Remembering Independence Day in 1975

BY KEITH JACKSON

Keith Jackson…feelings of real pride in PNG

THAT FIRST Independence Day in Papua New Guinea was organised in a heck of a hurry.

Less than three months before September 16, 1975, Chief Minister Michael Somare gave long-serving District Commissioner David Marsh the task of organising events on the day and during the six days of celebration from September 14-19.

Flag lowering in 1975

Marsh did a fine job – VIPs, security, transport, accommodation and the proceedings themselves all had to be planned and brought to fruition.

 And not just in Moresby, of course, but throughout the country.

There were a number of high-profile events, like the taking down of the Australian flag at sunset on September 15 (“we are lowering this flag, not tearing it down,” said Sir John Guise, memorably).

And there were also exhibits, church services, sports fixtures, bands, pageants, addresses, dinners, ceremonies, concerts, fireworks, medals, publications, tree plantings and radio broadcasts.

Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, author Keith Jackson and an Orange city councillor in 2009

Even the West Indies cricket team played in Port Moresby and Lae.

Then, on the day itself, in the presence of the Prince of Wales, the commander of the PNG Defence Force raised the new Kumul flag on behalf of the people of Papua New Guinea.

Independence Day was a huge success.

 And its success had been achieved with speed.

A bit like Independence itself.

Australia had been in PNG to build a nation.

 We expatriates played our parts in that grand enterprise.

Unfortunately, when Australia pulled out, so did thousands of its citizens who had worked in PNG for many years.

The author at camp on the slopes of Mt Wilhelm in 1964

And they left quickly.

It was said then, and still is by a lot of people, that Independence had “come too soon”.

But, to me, the main issue was that too much experience and expertise deserted PNG in those few years immediately after Independence.

But that was in the 70s, and nothing can change what happened then.

Today, 35 years on, what can we say about Papua New Guinea?

Well, my website PNG Attitude always has a lot to say – and some of it is very critical.

But, irrespective of what one may think about governance, health and other issues, let me tell you six good reasons why everyone associated with Papua New Guinea should feel a sense of real pride in the country.

The author at camp on the slopes of Mt Wilhelm in 1964

Keith Jackson at a pooling booth in the first election in 1964

1.      PNG is a parliamentary democracy. Forget the skullduggery and tactical trickery that sometimes characterises National Parliament. PNG’s people go to the polls every five years to elect their government. They will do so again in 2012 as they have in the 48 years since 1964. (Yes, 2014 will be the 50th anniversary of representative government in PNG.)

2.      PNG is united. And what a challenge this was. A fragmented tribal society of more than 800 languages and as many cultures has managed to remain together as one nation for 35 years. True, it hasn’t always been plain sailing, but how could it be in such circumstances. Unity alone is a considerable achievement and a positive reflection on PNG’s political leadership.

3.       PNG has retained a viable society. Although periodically threatened by commercial pressures and the waywardness of modern life, the bedrock of PNG society remains the tribe, clan and extended family. The wantok system can be a curse when applied to conventional organisation; but is a real blessing when it comes to providing the baseline security that a nation and its people require.

4.      PNG has retained some strong institutions. It has a Defence Force that understands the primacy of the government of the day. It has an independent and strong judiciary. It has universities that produce thinkers and doers. And it has non-government organisations that, while frequently criticised by some politicians, are growing in robustness and contributing greatly to the maintenance of a strong civil society.

5.      PNG has a free press. While not numerous in terms of autonomous outlets, the PNG press has a tradition of independence that was first entrenched by those forcefully-unfettered journalists who gave real backbone to the country’s media organisations in the 1960s and 1970s. This feisty press tradition has more recently managed to migrate successfully to the internet, especially through blogs. It will continue to flourish.

6.      PNG has a people who will prevail. Over many hundreds of years a thousand societies developed in relative isolation from the world and from each other. But that proved no fatal constraint, because these societies also produced an enviable toughness, an acute intuition, a richness of culture and a great capacity to change. No more needs to be said.

All Australians who have affection for Papua New Guinea and its people, and there are very many of us, congratulate our close neighbour on this auspicious day and want to communicate to you the continuing warmth of our friendship.

Keith Jackson publishes the PNG Attitude blog. He is Chairman of Jackson Wells Pty Ltd, a Sydney-based public relations firm, and an Adjunct Professor in Journalism and Communication at the University of Queensland.

A Papua New Guinea education

By PAUL OATES

Paul Oates

When I was 21 I was lucky enough to be selected as an assistant patrol officer in the then Australian Territory of Papua and New Guinea (TPNG).

Not many people in Australia knew much about our northern external territory except those of my father’s generation who had fought there during the Second World War.

My training as an assistant patrol officer commenced in 1969 at the Australian School of Pacific Administration (ASOPA) located in Mosman, Sydney.

The lectures included law, government, geography, and language.

Mostly these subjects were taught by those who had some association with PNG, although they had little or no experience in the territory’s rural areas.

After our time at ASOPA, my course of 39 trainees was flown to Port Moresby and continued its training at Kwikila, a sub district headquarters 100km east of Moresby in the Rigo area of the Central district.

Here practical experience involved police administration, local government and public works.

At the end of this training, we were given our field postings.

My posting was to the West Sepik region, however I swapped with a colleague so I could go to the Morobe district to hopefully learn a little about cattle farming.

In the event, I was posted to Pindiu patrol post in the Finschhafen sub district where there were very few cattle.

Paul Oates as a young Australian kiap at Pindiu, Morobe district, in 1970

When I arrived at the district headquarters in Lae and visited the district commissioner’s office, I was told I was to fly out the next morning to Pindiu and was taken around to open a country order account at Steamships New Guinea Company.

An assistant district commissioner from another sub-district wanted to snaffle me for his domain and, when he came around the following morning to order me to go with him; I wanted to be loyal to my actual posting and hid until he had to catch his plane.

Later that morning I was loaded into a small Cessna 172 along with a new government clerk and his family and we flew from Lae to Pindiu, where I was expected to complete my two years of field training and after which I might be lucky enough to be promoted to patrol officer.

The type of field training offered usually depended on the senior officer at the time. There appeared to be two schools of thought.

Villagers building the Ogeranang airstrip in Finschhafen, Morobe district, in 1969

One was to take the newly posted ‘cadet’ and lead him through the ropes.

 The second appeared to be: ‘Toss him in at the deep end and see if he swims?’

The officer-in-charge of Pindiu, who had previously served in the Western Highlands, belonged to the second school of thought.

Not long after I arrived, I was told I was to go on patrol.

 This involved preparing my meagre supplies and rations and flying from Pindiu to Mindik airstrip where the OIC and I walked to where an airstrip was to be built.

My role was to supervise the construction of that airstrip at a village called Ogeranang using a plan on a foolscap piece of paper kept at the site.

My boss took me to the site, showed me what had to be done and left me there for a fortnight to learn the ropes.

 What I didn’t know at the time was that in the future I would be directed to build a base camp at Mindik and generally ‘look after’ the whole of the Kua and Bulum river valleys and their people.

I would also regularly walk back and forth to the airstrip construction site at Ogeranang village in the Bulum valley.

What I also didn’t know was that my little base camp would eventually become a centre of government administration and I would plan schools to be built in Mindik and Ogeranang that would help the people of that area.

But all that was in the future.

I considered myself at 21 to be fairly fit.

Outdoor training with the army reserve and ‘bush bashing’ as it was called was something I was very keen on.

Our patrol started from Mindik and walked for about three hours from the Kua valley over the ridge to the Bulum valley and to a village called Areganang.

Here we met the driving force behind the new airstrip, a councillor called Rukanzinga. Councillor Rukanzinga turned out to be about my father’s age and a man of vision.

He was very keen to have an airstrip in his area so that his people didn’t have to carry their coffee all the way to Mindik or down to the coast to sell.

Leaving Areganang, we set off again towards Ogeranang and the airstrip site only this time the climbing was harder going.

“Don’t drink anything!” the boss told me, but the cool, clear water in the stream before the final climb was just too tempting.

Up, up, and up we climbed until my breath started to shorten.

Stopping and taking ‘a breather’ to look at the scenery didn’t seem to help.

 My breathing became very laboured and I wondered what on earth was going on.

“Ha!” said my boss, “You drank some water didn’t you? I told you not to?”

What I hadn’t yet worked out is that my body wasn’t yet acclimatised to altitude and at around 5,000 feet about sea level I wasn’t used to the diminished oxygen at that altitude - especially when taking rigorous exercise.

Villagers digging a drain for an airstrip in Ogeranang, Morobe district, in 1969

As I gasped and wheezed up the mountain, Councillor Rukanzinga came forward and said gently in Tok Pisin, “Just take little steps, kiap. You’ll be OK.”

Slipping his arm into mine, the councillor helped me forward and showed me how to take little, six inch steps upward.

Ever so slowly I continued to climb, leaning on Councillor Rukanzinga.

When we arrived at the top of the ridge where the airstrip was being built, it seemed thousands of people were waiting for us.

The experienced PNG councillor had successfully led the inexperienced young Australian up to the camp site.

I realised that my PNG education had only just commenced!

Students learn about balsa downstream processing

By UNRE Public Relations
 

Second year agriculture students of University of Natural Resources & Environment (UNRE) visited two balsa companies in East New Britain recently to learn more about producing better quality of timber and to know how to maintain and improve timber production.

As part of their study on the subject of timber selection, processing and pruning, two groups of second-year students visited the campus based Marsha Berman Sawmill and PNG Balsa Company’s sawmill and processing plant at Takubar, Kokopo.

Students wait for PNG Balsa assistant production manager Joe Raka (left) to take them on the company facilities tour

The students, totaling more than 100, were taken in three tour groups, each conducted by a member of the managing staff of PNG Balsa.

Forestry technical officer, Daniel Waldi, one of two staff members who accompanied them, said the main emphasis of the trip was for students to see firsthand how timber quality was maintained and improved during downstream processing.

The pruning demonstration was carried out at the university’s balsa plantation.

This is the second such visit and Waldi said he noticed a marked improvement in the students’ understanding of the course material, especially in the technology involved in downstream processing of timber.

Student Lydia Lang said the field trip was in line with their lectures on downstream processing.

She said they had found it beneficial as it allowed them to see the processes involved.

Waldi thanked PNG Balsa management staff, Joe Raka (assistant production manager), Bongive Lehe, (assistant production manager) and David Wesley (operations supervisor), for taking the time to give students a tour of the company’s facilities.

Maprik to fund more farmer training

 

A female youth receiving her certificate from Maprik district administrator Simon Faelau, while councillor Ulupu Ward and head trainer IATP look on.-Picture by RAY ROBERTS

By UNRE Public Relations

 Maprik district administrator Simon Faelau has pledged to fund further farmer training in the Yamil/Tamahui local level government (LLG) in Maprik from the district’s joint dis­trict priority (JDP) committee funds.

The trainings will be facilitated by the University of Natural Resources & Environment under its integrated agricultural training programme (IATP).

Announcing this at the closing of an IATP training that was conducted in the LLG’s Ulupu village, Faelau also committed Maprik JDP funds to other projects which include:

• Cocoa quality training for cocoa dryer owners;

• A classroom at a local primary school for K20, 000; and

• K1 million road maintenance.

He commended the university for “bringing the training to the grassroots level”.

Yamil/Tamaui president Tony Kaup also extended apprecia­tion to the university for tak­ing the beneficial training to his people.

He urged the participants to utilise the skills they had gained to improve the liveli­hoods of their families.

The ceremony, which was held on Saturday, August 21, was also attended by the district police station com­mander, executive director of non government organisation Foundation of Women in Ag­ricultural Development Mon­ica Otto, UNRE Sepik Central campus acting director Gitala Pranis, district rural develop­ment officer James Hosea and other local leaders.

The Maprik police com­mander also conducted an alcohol and substance abuse community awareness, par­ticularly on homebrewed al­cohol and marijuana.

He urged parents to exer­cise more control over their children and occupy them with productive activities to sustain their living.

This, he said, would keep them away from taking illicit drugs.

Tolai taro for Port Moresby

ENB taro selling at SVS Foodland supermarket, Harbour city

The first chilling container containing bags of taro, singapore and dry coconuts from East New Britain province went on sale in the Port Moresby in the week leading up to independence on Sept 16, 2010.

These food items were delivered to the Pacific Adventist University (PAU) outside Port Moresby on Sept 10, 2010, after they left Rabaul on Aug 22.

 The shipment was the first joint effort by the taro commercialisation project of National Agriculture Research Institute’s Islands regional centre, Kerevat and the East New Britain women and youth in agriculture (ENBWYIA) to sell taro in Port Moresby markets.

The products were packed in polysacs and stored in cool temperatures between five to eight degrees Celsius during shipment.

There were three taro varieties in the shipment: Baining north, Pomio kukos and Talasea K10. 

Project coordinator Kiteni Kurika and staff from NARI Southern regional centre, Laloki, inspected the quality of the produce on arrival and noted that they were still in good condition for selling.

The taros were distributed to buyers in Port Moresby on Monday Sept 13 and follow-up visits by NARI staff that week revealed that the taros were selling at seven major supermarkets in the city.

A customer buying ENB taro at Stop n Shop supermarket, Rainbow, Gerehu

Their quality and appearance were still good.

 Supermarket staff interviewed were not aware that the taros were from East New Britain.

The taros were selling at K5.90 to K8.95 per kilogram with mark ups of 47 to 124% above the selling price.

The prices will be marked down after one to two weeks of trading as the quality of the taros start to drop.

This initiative came about after decades of research on taro pest and management at the NARI Islands regional centre at Kerevat.

 The bonus of the taro research was that it didn’t stop after a chemical control package was identified to eliminate the threat of taro beetle damaging taro corms, but developed right through to commercialisation stage. 

The taro commercialisation project is spearheaded by ENBWYIA with the support of East New Britain provincial government and NARI.

 The aim of the project is to export the popular food crop outside of the province.

The two-year project which began in March this year was funded by Australian innovative grant scheme (AIGS).

The project aims to research the viability of producing high quality taro consistently for local and international markets.

The ENBWYIA are very fortunate to collaborate with NARI Kerevat in this project and are looking forward to positive outcomes.

They are already being trained to apply Bifenthrin and Mustang as control agents of taro beetle and apply best cultivation practices and post harvest techniques for shipping and marketing. 

The PAU’s commercial section has indicated that the success of this first shipment could lead to other root crops, vegetables and fruits from East New Britain being exported to Port Moresby.

The project would be conducting a taro market survey for wholesalers, retailers and consumers with each shipment to assess the viability of marketing ENB taro in Port Moresby.

Preliminary indications from the sale of the first taro shipment were very encouraging, as all the taros were sold out within a week.

There is, however, scope for improvement: firstly to promote and create awareness on ENB taro amongst Port Moresby buyers and consumers, and secondly to identify other produce with good prospects for the Port Moresby market.  

New global information forum for agricultural development

By SENIORL ANZU of NARI, who attended the meeting in Bangkok, Thailand

The accession and sharing of agricultural information will increase globally as a result of greater participation in a new information management and sharing platform developed by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.

 This new initiative, Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development (CIARD), is an online database information management system that is aimed at creating a one-stop forum for different agricultural information systems that are currently available from different organisations throughout the world.

More than 30 professionals in information and communication from 20 countries in the Asia Pacific region were introduced to the new system last week in Bangkok, Thailand.

The countries were introduced to the forum through a workshop organised by the Asia-Pacific association of agricultural research institutions (APAARI), as a regional forum, which has been promoting the use and application of information communication technology/information communication management (ICT/ICM) in agricultural research for development (AR4D) in the region through its programme ‘Asia-Pacific agricultural research information system (APARIS)’. APARIS is closely associated with the Rome-based global forum for agricultural research (GFAR) and FAO on such innovations for agricultural development.   

The initiative is currently available online (www.ciard.net).

To contribute, access and learn from the different databases and systems worldwide, organisations can log on the site and register to participate in this exciting innovation which comprises national, regional and international ICT/ICM developments across the globe.

The Pacific region was represented by Papua New Guinea (National Agriculture Research Institute), Fiji (Ministry of Agriculture) and Samoa (Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries).

According to APAARI, the workshop was to assist the member national agricultural research systems (NARS) with new capacities for better agricultural information management through revitalising APARIS activities and through which strengthening global ICM4ARD initiatives to improve effective use of information by all stakeholders for Agricultural Research for oDevelopment (ARD) in the region and the world over.

The main objective of the workshop was to orient participants to CIARD initiative and equip them to contribute to the CIARD roadmap to information nodes and gateways (CIARD RING). It was also to orient participants to the potential opportunities of new ICT/ICM for AR4D in the areas of research, extension, marketing and agri-business, and identify mechanisms to strengthen Asia-Pacific APARIS for efficient exchange of data, knowledge and technologies in the region and present the status of ICT/ICM in AR4D in the region.

The major outcomes include:

·        Increasing the awareness on new ICT/ICM initiatives among information and communication managers of national agricultural information Systems (NAIS);

·        Promotion of the CIARD initiative, capacity building for NAIS in the Asia-Pacific region to contribute to the CIARD initiative, and registration of NAIS services in the CIARD RING; and

·        Mechanisms for strengthening APARIS to undertake better advocacy, networking, partnerships and human and institutional capacity strengthening programmes in the region and a status report on ICT/ICM in AR4D in the Asia-Pacific Region.

The three-day workshop, which ended on Sept 17, was staged at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok.

PNG was invited by FAO to register and be part of the new CIARD RING and benefit from it.

Assistance in Hidden Valley gold mining environmental issues

By DR GAE GOWAE

 

Thank you Robin for your well-received views and offer to assist.

 Indeed the political insinuation is there, but regardless of who provides the financial support, the scientific nature and the credibility of the findings are what we need. This is why either by outside consultants or Morobe elites, the appropriate technical expertise and experience is needed to undertake this study.

 The cost for such study is enormous, and political support either through Tutumang (Morobe provincial assembly) or individual MPs is required, as long as the report of the findings is credible and transparent; whatever political achievement is up to the people's judgement.

 The idea of us Morobe elites assisting is to do it at reduced cost, particularly to cut down on the consultant fees.

 The report by Mr Michael Kiap is worth accessing, but interestingly, why were such findings never publicized?

 However, given the recent problems as seen on the TV and the circulation of the video clips of the area, it is worth untaking an independent study to ascertain all those allegations.

 Your suggestion of Tutumang submission for financial support is well taken and in fact I have already suggested the idea to landowners’ association interim president, which requires the local level government presidents' support and endorsement.

This too will required technical expertise advice and assistance in putting together the submission.

 I have Ms Finkewe Zurenuoc, who has enormous experience in mining industry, already offering her assistance and you in hydrology, which is great.

We need a few more and then we can look at logistic support to get together and plan this study including the costing.

 

Kind regards,

 

G.Gowae

 

Antelope-2 horizontal drill steam test #7 confirms stabilised condensate to gas ratio at 24-27 BBLS/MMCF

Cairns, Australia and Houston, TX -- September 28, 2010 -- InterOil Corporation (NYSE: IOC) (POMSoX: IOC) today announced that during stabilised flow from drill stem test (DST) #7 at the Antelope-2 Horizontal 2A well in Papua New Guinea, the well flowed gas at rates between 2.5 to 4.5 million cubic feet of natural gas per day (MMcfd) through various choke sizes with limited formation water produced. 

A stabilised condensate-to-gas ratio (CGR) of approximately 24-27.7 barrels of condensate per million cubic feet of natural gas (Bbls/MMcf) was measured on both a 32/64 and 22/64 inch choke. 

This is approximately a 60% increase in CGR from DST #1 which was performed at the top of the reservoir and reported on October 14, 2009 at 16.5 Bbls/MMcf.  DST #7 was conducted over a 355 foot horizontal interval from 9,357 feet (2,852 meters) to 9,712 feet (2,960 meters) total measured depth, at a true vertical depth (TVD) of 7,743 feet (2,360 meters).

Formation evaluation logs from the entire Antelope-2 Horizontal-2A well were obtained over the total measured depth (TMD) interval of 1,719 feet from 7,937 feet (2,419 meters) to 9,656 feet (2,943 meters) and indicate 99% limestone and dolomite with an average porosity of 10% through the pay intervals.

 The extensive data gathering process has been successfully completed at the Antelope-2 well and subsequent horizontal laterals.

 The forward plan is to continue subsurface analysis of the reservoir while preparing the well for long-term production.

About InterOil

InterOil Corporation is developing a vertically integrated energy business whose primary focus is Papua New Guinea and the surrounding region.  InterOil’s assets consist of petroleum licenses covering about 3.9 million acres, an oil refinery, and retail and commercial distribution facilities, all located in Papua New Guinea.  In addition, InterOil is a shareholder in a joint venture established to construct an LNG plant on a site adjacent to InterOil’s refinery in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

InterOil’s common shares trade on the NYSE in US dollars. 

 

InterOil to partner with Energy World to construct a two MTPA land-based LNG plant

Cairns, Australia and Houston, TX -- September 28, 2010 -- InterOil Corporation (NYSE: IOC) (POMSoX: IOC) today announced that InterOil and Liquid Niugini Gas Ltd., its Joint-Venture liquefied natural gas project company with Pacific LNG Operations Ltd., have signed a binding Heads Of Agreement (HOA) with Energy World Corporation Ltd. (AX: EWC) to construct a two million tonne per annum (mtpa) land-based LNG plant in the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG). 

The Train 1 LNG plant would process an estimated 1.5 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas over 15 years with early stage capital expenditure estimates amounting to US$455 per metric tonne of LNG production.

 In return for its commitment to fully fund the plant, the HOA provides that EWC is to be entitled to a fee of 14.5% of the proceeds from the sale of LNG from the plant, less agreed deductions, and subject to adjustments based on timing and execution. 

The HOA sets out the major terms and conditions which the parties intend to include in the Train 1 Funding and Shareholder’s Agreements, as well as a potential expansion of the plant’s capacity from 2 mtpa to 3 mtpa.

The HOA with EWC for the development of a mid-sized LNG plant is an opportunity to enhance the proposed condensate stripping plant (CSP) being pursued in joint venture with Mitsui and accelerate the intended monetization of the Elk and Antelope resource.

Infrastructure required for the LNG project includes a jetty and breakwater for the LNG loading facility with expansion potential, and approximately 50 mile (80 Km) pipeline from the Elk and Antelope fields to the coast.

The wells and processed natural gas pipeline from the CSP to the coast in the Gulf Province will be the responsibility of the owners of the Elk and Antelope fields, including InterOil and its upstream partners.

Definitive agreements are under negotiation with a view to being finalised by the end of December 2010, assuming completion of engineering and design work, financing and shareholder agreements with EWC, and further regulatory approvals. 

The current schedule aims for these LNG facilities to be operational by late-2013, hoped to coincide with the start-up of the proposed CSP joint venture with Mitsui.

 

About InterOil

InterOil Corporation is developing a vertically integrated energy business whose primary focus is Papua New Guinea and the surrounding region.  InterOil’s assets consist of petroleum licenses covering about 3.9 million acres, an oil refinery, and retail and commercial distribution facilities, all located in Papua New Guinea.  In addition, InterOil is a shareholder in a joint venture established to construct an LNG plant on a site adjacent to InterOil’s refinery in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

InterOil’s common shares trade on the NYSE in US dollars. 

 

About Energy World Corporation Ltd.

Energy World Corporation Ltd (EWC) is an integrated energy company based in Hong Kong and listed in Australia and New Zealand. EWC has primary gas and power operations located at Sengkang, South Sulawesi in Indonesia; and also produces gas, power and was the first producer of domestic LNG in Australia.  The LNG construction partners with EWC for the LNG Train 1 are: Siemens A.G., Chart Industries, Gas Technique of France, and ARUP on Civil Engineering. Energy World Corporation Ltd.’s ordinary shares trade on the Australian Exchange under the symbol EWC.

 

Watut River issue a sensitive one

From ROBIN YALAMBING

 

The environment issue regarding Watut River system is a very-sensitive one that needs to be handled very carefully. 

I support the idea to have a study done to determine if the new mine is actually causing health problems to our people living along the river, however,  it is important that proper professional studies and investigation be carried out with the findings made without bias or influenced by local politics. 

This will call for the undivided support of the governor Wenge and the member for Bulolo Mr Basil.

They should put real money into this study for the interest of the people whose lives may be at greater risk than we assume. 

You need the full endorsement of the Morobe Provincial Government (Tutumang) and Bulolo district joint district planning and budget priorities committee (JDPC) to carry out this study so that it is official and recognised.

Doing it on a volunteer basis can be a big effort and demanding and can become frustrating if support is not given from our leaders.

For you information, I come from Latep village which is situated some 20km downstream from Hidden Valley gold and dependent on Watut river for washing, fishing and mining.

Some years back, in early 2000, a lecturer at Unitech by the name of Michael Kiap, a chemist by profession, carried out some studies on the effects of mercury on the lives of small alluvial miners along the Watut River and I think Bulolo River as well.

From what I was told by him, large amounts of mercury were present in bodies of some men who had come in constant contact with this metal during the course of their mining activities.

One actually died in my village.

Now that should give you something to begin with.

You could start at Unitech analysis lab as I believe Michael's data will be there in the records.

 For the hydrology study, I can help you there, but I will need time and that is a problem for me as at present, I am based in Sydney but come and go for short-term jobs here in PNG.

 I wish you all the best endeavor in this important task.

 

Watut River communities want answers about Hidden Valley mine pollution

By MALUM NALU

Minister for Environment and Conservation Benny Allan and his secretary Dr Wari Iamo have been asked to explain to mining-affected communities along the Watut River of Morobe province to explain how the environment audit of Hidden Valley Mine will be conducted.

The Union of Watut River Communities (UoWRC) said the river people had patiently waited for the minister’s commitment to fufil but nothing had eventuated.

“The UoWRC has also blamed the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA), Department of Mining and the Health Department for ignoring the suffering of the silent majority by allowing the foreign-owned Harmony Gold and Newcrest Mining to regulate their own action in the Hidden Valley Mining,” said UoWRC president Reuben Mete.

“The UoWRC has now served a 14-day notice starting Friday, Sept 24 to Friday, Oct 8, for the authorities to respond favorably to their request of having an initial collaborative dialogue as soon as possible or they would refrain from working with the government and will address the issues their own way.”

In a letter to Allan dated Sept 20, 2010, Mete said their disappointments were well-echoed by Harmony chief executive Graham Briggs on Oct 26, 2009, admitting that “higher-than-expected sediment impacts in the Watut River had affected the Watut River communities”.

“The Hidden Valley Gold Mining Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) approved by your department, which predicted that sediment load in the Watut River during construction will be of minimum, is now of great concern for the riverine communities who entirely rely on the Watut River,” he said.

“This now leads us to question the credibility of the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) and the manner in which they have taken in the issuing of the environmental permit to the Hidden Valley Gold Mine for construction and operation.

“The issuing of the environmental permit by the DEC and mining license (ML) 151 by the Department of Mining granted in March 2005, eight months before the actual approval of the environmental management plan (EMP) by the DEC in Nov 2005 indicated that the DEC has issued the riverine communities with a ‘death warrant’.”

Mete told Allan that a letter to UoWRC by his department dated Oct 1, 2009, assured the Watut River communities that a state team comprising DEC and MRA would review all their claims as per their petition dated Sept 11, 2009.

He said DEC and MRA said they would advise on ways which the government could address their concerns both currently and into the future “which has now been a completely-misleading assurance to us as to this date, nothing constructive by your department nor the MRA or the so called ‘state team’ have materialised”.

“Also, lack of detailed response provided to the Watut river communities within the available 12-month period timeframe, lack of reviews and/or investigation of all of our allegations as per the initial petition last September, reflect how your department and the other relevant government agencies have turned a blind eye on us, the rural people at the bottom in this matter, to amicably address it,” Mete said.

“In addition to this, an environmental audit commission by your department to review the environmental performance of Hidden Valley Mine and investigate those concerns raised on the effects of mine-derived sediment awarded to the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC) on Watut River systems is now a wonder to us as we are now into six months past the set date of Feb 22, 2010.

“We would therefore appreciate if your department and other relevant government agencies such as the Department of Mining and MRA could hold an initial collaborative dialogue with us, the UoWRC executives, as soon as possible to find a common way to resolve our concerns within 14 days given period.

“A joint attention through dialogue and understanding is needed as the Watut River communities cannot be patient and be cooperative after the given date.”

VComms secures contract with Papua New Guinea's National Fisheries Authority

Major Milestone Reached For Provision of integrated VMS and Inmarsat services
  

27th September 2010 – VComms, a subsidiary of SatComms, a leading provider of integrated satellite communication solutions based in Australia, has been selected by the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) of Papua New Guinea to provide a specialist turn-key integrated Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) for fisheries management under a multi-year agreement.

 The VMS includes the provision of Inmarsat airtime via the Inmarsat C platform. Phase one implementation will include approximately 500 fisheries vessels, with considerable expansion and system evolution planned for 2011.

 This announcement could not be more timely as priority monitoring, control and surveillance are all key issues for this year's technical and compliance committee being held by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission in Pohnpei, the Federated States of Micronesia on 30th September to 5th October.

 Sylvester Pokajam, managing director of the National Fisheries Authority said: "This is a major landmark for both the NFA and Papua New Guinea.  We have invested in world-class technical and operational infrastructure to take fisheries management to new heights in the Pacific, with a company that has a proven commitment to the local and regional fisheries sector. We also feel that the benefits of the system could be utilised by other Pacific countries who may be watching our implementation"

 The implementation marks a number of 'firsts' for PNG and the Pacific VMS community, particularly integration of vessel monitoring data with the NFA's own vessel licensing database. The NFA will now be able to monitor and control commercial fishing operations from one platform which will improve stock sustainability within PNG waters and beyond. As the heart of the control infrastructure is based in PNG, this fully-scalable system is ideally placed to assist other Pacific-based fisheries to implement an enhanced VMS system.

 Andrew Burdall, managing director of VComms & SatComms said: "The NFA has always been a VMS authority at the cutting edge of new technologies. Our solution, which includes software, software maintenance and an airtime package, will improve the detection of illegal fishing by speeding up the validation of vessel position data against licensing records.   For the first time, this VMS authority can see both the location and behaviour of the vessel. It can   establish immediately if the vessel has a licence and the details of that licence status in real time via Inmarsat, so the vessel is tracked with the specific fishery. The cost savings of a service that is designed to stop illegal fishing prospering in PNG waters are considerable."
Continues Burdall: "The VComms operation is our commitment to PNG and the Pacific community to deliver world-class solutions in co-operation with forward thinking authorities, such as NFA, and we are proud to be chosen as their ongoing supplier for VMS services."

 David Klaris, VMS manager for the National Fisheries Authority, said: "Operationally this is a much more-advanced platform than the one it replaces, as it now allows us to both monitor vessels within the fishery and automatically cross-reference this with their licensing status, therefore increasing efficiency substantially. We have also had the system designed with new levels of operational and data redundancy already built in."

 The VMS system is fully-scalable and operationally-redundant in terms of both communication and security functionality. It is designed to meet the highest demands of government-level regulatory control, with sophisticated automatic archiving technology to ensure data security and integrity at all times.

 Perry Melton, chief operating officer of Inmarsat, said: "Inmarsat C is utilised by the majority of the world's fishing organisations for the purpose of fishing management and protection. We are delighted to see how our partner, VComms, a subsidiary of SatComms Australia, is continuing to innovate with this technology to ensure the safety and security of fisheries in the Pacific.  VMS ensures that illegal fishing cannot prosper in PNG water."

 Piers Cunningham, commercial director of SatComms & VComms said:  "We are extremely pleased that our investment in establishing a solid operational and technical presence in Papua New Guinea has been recognised, and that we have been given an opportunity to deliver a cutting-edge integrated solution for NFA. The resilience of the Inmarsat network, combined with state-of-the–art technical infrastructure allows VComms to provide the NFA with a fisheries management system that is world-class."                   

Marengo Mining to build second international airport for Madang

By SINCLAIRE SOLOMON

 

MADANG will have a second international airport if Australian-based miner Marengo Mining has its way, The National reports.

The province will also boast a 70 megawatt hydro power station if its plans to develop the world-class Yandera copper-molybdenum-gold is approved by the government.

Marengo Mining Ltd managing director Les Emery told The National after a visit to the Yandera with a group of potential investors that the airport and hydro-power plans were  contained in the company’s two-year definite feasibility study (DFS) which would be completed at the end of this year and presented to the government.

Emery said they had looked at airports in Madang and none suited their purpose and they had identified a site in the Ramu Valley for an airstrip capable of taking Dash 8 aircraft.

He also said electricity provider PNG Power did not have the capacity or capability of providing the power the mine would need.

Emery said the DFS was looking at a number of development options, most importantly:

* An open-cut mining operation with an initial 20-year operating life;

* Ore processing starting at 25mtpa with the ability to increase throughput over the life of the operation;

* Proposed near and/or in-mine crushing of ore before being conveyed by ore slurry pipeline to a near coastal concentrator, encompassing separate copper and molybdenum flotation circuits to produce two concentrate streams;

* Transportation of the copper concentrate via a slurry pipeline to Madang for drying and storage prior to shipping;

* Road transport of molybdenum concentrates to Madang;

* Implementation of hydroelectric power, with a parallel heavy fuel oil backup facility;

* Alternative tailings management options identified, which are still under investigation; and

* Implementation of world-class environmental standards and community relations initiatives to ensure successful project development for all stakeholders.