PNG struggling with sorcery killings

Liam Fox reported this story on Sunday, February 17, 2013 07:21:00

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ELIZABETH JACKSON: Papua New Guinea hardly ever features in the newspapers, broadcasts and websites of the world's big media organisations.
When it does it usually means that something terrible has happened, and that was the case earlier this month.
The story of a young woman who was burnt alive after being accused of being a witch sent shockwaves of horror and disgust around the globe.
In the past, Papua New Guineans have reacted angrily to such stories, saying they perpetuate the poor reputation of their country.
Here's our PNG correspondent Liam Fox.

LIAM FOX: It's pretty rare that different newspapers have exactly the same front-page headline.
But on the Thursday before last, both of PNG's daily papers screamed "Burned Alive".
The photographs accompanying the headlines were slightly different but showed the same scene. A crowed watched as tyres burn on a pile of rubbish beside the main street in Mt Hagen, the biggest town in PNG's rugged highlands region.
Burning rubbish is a common sight but what the photographs did not show was that underneath the tyres was the body of a 20-year-old woman. She'd been tied up, stripped naked, doused with petrol and set alight.
The local reports said the woman, identified as Kapari Leniata, was murdered after being accused of using sorcery, or black magic, to kill a young boy.
The boy died in hospital a few days earlier and, as is common in PNG when the cause of death is not easily apparent, his relatives suspected sorcery.
So they engaged a witch doctor, or glassman, as their called, to identify those responsible.
The witch doctor fingered Ms Leniata and two other elderly women, who were promptly rounded up and tortured with hot metal rods.
Locals told the newspapers the elderly women confessed that it was Ms Leniata who had taken the child's heart.
That was good enough for the boy's relatives who tied her up and burnt her alive.
Only two foreign media organisations have a presence in PNG, and once the ABC and the Australian Associated Press reported the incident, the story exploded. It went everywhere. Nearly every major news outlet on the planet ran it.
In the past, Papua New Guineans have reacted angrily to such stories. Every time a foreign journalist writes about sorcery killings or cannibals, people complain they're being stereotyped as savages living in a violent, lawless land.
But there was little complaining this time. Many locals were just as shocked, just as disgusted as people who were reading the story in Sydney or London.
On Papua New Guinea's biggest Facebook discussion group, Sharp Talk, one person wrote, "Oh my God. And we claim to be a Christian country. What happened to the Christian faith?" Another commented on the crowd that watched the woman burn: "I find this deeply troubling. How can people watch while this is going on? Where is the rule of law?"
In its editorial, the Post-Courier newspaper asked "whether we should be proud of ourselves as a nation".
This was a particularly disturbing example, but sorcery killings are common in PNG, especially in rural and remote areas.
The victims are mostly elderly women. They're easy targets for people looking to blame someone for a death or a misfortune they cannot easily explain.
Belief in sorcery, or sanguma as it's known, is pervasive. Even well-educated, self-declared Christians will tell you in hushed tones that black magic is real.
The brutal murder of the young woman has got the country thinking about the causes of sorcery killings and how to stop them.
Among the suggestions are economic development, legislative changes, and better-equipped police. All of which will take time.
And apart from recent messages of condemnation, it's still not clear that PNG's political leaders are prepared to meaningfully tackle the issue.
In the meantime, sorcery killings will continue and more women will die.

Destination Papua New Guinea

Sustainability News

Old rugby training kits wouldn’t be the top of everyone’s wish list, but for the Stanley Gene Foundation, it doesn’t get much better.
Peter Tyson, a process operator at Sellafield Ltd and avid Whitehaven Rugby League fan, learned of Stanley Gene’s plight to tackle deprivation in his native Papua New Guinea.

Peter with some of the donated rugby kits

Stanley the former Hull KR player and captain of the Papua New Guinea’s national team said: “For years I was sending things back  to Papua New Guinea and decided to set up a charity to do it properly.
“The help that we receive is invaluable to the foundation; I would like to thank the people of West Cumbria for donating, it really does make a difference.
 “The purpose of the foundation is to reach the unreachable communities in Papua New Guinea, in some schools there are no chairs so the kids have to learn on the floor and for people in the mountains, some of the kids don’t have any clothes.”
Peter said: “It’s been over whelming seeing how generous people are, I posted on Facebook and the Whitehaven Rugby League website, asking for unwanted clothes and training kits and what started out as a few bags of clothes has spiralled into teams donating their old training kits, rugby balls and all sorts of other things.
“We are also holding a ‘bring-a-gift’ event at the Whitehaven and Leigh match this week.
“I would like to thank Egremont Rugby Union, Glasson, Wath Brow, Kells and Whitehaven Rugby League clubs, and everyone who has shown support.”

New Australia High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea

Foreign Minister Bob Carr this week announced Ms Deborah Stokes as Australia's next High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea.

Ms Stokes is expected to take up her appointment in March 2013, replacing Mr Ian Kemish AM.
Ms Stokes is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and was most recently head of the Department's International Organisations and Legal Division. She has previously served as Australia's Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna, and as Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo.
Ms Stokes earlier held positions at the Australian Embassy in Yangon and with the United Nations Development Programme in New York. She has also held senior positions in AusAID.
Ms Stokes holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Adelaide and a Master of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge.
Australia has a long-term commitment to Papua New Guinea's development. Australia is Papua New Guinea's largest aid donor, providing $491.7 million in development assistance in 2012/13.
Two-way trade between the countries is worth more than $7bn a year, with Australian investment in Papua New Guinea exceeding $16bn.
Australia and Papua New Guinea work closely on regional and international priorities through the Pacific Islands Forum, APEC and the United Nations.
Australia and PNG also host regular Ministerial Fora, the most recent of which was on December 6, 2012. Talks included progress on negotiations for an Economic Cooperation Treaty, establishment of a PNG Sovereign Wealth Fund, and cooperation on police, defence, immigration and economic development.

PNG plans military build-up, but why?

by Donald Gumbis - 15 February 2013 

Donald Gumbis is a Lecturer in political science at the University of Goroka and an intern at the Lowy Institute.

Papua New Guinea's Defence Minister Dr Fabian Pok has announced that PNG plans to build up its military capacity from around 2000 personnel to 10,000.
While it is hardly unusual for fast-growing resource-rich countries to increase military spending as their national ambitions expand, Papua New Guinea has yet to address very significant development challenges in basic health and education. Increased spending on the military in such circumstances must therefore be questioned.

Photo courtesy of the Defence Department.

Why does Papua New Guinea need a larger military capacity? One factor in the Government's consideration could be the land border with Indonesia. The border skirmishes between the traditional people of PNG's Sandaun Province and Indonesian military spotlight the PNG Government's inattention to border issues. These issues pose a test for the Treaty of Mutual Respect, Friendship and Cooperation PNG has with Indonesia.
In a Radio Australia interview, former PNGDF Commander General Jerry Singirok noted key issues of concern with the announcement. He said there was no PNGDF White Paper to guide this proposed expansion, the PNG Government has never prioritised defence spending and there would be a substantial cost involved in rebuilding a downsized force.
The ongoing retrenchment exercise of close to 2000 personnel, which began in 1999, is a difficult issue that the Defence Department is still not adequately addressing. Further to that, there are challenges for the PNGDF to raise its performance level and the security of its weaponry. The recent mutiny case, insubordination and misconduct of soldiers all undermine the ministerial statement.
Policy announcements have tended to be more frequent than policy implementation in Papua New Guinea. But if this announcement reflects a serious intention by the PNG Government, it warrants more discussion.

Bednet indifference threatens PNG progress on malaria

IRIN

MASUMAVE, 15 February 2013 (IRIN) - Papua New Guinea (PNG) could face an upsurge in malaria cases due to overly relaxed attitudes to the use of bednets, health experts warn.
“Sometimes I use it, sometimes I don’t,” Susan Kake, 45, said outside her hut in Masumave, a village of 2,000 largely subsistence farmers in PNG’s remote Eastern Highlands Province. “If I’m going to get it, I’m going to get it.”

Photo: David Swanson/IRIN

Susan rarely uses the net behind her

The country has made progress in stemming the disease’s spread in the past few years, but such fatalism is worrying.
According to PNG’s National Health Information System, 500-700 people die annually from malaria - the country’s second most common cause of hospital admissions, says the Department of Health.
In 2004 the government intensified its malaria control efforts with support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, launching a five-year campaign in 2009 to provide two insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) per household nationwide free of charge.
Alongside insecticide spraying and anti-malarial medicines, ITNs are one of the most effective interventions to control malaria in the absence of a vaccine, says the World Health Organization (WHO), as they act as physical barriers to mosquitoes, and help reduce their numbers.
“Most areas of the country have received nets at least once,” said Tim Freeman, project manager for Rotarians Against Malaria, a local NGO which has been overseeing bednet distributions since 2010 - in an effort already paying dividends.
A survey conducted in 17 of PNG’s 20 provinces between November 2010 and August 2011 showed that just 6.8 percent of respondents were infected with malaria parasites, compared around 18 percent in a survey two years earlier.
Freeman said 2.7 million nets had been delivered to households over the past three years, and 450,000 to vulnerable groups (mainly pregnant women, schools and prisons).

Gap

But unless the nets are properly used, their distribution is meaningless, experts say.
“Bednet distribution is one thing. Ownership is another. There seems to be a gap between ownership and utilization,” Walter Kazadi Mulombo, a scientist studying malaria and other vector-borne diseases for WHO in Port Moresby, told IRIN. “Time and time again we’ve seen this globally. Any relaxation of control measures can result in a resurgence.”

Photo: Wikipedia

Malaria remains an intractable problem in PNG, says the government

According to a 2012 nationwide survey by the PNG Institute of Medical Research (IMR) , which has been evaluating the campaign, over 80 percent of surveyed households had at least one insecticide treated mosquito net at home, mostly obtained through village-based distribution campaigns, yet fewer than 50 percent of those surveyed reported sleeping under an ITN the night before the survey.
At the same time, many nets were still found in their original packaging, with fewer than 40 percent of respondents sleeping under a mosquito net the night before the survey.
“We found multiple reasons why people did not use their nets, but it was indifference rather than lack of understanding that was a highlight,” said Justin Pulford, head of IMR’s Population Health and Demographic Unit.
Some found the nets too difficult to hang, while others complained it made their sleeping space smaller or too hot.
Net usage was highest among infants and children, but decreased with age, the study found.

Global Fund support

While indifference is one concern, another is the fact that current Global Fund support for the campaign (the National Malaria Control Programme) is due to end in late 2014.
“Historically, what we have seen if intensive malaria control efforts are not followed up or maintained, then malaria rebounds; often with a dramatic increase,” said Pulford.
“We’re certainly in a period when we are experiencing a reduction and we expect that to continue. But we’re all a bit nervous about what will happen at the end of 2014.”
Most bednets last three years, meaning those who have already received a net will need to have them replaced. Treated bednets perform best for the first two years of usage (though how, and how often, they are washed, affects this, studies show).
“The bednet, with a shelf life of 3-4 years, may need a replacement. For that we’ll need money,” WHO’s Mulombo said.
According to WHO, an estimated US$5.1 billion is needed globally every year between 2011 and 2020 to achieve universal access to malaria interventions. At present, only $2.3 billion is available.

Together we can stop witch burning in Papua New Guinea

Leo Igwe
Ethical Technology

I am writing to urge the international community to come to the aid of the Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea as it grapples with the menace of witchcraft or sorcery related violence. Witch persecution and killing has been going on in the country for too long and we cannot allow it to continue.
We need to take action now!

Leo Igwe was the Western and Southern African representative to IHEU, the International Humanist and Ethical Union. He has bravely worked to end a variety of human rights violations, including anti-gay hate, sorcery, witchcraft, ritual killing, human sacrifice, “untouchability”, caste discrimination, “child witch” superstition, and anti-blasphemy laws. He is presently enrolled in a three year research programme on “Witchcraft accusations in Africa” at the University of Bayreuth, in Germany.

The recent lynching of a 20-year old woman, Leniata Kepari for sorcery has revealed the urgency and complexity of the situation.  It underscores the imperative a pro-active approach. Even as the world is still trying to comprehend the reason for this savage act, the police in Papua New Guinea has reportedly saved two other women from being lynched. According to the report, the ‘two elderly women were tied to poles and people were preparing to set them alight over the death of an eight-year-old girl’. The girl’s relatives believed the women killed their child through sorcery and magic. A local witch doctor called a ‘glassman’ who claimed to have supernatural powers had identified the women as responsible for the child’s death.

But the police said the girl was gang-raped and killed by two people who were part of a lynch mob.

The Prime Minister has deplored the widespread killings associated with sorcery. Violence against women, he noted, was becoming too common in certain parts of the country. The government is asking people who are not sure of the cause of death of their family members to take the body to a doctor for an autopsy. In Papua New Guinea, most people do not accept natural causes of death and diseases. People attribute their misfortune to sorcery or witchcraft. In July, police arrested 29 members of a witch hunting cult who allegedly murdered and cannibalized their victims, believing they were sorcerers.

But  a local police chief has noted the problem of evidence- that the evidence for magically causing a death or illness is simply not there. "What evidence do they have to produce to court for sorcery-related killing and torturing?" He queried. ‘It is just a belief’. Mere belief indeed. Unfortunately, this is a realization which few people in the country entertain and can openly express. Most people in Papua New Guinea think witchcraft is more than a belief. That witchcraft is ‘real’. Hence the problem of witch burning continues.

The civilized world needs to help Papua New Guinea to stop this wave of violence. Countries and international institutions should remain indifferent in the name of respecting people’s culture, religion or tradition. Witch burning is not a cultural or religious practice that should be respected. Witch persecution is a violent custom that should be opposed, condemned and abandoned.

And we must ‘fight’ now to end it in Papua Guinea and in other countries in Asia and Africa.

Attributing the cause of death or disease to sorcery or witchcraft is not a pattern of thinking that should go unchallenged. Witchcraft accusation is often informed by a misconception and misdiagnosis of social conditions. Those who peddle such witch beliefs should be challenged and compelled to provide evidence. Those who exploit poor ignorant folks in the name of witchcraft should be exposed. Local authorities that handle witchcraft related cases should  be supported and assisted so that they can to make informed decisions. Those who accuse people of witchcraft and then attack or kill them should be made to answer for their crimes. The government of Papua New Guinea should ensure the rule of law, not that of a lynch mob, and strive to protect the rights of women and others who are often victims of witch persecution and killing.

The international community should muster the will and assist Papua New Guinea to resolve the issue of witch hunting. Tackling the problem of witch craze and hysteria in the country needs bold and courageous initiatives. The UN should mainstream efforts to combat witch persecution in its activities including by including programs to protect and empower women, children, elderly persons and people living with disabilities.

Through the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN should use international human rights mechanisms to pressure the government of Papua New Guinea to protect the rights of women in the country and bring an end to this violence. UNESCO should support programs to improve the quality of education. Such programs should include inculcating the values of peace, scientific and critical thinking. Witch hunting is an act of war against vulnerable members of the population. Witchcraft violence starts in the mind. And so, eradicating it requires programs that help reorient the minds of the people.

The World Health Organisation should put in place basic health education programs on the causes of death and diseases. People should be told that malaria is caused by parasites, not witchcraft(puripuri). And that there is no evidence that somebody can cause death or disease through sorcery. People should be encouraged to seek evidence-based medical care and counselling from trained doctors in clinics and hospitals, not ‘magical healing’ and ‘supernatural solutions’  from witchdoctors when they are sick.

UN Women should come up with initatives to empower women in the country and reduce their vulnerability to accusations and attacks. The UN Initiative on Ageing should launch programs to protect aging population from witchcraft suspicion and accusation. Very often, witchcraft in rural communities has a female or aging face. Through the UNDP, the UN can respond to the development challenges in the Papua New Guinea. Witch craze is often a symptom of underdevelopment or development failure. Most cases of accusation take place in rural areas where social infrastructure is lacking or is inadequate.

Australia, Britain, the US and other countries with development aid programs in Papua New Guinea should get involved in addressing the problem too. They should not use the narrative of colonialism as an excuse, or as a reason to turn a blind eye on this tragic situation. Helping a country to combat a harmful traditional practice is not colonialism but international relations at its best.

Also, religious organisations need to join efforts in combating witch hunts. Obviously faith groups face theological and creedal challenges in tackling the issue of witchcraft. Still they should -as they did in Europe- act to promote socio-cultural and religious reformation, and achieve an Enlightenment in Papua New Guinea. They should work and campaign  to end this dark age phenomenon in the country.

The world can help and should help now. Let’s act to end sorcery or witchcraft related violence.

Together we can work to stop witch hunting in Papua New Guinea, in Asia, in Africa and around the globe.

---

Leo Igwe, as a member of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, has bravely worked for human rights in West Africa. He is presently enrolled in a three year research programme on “Witchcraft accusations in Africa” at the University of Bayreuth, in Germany.

Companies expect more profits in 2013

Source: The National, Friday, February 15, 2013

AN overwhelming 68% of major Papua New Guinea companies surveyed by Business Advantage PNG feel that this year will be a more-profitable than last year.
The survey which was released yesterday says investments are set to grow even further and jobs growth will continue, although this may be lower than previous years.
The PNG 100 CEO Survey 2013 was conducted by Business Advantage International between late November 2012 and last month.
 The survey included senior executives from a representative sample of PNG’s largest companies from across all sectors of the economy.
The organisation, which carried out the PNG 100 CEO Survey 2012 last year that correctly predicted that PNG’s largest companies would record profits, expects another good year in 2013.
“With strong profits recorded  and expectations for further profit, investment and employment growth in the year ahead, PNG’s largest companies seem set for another good year in 2013,” Business Advantage PNG said.
“At a time when some are wondering if PNG’s boom is coming to an end, it’s a positive sign for the country and for those planning to do business and invest there.
“The PNG 100 CEO Survey will be back in 12 months to see how 2013 went in reality.”
Business Advantage PNG said investments were set to grow even further in 2013.
“It seems as if increased profits are encouraging PNG’s major businesses to invest further in Papua New Guinea,” it said.
“Almost 70%, compared with 57% in our last survey,  told us they were planning to spend more on plant, equipment and other assets in 2013 than they did in the previous year, with a further 17% saying they would match last year’s investment.
“Only 14% said they were planning to reduce their investment during 2013, a similar number to last year.”
Business Advantage PNG said there would be jobs growth this year, but maybe slower than previous years.
“Last year, 52% of PNG’s major companies said they intended to take on more staff in 2012,” it said.
“This evidently proved to be the case: the Bank of Papua New Guinea’s September 2012 Quarterly Economic Bulletin reported employment growth of 7% over the 12 months preceding.
“This year, we have more good news for new graduates and those hoping for a new job once the PNG LNG project construction phase comes to an end.
“Just under half of employers we surveyed said they were again expecting to increase their head count this year.”
“Existing jobs seem safe too: only 6% of companies surveyed were expecting to lay off staff.”
“Significantly, though, only 11% of employers surveyed said they were planning a ‘significant’ increase in staff in 2013—much less than last year.
“If these expectations tally with national statistics, we might anticipate a slight slowing of employment growth in 2013.”

Security, law and order, major issues for business

The National, Friday, February 15, 2013 

 

By MALUM NALU

SECURITY and law and order issues topped the list of major concerns for businesses in Papua New Guinea, according to results of a survey out by Business Advantage PNG.
This supports what the Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been continuously saying.
The top 10 critical issues affecting businesses surveyed were security-law and order (4.37%); unreliable utilities (4.11%); shortage of expertise/skills (4.09%); logistics (3.89%); high employment costs (3.86%); lack of government capacity (3.83%)’ high real estate rental costs (3.83%); inflation (3.49%); competition (3.34%) and government red tape (3.29%).
“Top of the list were security and law and order concerns, with every company we surveyed ranking them as either ‘very important’ or ‘mission critical’ to their business,” Business Advantage PNG said yesterday, when announcing results of its PNG 100 CEO Survey 2013.
“This is a similar result to last year’s survey, suggesting the situation is not improving.
“PNG’s widespread skills shortage may be getting slightly less chronic, however, as last year’s top issue was rated slightly lower by companies in this year’s survey.
“It is now in third place behind the unreliability of PNG’s state-owned utilities, which received a similar rating from CEOs as it did last year.
“Corruption received a marginally lower rating this year for its impact on business, as did access to overseas markets, government red tape, high real estate rental costs, lack of available office and warehouse space, and lack of market research-intelligence.
“Meanwhile, competition, access to capital, lack of available land, lack of government capacity and high employment costs received a slightly higher rating in this year’s survey.
“Another issue canvassed by some respondents, particularly those involved in manufacturing, was the impact of lowering tariffs.
“Finally, last year we asked CEOs about their concerns surrounding PNG’s 2012 national elections.
“Most weren’t that worried about the possible disruption to their businesses, despite some sensationalist headlines in the media.
 

PNG: Like every place you’ve never left

This article was first published in The National Weekender on Friday, February 15, 2013

By MALUM NALU

Amidst the gloom, doom and satanic verses flying like wicked witches over Papua New Guinea last Saturday, following the Salem-style immolation of a young woman accused of witchcraft in Mt Hagen, I took to the Sogeri mountains to seek a breath of fresh air.

Just what the doctor ordered, so to speak!

Sogeri, for many years, has been a means of escaping from the sweltering heat and scorched landscape of Port Moresby.

While Moresby is dry as a bone for over six months of the year, Sogeri, invariably, is moist and green and its mountain air cooler.

The mountains, foothills, forests, savannah woodland, rivers and streams have long captured the imagination of many.

It goes without saying that when one goes to Sogeri, one returns to the city very much relaxed, and reinvigorated.

My good Tolai mate Joseph Pupua, managing director of Dreamhill Hire Car, picked me up at my 8-Mile home for the drive to Sogeri and on to Owers’ Corner, the start of the famous Kokoda Trail, to meet longtime former PNG resident, Robert Crittenden, and his two young children.

Rachael, Robert and James Crittenden at Owers' Corner last Saturday.

Returning to PNG was like a homecoming for the family, whose trek was organised by Sydney-based company, Kokoda Trail Expeditions.

With my eldest son, Jr, we rolled up to Owers’ Corner, singing along to Creedence Clearwater Revival on this glorious Saturday morning.

“Just about a year ago, I set out on the road,

“Seeking my fame and fortune, looking for a pot of gold.

“Things got bad, and things got worse, I guess you will know the tune.

“Oh! Lord, Stuck in Lodi again”

 Crittenden, a household name in the Southern Highlands because of his work and association with the people there from 1978-2006, had just completed a nine-day Kokoda trek with daughter Rachel (24) and son James (28).

Robert Crittenden taking a breather along the Kokoda Trail.

Among his many publications is a book, Like People You See In A Dream, which gives the people’s side of the story of the explorations by legendary Australian explorer Jack Hides in the 1930s.

Crittenden and wife, Janis Baines, lived in a Southern Highlands village,  and in 1983-1986 she worked as the Highlands regional nutritionist funded by Save the Children for the Health Department.

Their son, James, was born in Goroka in 1984 so PNG is very close to their hearts.

“I’ve gotten to the stage now where if I don’t do it (Kokoda Trail) now, I’ll never do it,” Crittenden tells me at the hauswin at Owers’ Corner, “so I brought two of my children back to Papua New Guinea so they could see something of what their father did, or what their father saw, rather, which is why I really enjoyed being here: patrolling, walking, going through the villages.

Rachael James Crittenden taking a dip at Eora Creek.

“I thought the best way to do that was to do the Kokoda Track (Trail).

“In fact, when I first came to PNG in 1978, Owers’ Corner was one of the first places I came to see or what I was shown by people from the university.

“Also, the first three nights I was in PNG, I was with (legendary PNG explorer) Jim Taylor in Goroka.

“I wanted my two children to experience something of the hardness of walking the Kokoda Track, to realise that Kokoda Track is not just a white Australian story, of the army fighting the Japanese.

Isurava, one of the most-sacred sites of the Kokoda Trail, where some of the heaviest fighting along the trail took place.

“It’s a story of the Motu-Koitabu and the Koiari, of the Papua carriers.

Isurava.

“But more than that, it’s a story of a way of life that has been in existence for thousands of years.

“We can walk that track, we can get exhausted, we can say how brave the Australians were.

Rachael, Robert and James Crittenden in a stream along the Kokoda Trail.

“We’ve got the choice; we can walk that track and see the views, see the sunset, the way of life.

Breathtaking scenery along the Kokoda Trail.

“We can go back to our comfortable ways of life in Moresby, or in Brisbane or in Canberra, and yet, the way of life on the track is not all that idyllic.

Rachael Crittenden and her porter along the Kokoda Trail.

“It’s hard, and it’s a hard way of life.

“There’s little choice if you’re born on the Kokoda Track.

“What choice do you have of the ‘supposed’ good things in life?

River crossing along the Kokoda Trail.

“I think that is often not so much ignored, but forgotten, when people do the Kokoda Track.

“I hope I’ve imparted something to my children, as to why I’ve been in Papua New Guinea for the last 30 years.”

Tired bodies.

Crittenden’s son, James, a professional tree-climber, says the trek was hard but very rewarding.

“This is the first time I’ve come back to PNG since I was born here,” he says.

“I was born up in Goroka in 1984; I’ve lived in Mendi for a couple of years.

“It’s really good to come back.

“It’s a really beautiful country and I’d really like to come back some time.”

Daughter Rachael does a lot of walking in Australia but Kokoda tested her to the max.

“I really enjoyed the trekking,” she says.

Rachael Crittenden...up to the challenge.

“I do a lot of walking back home, but this was the hardest.

“It was good to see the villages and how they live.”

Crittenden first came to PNG in 1978 to do his PhD with the Australian National University, was affiliated with the geography department at University of PNG, and worked with the Southern Highlands provincial government to do his research.

He and wife, Janis Baines, lived and worked in the Nembi Plateau of Southern Highlands.

“Southern Highlanders made me feel very welcome,” Crittenden says.

“After four or five years, I left to go back to Australia.

“I went to teaching at university, but every year, I came back through the department of agriculture and the department of finance and used to work with them on a number of agricultural projects throughout the country.

“On reflection, it’s been a privilege for me to have been here in Papua New Guinea for the last 30 years.

“I came here in 1978, worked as a Papua New Guinea public servant, then a consultant, and then an AusAid consultant, so very different perspectives.”

Returning to PNG and walking the Kokoda Trail, for Robert Crittenden, was like coming back to a place he’d never quite left.

 Robert Crittenden in a moment of reflection along the Kokoda Trail.

Coconut industry cries for support

Source: The National, Thursday, February 14, 2013 

 

By MALUM NALU

NEWLY-appointed executive director of Asia Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) Uron Salum, from Karkar Island in Madang, says the coconut industry is a very important one that must be supported by all Papua New Guineans.
He said in these trying times, when copra prices were at an all-time low, PNG should be looking at producing more of other coconut products such as bio-fuel, timber and virgin coconut oil.
“I think everybody sitting in this room understands the importance of coconut in real terms, as known by every family in this country, but downplayed because of lack of proper policy to back up and be able to bring that to reality in terms of economic support to our country,” Salum told reporters.
“Coconut, over time, has been just known for its by-product, copra, which has been one of the major injustices to the coconut itself.
“Our much advanced neighbours in Asia are fairly advanced in (coconut) technology.
“There’s coconut water bottled by them and sold in Port Moresby for K10 for a one-litre bottle.
“Processed coconut is being sold to Papua New Guineans when we have it behind our houses.
“This crop, and this particular tree, is referred to in the Asia-Pacific as the ‘tree of life’ and we know that in reality.
“God’s given us a great gift that we have not exploited to the fullest.”
Salum said on his Karkar Island, which has the most coconut trees in PNG, bio-fuel was being used widely.
“It performs a lot better than the diesel fuel,” he said.
“You could sell your copra for a copra buyer for 30t per kg, but if you sold it to a bio-fuel distributor, you get K1.
“This is not determined by the world market price for copra or coconut … this is determined by the petroleum market.
“It’s the value-adding and downstream processing of coconut that will revolutionise just about every home in the country, a quantum leap.”
Salum said PNG should be looking at coconut timber and virgin coconut oil – areas in which Fiji has become a world leader.
“We (PNG) are so far behind,” he said.
“We have the highest number of senile coconuts in the Pacific.
“That’s a disadvantage on one part, but a very big advantage in one part in that we have coconut timber, which is one of the highest quality furniture materials.
“The virgin coconut oil that is going out now and being made in villages, has very, very high quality chemical compounds which have very good health benefits.
“Coconut is a very important industry that needs to be supported.
“The tree is far more important than a lot of people think it is.”
Trade, Commerce and Industry Minister Richard Maru says the coconut industry in PNG makes a smaller contribution than other major cash crops such as oil palm and coffee, however, is still a strong influence through direct employment, export earning, GDP contribution, and food production.
He said PNG produced 146,526 tonnes of copra in 2011 and only 70, 366 tonnes in 2012, due to low prices.
Maru said copra exports in 2011 were only 44% of average, and in 2012 only 32% of average.
He said through APCC, the PNG government could:

• Seek increased replacement or new plants;
• Develop an early warning system on potential coconut bio-security threats;
• Innovate research;
• Undertake a country-wide appraisal of coconut smallholder farms and plantations;
• Address domestic market issues; 
• Benefit from sharing of experience and deve­lopment of technology;
• Actively promote and pursue opportunities with credible investors for domestic and export promotion of traditional coconut products such as dessicated coconut, coconut cream/milk, shell charcoal, activated carbon coir fibre, and virgin coconut oil;
• Address quality requirements that are critical in established markets overseas by establishing PNG copra quality standards; and
• Identify investment opportunities in the coconut value chain.

 

Freight help for coffee farmers

Source: The National, Thursday, February 14, 2013

SMALLHOLDER coffee farmers in remote areas of Papua New Guinea have received more than K600,000 in net benefits over a five-year period under the government-funded freight surety scheme carried out by Coffee Industry Corporation.
CIC chief executive officer Navi Anis said without this programme, farmers in remote parts of PNG would have received less than K200,000 and big volumes of coffee would have been lost due to lack of transport.
He said the freight scheme had contributed more than US$2 million to foreign exchange earnings in the five-year period since 2008.
“Given the high cost of transport and subsequent drop in farm-gate prices, farmers in the remote parts of PNG have been deprived of basic social and economic services,” Anis said.
“Such a programme asthe  coffee freight scheme is doing its best to keep farmers from not only engaging in coffee production, but also improving their social and economic livelihoods.
“The objective of the programme is to facilitate market access for coffee growers in the remote areas by assisting in transporting coffee to the nearest marketing depots, facilitating processing, and marketing.”
He said MPs in coffee-growing areas should look at the plight of farmers in terms of market accessibility and assist them in building proper airstrips, roads and sea ports.
Anis thanked the government for allocating K4 million to CIC for the coffee freight scheme this year.

Coffee earnings fall 48%

Source: The National, Thursday, February 14, 2013

 

LAST year’s coffee export earnings plunged a massive K448 million, or 48.4%, from the previous year’s figure of K926 million, the Coffee Industry Corporation said yesterday.
Actual export receipts were only K478 million last year.
“Provisional production figures for last year totalled 808,458 bags, which is equivalent to 48,508 tonnes,”  CIC said
“It is estimated that the final production figure should be around 1.02 million bags, 30% lower than the 2011 historical production level of 1.4 million bags.”
However, CIC chief executive officer Navi Anis said that the proportion of free on board (FOB) prices received by growers last year averaged 61%, which was 1% higher than that of 2011.
“The low export earnings reflected the low export volumes and subsequent downward correction of export prices observed throughout the 2012 calendar year,” he said.
“Despite, a strong export performance observed in the first quarter of last year due to high carry-over stocks from 2011, actual coffee production during the year could not sufficiently prop exports ahead due to low volumes of coffee reaching the markets.
“As a result, total export volume dropped by 24% to 55,495 tonnes last year.
“The lower volume was mainly attributed to off-year biennial production cycle as well as election-related activities that disrupted farmers to bring coffee out onto the markets.
“Nonetheless, 2013 is an on-year for PNG in its biennial cycle of coffee production and is anticipated for a good crop of one million bag mark level.
“Impact projects undertaken by CIC to boost production are coffee rehabilitation, coffee nursery project, coffee freight scheme and grower mobilisation.”

PNG court denies order for refugee ban

By Eoin Blackwell, 

AAP Papua New Guinea Correspondent

A PAPUA New Guinea court has rejected an application for a temporary ban on asylum seeker transfers from Australia to Manus Island.

But Justice David Canning ruled on Thursday that lawyers acting on behalf of opposition leader Belden Namah be granted permission to visit the centre on Lombrum naval base, to interview detainees to see if they require legal assistance.
"It is ordered that the administrator of the centre shall forthwith administer to all persons accommodated in the centre be afforded their rights under section 42 of the constitution," Justice Canning said.
Presiding over the human rights division of the National Court, Justice Canning said the standing of Mr Namah to bring the case still needed to be determined, as his rights were not directly affected.
But in rejecting the interim injunction application, Justice Canning said there were serious questions to be answered.

" ... The plaintiff has a serious, not speculative case," he said.
"However, the questions of ultimate success are tempered by questions of whether the plaintiff has sufficient interest in the matter."
Justice Canning also said he did not think the interests of justice would be served in granting the interim injunction order.
"I do not see any injustice to the plaintiff or any other persons, including the asylum seekers presently at Lombrum or those who might imminently be transferred there, that would result from a refusal of the interim injunction," he said.
"I can by contrast see that the defendants would reasonably perceive an injustice if the court were to, without being fully satisfied that something unconstitutional or unlawful had occurred, to injunction arrangements that had been entered into in good faith by two independent governments.
"The plaintiff appears to be seeking to enforce the human rights of asylum seekers, but does not name who they are and has made no attempt to join them in the proceedings."
Mr Namah's lawyer, Loani Henao, said on Wednesday afternoon he had received orders from his client to enjoin the asylum seekers in the matter.
However, he said two previous requests to enter the facility had been denied.
The government of PNG has filed a motion to dismiss the proceedings, arguing the National Court does not have the authority to deal with the constitutional questions raised by the case.
The court is expected to resume on Thursday afternoon.

Aiton wants PNG to unearth a new Stanley Gene

by Tom Coates, RLWC2013 

 13 Feb 2013

Papua New Guinea hooker Paul Aiton has issued a rallying call to the people of Hull, ahead of the Kumuls’ clashes with Samoa and France at MS3 Craven Park at Rugby League World Cup 2013.

Paul Aiton

Craven Park is home to Super League outfit Hull KR, with whom Stanley Gene built a famous career in the UK following his strong performances for PNG at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup.
And Aiton hopes to utilise the nation’s links to the city of Hull and mobilise a partisan crowd behind PNG at RLWC2013.
“We have the link with Stanley and Makali [Aizue] having played over there, and both players still have a great following over in Hull,” Aiton told LoveRugbyLeague.com.
“I really hope we can rally the support of the Hull KR fans at the tournament. We’re based over in Hull and I know Stanley feels a great love for the city.
“He played for Hull KR and Hull FC, and I hope we can get supporters from both sides of the divide down at Craven Park for the games.
“In return, I’d like to think that people weill enjoy the way we play and the passion we show whenever we pull on the shirt of our nation.
“We play hard, we play expansive footy and we like to entertain the fans.”
Aiton also believes that RLWC2013 could help uncover the next big star from PNG, 18 years after Gene made his mark on British soil.
“Not too many players have been picked up. I’ve been involved with the Kumuls for a lot of years now and I’ve played alongside some very talented young players,” he said.
“I’m very surprised that so many haven’t been given a chance. I don’t know if they are undiscovered, or that clubs just don’t want to take the chance.
“But I definitely think we could unearth another Stanley Gene at RLWC2013. There are a lot of players who could make it over here.
“I’ve found the Super League very welcoming and I’m sure there’ll be some perfect match-ups between British clubs and PNG players looking for an opportunity.
“Stanley’s obviously enjoyed his stay, and he’s enjoyed a fantastic career with a few clubs, and I can see no reason why another PNG player can’t follow in his footsteps.
“Plus, there’s a good network of PNG players over here now, which would really help make the transition a smooth one.”
And, while Aiton is hoping to depend on vociferous backing from the terraces at RLWC2013, he knows for sure that the team can also count on PNG’s own fanatical Rugby League fan base back home.
“There’ll be so many tuning into watch the games on TV this Autumn, and I can tell you that the stories people hear about how fanatical the fans can be are completely true,” said Aiton.
“They just love the game. When a Kangaroos side comes over to play PNG it’s unbelievable. They’re rock stars to the people of PNG and they get treated that way.
“You’ll get hundreds turning up when they arrive at the airport, just so fans can say they’ve seen these players in real life.
“Rugby League is the number one sport in PNG and we want to do our nation proud at Rugby League World Cup 2013.
“We can’t wait for the challenge.”
Papua New Guinea face France at MS3 Craven Park on October 27, and return to the venue on November 4, when Samoa provide the opposition.
The Kumuls’ group campaign then culminates on November 8, when they travel to Headingley to take on defending champions New Zealand.

Cott Oil and Gas secures stakes in PNG licences

Proactive Investors

Cott Oil and Gas now has 50% interests in two petroleum exploration licences that have gas and liquids potential in the southern part of the Papuan Basin, Papua New Guinea.
The company has fulfilled the farm-in commitments on PPL 435, which is held by Kina Petroleum , and has together with Kina been awarded PPL 436.
PPL 435 and 436 cover a total area of 18,436 square kilometres with the latter traversing the proposed western gas pipeline to the southern port of Daru.
Partner Kina has identified three substantial prospects and a number of leads. Evaluation work is also ongoing to develop the prospects and leads to drilling targets.

PNG opposition wants asylum seekers to join suit

By EION BLACKWELL
AAP PNG Correspondent

The lawyers challenging the constitutionality of the Australian detention centre on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island say they are seeking to invite the asylum seekers there to join the legal action.
One of the lawyers acting on behalf of PNG's opposition leader, Belden Namah, said on Wednesday he had received instructions to ask the asylum seekers to join the application against the centre.
Mr Namah's lawyer, Loami Henao, said they were seeking permission to visit the temporary detention centre on Manus to interview detainees for this purpose.
The lawyers were also seeking a temporary injunction in the Court of Human Rights of the National Court against any further transfers on the grounds the 274 detainees were being held illegally under PNG's constitution.

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Justice David Canning said he would rule on the temporary injunction at 1200 AEDT on Thursday.
The government's lawyer, Peter Kumen, said the Migration Act gave Minister of Immigration Rimbink Pato the power to create a processing centre.
He also argued that the case was a matter for the Supreme Court, and not the National Court circuit.
Justice Canning disagreed.
"These people are detained, aren't they?" Justice Canning asked.
"They can't go to the beach and do a bit of fishing unless they get permission ... they can't just walk out and have a spin around."
"It appears there is in excess of 200 people being detained."
"This is a case where these refugees did not come into the country of their own accord," Mr Henao said on Wednesday.
"They were seeking asylum in another country. They are asylum seekers as far as Australia is concerned.
"They are not asylum seekers as far as PNG is concerned."
The state did not have the right to detain asylum seekers without giving them access to a lawyer of their choosing, Mr Henao added.