PNG women killed over 'sorcery'

By Phil Mercer

BBC News, Sydney 

Police in Papua New Guinea say four women accused of using sorcery to cause a fatal road crash have been murdered.

It is believed the victims were tortured by fellow villagers in a remote highland region 400km (250 miles) north of capital Port Moresby.

Police believe they were forced to confess to witchcraft after they were stabbed with hot metal rods.

Human rights campaigners say it is not uncommon in Papua New Guinea for women suspected of witchcraft to be killed.

These four women had been accused by fellow villagers of using sorcery to cause a car crash in which three prison guards died.

A senior police officer said it appeared the killings took place last October and that a tip-off from tribal elders had eventually alerted the authorities.

The women's bodies were found hidden in an old pit.

It is not clear if any charges will be laid.

Tight-knit communities

Superstition has always been part of life in Papua New Guinea.

Death and mysterious illness are sometimes blamed on evil curses and suspected sorcerers are often blamed and then killed.

Researchers have found that the victims are usually elderly women with little influence in the village.

Prosecuting those who kill these so-called magic makers within tight-knit communities is problematic, with potential witnesses often refusing to speak to the police.

Christianity is a powerful force in Papua New Guinea, but many people still believe in sorcery.

Those suffering from HIV and Aids are often seen as the victims of witchcraft.

Papua New Guinea has the highest HIV rate in the South Pacific - aid agencies warn of an epidemic spiralling out of control - but many people do not understand how it is spread.

In the past, some Aids victims have been thrown off bridges or dumped into graves to die.

 

PNG tries to halt sorcery murders

The authorities in Papua New Guinea have announced plans to toughen laws against sorcery-related murders, after a surge of them during the past year, BBC reports.

The chairman of the Constitutional Review and Law Reform Commission said defendants were using accusations of witchcraft as an excuse to kill people.

Police say at least 50 people were killed last year across the country.

In the latest suspected incident, a young woman accused of being a witch was burnt at the stake last week.

Correspondents say deaths and mysterious illnesses are sometimes blamed on evil curses and suspected sorcerers are often blamed and then killed.

Prosecuting those who kill these so-called magic makers within tight-knit communities is problematic, they add, and rural courts often acquit those who are made to stand trial.

"It's the easy way out for someone to kill somebody else, and use sorcery as an excuse," the head of the law reform commission, Joe Mek Teine, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"And you would find that the victim is totally innocent."

Mr Mek Teine told local media that the new legislation would force rural courts to charge those accused of sorcery-related killings with premeditated murder.

"It is a problem that has been existing in the country before the arrival of Western influence, and it's deeply rooted," he told the Post-Courier newspaper last week.

"The churches have done a lot to improve it but it's getting worse every time," he added.

 

 

 

 

Call to Papua New Guinea actors and artists

I received an email this week from Lisa Le Feuvre, Curator of Contemporary Art at the National Maritime Museum, in Greenwich, London, asking for actors and actists in Papua New Guinea to take part in a project on the life of Polish-born anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski, who is famed for his work in the Trobriand Islands (pictured above) of Milne Bay province.

Artists and actors interested in this project should get in touch with her on her contact details provided below.

“I am emailing from that National Maritime Museum in London where I am Curator of Contemporary Art,” Le Feuvre said.

“We are a historical museum exploring the sea, ships, stars and time (see http://www.nmm.ac.uk/) and within this historical context I invite contemporary artists to develop new artworks that takes these ideas as a departure point (see www.nmm.ac.uk/newvisions) .

“The reason why I m getting in touch is that our next artist project we are developing has a very particular focus on Papua New Guinea, and I wanted to get in touch with someone who knows the subject much better than me!

“We have invited the British artist Jeremy Millar as our next exhibition: Jeremy is an artist of international influence whose artistic practice takes as its starting point important events in the history of ideas.

“For us he will be starting with a very specific incident of a journey to Papua New Guinea: ‘On the morning of 9 June 1914, the young Polish-born anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski caught a train at Fenchurch Street station bound for Folkestone, embarking on the first stage of a journey that would take him half-way around the world to attend the Congress of the British Association of the Advancement of Science in Adelaide that August. Accompanying him on this long voyage was his boyhood friend, the artist and writer Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz.

Le Feuvre said the pair planned to travel from Adelaide to New Guinea where Witkiewicz would act as Malinowski's photographer and draftsman.

“The voyage, however, was interrupted by the outbreak of World War 1 and Witkiewicz left to join the Tsarist army, leaving Malinowski to continue his venture alone,” she continued.

“On reaching the Trobriand Islands, Malinowski conducted fieldwork by experiencing the everyday life of his subjects along with them.

“This methodology would become the foundation for modern anthropology’."

“This historical context forms the basis of this project. Jeremy proposes to ask the very simple question: what if Witkiewicz would have continued on this venture?

“What photographs might he have taken in the Trobriands?

“Although Witkiewicz never reached Papua New Guinea, the region became the setting for his writing.

“His most celebrated play, Metaphysics of a Two-headed Calf: A Tropical-Australian Play, was set in Port Moresby.

Le Feuvre said Millar intended to retrace Malinowski and Witkiewicz's steps to Port Moresby in May 2009 with the very same camera Witkiewicz would have used to create a series of contemporary portraits has he continued his journey.

“He is also interested in working with a local theatre group to stage the play Metaphysics of a Two-headed Calf: A Tropical-Australian Play - rather than directing it himself, Jeremy would like to simply work with a video recording of the event, screened within the exhibition,” she said.

“I feel that this is a very important project that engages with many concepts and ideas that are not only at the heart of this national museum's activities, but also central to far wider debates and ideas.

“We are very keen to work with Jeremy on this project as we really see this project as making a significant impact on future art histories, and it will be a real honour to work with an artist of his standing.

“We will be starting to plan the trip in the next few weeks, and I really wanted to just get in touch with a few key people to see if there was any special advice they could give “about the trip, an also about finding contacts of any small theatre companies who might be interested in staging the play.”

“Thank you in advance for your help.

“This has become a somewhat long email, but it seems very important to give as much information as I can.

“There is of course so much more about the project I can say... so please do let me know if you need anything else.

“With many thanks in advance.”

Lisa Le Feuvre

Curator of Contemporary Art

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

London SE10 9NF

020 8312 6590

llefeuvre@nmm.ac.uk

http://www.nmm.ac.uk/

The Day God Dropped the Paint Box

We live on an awesome planet.

Make it an awesome day.

Peace to All and May God Bless You

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

Leave the rest to our Creator

David Billings on the Amelia Earhart saga

Malum,

 

I have been meaning to say something about your figures and directions which you continually post on your blog........  You need to get your facts right before committing pen to paper and what you have written for the world to see is incorrect in the areas I am about to explain to you.

The basis for this email to you is that:

1. Your figure of 8 Tonnes for the weight in fuel carried by the Electra is wrong.

 

2. Your figure of 4600 Kilometres as the distance from Lae to Howland Island is wrong.

 

3. Your direction of the course "North" from Lae to Howland Island is wrong.

There are many "conversion" websites on the www. for finding out figures in Tonnes and Kilograms Metric and changing these to Tons and Pounds Imperial.  The sites will also convert Kilometers into Statute Miles or Nautical Miles

Basically a Metric Tonne is 1000 Kilograms; an Imperial Ton is 2400 Pounds (weight).

1 Kilogram (Kg) = 2.205 Pounds.

Basically a Kilometre is 1000 Metres and a Statute Mile is 1760 Yards.

I Kilometre (Km) = 0.621 of a Statute Mile.

1 Statute Mile = 1.61 Kilometres.

A simple luk-luk (by you) of the world map showing the area from Papua New Guinea to Howland and Baker Islands out in the Pacific Ocean will indicate to you that the direction from Lae to Howland is anything but "North".  In fact the True track to Howland is 078 degrees (True), which is hardly a northerly direction.  I hope you understand what I mean by "True" if you do not then ask.

Let me first explain to you "what" the Electra could carry in fuel.

The tankage of the Electra c/n 1055 was a maximum capacity of 1151 United States Gallons.  That's "U.S." Gallons (USG) not Imperial Gallons (ImpG).  The fuel was gasoline and 1 USG of gasoline weighs 6 pounds.  US Pounds are the same as British (or Imperial) Pounds.

1.  So to fit your figure of 8 Tonnes of fuel into the Electra would require the tanks to hold:

8000 Kg x 2.205 lbs = 17,640 Pounds = 2940 USG.

Current opinion is that Earhart and Noonan left Lae with 1100USG of fuel = 6600 Pounds in weight.

6600 Pounds = 2993 Kg or 2.993 Tonnes.

The normal full fuel of a stock passenger carrying Electra in airline use was 398 USG or 2388 Pounds in weight.

If we say then that on leaving Lae, Earhart and Noonan had 6600 lbs as against the "normal" 2388 pounds, then they were 4212 Pounds overweight which equates to 1910 Kg or very nearly 2 Tonnes.

Now on to the distance.

LAE-HOW as Earhart and Noonan thought was 2556 Statute Miles distant but there had been an error in the last sextant fix and Howland was actually a further 6 Statute miles to the East so the true distance was 2562 Statute Miles.

2.  If we convert 2662 Statute Miles (SM) to Kilometres (Km) we get:

2662 SM x 1.61 Km = 4285 Kilometres. (Not 4600).

Now to the direction Earhart took.

3.  There is a position report stated in "The Chater Report" which is times at 0518GMT, 5 Hours and 18 Minutes after Earhart left LAE.  It was recorded over the static of the radio as being only 247 SM from LAE which is impossible as the Electra would only have been travelling at 49 SM per Hour groundspeed.  It is likely that the position given meant that Earhart and Noonan were close to Mount Maetambe which is located on Choiseul Island in the Solomon Group.

If you have not read "The Chater Report" it is on the www, try Google.

There had been a reported storm just south of New Britain, between the east of New Britain and Bougainville Island and it is likely that Earhart and Noonan avoided this storm (it was a Low cell) by flying almost due East to pick up Choiseul before turning north-east for Nukumanu.  I hope you know where Nukumanu is as most Papua New Guineans have never heard of it.  It is close to Ontong Java and I hope you know where that is too.

At Nukumanu AE & FN would then be able to pick up their "true" course, turn right onto 078 True and continue on to Howland.  The dogleg by Choiseul costs them an extra 37 Statute Miles but saves them going through a storm.

As I say, the direction of "North" is completely incorrect.

There are lessons to be learned Malum, before you put pen to paper. 

The facts have to be correct or you will look foolish.

Incidentally, when you write that I have denied that the Ip River wreck recently reported is the aircraft I am looking for, that too is an incorrect statement.  I refuted the notion that the Ip River wreck is the aircraft I am looking for.  There is a difference.  Please get your facts right.

Lukim,

 

David Billings.              

 

About Amelia Earhart

Captions: 1. Date with destiny...Amelia Earhart and her Lockheed Electra at Lae, Morobe province, in July 1937 before her flight into oblivion. 2. Amelia Earhart...put Lae on the world map with her disappearance.
The mystery – that of the disappearance of Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan – intimately involves Papua New Guinea as Lae was her last port of call before she disappeared somewhere over the vast Pacific Ocean.
Amelia Earhart, darling of American aviation, went missing in July 1937, after leaving Lae for the longest stretch of her around-the-world flight.
The mystery and a long fruitless search – costing many millions of US dollars - had begun.
Today, 71 years after her final takeoff from Lae, the mystery is still to be solved.
Old Lae residents used to recall entertaining the couple in the Hotel Cecil the night before their departure, and then seeing them off the next morning.
Their Lockheed Electra was so overloaded with its eight tonnes of fuel that it was still barely clearing the waves as it disappeared from sight, flying east along the Huon Gulf coast on its way to Howland Island, 4600km to the north.
Today, a plaque to her memory stands at the Amelia Earhart Park, opposite the famous old Lae airport.

US embassy aware of potential crash sites

The US Embassy in Port Moresby is aware of the potential crash sites related to American losses from World War II in the East Pomio area of East New Britain province, The National reports.

In a statement issued in light of the various findings of crash sites, including one in East Pomio recently, the US Embassy said that considering the sheer size of the Pacific theatre of operations and the activity in this theatre during World War II, finding a site or sites associated with missing American servicemen was not particularly unusual.

However, until further investigations confirm the site as being associated with an American loss, the embassy was not able to comment on the recovery process, the statement said.

It said recovery operations would require a great deal of resources – personnel, equipment, money and time.

“Before the resources are committed, the US government must confirm that the site is associated with missing Americans and assess how long a recovery will possibly take.

“In general, we welcome help locating sites but ask that (locals) not disturb the sites.

“We also ask that (locals) help us protect potential sites until we can get there, which often means not advertising its location,” the embassy statement said.

The mission of the Joint Prisoners Of War and Missing In Action Accounting Command (JPAC) is to account for all unaccounted Americans from past wars.

JPAC’s mission is strictly humanitarian and team members are held to the highest standard of conduct and respect for the laws and cultural differences of their host countries.

JPAC encourages anyone with information relating to an American loss to contact them directly or through the US Embassy.

Meanwhile, a letter writer to The National, Capt Keith Hopper, said in an email that the aircraft found in the Ip River in East Pomio recently could be that of a B-17 Flying Fortress flown by Brig Gen Kenneth N. Walker, commanding officer of the US Army’s Fifth Bomber Command.

Plane wreck could belong to US army

By CAPTAIN KEITH HOPPER

I KNOW very little about Amelia Earhart and so cannot comment on recent reports in The National..

However, I do know a great deal about United States Army Fifth Air Force operations in the southwest Pacific area, that is, PNG.

One of the greatest mysteries of the Fifth during World War Two was the loss of Fifth bomber command’s commanding officer, Brig Gen Kenneth N. Walker.

The 43rd bomb group B-17 Flying Fortress that he was in, was shot down by Japanese fighters whilst exiting the target area (Rabaul) on Jan 5, 1943.

He had been involved in a mass daylight raid on Japanese shipping in Simpson Harbour.

Walker had been ordered by Fifth Air Force commanding officer, Gen George C. Kenny, not to personally participate in bombing raids.

However, it was early in the war and Japan held air superiority over all of New Britain and Northern New Guinea.

The Fifth Air Force was suffering heavy losses and Walker felt that his attendance on the mission would send a clear message to his airmen of his determination and commitment to defeating Japan.

When Gen Kenny heard of the loss, he nominated Walker for the congressional medal of honour, the US military’s highest award.

To date, the wreckage of Walker’s B-17 nicknamed “San Antonio Rose” has not been found; however, from the reports of other US airmen on the mission and post war interviews of Japanese fighter pilots, it is known that the aircraft crashed in the Wide Bay/Open Bay area.

So it is a very real possibility that the recent aircraft wreck discovered in Wide Bay may be that of Brig Gen Walker.

The US army will no doubt be following the discovery closely, as will Walker’s son Douglas, now in his late 60s.

I would like to thank The National for reporting the find, and look forward to future updates as more information comes to light.

 

 

Port Moresby not a murder capital

Police Commissioner Gari Bari on Friday, January 9, 2009, wrote to The National newspaper defending himself from criticisms leveled at him by David Williams (see earlier posting)

By GARI BAKI, Papua New Guinea Police Commissioner

A LETTER to the editor (Jan 8) by David Williams of Port Moresby challenged me to get my facts right in response to my comments over an international report by Foreign Policy magazine listing Port Moresby as the fifth murder capital of the world.

I stand by my statement that Port Moresby has not at any one time, be it day, month or year, over the last 10 years, recorded 54 murders.

Port Moresby, with an estimated population of 500,000, cannot be compared with other capital cities which have anything from three to 10 million people.

The writer had put forward statistics arguing otherwise.

Murder is the intentional and unlawful killing of one person by another and is not the same as deaths or killings, which could be from a number of causes.

I hope the writer and Foreign Policy magazine are not getting these three confused.

As Police Commissioner, I will not allow such misleading reports to go unchallenged because, over time, it will be accepted as fact.

It is these kinds of reports that contributed to our poor world credit ratings and will have serious negative implications on our development aspirations.

We do have a serious law and order problem but to rank us alongside major world cities was totally unfair.

That was the point of my argument.

I would like to ask the writer – what is your point and what have you done to address this growing concern?

Law and order is not a police problem.

It is a societal problem.

It is everybody’s problem.

People like the writer conveniently shy away from what should be a collective responsibility to fight crime.

You do not have to join the police service or take up arms to fight crime.

Your involvement can be subtle and, yet, still send a powerful message.

Here are three ways you can help in the fight against crime:

* Refuse to be in the company of or entertain relatives/friends you know who are involved in a life of crime;

* Refuse money, food or other gifts which are proceeds of crime; and

* Report to police if you know of a crime that had been committed, is being committed or will be committed in the near future.

Many so-called law-abiding citizens are doing none of the above and are just as guilty as the man who pulled the trigger or robbed the bank.

I totally concur with the view that there are no innocent bystanders.

I would like to ask not only the writer, but also readers, when was the last time you saw something wrong and did something constructive about it?

I consider myself a strong nationalist and have dedicated my entire life to protecting and serving the people of Papua New Guinea.

Policing in PNG is very difficult, given the various constraints such as having access to appropriate or adequate resources, equipment and funding, but we are doing the best we can.

As Police Commissioner, I have initiated programmes which will see the creation of a highly trained and professional police service committed to serving the six million-plus people of Papua New Guinea.

Finally, to the writer, if you are a Papua New Guinean you should hang your head in shame.

If you are an expatriate, then you are being well fed, so either shut up or leave PNG because you cannot contribute meaningfully to our development.

 

Gari Baki

Commissioner of Police

Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary

 

Get your facts right, Baki

Check this letter to The National newspaper which appeared on Thursday, January 8, 2009, and the reply above from Police Commissioner Gari Baki above.

By DAVID WILLIAMS

With due respect, I believe Police Commissioner Gari Baki is completely out of touch with reality when he said that “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.”

 I would go so far as to say, that if Mr Baki genuinely believed this was the case, then he should resign immediately.

The National, on Nov 2, 2007, (http://www.thenational.com.pg/110207/ Nation&209.html) reported: “Statistics showed that there were 424 murder cases reported this year and 496 last year. Port Moresby and Western Highlands province (WHP) reported the highest cases of rape and murder this year. But Port Moresby has seen a decrease with 95 murder cases reported this year compared to 119 last year.”

Please wake up, Mr Baki. – David Williams, Port Moresby

 

Big response to Amelia Earhart stories

Last week’s stories about a plane wreckage in East New Britain province thought to be that of famed American aviatrix Amelia Earhart has brought back a flood of response.

The National has been inundated with phone calls, emails and visits from people since the publication of the stories and feature article in the Weekender last Friday.

A group of local men claimed to have found a plane wreckage with the Bureau Number 06751.

This brought back a swift response from Craig Fuller of the Aviation Archaeological Investigation & Research (AAIR) in California, USA.

“The 40- serial numbers - the USAAF equivalent of USN Bureau Numbers - only go up to 40-3162, so it is not possibly 40-6751,” he said.

“The USN Bureau Number 06751 is for a Douglas SBD-4 Dauntless.”

According to Fuller’s USN Lost list at http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/USN/LLApr43.htm, that plane crashed at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands on June 4, 1943, claiming the life of its pilot Second Lieutenant John H. Fould.

“It is also possible the number found is not the plane's ID number, but another marking altogether,” Fuller added.

Asked if there was any possibility of the wreckage being Eahart’s, he replied: “Personally I do not think so.

“So what I was doing was trying to identify what it is.

“Right now, Douglas SBD-4 Dauntless Bureau Number 06751 is the best candidate.

“While the loss location lists Guadalcanal, that could be an error or where it took off from, or where it was last seen.

“Unfortunately I do not have any more details on that loss other than what is listed.

“Are there any photos of what they have found?”

Australian, Steve Bennett, based in Port Moresby commented: “Amelia broadcasted a radio transmission that was picked up by a US Ship at Howland Island, out past Kiribati.

“After leaving Lae, Howland was her next destination and final stop before trying to get to Hawaii.

“She never landed at Howland.

“She did confirm that she had passed Nukumanu Islands, which is the most Eastern part of PNG that she crossed and if she did go down in PNG, then Nukumanu is the place to look... not in East or West New Britain.

“But, if they do find it in the jungles up in the Bainings then good on 'em.

“That is one plane that should really be returned to the US.

“WW2 wreckage should remain in PNG.”

Papua New Guinean student studying in China, Mathew Yakai, said: “This puzzle must be solved for once and all, I guess.”

Bulolo MP Sam Basil off to witness Barrack Obama take office

By ISAAC NICHOLAS

BULOLO MP Sam Basil (pictured above with US Ambassador to PNG Lesley Rowe) will be representing Papua New Guinea to witness the swearing-in of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States, The National reports. Mr Basil will join millions of Americans in celebrating the inauguration of Obama in Washington DC on Jan 20.

He will be the only person representing PNG and the Pacific Islands region to witness the change of guard in the US.

The trip is fully funded by the US government, which will enable politicians, journalists, academics and others to witness the transition of power in a civil society and how democracy works in the US.

US Ambassador to PNG Leslie Rowe said Mr Basil would have the opportunity to talk to local officials involved in the US elections.

“He will have the chance to meet with winners – politicians who won the elections – and losers – people who lost the election – in North Carolina and Ohio as well as in Washington DC,” Ms Rowe said.

Mr Basil thanked the US Embassy for the opportunity to travel to the US for the first time.

“My people of Bulolo are happy and excited that I will be taking this trip.

“They asked me to convey their thanks to the US Embassy, especially the ambassador, and they are delighted and happy for a politician to take the trip to broaden my mind and, also when I come back, I should have an in-depth knowledge of America.

“It’s a very historical event where we will see the transition of an old administration to a new one,” Mr Basil said.

Ms Rowe said this would be a unique trip that Mr Basil would undertake with 21 other delegates from at least 20 countries.

“This is a very unique trip; he will be in the US for about two weeks, initially travelling to Washington and then to two other states, Ohio and North Carolina,” Ms Rowe said.

Mr Basil will be joined by 21 other delegates from countries in Latin America, Africa and South Asia, Singapore, Malaysia and New Zealand.

 

 

Port Moresby morgue continues to stink

And our social problems continue to build up as the government turns a blind eye

 

The Port Moresby General Hospital Morgue continues to stink with a terrible stench spreading over a 1km radius yesterday as bodies were removed from a ‘shipping container’ morgue to a new one donated by hospital chairman Sir Brian Bell.

The stench of the decomposing bodies has people in the vicinity holding on to their noses to avoid the terrible smell.

National Capital District Commission says it will bury the unclaimed bodies en masse this week after publishing the names of the dead in the daily newspapers.

And all this time, the silence of the government over this issue, and others since the beginning of this year, has been deafening.

The people of Papua New Guinea want the government to publicly come out on:

• The Port Moresby General Hospital Morgue issue;
• The burning issue of corruption;
• Reports that Port Moresby is one of the ‘murder capitals’ of the world;
• Grenades and rocket launchers being found on planes;
• The burning ‘execution’ of a young woman in Mount Hagen last week.
• The murder of Air Niugini pilot Timothy Houji on New Year’s Day;
• Increasing sorcery-related killings all over the country;
• Increasing compensation claims all over the country; and
• Many, many, more.

The government has to publicly admit now that its education and health system is in a mess.

It is now the gut feeling of many Papua New Guineans that the government, in its mad rush for independence, has failed miserably to look after our education and health systems over the last 33 years.

This is why the country is in such a mess right now.

 

InterOil fuel supply to Wewak and potential tidal-affected zones

PORT MORESBY: The Wewak fuel supply situation has arisen due to unusual conditions (sea swell associated with the December King Tides) that made it impossible to safely berth the InterOil Products (IPL) supply vessel to discharge fuel to the depot just before Christmas.

 At least four attempts were made to safely berth the vessel, the most recent after sailing to Manus to discharge fuel there before returning to Wewak to try and berth again. Following the unsuccessful attempts to safely berth the vessel during December, it was necessary for the vessel to depart Wewak to make deliveries to other ports that were about to run out of fuel completely after the long delays incurred at Wewak.

 To reduce the impact of the supply shortage in Wewak, IPL has arranged for containers of drums to be sent from our Lae and Madang Terminals and also rationed the remaining fuel in Wewak until the supply vessel can next sail into Wewak.

The vessel has a voyage cycle of typically 23 days to deliver fuel to all of IPL's Ports in PNG and Wewak has to be towards the end of the voyage due to the available draft (depth of water) in Wewak.

At present, the supply vessel is next due to sail into Wewak on / around the 13th January when we hope that the tide and sea swell conditions will be favourable for the vessel to berth safely.

 In respect of the general enquiry regarding fuel arrangements for areas potentially affected by the predicted unusual tides in the first half of January, IPL has completely filled the vessel on the current voyage to provide as much fuel as possible in our storage tanks at all ports.

The media will continue to be kept well informed of developments as they unfold.

For further in formation please contact

Susuve Laumaea

Senior Manager - Media Relations

InterOil Corporation

Ph: 321 7040

Mobile: 684 5168

Email: susuve.laumaea@interoil.com   

 

What is Networking?

By PANU KASAR

When I was in computer school we used a network where all our individual computers were connected to a master computer called a server.

Students were each given a username and password which gives privilege to use network resources.

The server controls the network allowing users to use network printers, email facilities and access shared documents such as music or soft wares.

Basically this is the function of simple network.

It all started when someone realised that since organizations now depend more on computers connecting them would be much more convenient.

Actually communication and sharing of resources is the main objective that networking addresses.

Today every second at peak business hours millions of email race around the globe at speeds no other form of communication can achieve.

Networking is the connecting of computers by means of physical cabling or wireless means for communication and sharing of resources.

The internet is just an example of a very large worldwide network of computers. Networking uses a computer language called TCP/IP.

This language creates a common platform where machine great and small of all sorts of design communicate with each other.  

The TCP/IP protocol also connects devices such as printers, scanners and cameras to the network.

Just like telephones with unique numbers, computers on a network are located by unique tags called IP addresses.

Every computer on the network has an IP address.

 In fact the website addresses of internet sites are IP addresses in user friendly readable form.

When you type it into the browser the machine converts it into an IP address.

This technology has made the internet one of modern man’s greatest achievements.

Networking has made the entire world a single entity which we now call the internet (see next week’s article).

 The connecting of computers has increased productivity at all levels of organisational businesses.

When individual computers connect to a central data base administration becomes effective.

 Databases with important updated information now can be accessed by people who need information and updated by data operators.

Networking also makes system administrators save time through remote assistance.

All functions are now done at the server instead on the individual PC’s.

Networking can be done in many different types of design.

A network managed by a small organisational setup consisting of several buildings or in a single building is called a LAN (Large Area Network).

A LAN is what most busineses prefer these days.

A LAN can also be divided into small sections called Workgroups.

 These could represent Departments in an organisation.

When different LAN’s are combined together you have a WAN (Wide Area Network). WAN’s are usually used by large institutions who manage large databases.

A WAN could be made up of LAN’s in different provinces or even in different countries. SP Brewery’s WAN stretches right to its Asian headquarters.  

A banking system is an example of a well designed Wide Area Network.

See BSP branches systems as LAN’s and the entire System as a WAN.

The WAN stores data in an ordered archive and retrieves it for organisational use.

The BSP network uses PC’s at its branches and custom built computers at retail outlets. ATM’s and EFTPOS machines are in fact custom built computers on the large BSP WAN.

That is why you can access your savings and make transaction anywhere as long as the machine is connected to the WAN.

The telephone system is also a large network which transmits analogue and digital data using a conversion instrument called a modem.

Now it starts to make sense.

Most of us have been using these networks without knowing.

See how this concept has revolutionised the world.    

Networks that store large data need qualified IT personnel to manage and design to suit the organisation that uses it.

Software has to be updated now and then.

This keeps anti viruses secure and better equip to detect virus treats.

 If data is going to be accessed and updated regularly and often then the topology must be accurate.

 Topology is the design of data transmission, be it cable or wireless.

Fibre Optic cables are used for real time fast transmission networks where live conferencing is facilitated.

The system administrator must be well aware of software compatability issues and the availability of newer software versions.

There is also a design called VPN short for Virtual Private Network.

This allows people to connect to their local LAN from a remote location using the internet.

 The public network such as the internet becomes a dedicated route which establishes links to the local LAN.

The data sent is encrypted and sent to avoid security breaches along the public route.

 This works just like using the network at the geographical LAN location.

VPN’s are configured during network designing again it depends on the preference and need of the organisation using the network.

If the business employs sales people who are always on the road then VPN is a good option.  

Wireless networking is also becoming popular in most businesses in Port Moresby.

This design is no different to cabled network.

Daltron’s Air spot is an example of wireless internet which is now becoming popular. TelikomPNG’s VSAT technology has now become the main infrastructure used in wireless technology.

UPNG Physics Department is one of the many organisations in the city who have implemented wireless networking in their existing infrastructure.

The set-up is simple:  configure a server and add wireless adapters to the network.

In most cases it is just an extension of a cabled network.

 Users using PC’s or laptops have to be in the network coverage to access the network.

Networking is the way forward in modern organisational productivity.

 It is economical if properly designed and administered by constant updating of infrastructure as well the qualification of the people managing it.

Get yours done if your organisation’s computer infrastructure is in stand alone mode. You won’t regret it, it will take you miles. 

Have a wonderful week.

 Feedback email: pkasar@mail.com   

Panu Kasar

Operations Manager

Itel PNG Microtech Ltd

P O Box 265 UNIVERSITY PO

PH: (675) 325 8912

…The PC Clinic...