business houses owe a substantial amount of money to the council for their trading licence fees. The fees are separate to land rates.
Coffee Berry Borer
PNG has been warned about the Coffee Berry Borer, CBB, pest. Coffee authorities, in Mt Hagen, revealed the virus has already affected the production rate of coffee in countries like Indonesia, Timor Leste, New Caledonia, Africa, South America, Central America and South East Asia. Western Highlands coffee farmers, who were attending a public awareness campaign about the disease, were told that the virus had recently been detected by coffee scientists in the Wamena district of neighbouring Irian Jaya and had the potential to cross into PNG. They were also told that coffee seedlings imported from other countries needed to be monitored very closely for the disease.
Village Court Magistrates
A total of 17 women from two districts in Eastern Highlands province have recently passed out as Village Court magistrates. The group of women have been urged to hear cases in the village instead of town. At the moment many Village Court cases are being heard at the Goroka Peace Park, which attracts many people to converge into town.
The magistrates have been urged to be fair. This was revealed in an emotional one-off gathering between women Village Court magistrates and female detainees at Bihute jail outside Goroka -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/111207/Nation%206.htm
Coming Events
National Games to be staged in Lae between the 16th and 24th of November
Walk for Life -- Port Moresby, 25th of November
Christmas Day -- 24th December
New Year's Day -- 1st January
Medical Symposium - September 2008
40th anniversary of the PNG Institute of Medical Research - between the 18th and 22nd of June 2008 in Goroka
Do you have an event that you want advertised? Send email to -- PNGNews[@]pnggossip.com
PNG Media
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