Amelia Earhart's plane is still there

Australian searcher denies claims that wreckage is that of Earhart

Amelia Earhart plane searcher David Billings has denied claims in Wednesday’s front page story in The National that the aircraft wreckage found in the jungles of East New Britain last week was of those of the plane of the great American woman aviatrix.

And the former Air Niugini aircraft engineer, aged 68, urged Papua New Guineans to “calm down”, as the wreckage was not that of Earhart’s plane, and that her plane was still in the jungles of East New Britain waiting to be discovered.

American Justin Tylan, of Pacific Wrecks, however, says that there is no “historical basis” for Earhart’s loss in PNG.

Wednesday’s story said that what made last week’s discovery significant was the fact that Billings, who has been involved in a project since 1994 to locate Earhart’s Lockheed Electra 10E, had pinpointed the location where the wreckage was as the place where he believed her plane went down in July 1937.

After a dozen trips to the jungles of East New Britain over several years since 1994 – the latest being last August - it appears he has yet to locate what he believes to be Amelia Earhart's downed Lockheed Electra L-10 aircraft.

When told of the discovery, and that the wreckage had the serial number 06751, Mr Billings replied: “It will be another WWII aircraft.

“It seems everyone in PNG is now an Electra expert.

“If the number you gave is the Bureau Number of the aircraft 06751, then the full Bureau No. is 40-6751 indicating that the aircraft came into US Service in 1940.

“As you know, Earhart was lost in 1937.

“It could, however, be anybody’s aircraft, Japanese included, (as) they also used Roman numerals in places.”

Mr Tylan, however, countered: “There is no historical basis for Amelia's loss in PNG.

“The only fact in the article that is accurate is that Amelia took off from Lae Airfield, and would have flown over part of present day PNG, before leaving present day PNG territory.

“Amelia Earhart died doing what she loved... and most likely her plane crashed near her destination, and she died at sea, drowned or was wounded in the crash.

“This is a less glamourous fate than 'conspiracy theories' present... but probably true, nor has any definitive evidence ever proven otherwise.”

Mr Billings stressed that Lockheed made 147 Electras, of which only four every visited Papua New Guinea.

“Two 10A's were in Lae pre-war belonging to Guinea Airways: one was there at Lae when Earhart visted in 1937,” he said.

“The second Guinea Airways aircraft had not been delivered in 1937 when Earhart passed through.

“In 1942, one of the Guinea Airways Electra 10A's returned to PNG to ferry troops and supplies to the battle front at Buna.

“Both these aircraft are accounted for.

“One was written off at Darwin in 1939 and the second ended its days in New Zealand.

“In 1937, Earhart passed through Lae in her 10E.

“In 1997 Finch's 10A/E flew through Moresby and Lae.

“That's four Electras total into Papua New Guinea.

“Only one of the above aircraft is seriously considered to have returned and crashed in East New Britain from the evidence we have, i.e., that my project has.

“That aircraft is Earhart's.”

Mr Billings added: “In the last year or so, five reports emanating in various districts of PNG have proclaimed that the Electra has been found and I keep repeating to you that the area is in East New Britain not that many miles from Rabaul: not in Morobe (two reports) not in the Mt Ulawun area (one report), another one report has been, I recall, in Enga but I may have misread that and now, one in the Kalip area....all could be Electras....all found in PNG !

“The Kalip area is the closest to our search area but our Australian Army Veterans were never in the Kalip area or the Milim area.

“I did hear of a large American aircraft in the Milim area back in 1994 and I guess this one just found may be that one.

“You have to look and consider ‘where’ that area is in relation to the Flight Path from Moresby to Rabaul for the B17 Flying Fortresses, the B-24 Liberators and also all the other aircraft operating from Moresby, Kiriwina, etc.

“This includes B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders operating from Ward's Strip and other satellite dromes plus all the Australian and New Zealand aircraft: Beauforts, Beaufighters, Catalinas, Hudsons etc etc, etc that also attacked Rabaul.

“On top of that you have the fighters, especially the Lockheed Lightning.

“After reading up on the actions in WWII, I am convinced that Wide Bay was a prominent landmark such that the aircraft bomber fleets re-formated in the Wide Bay area on the outbound flights after bombing Rabaul and for the return to Moresby.

“ Just imagine that crippled aircraft leaving Rabaul faced all that open water to get back to Moresby, and in their bad shape, it would be inevitable that lots went down in that area of East New Britain.

“Many, many, did not make it back.

“Many are in the Bainings, many elsewhere.

“To whit, I did hear of a large U.S. aircraft down Milim way on the East Coast south of Wide Bay.

“There is also a Japanese aircraft in the same area.

“Want to take a bet? Calm down people…”

Mr Tylan said that there were a lot of tall tales going on in PNG about plane wrecks.

He said: “Other myths in PNG are that Japanese brought gold bars to PNG... although everyone would like to find buried treasure, there is no historical evidence of any ship or cargo of gold bars brought into present day PNG during World War II... yet, many people - outsiders and PNG people believe this to be true, and have spent money chasing false stories... versus exploring PNG's real history.

“There is real gold in PNG... in the ground…but it was not brought there by the Japanese during World War II.

“Many planes went missing in PNG that belonged to the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Japanese between 1941-1945.

“For the past 15 years, I have been studying these losses... and likely it will be a life long challenge.

“Each has a story and most claimed their crew's lives.

“These are the real ghosts of war in PNG.

“Therefore, any wreckage found in that area is most likely World War II... a number of other known wrecks are in that same area... including a B-17 Flying Fortress -http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-17/41-2429.html.

“This is a known wreck, and parts of it are displayed at the Kokopo Museum.

“I would be happy to review any photos of aircraft wreckage in PNG... aircraft experts like my colleagues can tell what any part is... even from photographs.

“Details on part numbers, etc, can even reveal the type of plane it was from, or in some cases, even identify them precisely.

“The aviation history of PNG is very fascinating... but I am afraid it does not include Earhart or Gold bars.

“In the article you sent... it mentions the wreck being shot down in 1913 or 1914.... no aircraft flew in present day PNG until 1918... that honor goes to a German airplane from a raiding ship!

“Anyone saying they know where gold bars are... ask them 'what is your proof?' - If they can produce wartime documents or gold bars, then the world will gladly bow to them!

“For the best article debunking the Amelia Earhart claim in PNG... I suggest reading ‘Leave Amelia Alone’ by Michael Claringbould, Flightpath Magazine.”

And so, and so, and so, the Amelia Earhart saga remains one of the greatest unsolved aviation mysteries of all time.

Fuel prices drop for sixth successive month

The New Year has begun with good news for the nation’s fuel consumers.

Retail prices have continued to fall in the wake of the international economic crisis and are now at their lowest levels in twelve months.

The falls apply across the board to all major fuels, gasoline, diesel, kerosene and aviation fuel.

InterOil President Bill Jasper said it is the sixth successive month that fuel prices have dropped in Papua New Guinea.

“The cost of crude oil has been in freefall since last July, dragging down the retail price of refined product with it”.

“The January fuel prices are evidence of the profound effect that international forces have on our domestic market”.

Mr. Jasper said the current situation follows reduced demand for refined fuels in the United States and Europe.

He said it also reflects fears that the burgeoning economies of China and India are beginning to slow down.

“It is in marked contrast to the first half of 2008 when refined fuel skyrocketed, not only here (in PNG) but also overseas”.

Mr. Jasper warned the current low price of fuel was no guarantee of future trends.

“Crude prices seem to have bottomed out and may rise in the months ahead”.

“Hopefully future increases will be moderate and in line with rises in productivity and incomes”.

Mr. Jasper said tumbling fuel prices had given some relief from the current economic situation.

He said it was “the one bright light in an otherwise gloomy outlook”.

“Lower fuel costs will help both government and industry cope in a tough economic environment”.

“Domestic consumers will also find it easier to manage the family budget”.

 

 

For further information and to arrange media interviews contact

 

Susuve Laumaea

Senior Manager Media Relations InterOil Corporation

Ph: 321 7040

Mobile: 684 5168

Email: susuve.laumaea@interoil.com  

 

 

No historical basis for Amelia Earhart's loss in Papua New Guinea

By JUSTIN TYLAN

 

There is no historical basis for Amelia's loss in PNG.  The only fact in the article that is accurate, is that Amelia took off from Lae Airfield, and would have flown over part of present day PNG, before leaving present day PNG territory.

Amelia Earhart died doing what she loved... and most likely her plane crashed near her destination, and she died at sea, drowned or was wounded in the crash.   This is a less glamourous fate than 'conspiracy theories' present... but probably true, nor has any definative evidence ever proven otherwise.

Other myths in PNG are that Japanese brought gold bars to PNG... although everyone would like to find buried treasure, there is no historical evidence of any ship or cargo of gold bars brought into present day PNG during World War II... yet, many people - outsiders and PNG people believe this to be true, and have spent money chasing false stories... versus exploring PNG's real history.  There is REAL gold in PNG... in the ground.. but it was not brought there by the Japanese during World War II.

Many planes went missing in PNG that belonged to the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Japanese between 1941-1945.  For the past 15 years, I have been studying these losses... and likely it will be a life long challenge.  Each has a story and most claimed their crew's lives.  These are the real ghosts of war in PNG.

Therefore, any wreckage found in that area is most likely World War II... a number of other known wrecks are in that same area... including a B-17 Flying Fortress -

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-17/41-2429.html

This is a known wreck, and parts of it are displayed at the Kokopo Museum.

The number mentioned '06751' is not known to be associated with any known loss... probably, it is a part number only... but could be associated with that known wreck

I would be happy to review any photos of aircraft wreckage in PNG... aircraft experts like my colleagues can tell what any part is... even from photographs.  Details on part numbers, etc can even reveal the type of plane it was from, or in some cases, even identify them precisely.

The aviation history of PNG is very fascinating... but i am afraid it does not include Earhart or Gold bars.

In the article you sent... it mentions the wreck being shot down in 1913 or 1914....   no aircraft flew in present day PNG until 1918... that honor goes to a German airplane from a raiding ship!  

Anyone saying they know where gold bars are... ask them 'what is your proof?' - If they can produce wartime documents or gold bars, then the world will gladly bow to them!

For the best article debunking the Amelia Earhart claim in PNG... I suggest reading "Leave Amelia Alone" by Michael Claringbould, Flightpath Magazine (I do not have a copy handy, but can ask the author for a copy for you).

Best,

Justin Taylan

- - - -

Pacific Wrecks

Email: info@pacificwrecks.org

Tel: 1-310-237-5389

P.O. Box 859, Hyde Park, NY 12538 USA

 

 

 

Amelia Earhart's plane is still there

Australian searcher denies claims that wreckage is that of Earhart

Amelia Earhart plane searcher David Billings yesterday denied claims in yesterday’s front page story of The National that the aircraft wreckage found in the jungles of East New Britain last week was that of the plane of the great American woman aviatrix.

And the former Air Niugini aircraft engineer urged Papua New Guineans to “calm down”, as the wreckage was not that of Earhart’s plane, and that her plane was still in the jungles of East New Britain waiting to be discovered.

Yesterday’s story said that what made last week’s discovery significant was the fact that Billings, who has been involved in a project since 1994 to locate Earhart’s Lockheed Electra 10E, had pinpointed the location where the wreckage was as the place where he believed her plane went down in July 1937.

After a dozen trips to the jungles of East New Britain over several years since 1994 – the latest being last August - it appears he has yet to locate what he believes to be Amelia Earhart's downed Lockheed Electra L-10 aircraft.

When told of the discovery, and that the wreckage had the serial number 06751, Mr Billings replied: “It will be another WWII aircraft.

“It seems everyone in PNG is now an Electra expert.

“If the number you gave is the Bureau Number of the aircraft 06751, then the full Bureau No. is 40-6751 indicating that the aircraft came into U.S. Service in 1940.

“As you know, Earhart was lost in 1937.

“It could, however, be anybody’s aircraft, Japanese included, (as) they also used Roman numerals in places.”

Mr Billings stressed that Lockheed made 147 Electras, of which only four every visited Papua New Guinea.

“Two 10A's were in Lae pre-war belonging to Guinea Airways: one was there at Lae when Earhart visted in 1937,” he said.

“The second Guinea Airways aircraft had not been delivered in 1937 when Earhart passed through.

“In 1942, one of the Guinea Airways Electra 10A's returned to PNG to ferry troops and supplies to the battle front at Buna.

“Both these aircraft are accounted for.

“One was written off at Darwin in 1939 and the second ended its days in New Zealand.

“In 1937, Earhart passed through Lae in her 10E.

“In 1997 Finch's 10A/E flew through Moresby and Lae.

“That's four Electras total into Papua New Guinea.

“Only one of the above aircraft is seriously considered to have returned and crashed in East New Britain from the evidence we have, i.e., that my project has.

“That aircraft is Earhart's.”

Mr Billings added: “In the last year or so, five reports emanating in various districts of PNG have proclaimed that the Electra has been found and I keep repeating to you that the area is in East New Britain not that many miles from Rabaul: not in Morobe (two reports) not in the Mt Ulawun area (one report), another one report has been, I recall, in Enga but I may have misread that and now, one in the Kalip area....all could be Electras....all found in PNG !

“The Kalip area is the closest to our search area but our Australian Army Veterans were never in the Kalip area or the Milim area.

“I did hear of a large American aircraft in the Milim area back in 1994 and I guess this one just found may be that one.

“You have to look and consider ‘where’ that area is in relation to the Flight Path from Moresby to Rabaul for the B17 Flying Fortresses, the B-24 Liberators and also all the other aircraft operating from Moresby, Kiriwina, etc.

“This includes B-25 Mitchells and B-26 Marauders operating from Ward's Strip and other satellite dromes plus all the Australian and New Zealand aircraft: Beauforts, Beaufighters, Catalinas, Hudsons etc etc, etc that also attacked Rabaul.

“On top of that you have the fighters, especially the Lockheed Lightning.

“After reading up on the actions in WWII, I am convinced that Wide Bay was a prominent landmark such that the aircraft bomber fleets re-formated in the Wide Bay area on the outbound flights after bombing Rabaul and for the return to Moresby.

“ Just imagine that crippled aircraft leaving Rabaul faced all that open water to get back to Moresby, and in their bad shape, it would be inevitable that lots went down in that area of East New Britain.

“Many, many, did not make it back.

“Many are in the Bainings, many elsewhere.

“To whit, I did hear of a large U.S. aircraft down Milim way on the East Coast south of Wide Bay.

“There is also a Japanese aircraft in the same area.

“Want to take a bet? Calm down people…”

In April 1945, the 20-member patrol of the 11th Australian Infantry Battalion ‘D-Company’ is evading the Japanese while in the dense jungles of East New Britain.

Suddenly they come upon a wrecked aircraft — a two engine, twin tailed plane much like Earhart’s.

An old repair tag is pulled off one of the engines and the men moved on — fearful of falling into the hands of the Japanese.

The information on the tag is scribbled down on the edge of their map and then forgotten.

Forty-five years later at a veterans reunion, Don Angwin of that same Australian Patrol, talks about the aircraft that he and his patrol members found in the jungle.

He starts a search for the plane in 1993, and is joined the following year by David Billings of Air Nugini in Port Moresby.

Angwin died in 2001 but Billings continues the search, now living in Queensland, Australia.

Billings, now 68, has been to that valley nearly a dozen times.

Sick woman urgently needs help for medical treatment

THE family of a woman who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor is desperately appealing to the general public and business houses for financial assistance to cover her travel and medical expenses in Australia.
Forty-eight year old Rose Tapo (pictured)  of Pitylu Island in Manus province was diagnosed with brain tumor and needs urgent radiation therapy in Australia.
The family needs to raise K15, 000 to send her down to undergo radiation therapy for the total removal of the tumor.
A family member said that Rose was scheduled to travel down to Australia last   October and November but could not because of shortage of funds.
They have already started fundraising activities; however, funds are coming in very slowly.
The family is now appealing to the public to assist in whatever way they can whether it be money or donation of goods or items that can be sold to raise money.
Rose underwent surgery last July at the Port Moresby General Hospital but needs urgent medical treatment.
The mother of six has since lost her sight and can only recognise people by touching and listening to their voices.
If you would like assist in cash and kind, you can contact Ms Michaelyn Semio on phone (675) 6562180 or (675)3243239 and Mrs Linda Bitu on phone (675) 6888160 or (675) 3233555 or you can deposit funds into ANZ Boroko bank account# 13192914 named Ms Rose Tapo Medical Fund.Alternatively, you can contact me on email malumnalu@gmail.com .

Earhart's plane found at last?

THE discovery of the wreckage of an aircraft in the Ip River in East Pomio, East New Britain province last week, has generated renewed speculation that it could be the aircraft belonging to famed American aviatrix, Amelia Earhart, The National newspaper reports.

What makes this particular discovery significant is the fact that an Australian aircraft engineer, who has been involved since 1994 in a project to locate Ms Earhart’s Lockheed Electra 10E, had pinpointed the location where the wreckage was found as the place where he believed Ms Earhart’s plane went down.

An entry on the free internet encyclopaedia Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Earhart#Departure_from_Lae) says the engineer, former Air Niugini employee David Billings, asserts that a map marked with notations consistent with Ms Earhart’s engine model number and her airframe’s construction number, was seen briefly by Australian soldiers during World War II.

Mr Billings’ theory originates from the WWII Australian patrol stationed on East New Britain and indicates a crash site 64km (40 miles) southwest of Rabaul, which is only a few kilometres away from where the wreckage was found last week.

Mr Billings speculated that Ms Earhart turned back from her intended destination of Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean after unsuccessfully trying to rendezvous with an American warship, and tried to reach Rabaul for fuel.

Mr Billings and his team had made 10 attempts to locate the wreckage. His theory is contained in an exhaustive article on an American aviation website (http://www.wingsoverkansas.com/earhart/article.asp?id=850) detailing the reasons for his conclusion that the wreckage spotted by the Diggers on April 17, 1945, belonged to Ms Earhart.

Ms Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, took off from Lae on July 2, 1937, in the heavily loaded Electra for Howland Island 4,113km (2,556 miles) away. To date, their disappearance had remained an enduring mystery.

A brief report in Monday’s The National prompted one reader from Australia to write in to suggest that the wreckage could belong to Ms Earhart’s Electra.

Further research on the internet revealed Mr Billings’ theory pinpointing the area 64km southwest of Rabaul where the Diggers spotted the wreckage in 1945.

A community leader from the Kalip ward in East Pomio, Isidor Vote, said last week that the aircraft was discovered by a group of youths in the Ip River in the bushes of East Pomio.

Local villagers believed the aircraft might have been shot down during World War I between 1913 and 1914, and even suggested it was being flown by a female American pilot. It is not known what their theory is based on.

Mr Vote said the wreckage had the serial number 06751 on one of its body parts that had remained intact all these years, and parts of one of its wings had dents on it.

Mr Vote wanted Government authorities to visit the site and inspect the aircraft in order to get more information.

He said it would serve as a record for the War Museum in Kokopo.

If the find proves to indeed be Ms Earhart’s Electra, it will have far more significance and could prompt an international media frenzy in the Pomio area.

Murder capital

Port Moresby listed among world’s worst

PORT Moresby has been placed among the top five murder capitals in the world, a ranking by a foreign publication that has got Police Commissioner Gari Baki fuming, The National newspaper reports today.

The Washington DC-based Foreign Policy publication, in its edition last September, lists Port Moresby alongside Caracas (Venezuela), Cape Town (South Africa), New Orleans (USA) and Moscow (Russia) as cities where you have a very good chance of getting murdered.

The Foreign Policy website (www.foreignpolicy.com) , on which the listing is still available, says when it comes to brutal, homicidal violence, these five cities stand in a class of their own.

The publication said Caracas, which has a population of 3.2 million, had a murder rate of 130 per 100,000 residents, Cape Town had 3.5 million people and a murder rate of 62 per 100,000 residents, New Orleans had 220,000 people and a murder rate of 67 per 100,000 residents, Moscow had 10.4 million people and a murder rate of 9.6 per 100,000 residents, while Port Moresby had a population of 254,000 (2000 population census) and a murder rate of 54 per 100,000 people.

It described Port Moresby as a place with high violent crime rates, high level of police corruption and gang activity.

A spate of murders in recent weeks, especially the brutal killing of businessman Sir George Constantinou on Dec 16 and Air Niugini pilot Timothy Houji on New Year’s Day, would give critics little to argue against this very negative ranking.

But Mr Baki yesterday expressed disappointment at the ranking, especially when Port Moresby’s population was small in comparison to other world capitals.

He questioned the validity of Foreign Policy magazine’s listing of the world murder capitals.

“As commissioner of Papua New Guinea police, I was shocked and upset over Foreign Policy’s listing because it is simply not true,” he said in a letter distributed widely to be published.

“I have been a law enforcement officer for more than 35 years and I know, for a fact, that we have not had 54 murders in Port Moresby at any one time over the last 10 years.

“In fact, our annual average nationwide was much less,” Mr Baki said.

“It would be interesting to know the magazine’s source of its 2004 figures.”

He said the magazine also did not clearly indicate which year’s murder rates were used in its comparison exercise.

“These facts will have an overall bearing on the end results, especially for anyone making a comparative analysis such as that done by the Foreign Policy magazine.

“The report is grossly unfair on Papua New Guinea and sets back the many positive developments taking place within the country.

“There is no denying that PNG has a serious law and order problem.

“But, PNG and its problems cannot be compared with the four major cities Port Moresby was listed with,” Mr Baki said.

Foreign Policy’s article

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Population: 254,200 (2000 census)

Murder rate: 54 per 100,000 (2004 figure)

What’s happening: The capital of island country Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby might seem like a surprising addition to this list. But its high violent crime rates, along with high levels of police corruption and gang activity, helped earn the city the dubious title of “worst city” in a 2004 Economist Intelligence Unit survey. With gangs called “raskols” controlling the city centres and unemployment rates hovering around 80%, it’s easy to see how Port Moresby beat out the 130 other survey contenders. Port Moresby’s police don’t seem to be helping the crime situation last November, five officers were charged with offences ranging from murder to rape. And in August, the city’s police barracks were put on a three-month curfew due to a recent slew of bank heists reportedly planned inside the stations by officers and their co-conspirators. Rising tensions between Chinese migrants and native Papua New Guineans are also cause for alarm, as are reports of increased activity of organised Chinese crime syndicates.

Port Moresby is one of the murder capitals of the world? Amelia Earhart plane found? Hagen girl tied, burnt to death!

Two good stories on the front page of The National newspaper today, one on Port Moresby being rated one of the top five murder capitals of the world, and the other on a plane wreckage discovery in East New Britain strongly thought to be that of famed American aviatrix Amelia Earhart.The Post-Courier had the horrific story of a young woman being blindfolded, tied up and burnt to death in Mount Hagen.Phew! What a horrific way for Papua New Guinea to start the year!

Details to come.

'Penis fire' suspect is charged

An Australian woman has appeared in court in Adelaide charged with murdering her husband by setting fire to his penis, BBC reports.

Rajini Narayan, 44, is alleged to have doused her husband, Satish, with a flammable liquid while he was sleeping.

When she set him alight, Mr Narayan jumped out of bed and knocked over the substance, causing the fire to spread.

Mrs Narayan told the court she had not intended to kill her husband but to punish him for his alleged infidelity.

Prosecutor Lucy Boord said Mrs Narayan had confessed to her neighbours, telling them she was a "jealous wife" and believed her husband was having an affair.

"I just wanted to burn his penis so it belongs to me and no one else, I didn't mean this to happen," Ms Boord quoted Mrs Narayan as saying.

The fire, on 8 December 2008, caused damage to the couple's house estimated at 1m Australian dollars ($715,000, £490,000).

Mrs Narayan was initially charged with arson and endangering life - including the lives of her three children who were in the house at the time.

The charge was upgraded to murder after Mr Narayan died from his injuries last week.

She has been held in police custody pending the results of a psychological assessment.

 

Death Notice and Funeral Notice

The late First Officer Timothy John Houji

 

The family of Timothy John Houji (Air Niugini pilot) would like to advise all relatives and friends of his tragic death in the early hours of January 1, 2009.

Haus Krai is being held at the Houji residence at Six-Mile, Air Niugini Village, Stage 1 (Section 120, Lot 19).

 

Funeral Service

 

Date and time: Wednesday January 7, 2009, 1pm

Venue: Rev. Sino Kami Memorial Church, National Capital District

Funeral will be followed by refreshments at the Houji residence (Haus Krai) and his body will overnight in the family home. Timothy’s final flight will be on Thursday, January 8, 2009, to his home province of East Sepik to be laid to rest at Woginara No. 2 Village.

For further information, please contact Ruth Telek on (675) 6876016 or (675) 72204519.

2009 game fishing titles in Madang

The Game Fishing Association of PNG will hold this year’s game fishing national tournament in Madang.
The Madang Game Fishing Club (MGFC) will play host to the 34th GFAPNG National Titles sponsored by Mobil, Global Internet and Shimano.
The GFAPNG holds the national titles once a year during the Easter period.
Four affiliated clubs in Madang, Lae, Port Moresby and Rabaul alternate the role of host club each year, so that each of these towns hosts a national titles every four years.
“Each year Madang has played host, the number of anglers and non-anglers participating in this nine-day event has increased,” organising committee member Teresa Litz said today.
“This year the MGFC titles organising committee is expecting a minimum of 380 anglers to register, as well as up to 150 non-fishing guests.
“Registration fee is K400 per adult (fishing), K200 per junior (fishing) and K150 per guest (not fishing).
“These fees might seem steep, but they include: tournament bag, tournament shirt, cap, grid map, loads of promotional gear, breakfast, lunch (fishing days only), fuel vouchers and access to sponsored evenings for the duration of the whole tournament.
“Registration forms can be downloaded from www.gfa.com.pg/2009 ."
 The GFAPNG National Titles is a highly prestigious event and each year hundreds of anglers from all over PNG and overseas make the pilgrimage to the host town in order to participate.
The tournament is not just for seasoned anglers; many people who have never been fishing before have registered to fish the National Titles and have had such a great time.
“‘The Titles’ actually has a long record of rewarding the ‘greenies’ who have never touched a rod before!” Litz added.
“The best thing about the titles is it is an opportunity to socialise and meet other people from other towns or provinces; many men, women and children have formed lasting friendships based solely on a chance meeting at the titles.
“The camaraderie and mateship that’s experienced throughout the nine days of the tournament is truly unique and it’s this factor, not the prizes, that has most anglers returning every year.
 “Preparations for the 2009 titles are going very well.
“With up to 50 sponsors, over 400 anglers and guests as well as up to 40 boats, the logistics of holding an event like this require at least 12 months of planning and preparation.
“The titles committee is confident that it will be ready by the briefing night on April 3 and look forward to hosting an action-packed, fun-filled tournament right through to the final day when they bid farewell to visiting anglers at the ‘Crying Towel’ session on April 13.”

Skerah.com out now to promote Papua New Guinea

By ROSELYN VAI

Just a toksave that our 2009 edition of Skerah.com is now out.

Happy to receive your contributions in 2009.

If you got articles/blog articles promoting PNG, then please send them to us for publication with link to your site or blog.

Help us promote Papua New Guinea.

We'll only publish a paragraph or two and then a link to your site.

If you want your blog listed on our homepage and your articles included in our e-newsletter with a link then please let us know.

Our 2008 e-newsletter will carry on in 2009 but due to many contributions it will be on a fortnightly basis.

The first issue is in February.

A sample can be accessed here:

www.skerah.com/2009enews

rgds

Roselyn

Consort continues to train and develop Papua New Guinea seafarers

Captain Sod Baim (left) and Captain Jason Feda, both Consort-trained national captains holding Master Class 1 Certificate of Competency

Consort Express Lines Ltd has been vigorously training and developing Papua New Guinean seafarers within the maritime sector over the years.

The company’s cadet sponsorship programme is a significant component of its overall training and development strategy.

It involves the recruitment of young grade 12 school leavers to undergo four years of cadet training to become qualified ships officers.

The company has a total of 40 cadets currently in training from first year to fourth year.

Its annual cadet intake is five marine engineer cadets and five deck cadets, which represents a substantial investment for the future manpower needs of the shipping industry in PNG. The company has also been sponsoring employees to attend PNG Maritime College in Madang to upgrade their certificates.

Last year, the company sponsored the highest number of students enrolled at the Maritime College for various courses and was indeed pleased with the results.

All its sponsored students for Mate Class One and Engineer Class Two courses have successfully passed both their written and oral exams.

Charles Peni, a Consort-sponsored student was awarded the best student prize in the Mate Class One course.

The company is encouraged and will continue to sponsor more students at the Maritime College this year.

The company employs a total of 230 marine personnel throughout its fleet of vessels of which 95% are Papua New Guineans.

It boasts the services of two senior Papua New Guineans who hold Master Class One Certificate of Competency obtained from PNG Maritime College under full company sponsorship.

Two other senior Papua New Guinean engineers who hold Engineer Class One certificates have successfully localised chief engineer positions on large vessels.

All four senior officers have been trained and developed by the company up to international standards and are qualified to sail on any sized vessels anywhere in the world.

With the recent acquisition of larger vessels, the company now has a significant advantage for its current employees to gain higher level certificates.

The size of the vessels operated and the routes on which they trade, gives the company the capability to offer sea time from cadetship up to Master Class One or Engineer Class One levels with internationally-recognised certificates.

The company has recently seen the successful delivery of its latest vessel the MV Madang Coast, which sailed from the Caribbean to Lae with a 100 % complement of Papua New Guinean officers and crew, who displayed a very high level of professionalism in their jobs at an international level.

This groundbreaking achievement gives the company the confidence to continue to maintain its training and development strategy to meet not only its own future manpower needs but also the needs of the maritime industry as a whole.

The National for all the news from Papua New Guinea

Read the online edition of The National – Papua New Guinea’s leading daily newspaper – at www.thenational.com.pg for all the news and views from this part of the world.

What a terrible way for Papua New Guinea to start the year!

What a terrible way for Papua New Guinea to start the year!

Terrorism has indeed come to Papua New Guinea!

Murders! Rocket launchers and grenades being found on planes!

At least that’s what went through my mind this morning as I glanced at the front pages of both newspapers.

The National led on its front page with the story of Port Moresby police last Friday arresting five suspects in connection with the arrest of young Air Niugini pilot Timothy Houji, who was brutally murdered in downtown Port Moresby on New Year’s Day.

The five suspects – one of them a PNG Defence Force soldier based at Taurama Barracks -  are all from the the Kombe area of West New Britain province, are at the Boroko police cells and will appear in court this week.

They will all be charged with willful murder, which carries the death penalty.

Mr Houji was of mixed East Sepik and Manus parentage.

He was just 26 years old and just four days shy of his 27^th birthday.

He was a first officer on the F100 fleet and was heading towards command training to become a captain of a Dash 8 aircraft this year.

The other frightening story on the front page of The National was that of Mount Hagen police confiscating a rocket launcher along with nine grenades, a sophisticated lens and two CDs from a man at Kagamuga Airport last Wednesday.

A suspect from Nipa in Southern Highlands province was transporting the items on a flight from Kikori, Gulf province, into Western Highland province, when police checked his baggage and confiscated the items.

The suspected was arrested.

The Post-Courier led with the story of the munitions haul in Mt Hagen plus Air Niugini management confirming that a grenade had been found in a passenger seat pocket on a flight between Buka, Rabaul, Lae and Port Moresby.

The national airline has immediately taken steps to boost the checking of planes and luggage in the interests of passenger safety, including sending marshals on every flight to and from Buka.

 

The National for all the news from Papua New Guinea

Read the online edition of The National – Papua New Guinea’s leading daily newspaper – at www.thenational.com.pg for all the news and views from this part of the world.

Papua New Guinea culture affecting its growth

This article was first published in The National newspaper on November 26, 2007, but its subjects are very relevant as we start off 2009...

By SOLOMON KANTHA

WHEN PNG gained its independence in 1975, there was a lot of optimism that our mineral resource wealth would come to offset the aid dependence and bring about increased growth and development to all sectors of the economy.
PNG’s mineral resources were seen as a reservoir that would catapult the economy forward with higher rates of economic growth, leading to improved standards of living.
The country’s declining social and economic indicators tell us otherwise.
Resource developments did not result in significant improvements even in the lives of those that have resources on their land.
The notion of “development” perhaps has been erroneously equated with having rich natural resources.
East Asian economies have proven that even without an abundance
of natural resources, a country can be economically well-off.
It is therefore important for us to understand that improvements in the well-being of a society and hence the economic success of nations requires small yet crucial intangible factors such the right attitude, values and a culture that spurs growth.
After 32 years of independence, it is fitting to reflect upon some of the crucial factors that underlie our development trajectory.
The economic successes and failures of nations have been attributed to a number of factors including their economic policies, resource endowments, type of political regime, quality of leadership and even the culture of these societies.
Culture is one of the subtle yet crucial issues tied to economic growth and is arguably one of the determinant factors that either impedes or spurs economic growth and development.
How does culture affect the economic growth of countries?
A prominent scholar argues that the success of Confucian societies such as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan can be attributed directly to their cultures.
He argues that:
*Confucian societies universally promote a high level of education;
*Have a desire for accomplishment in various skills (academic and cultural);
*Have a seriousness about tasks, job, family and obligations; and
*Have much less emphasis on advancing individual (selfish) interests.
Another scholar suggests that there are ties between cultural values and economic development and that cultural values help spur growth.
Culture is a system of basic common values that help shape the behaviour of the people in a given society.
It is argued that cultural values significantly shape economic and political institutions and Confucian-influenced economies of East Asia were seen to outperform the rest of the world by a wide margin.
Cultural factors are equally important as economic and political factors in determining economic development.
According to the cultural thesis punctuality, hard work, achievement and “other” individual values are the keys to unlocking the economic potential of poor countries.
Such values can be inculcated through deliberate efforts.
While some of these claims may be disputed when looking at other Confucian societies such as China, they help us understand how the cultural dynamics of a society may affect how the people and political decision-makers behave.
They are also valid in the sense that tribal allegiances, nepotism, and ethnic animosity which is prevalent in tribal and ethnically-diverse societies such as PNG have proven to impact significantly on how institutions function and public officials and political representatives behave which consequently encroaches on the economic performance of a country.
While the tribal societies in PNG have some of the positive attributes such as the communal ownership of land and the ethnic allegiances which creates a form of social capital, the “tribalism”, “regionalism” and “provincialism” that exist among the different groups hinder development.
Tribal allegiance has greatly influenced modern day politics in PNG and tribal fights continue to blight the lives of many.
Perhaps the biggest impact that this process of transition has in PNG’s governance system is the conflict between the traditional and modern institutions, practices and norms which have significantly impacted on contemporary PNG politics.
The strong ethnic allegiances are still deeply rooted and have often led to many unmeritorious appointments to public offices based on ethnicity.
Ethnic cleavages can also have adverse effects on the economic performance of countries and PNG tends to exhibit certain characteristics of this factionalism mainly in terms of appointments to public office.
More so, the big-man system appears to have a significant impact on the role of political leaders as representatives of the people.
Most leaders have taken on the role of a traditional big-man when they assume political office which consequently affects the way they behave as political representatives and carry out their leadership duties and responsibilities.
It is indisputable that our culture is a significant contributory factor to the development enigma in PNG.
That does not mean our traditional cultures are obstacles to growth but rather the evolution of a culture that has unwittingly developed over the years and has become a norm in our society.
This culture is more related to our habits, attitude and everyday practices that have come to form an integral part of our daily lives and have impacted significantly on shaping our society today.
This recent culture can be seen in the lack of respect for fellow citizens evident in an absence of simple courtesy like “excuse me”, “please”, “sorry”, etc, in our day-to-day interaction.
Other examples can be seen in the little regard people in high offices pay to simple security checks at airports and terminals.
When someone is robbed or being attacked there is usually a large number of spectators without anyone stepping in to help the victim.
These are just few examples of this regressive culture.
NCD Governor Powes Parkop recently identified a major regressive habit – betelnut chewing.
It has become so acceptable that the authorities do not haul up anyone who defaces public properties, bus-stops, walkways, roads, buildings and even government offices with betelnut spit.
Betelnut chewing habit affects work ethics, cleanliness, and hygiene and the red stains have become an eye-sore on our streets, roads, airports, shops, markets and office buildings.
Some years ago, Singapore banned chewing gum when it became a problem with proper disposals. Anyone caught doing so faced a fine.
Governor Parkop’s message to rid Port Moresby of the eye-sore betelnut stains and careless spitting habits should be seriously adhered to by all concerned citizens to see changes not only in our capital city’s image but the country in general.
And this should be taken seriously by all citizens in other provinces as well and not just Port Moresby residents.
As we recently celebrated our 32 years of independence, we should pause for a moment and reflect upon our habits, attitudes and behaviour which form a crucial part of development and progress.
It does not require a lot of resources or money to see changes in our society but the right attitude that will generate a culture that spurs growth to see meaningful changes in our society.
It is time we should start having the right attitude in order to see changes in PNG.

Note: The writer holds a Masters degree in political science and is a lecturer in international relations at the University of PNG

Painting the town red

I was on the bus this morning when I noticed the number of people chewing betelnut and spitting without a concern for the world.

This is a major regressive habit that has been declared as public enemy No. 1 by National Capital District governor Powes Parkop.

It has become so acceptable that the authorities do not haul up anyone who defaces public properties, bus-stops, walkways, roads, buildings and even government offices with betelnut spit.

Betelnut chewing habit affects work ethics, cleanliness, and hygiene and the red stains have become an eye-sore on our streets, roads, airports, shops, markets and office buildings.

Some years ago, Singapore banned chewing gum when it became a problem with proper disposals.

Anyone caught doing so faced a fine.

Governor Parkop’s message to rid Port Moresby of the eye-sore betelnut stains and careless spitting habits should be seriously adhered to by all concerned citizens to see changes not only in our capital city’s image but the country in general.

And this should be taken seriously by all citizens in other provinces as well and not just Port Moresby residents.

Port Moresby morgue stinks

I was about to have dinner with my children last night when I saw this story on EMTV that made me want to throw up.

It was about the deteriorating state of the Port Moresby General Hospital morgue to such a state that the many bodies there are literally decomposing.

The morgue is basically a shipping container!

Relatives of the deceased are also to blame as they do not collect the dead bodies of people who die.

Television footage showed people with their hands to their noses at the morgue.

What a shame, given that the Papua New Guinea government has so much money in trust accounts, and yet cannot have a good morgue in its captal city.

My gut feeling now is that if the government does not do something drastic about our deteriorating health and education facilities this year, our social problems are going to get worse and worse.

So rich, and yet so poor!

Meantime, yuck, yuck, yuck at the Port Moresby General Hospital Morgue!

Mythbuster about climate change debate?

THE official figures are not yet in, but 2008 is widely tipped to be the coolest year of the century.

WHILE the official figures are not yet in, 2008 is widely tipped to be declared the coolest year of the century.

Whether this is a serious blow to global warming alarmists depends entirely on who you talk to.

Anyone looking for a knockout blow in the global warming debate in 2008 were sorely disappointed, The Australian reports.

The weather refused to co-operate, offering mixed messages from record cold temperatures across North America to heatwaves across Europe and the Middle East earlier in the year.

Even in Australia yesterday there were flurries of snow on the highest peaks of a shivering Tasmania, while the north of the country sweltered in above-average temperatures.

A cool 2008 may not fit in with doomsday scenarios of some of the more extreme alarmists. But nor, meteorologists point out, does it prove the contrary, that global warming is a myth.

In Australia this year, on the most recent figures, the average temperature was 22.18C.

Last year it was 22.48C. In 2006 it was 22.28C, and in 2005 22.99C.

Senior meteorologist with the National Meteorological Centre Rod Dickson said that based on data from January to November, 2008 might be the coolest this century but it was still Australia's 15th warmest year in the past 100 years.

"Since 1990, the Australian annual mean temperature has been warmer than the 1961-1990 average for all but two years, 2008 being one of those years," he said.

In Australia overall, 2008 on the most recent date, was 0.37C higher than for the 30-year average to 1990 of 21.81C.

Worldwide, 2008 was expected to be about 0.31C higher than the 30-year average to 1990, of 14C. Melbourne, Hobart and Adelaide had well below average rainfall for the calendar year 2008, with just 449mm in Melbourne, compared with an average annual rainfall of 652mm.

Hobart received 407mm in 2008 compared with an average of 618mm. Sydney was also slightly below average at 1083 mm, compared with an average of 1213mm.

Brisbane, Perth and Darwin were all wetter than normal.

Read more on this story at The Australian

Article from: News Digital