Falling in love with Daru

By MALUM NALU

Daru, the once-thriving former capital of Western province, has sadly become a forgotten backwater despite all the riches from the Ok Tedi mine.

It is a dismal-looking town covered by bush, potholes and very basic services such as health are wanting, as exemplified by the town’s hospital.

 Fishing canoes at Daru

The sad story of Daru, perhaps, epitomises what has happened to all of Papua New Guinea since independence in 1975.

People from Daru and the South Fly area – long neglected by the PNG government - are known to cross the Torres Strait regularly to Australia to seek treatment in such places as Saibai and Thursday islands.

 Rundown Daru hospital, which has been recently plagued by allegations of mismanagement

Saibai Island is the closest part of Australia to another country.

Lying in the Torres Strait, off the tip of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, the mangrove-rimmed mudflat is only 4km from PNG - a mere 20 minutes in an outboard dinghy, but a journey from poverty to plenty in terms of health care for residents of the palm-thatched villages of South Fly, PNG, north of Saibai.

I know this only too well because my late wife, Hula, was from Irupi, one of the southern-most villages of PNG in the Torres Strait and I have heard so many stories from her as well as from my in-laws.

Mothers bring their sick children to the primary health care centre in Saibai, and who can blame them?

The PNG government gives them next to nothing!

But before the rot set in, in the pre-independence days, Daru was an exotic melting pot of expatriate traders, planters, crocodile hunters and even missionaries.

Former kiap (patrol officer) and Member of the first House of Assembly Graham Pople, whose first posting was Daru in 1956 as a 21-year-old, tells me that Daru is still the love of his life and his all-time favourite place in PNG as a kiap.

 Graham Pople

This is despite it being disparaged in the past as “Siberia” – a place where kiaps who did the wrong thing were exiled there and forgotten.

From Daru, Pople served the whole of the massive Western district (now province), including crossing the border to the then Dutch New Guinea.

These included Kiunga (now the capital of Western province), Lake Murray, Balimo, the Star Mountains and many more.

In his yet-to-be-published autobiography, The Popleography, Pople writes about arriving in Daru on a Qantas Catalina flying boat in 1956 and how he fell in love with the place.

“At the time of my arrival in Daru,” he recalls, “the expatriate population consisted of the DC (district commissioner) and his wife, an assistant district officer, a patrol officer with wife, medical officer and wife, European medical assistant, and agricultural officer and family, and a clerk also married.

“There were we three cadet patrol officers – all single.

“There was Lenny Luff who owned a store, who was married with grown children and their families; the Maidments who were both in their 80s but hale and hearty, and running another store; and Peter Day, who ran the BNG Trading Emporium.

“Off the island, there was a floating expatriate population of traders, planters, crocodile shooters and even missionaries.

“In addition, Australian Petroleum Company (APC) was working in the area and their boats and personnel often dropped into Daru.”

Pople remembers that the indigenous population living on the island consisted of about 250 people classified as mixed race (and thereby entitled to drink) and about 200 villagers who were not entitled to partake of intoxicating beverages.

However, this did not stop them from making their own local beverages, which are known as gamada and tuba.

“The people living at Daru are a most-polyglot group,” Pople adds.

“Daru is only 14 hours sailing from Thursday Island and has been a port of call for pearling luggers and like, since the pearling industry began in the Torres Strait.

“The Kiwai were always hospitable and therefore a population has grown that traces its ancestry back to Portugese, Australians (original), and Australians (recent), Japanese, Malays and many others.

“Also, when Lieutenant Governor McGregor arrived from Fiji, he brought his senior NCO policemen from there, and some of them settled at hospitable Daru.

“The Tabua clan are the descendants of one such family.

“These people, being the first I had anything much to do with in PNG, have a special place in my memory and affections.

“One such was Badia Travertz, who was an old man in those days.

“He was a shipwright and was in charge of the slipway and the basic workshop associated with it.

“He was a most-interesting person and I used to enjoy sitting down in his workshop and listening to his stories.”

Pople talks fondly about his old mates such as George Tabua and Arthur Wyborn, originally from the British Islands and who later become a Member of Parliament, and whose family still live in Daru.

There is also Ebia Olewale, who “later became a very-eminent politician and was one of the founders of the Bully Beef Club along with Michael Somare, and a leader of the nation into self-government and independence”.

“He was rightly knighted for his efforts.

“I remember Anzac Day in 1956 and the school children marching and saluting the Australian flag.

“I have photos of this ceremony.

“Ebia appears in some of them as a very-young and fresh-faced young man.”

Daru, being an island, had a jetty, but because of the shallowness of the water it extended for some 200 metres or so into the channel.

“To make unloading easier, there was a railway line laid out between the end of the jetty and the government store building,” Pople says.

“Several carts were used to transport goods backwards and forwards, being man-powered (usually prisoners).

“This jetty was a favourite night fishing spot where the police and other government workers made their assignations with the local maidens.

“Daru was a prison island where the worst of the prisoners from throughout Papua New Guinea were sent to serve their terms, it being reasoned that no one could escape from there and remain at large.

“There was a very well-attended church on the island, the London Missionary Society (LMS), headed by a very-dedicated but sensible Gordon Price.

“He had a very good following from among the residents and each Sunday, the church was packed”

Apart from the hard foot slogging, Pople also spent a lot of leisure time fishing and shooting crocodiles – two things for which Daru is famous for – after which there was always a plentiful supply of beer.

 The barramundi, probably the finest eating fish anywhere in PNG, abounds in Daru and Western province.

 Fish being sold at Daru, including the prized barramundi

But the area’s real wealth lies in crocodile hides; Daru may be the only place in PNG which lives ‘on the crocodile’s back’.

In 1959, while on leave in Australia, Pople was advised that his request to return to Daru and the Western district had been refused and he was to be posted to Western Highlands.

Despite his pleas to go back to a place he had grown to love, he was advised to go to the Highlands and broaden his experience.

Daru, to this day, has a special place in the heart of the now 75-year-old Pople.

Highlands Highway blocked

ANGRY and frustrated landowners have blocked off 20km of the Highlands Highway – cutting off all traffic and jeopardising commercial transport, The National reports.

The illegal roadblocks start from Wara Simbu up to Chuave, bordering Eastern Highlands.

Aggrieved landowners and claimants gathering for a meeting with Chimbu police commander Supt Joseph Tondop at the Dumun section of the Highlands Highway yesterday. The people had blocked the highway over unsettled highway rehabilitation payments, totalling K67.8 million, owed to them by the national government. 

The landowners living along the highway showed their frustrations after the government failed to settle K67.8 million in outstanding payment under the Highlands Highway rehabilitation programme.

People from Western Highlands, Enga and Southern Highlands, who had planned to travel to Goroka, Lae and Madang, were forced to postpone their trips yesterday morning in Mt Hagen after hearing word of the roadblocks.

Trucks based in the three provinces and laden with tea, coffee and other agricultural products for export and local markets in coastal provinces were stranded in Mt Hagen.

Those in Kundiawa with cargo bound for Lae were stranded in Goroka.

Business houses in Western Highlands said they would be severely affected if the problem prolonged.

Trucking companies said no goods would be transported to the upper highlands region until the highway was fully cleared.

Mt Hagen’s Waghi Valley Transport operations manager Allen Benette said the company had grounded all its trucks bound for Mt Hagen and Goroka.

“There would be no transport until the road is free and the situation is under control. I have spoken to Chimbu police commander Joseph Tondop, who assured me that the road would be cleared by midday today (yesterday),” he said.

Members of the police force in Chimbu, led by Tondop, clearing the felled trees using chainsaws at the Dumun section of the Highlands Highway

Mt Hagen’s Kutubu Transport operations manager Clement Tarere said six trucks were sitting idle while thousands of kina worth of business had gone down the drain.

“Even though we are affected, the landowners also had a point to put across and the relevant authorities have to address it quickly, like they did in other parts of the highlands,” he said.

Lae’s Mapi Transport operations supervisor Michael Arut said they had yet to allow any transport operations but a few trucks, with dry goods bound for wholesale in Southern Highlands, were stranded in Goroka.

He said fuel supplies and other materials for the mining areas were also affected

Ex-BSP boss expresses shock over arrest

FORMER Bank South Pacific boss Garth McIlwain was shocked and completely surprised when he was taken in for questioning by police on Wednesday, The National reports,

He did not know he was going to be charged with fraud and forgery, and made to fork out K5, 000 in cash for bail.

“I have served the PNG banking industry for more than 42 years and have worked with the PNG Banking Corporation, the Credit Corporation and BSP and, in all these years, this is the first instance that I have been faced with such criminal charges, which is very disappointing indeed,” McIlwain told The National yesterday when recounting the four-hour ordeal that he went through, including being locked up like a common criminal in the police cells.

McIlwain told The National that he was initially asked last December to assist police with their investigations into issues relating to court cases involving BSP, and he had kept in contact with the fraud squad.

 “I was cooperating with the fraud squad as they asked me to do, in December, so when I arrived in Port Moresby from Rabaul, I rang an officer there to let them know I was in town.

“When I did that on Monday, I was asked to come into the office on Wednesday.

“I did so, at about 3pm. I was kept there from then until about 5:30pm and was taken to Boroko police station and remained there from 6pm to 7pm.”

After he was charged, McIlwain was allowed to make one telephone call, and he called BSP executive Robin Flemming, who went with lawyer Michael Henao to assist him.

Flemming had brought the K5, 000 bail money.

The National had erroneously reported that Flemming was arrested and charged along with McIlwain. 

“I did not have that kind of money on me; I do not carry that kind of cash and the police told me to pay K5, 000 cash before being released,” McIlwain said.

He was CEO of BSP from 2000 to last year.

He is a naturalised PNG citizen, now retired and living in Kokopo with his family – his wife is from East New Britain.

McIlwain is credited with the successful merger of PNGBC and BSP, now the biggest bank in PNG and the Pacific region.

The utterance and fraud charges he is facing relate to a complaint lodged to police by businessman and former politician Peter Yama.

Yama yesterday distanced himself from the McIlwain arrest, saying he did not intimidate or influence police to make arrests.

“I first complained to police about BSP three, four years ago. Why would the charges take this long if I had such close connections?

“Police see the evidence, they see something is wrong and they acted,” he told AAP.

“This is not tactics of intimidation; I did not go to the police commissioner and tell him to make this happen; I’ve been in Madang, not Port Moresby.

“I do not have a grudge against anybody,” he added.

 

BACA urges Baki to act

A COALITION involving the Transparency International and business houses have slammed the arrest of lawyers and bankers doing their duty, and questioned Police Commissioner Gari Baki’s silence on the behaviour of his policemen, The National reports,

The Business Against Corruption Alliance (BACA) made this strong statement yesterday following the arrest of former chief executive officer of Bank South Pacific Garth McIlwain.

BACA said the harassment and jailing of bank employees and lawyers in the ordinary conduct of their employment duties were illegal and unacceptable.

It said they were frightening examples of what many perceived to be influence being exercised over elements of the police force by external factors.

“They are clear examples of the breakdown of the constitutionally guaranteed rule of law in PNG, and the police commissioner’s silence is a damning indictment of his conduct as commissioner,” BACA said in a statement sent to the media yesterday.

It said PNG was now confronted with a situation where the law was seen by many to be the victim of personal influence.

“Baki’s position as commissioner is untenable if he will not come out publicly and state categorically that this situation is unacceptable to him, that it will end, and that he will issue instructions and ensure his officers abstain from such activities,” BACA said.

It said the situation was threatening the effectiveness and fairness of the legal system, and the confidence of business and investors in PNG.

“It was also a threat to the democratic system and the rule of law, and lucrative large scale projects like the LNG project could be under threat.”

BACA urged Baki to hold an urgent meeting to address this issue.

It said the government and the commissioner must wake up to this threat and take drastic action.

Several attempts to get comments from Baki were unsuccessful.

 

 

Rift widens between Gulf factions

THE rift between Gulf Governor Havila Kavo and local level government presidents backed by the only two other Gulf MPs is widening when Kavo yesterday refuted claims of his lack of performance in office, The National reports.

At a press conference yesterday, Kavo said that calls through a seven-day notice for his dismissal, were  illegal.

The latest development was alleged to have been instigated by the other group as a result of his deferral over a week ago of the swearing-in of LLG presidents, which Kavo said yesterday was necessary adding that the processes had to be considered carefully and had to be in line with certain administrative processes.

He said as the mandated leader of the province, what was being reconsidered was in the best interest of the people of Gulf.

He also questioned why there was a rush by certain individuals to appoint LLG presidents into the provincial assembly.

He said he would  refer Kikori MP Mark Maipakai and Kerema MP Pitom Bombom to the Ombudsman Commission for instigating a provincial assembly meeting in Kerema on Wednesday.

Kavo also referred to section 17 of the Organic Law of Provincial and Local Level Governments (OLPLLG).

During that sitting in Kerema, which he said was an abuse of constitutional right and illegal, nine LLG presidents were sworn in and a motion was passed for a seven-day notice for Kavo to attend the July 7 assembly meeting or be stripped of his governorship.

He added that notices had to be served 14 days earlier.

But yesterday afternoon, another meeting by Bombom and the LLG presidents was convened where the group pledged its solidarity, asking Kavo to turn up for the July 7 assembly sitting.

Bombom challenged Kavo before the presidents and journalists to turn up for the planned sitting if he truly was the mandated head of Gulf like he claimed.

Amongst what was discussed at this meeting was Kavo’s  alleged neglect of his duties and responsibilities by not allowing proper debates on the Gulf provincial budget before their passage for the years 2007, 2008 and last year which was in contravention of section 20 (1) (c) of the OLPLLG.

Also, the governor had not provided a sound position paper for Gulf on certain benefits sharing agreements for the PNG LNG project which may result in the province missing out on essential project funding and other benefits.

Meanwhile, a letter to Kavo last Friday from the secretary for the Department of Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs was issued advising the governor to convene an assembly meeting this week.

This had not taken place.

The secretary could not be contacted yesterday to deliberate on the matter.

Pictures of yesterday's protest march in Madang

A woman in the cutthroat world of coffee buying

By AUGUSTINE DOMINIC of CIC

The dramatic increase in coffee prices this year has lured many into the coffee business.

One of them, and the only noticeable female competitor to other male buyers in town,  is Repy Mopafi (pictured) from Bena in the Eastern Highlands province.

Mrs Mopafi parks her tinted white 10-seater Toyota Land Cruiser between Mendikwae Trading and Goroka Bowling Club in Goroka and buys coffee parchment almost every day.

She is outstanding because all other buyers are male and are lined up at one side of the fences of Goroka Council Chamber and Ela Motors while Mrs Mopafi is on their opposite side.

She was buying Arabica parchment Coffee for K5.00 per kilogram when she was approached.

She said she was honest in her dealings which she started in May 2010 and this was prompting many coffee farmers to go and sell their coffee to her.

“Depending on the type of contract I get with factories, I want to do honest buying and am purchasing at a higher price at the moment,” Mrs Mopafi said.

Agents recruiting people illegally to work in New Zealand

The New Zealand High Commission has become aware of individuals and organisations in the community who are allegedly recruiting Papua New Guineans to work in New Zealand picking fruit, under false pretences.

 These individuals have been requesting that people pay them a fee, which is illegal.

The New Zealand High Commission wishes to advise the public that at this stage there are no accredited employers in New Zealand that are currently seeking to recruit from Papua New Guinea or that have indicated that they intend to do so.

While New Zealand does operate a seasonal labour scheme (called the Recognised Seasonal Employers (RSE) scheme), and Papua New Guineans are eligible to participate in the scheme, they must have a job offer from a New Zealand employer who is approved by Immigration New Zealand before applying for a visa.

Any ‘agents’ receiving money as fees from Papua New Guineans for the purpose of going to New Zealand under this scheme are acting illegally.

A coffee cooperative success story

By AUGUSTINE DOMINIC of CIC

Coffee marketing in a group will generate high volume of coffee and raise more revenue for smallholder farmers.

Hence, the Coffee Industry Corporation, which is tasked to regulate and promote Papua New Guinea coffee, is encouraging and promoting group marketing through cooperative societies registered with the Department of Commerce and Industry or with the Investment Promotion Authority.

An example of a success story of a cooperative society is the Rikarika Co-operative Society from the Eastern Highlands province.

 Rikarika Cooperative Society members disembark from their vehicle to gather at the roadside for a meeting

The society is based in Habaru village along the Okapa road about 1,500 metres above sea level along the boarders of Okapa, Henganofi and Lufa districts, just beneath Mt Kuru.  

Politically, they are in the Henganofi district but with their geographical location, it’s confusing to government officers from the three districts to provide basic government services to them.

As expressed by the people, “government services from either one of the three districts does not reach us, maybe due to the confusion created by our central location that one think another district is serving us”.

Nevertheless, they are privileged to live along the recently-upgraded Okapa to Goroka road and have easy access to Goroka town and the services provided there.

One thing they profess about and continue to treasure is the unique coffee grown in their area, where the climate of the lower Lufa and Henganofi plains meets the high altitudes of Mt Kuru.

 Members of Rikarika Cooperative Society purchasing coffee parchment at their roadside base in Habaru village

The Rikarika Coffee Co-operative Society won the ‘Pride of PNG 2005 Coffee Cupping Competition’ organised in Goroka by the then Coffee Pacifica Inc,  which attracted participation from various international coffee cuppers including the Speciality Coffee Association of America.

The award was a big morale booster and the society continued struggling to uphold the quality values in processing coffee.

Its commitment payed off with another achievement when the CIC board approved its application and awarded it the permit to erect a dry coffee factory early this year.

This decision by the CIC board was a first of its kind for coffee cooperative societies in PNG.

CIC’s manager for industry regulation and compliance, Sam Menaga, said the society deserved the award as it was very active in strengthening itself for many years and had gained recognition in producing quality coffee.   

During a recent visit by CIC officers and Monpi Coffee Ltd to the area, society chairman James Iswalito and his deputy Simon Fikime, expressed great satisfaction in the society’s progress so far and vowed to continue to see tangible development brought in to their area through coffee.

“We have allocated land and money for erecting the dry coffee factory and hope to get it up soon,” Iswalito said.

He also declared his group’s intention to supply Monpi Coffee with quality coffee produced by his group.

The group initially started with 25 members in 2000 and has grown to over 100 registered members, mostly smallholder coffee growers owning coffee gardens ranging from one to five hectares and totalling about 160 hectares.

Powes Parkop makes smart strategic move to middle benches

By REGINALD RENAGI

 

Papua New Guinea parliamentary speaker's announcement early this year that National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop will now be sitting in the middle-benches has upset some people who have expressed their disappointment in the media in recent weeks.

 Parkop has lately been in the media expressing his views on a more-conciliatory manner of certain government decisions in parliament.   

 Parkop recently made a public media statement that PNG today lacks honest leadership and is both concerned and serious about PNG being provided with honest leadership in future. 

 A true measure of a successful government is for it to do everything in its power and influence to provide all required basic services and creating the right environment for its citizens to meaningfully participate in our country’s development; and in so doing, the people’s overall quality of life is greatly enhanced proportionally over time. 

This has not happened despite the promises at Independence in 1975 by those entrusted to protect the interests of our people and country. The early promises have become lies today as successive PNG administrations have badly let their people and country down for over three decades. 

Today, PNG has an uncaring regime pampering to big business and special interests while making many bad decisions that seriously affects our people today, and will make life hard for future generations.  

However, I see Governor Parkop’s actions as those of a creative strategist enhanced by a recent launching of his new political party.  As an independent MP, being in the middle benches is a smart deliberate move done not at the spur-of-the-moment, but carefully planned.  It is a clever strategic move for the governor as it better leverages Parkop's position to deliver what his constituents need or expects prior to the next polls in 2012. 

The governor’s new parliamentary seating plan is a refreshing sea-change.  It can have positive benefits for our capital city as well as for the whole country.  The middle bench gives Parkop the freedom he needs to constructively engage in debating important national issues without the constraints of being in opposition or government. 

Here, Parkop has choices: to abstain; support the opposition, or vote against the government on any issues according to his own better judgement without being unduly influenced to take a ‘pre-conceived’ position. 

Moreover, the middle-bench further allows a degree of flexibility to solicit government support for the governor’s capital city vision initiatives.  As a first-time MP, Parkop realises now that politics is about compromise for positive gains.  It is about meeting the other party half way for both to achieve its own development objectives whilst reaching a mutual ‘win-win’ outcome. 

As NCD governor, this concession may be denied him if he steadfastly remained with the opposition and kept constantly criticising the government for its perceived dalliances (whether real or imagined).  So by strategically working within the system, Parkop hopes to achieve much of his plans for our city before he faces city residents again at the polls. 

I see our middle-benchers not as whingers who have lost their marbles but intelligent MPs.  Well anyone can also say this of our opposition.  In fact, it comprises of some astute and independent-thinking MPs whose views and policies do not auger in parallel with both opposition and government. This can have positive benefits for the county as MPs here has the flexibility to see both sides of an issue under debate before making a more balanced input on proposed laws. 

On the other hand, the opposition needs to be more effective if it is to be considered the best since independence.  It should credibly demonstrate that it is the ‘alternative government’ and is up to the task of providing the kind of leadership needed in future. 

As the alternative government of PNG, the opposition must get better organised.  Its first essential function is to prepare itself for the day when (it hopes) it will become the government.  Its second function is to keep the government, its policies and its activities under keen and constant critical scrutiny. 

Today, PNG needs strong leadership by having a responsible and responsive government with an assertive opposition to make parliament an effective law-making body.  The country must have good honest leaders to ensure clean politics and a sense of fair –play practiced within parliament. 

To turn things around in PNG is to have several things in place at the same time. Any good government would by now carry out essential political reforms to improve good governance, being responsible, accountable and strictly adhere to the 'Rule of Law'.

Firstly, the leadership must force itself to be more disciplined, accountable and responsible in all its actions without lying about many things as has been the norm for some time now.  It is important that PNG now needs a strong no-nonsense party leader to better reorganise the current coalition government makeup by having good honest MPs in charge of key portfolios (I.e. A revitalised NEC).

Secondly, PNG must have an effective opposition to always keep the government on its toes.  The opposition must start employing effective strategies to ensure all its shadow Ministers are well-versed in their responsibilities to keep constant scrutiny of government actions and its decision-making process. 

Thirdly, parliament has been shirking its primary responsibility by poorly serving PNG’s national interests.  A parliament that compromises PNG’s national interests does not deserve the people’s support and vote at the polls.

Finally, the way ahead is for a more-effective leadership and a new team of committed social engineers who will have PNG’s best interests at heart to completely transform the people and this country.  Without pre-empting events ahead of time, given the right conditions and strategies employed now, it is not too far-fetched to imagine my capital city governor Powes Parkop to be a potential prime minister material in future. 

All NCD residents should now on give their full support to Governor Powes Parkop and his city hall team in their tireless efforts to make PNG's capital a clean, safe and healthy environment for all. 

UNESCO encourages UOG Enga students’ awareness activities

 By KATE GUNN of UOG

 The UNESCO country office in Papua New Guinea yesterday (Wednesday) visited the Engan Students’ Association at the University of Goroka. 

Yori Yei, secretary general of UNESCO (PNG), spent time with students from Enga province currently studying at UOG. 

Yei presented to the association K5, 000 to be used for awareness activities in the Enga Province by the students whilst on their end of year break.

 Manager for culture at UNESCO Paul Peter and secretary general of UNESCO PNG  Yori Yei presenting the money to president of Enga Students' Association at UOG Wanpis Napian and chairman of Jamaica Kandes with lecturer Lynn Iarume looking on

The donation, presented by Yei on behalf of James Marape Minister for Education and chairman of UNESCO in PNG, was accepted by the Enga Students’ Association chairman Jamaica Kandes and president Wanpis Napian. 

Yei explained to the students that the money should be utilised for activities related to the education of those uneducated people in Enga.

 “It’s your responsibility as the educated elite of the province to help educate Engans on current issues,”Yei told the students.

Yei said UNESCO was happy to support little initiatives for public awareness and education. 

Napian said there were many issues that needed to be addressed in Enga province. 

He said the donation from UNESCO would be used by the students for awareness activities in the province on outcome based education (OBE) in primary schools, as many people did not know about OBE in Enga.

The PNG Commission for UNESCO is based in Port Moresby and education is one of its organisational themes along with culture, science and communication. 

Anyone wishing to donate or support the Enga Students’ Association at the University of Goroka should contact Mr Kandes on email jamaicastonez@yahoo.com or Napian on email wanpisnapist@yahoo.com or care of the University of Goroka, PO Box 1078, Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea.

Police arrest top bankers

GARTH McIlwain, one of the most respected figures in PNG’s finance and banking industry, was arrested by police yesterday, The National reports.

In a new twist to the case filed by businessman and former politician Peter Yama, McIlwain and senior Bank South Pacific official Robin Flemming were taken to the Konedobu police fraud squad office for questioning yesterday afternoon.

They were then transferred to the Boroko police station, where they were charged and locked up in the cells for about an hour before they were released on K5, 000 bail.

Senior police officers were unaware of what was unfolding, and refused to comment when contacted.

Police media unit officers were seeking more information on the arrest before they could brief Police Commissioner Gari Baki on the arrest.

The National could not obtain details of the charges laid against the two men, but it is understood their arrest is related to a complaint of falsifying document relating to a fixed floating charge BSP had against Yama and his companies in 1999.

The prime minister’s legal counsel, Sumasi Singin, rushed to the police station to find out what was going on when he heard of their arrest.

News of the arrests, and the manner in which the two were treated, is likely to outrage the business community.

Police had previously arrested Flemming, BSP lawyer John Maddison and private lawyer Erik Anderson for conspiracy to defraud relating to this case. The case against them was dismissed in court.

Mcllwain and Flemming will appear in court any time this week.

McIlwain recently retired as chief executive officer of BSP.

He is the chairman of Credit Corporation and was at the helm of the successful merger of PNG Banking Corporation with BSP, now the leading bank in PNG and the Pacific region.

 

 

bemobile fails Solomon Islands' conditions

PAPUA New Guinea-registered mobile company, bemobile, has failed to live up to one of the first requirements under its licence in the Solomon Islands, local newspaper Solomon Star reported yesterday, The National reports.

The newspaper reported that this had cost the PNG telecommunications company US$1.5 million (K4.16 million or S$12 million).

Solomon Islands telecommunications commissioner Nicholas Williams was quoted as saying that he had taken the S$12 million from a demand guarantee of US$10 million (K27.77 million) provided by bemobile to ensure its compliance with the network coverage obligation in its licence.

Under its licence, bemobile is required to launch a network serving 25% of the population by June 18 this year.

Williams said he had given bemobile an extension until Aug 30 to become compliant with its licence.

“If bemobile fails to meet this new deadline, I will take an additional US$1 million from the demand guarantee,” he said.

“There are further coverage thresholds that bemobile is required to meet,” Williams said.

According to Solomon Star, he expects bemobile to work strenuously and diligently to meet these thresholds and catch up with the original network deployment timetable envisaged in its licence.

The SI government awarded bemobile its licence last Dec 18, ahead of the more promising Digicel.

Chief executive officer Julien Coustaury had previously assured PNG’s closest Melanesian neighbour that bemobile would launch its operations in time according to the requirements under its licence.

Honiara-based Coustaury, who is away overseas on vacation, could not be reached yesterday for comments.

 

 

bemobile fails Solomon Islands' conditions

PAPUA New Guinea-registered mobile company, bemobile, has failed to live up to one of the first requirements under its licence in the Solomon Islands, local newspaper Solomon Star reported yesterday, The National reports.

The newspaper reported that this had cost the PNG telecommunications company US$1.5 million (K4.16 million or S$12 million).

Solomon Islands telecommunications commissioner Nicholas Williams was quoted as saying that he had taken the S$12 million from a demand guarantee of US$10 million (K27.77 million) provided by bemobile to ensure its compliance with the network coverage obligation in its licence.

Under its licence, bemobile is required to launch a network serving 25% of the population by June 18 this year.

Williams said he had given bemobile an extension until Aug 30 to become compliant with its licence.

“If bemobile fails to meet this new deadline, I will take an additional US$1 million from the demand guarantee,” he said.

“There are further coverage thresholds that bemobile is required to meet,” Williams said.

According to Solomon Star, he expects bemobile to work strenuously and diligently to meet these thresholds and

catch up with the original network deployment timetable envisaged in its licence.

The SI government awarded bemobile its licence last Dec 18, ahead of the more promising Digicel.

Chief executive officer Julien Coustaury had previously assured PNG’s closest Melanesian neighbour that bemobile would launch its operations in time according to the requirements under its licence.

Honiara-based Coustaury, who is away overseas on vacation, could not be reached yesterday for comments.

 

Census delay could affect elections: Electoral Commission

PAPUA New Guinea Electoral Commission officials are worried that the delay in the 2010 housing and population census will affect the commission’s preparations for the 2012 general election, The National reports.

Commission officials said the delay would affect the electoral update, common roll and other data needed by the commission to  conduct the general election.

Electoral commissioner Andrew Trawen could not be reached for comments yesterday but his office said he would be making a media statement today to outline the full implication of the delay in the 2010 national census.

The census was originally scheduled to start on July 11 but census director Kit Ronga announced on Monday that the census had been deferred to next year.

Ronga cited various logistics problems, including funding, as contributing to the need for the deferral although much of the work had been done.

To date, less than half of K66 million released by the Department of National Planning has been  made available to the National Statistical Office.

The last national census was held in 2000.

Since then, the population has grown rapidly, but it is unclear what the actually annual growth rate is.

Some place it at 6%, which was higher than economic growth rate until the commodity boom pushed the economic growth rate up.

The director of PNG’s Institute of National Affairs, Paul Barker, told Radio New Zealand that delaying the census adds more worry that PNG would not run a free and fair election.