P.N.G. Gossip Newsletter - 26 Jun 2003

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PNG Gossip Newsletter Meri Milne Bay

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 use the contact form

C O N T E N T S

Misc Links South Pacific Motor Sports Club
South Pacific Exports Buai
Newspapers Communication Companies
Malaria Bougainville Link
OTC Grounds - Five-Mile Port Moresby Police
Jimmy Maladina Aussie Rules
Anglicare - Stop AIDS HIV/AIDS
South Pacific Games Frequently Asked Questions
Aviation Rumours Agricultural Revival
Rotary Youth East New Britain
Rice Farming Bougainville Logging
Bougainville Canoe Racing
Eastern Highlands Southern Highlands
Mendi Greenpeace
Public Boat Ramp Madang ETC
Radio Australia AOG - Cecilia Dow
Sekunkun School Illegal Imports
Budget Surplus POSF
Post Boxes Highlands Highway
National Alliance PNG Media Related Sites

 

Articles for this newsletter

To send a message for submission to the PNG Gossip Newsletter -- please use the contact form

 

 

 

Neo Melanesian

"Pidgin English"
Tok Pisin
English
bret bread
bulmakau / kau cattle
bun bone
diwai tree / wood (timber)
draibisket cracker
gaden garden
graun earth / ground / world
kukumba cucumber
kari curry
dring drink
kiau egg
pis fish
pukpuk crocodile
kai kai eat
honi honey
jem jam
muli lemon
letis lettuce
muli lime
susu milk

 

 

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 27 - 27.5 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

Misc Links



The unofficial Port Moresby High School site is located at http://www.maipng.com/pomhi/

The Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce website can be found at -- http://www.pomcci.org.pg

The PNG Institute of Directors has revamped its website with the help of an AESOP Volunteer, Peter Griffin . It is an excellent introduction to PNG company law and related governance issues it can be found at -- www.pngid.org.pg

Papua New Guinea Institute of Accountants -- http://pngia.org.pg



South Pacific Motor Sports Club



Wolfgang Bandisch has designed a web site for the South Pacific Motor Sports Club. It is located at -- http://www.spmsc.org.pg -- For information about the car club, located along Waigani Drive in Port Moresby, this is the site to visit.



South Pacific Exports



If you need that hard to get part for your electrical / communications gear or even a special tool send email to Peter Goleby at South Pacific Exports on -- sp.exports@bigpond.com -- he might just be able to help you out or at least point you in the right direction. Peter claims he will attempt to get anything legal for you so long as he can add a small amount to cover his own costs.



Buai



For information about betel nut / buai pay a visit to -- http://www.nisbett.com/herbs/a/areca056.html or http://www.gnosticgarden.com/betel.htm and http://www.uicc.org/programmes/tobacco/fact_sheets/17fact.shtml

A parody of Waltzing Matilda called Kai Kai the Buai can be found at http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/WM/Kai.html



Newspapers



For the latest news about PNG visit the Post Courier web site at http://www.postcourier.com.pg or the National Newspaper web site at http://www.thenational.com.pg both offer up-to-date news about PNG.



Communication Companies



Alcatel (Now operated by PACOM) -- http://www.alcatel.com.pg
PACOM Communications -- http://www.prosec.com.pg/pacom.
PNG Telecommunications Authority -- http://www.pangtel.gov.pg
RAD-TEL Communications sales and Services -- http://www.radtel.com.pg
TE PNG -- http://www.tepng.com
ConXions -- http://www.conxions.com.pg
Telikom PNG -- http://www.pngtelokom.org.pg



Malaria



If you have ever had malaria or think you may have then visit this web site -- http://www.rph.wa.gov.au/labs/haem/malaria

Clinically diagnosed malaria is still the leading cause of outpatient presentations, the second leading cause of admissions and the second leading cause of death within PNG. In the year 2000 statistics reveal that there were over 1.5 million suspected cases of malaria, which led to 617 deaths. Almost 225,500 blood films were examined and 36 percent showed malaria parasites.

Areas above 1600 metres tends to be too high for malaria but between 1200 and 1600 metres there are intermittent cases of malaria being reported with death rates being high due to a lack of immunity in the local population.



Bougainville Link



This site, By Edwin O. Booth, is dedicated as a resource to the Veterans of WW II and their families and friends...and to the native Citizens of Bougainville who assisted the Americans in WW II. Special attention is given to personnel of the Americal and the 37th Infantry Divisions. It offers a generous selection of publications related to the Islands as they were in the old days, as well as updates on current information and facilities. http://www.geocities.com/edbooth_1/

 


 

News Items


OTC Grounds - Five-Mile



Telikom PNG is selling the land on the corner of Boroko Drive and Sir Hubert Murray Highway. The grounds commonly referred to as the OTC grounds have had approval since 1996 for high covenant housing but due to rising costs Telikom have not been able to build. The total size of the development would be about 9.5 hectares. Presently Telikom has a high frequency (HF) radio transmitter on the site and this would have to be moved before any housing development could take place.



Port Moresby Police



The Port Moresby Police have been commended for keeping Moresby clean by the Department of Health Secretary, Dr. Nicholas Mann.



Jimmy Maladina



Plans are underway to get Jimmy Maladina back into PNG. It is alleged that he was involved in conspiring to defraud the National Provident Fund of millions of Kina. He is currently in Australia where his passport to travel has been held by an authority issued by the Federal Court of Australia. If PNG was to apply for formal extradition it would be an expensive process so the PNG authorities have had an emergency travel document issued by the acting PNG consul-general in Brisbane. This document allows a person to travel without a passport to a single country and make a single entry only and stay for a period of up to six-months.



Aussie Rules



For any people from the southern states of Australia who are Aussie Rules supporters the great Ron Barassi will be at the Pondo Tavern located in the Crowne Plaza on Friday the 27th of June. Admission is K15.00 and all proceeds will go towards the development of Aussie Rules in PNG.

Ron is visiting PNG to increase the profile of AFL PNG and also to raise funds for the PNG Junior Development Program. Ron was last here in the 1970's and is keen to come back and support AFL PNG in its efforts to build up AFL in PNG. He will also be travelling to Lae and Kimbe as part of this trip to PNG. Phone 325 4943 or 686 6430 for details.



Anglicare - Stop AIDS



Staff of the Anglicare run Stops AIDS group has had a shake up. All employees apart from an elite group of about four have been terminated and told to reapply for their job again. StopAIDS has been seen as the only effective campaigner for AIDS awareness in Port Moresby and was about to embark on work in the provinces. Anglicare is run by the Anglican Church who recently, along with other mainstream Churches, closed The Independent Newspaper.



HIV/AIDS



PNG is on the brink of losing a large number of its young people if they are not protected from HIV/AIDS. 6103 people have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS since the first case was reported in 1987 and the most affected were between the ages of 20 to 34, which was the economically productive age bracket. The leading cause of death at the Port Moresby General Hospital in the medical ward is AIDS related. The world scenario was no different to PNG - of the 40 million people throughout the world that had the virus, 11.8 million of those were people between the ages of 14 to 24.



South Pacific Games



The 12th South Pacific Games are set to start in Fiji at the end of this month. Over 20 disciplines are competing in the games from PNG. It is hoped that the PNG team will spoil the party for arch rivals Fiji and New Caledonia at the Games.



Frequently Asked Questions



What is the land area of the provinces in PNG?
National Capital and Central,29940 sq kms
Oro Province,19827 sq kms
Milne Bay Province,14000 sq kms
Morobe Province,34,500 sq kms
Madang Province,28000 sq kms
Eastern Highlands,11706 sq kms
Simbu Province,8476 sq kms
Western Highlands,8288 sq kms
Southern Highlands,25988 sq kms
East Sepik,43000 sq kms
West Sepik (Sandaun),36000 sq kms
East New Britain,15500 sq kms
West New Britain,21000 sq kms
New Ireland,9500 sq kms
Manus Province,2100 sq kms
North Solomons Province,9400 sq kms
Enga Province,10790 sq kms
Western and Gulf Province, 135,000 sq kms

More PNG Freqently Asked Question can be found at -- http://www.michie.net/png_faqs



Aviation Rumours



A rumour going around towns says that Qantas is about to start flights from Cairns to Port Moresby. The current Qantas flights are being flown by aging Fokker F28 aircraft operated by Air Niugini. Another rumour has said that one of the owners of a third level airline in PNG has travelled overseas to view and possibly buy ATR aircraft to compete on Air Niugini routes.



Agricultural Revival



The Managing Director of New Britain Oil Palm has said that the new agricultural incentives should go a long way to kick starting the industry. He went on to say that even though the taxation rate would be reduced it would still benefit the country because at the moment the country is getting 30 percent of nothing but with the incentives PNG should at least get 10 percent of something.



Rotary Youth



Nasser Kaviani is conducting the annual Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA). The aim of the award is to provide leadership and personal development skills and experience. The target group is young women and men between the ages of 18 and 25 years. The course will run from the 30th of June to the 5th of July. Contact Nasser on email -- <nkaviana@datec.net.pg>



East New Britain



Work on road maintenance will commence soon in East New Britain. The contracts have been finalised for three local road contractors in the province. Work will be carried out on the Bitapaka Rd, Reimber and Vunapalading Roads and Toma / Vunadidr roads. Other roads will also be attended to.



Rice Farming



The Pacific Adventist University will be introducing a course about rice farming. The course will be an opportunity for agricultural extension workers involved in rice farming.



Bougainville Logging



Many Bougainvilleans do not want to see large scale logging on the island however they would support small-scale forest industries. They would like to be able to export processe3d timber products as this will add value to any logs harvested. All projects would be community based and all wood products would initially be for local supply.



Bougainville



The people of Panguna in Central Bougainville are hoping that5 the peace process will be achieved so that basic services can return to the area. It has been more than 10 years since basic services such as schools as health aid posts have been seen functioning in Central Bougainville. People in the area are now starting small projects such as butterfly farming, cocoa planting and vanilla farming.



Canoe Racing



Imou Ai was the winner of the inaugural Sir Michael Somare Cup canoe race held at Ela Beach recently. The win gave the captain K1200 in prize money. Imou Ai was also the oldest canoe in the race.



Eastern Highlands



The Governor and the Administrator of the Eastern Highlands are keen on straightening out the mess the province is in. Recently the driving and servicing of the provincial government transport pool has been farmed out to a private company to run. It has also been highlighted that in the past grants to groups has been handed in cash and little has been done to acquit the money against projects.



Southern Highlands



Not only is the Eastern Highlands being tidied up but also it would appear that the new Governor of the Southern Highlands is attempting to do the same with his strife torn province. He has said that he will not run the province from Port Moresby or the provincial capital of Mendi but from the small villagers within the province. Lets hope that the other politicians and Local Level Government officials get behind him.



Mendi



Just when it seemed that things were settling down in the Southern Highlands capital. Sixteen men armed with high-powered weapons broke into the Mendi Works headquarters and made off with five government vehicles and other assets such as computers, tools, spare parts for vehicles, workshop equipment, battery chargers etc. the other night. In fact it would appear that they took everything that was available and could fit into the five vehicles..



Greenpeace



Greenpeace has called on the government to seize all logs from the Kiunga-Aiambak area in Western Province and deregister the company currently logging in the area. The call comes after the release of a independent report prepared for the National Forest Authority.



Public Boat Ramp



Residents of Port Moresby are concerned that a public boat ramp at Ela Beach, demolished to make way for the new Ela Beach Road will not be replaced. The road is nearing completion (at last) and there is no sign of a boat ramp being constructed. This leaves non Royal Paua Yacht Club (RPYC) members with no place to launch a boat.



Madang ETC



The Madang Evangelist Training College has received a donation of a truck worth K30,000 from the Neudbethaisch Lutheran circuit in Germany. The truck will be used to assist the students during religious instruction outreach, fieldwork and mission work.



Radio Australia



A reader, Shane McLeod, has said that the ABC Radio Australia Tok Pisin service has recently upgraded its website. You can check it out at -- http://www.abc.net.au/ra/tokpisin. It is worth taking a look at this site.



AOG - Cecilia Dow



Cecilia Dow a former AOG missionary in PNG has died of heart failure at the Townsville General hospital in Australia. She. along with her husband Sasil, were the first indigenous Australian missionaries to work for the AOG Church in PNG. They worked in the East Sepik province at Jambitanget AOG Mission between 1969 and 1982. A funeral service will be held in Townsville on the 27th of June.



Sekunkun School



The Sekunkun Primary School on Lihir Island, New Ireland Province has recently received more than 2000 books thanks to the generosity of Australians and Lihir Gold Limited. The school of 407 students have had an empty un-air-conditioned library for at least 18 months. A local company, Lihir Electrical, fitted air conditioners free of charge to help keep the books in good condition.



Illegal Imports



An unnamed company has been caught importing goods into PNG with false valuation certificates. 21 20-foot containers were recently seized by Customs. One of the containers of imported goods included 20" colour televisions that had been valued at a landed cost of Singapore $57.95. Other importers have said that they could not even purchase these at cost price in other countries for this landed cost.



Budget Surplus



The Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Allan Marat, has said that PNG is making a small surplus on budgeted figures. but he did not state how much. It is amazing what can be said by a Parliamentarian without having to quantify / qualify the statement.



POSF



The Public Officers Superannuation Fund (POSF) has announced an after-tax profit of K45.9 million for the year 2002. This is said to be an increase of K200,000 on the 2001 result. Contributors to the fund will see a 10 percent dividend credited to their accounts.



Post Boxes



For those readers living in PNG Post PNG has advertised the following rates (including VAT) for private mailboxes and bags in the country.

Private Letter Boxes
- small K495.50
- medium K132.00
- large K346.50

Private Mail Bag
- without a box K346.50
- with a box K346.50 plus box charge.



Highlands Highway



Work on the Highlands Highway from Lae to Goroka is underway. This section of the road is just on 300 kilometres in length and should take no more than three to four hours to travel but it is taking anything up to six hours due to the condition of the road. It is hoped that the current work helps to speed up the time taken to travels that section and also minimise the damage to vehicles. Having recently driven along this stretch of the road it would appear that there is more chance of vehicles being damaged travelling along the streets of Goroka than along the highway.



National Alliance



Is there a revolt brewing in the National Alliance political party headed by Sir Michael Somare? The Governor of Madang, James Yali, who is a close party man and who says he is a founding father of the party has said he would be one of the first to vote against the government in a vote of no-confidence if Sir Michael continues to allow a number of senior government ministers to politically bully and control him. Mr Yali has branded Sir Michael as "complacent and incompetent" in managing a politically fragile coalition government.

 





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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 use the contact form

 





Created 26 Jun 2003
Updated 25 Sep 2008

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©2003 - 2008 Gia Mann