The strength of women farmers in Papua New Guinea

By BARBARA TOMI of NARI
A recently-completed survey conducted under the project ‘Improving Business Acumen for PNG Women Smallholders In Horticulture’ has unearthed some very enterprising women who have quietly been producing and marketing some of the country’s best local fruit, vegetables and niche products.

Marey Yogiyo displays a sample of her Bauka packaged coffee.-Pictures by CATHY MCGOWAN

Many of them have been growing and processing these foods under the radar with little support other than that of their family members in order to meet their immediate needs.
Some of these enterprising women found in the Central province are growing the juiciest water melons in that part of the region; in Morobe they are raising sheep for wool and keeping bees for honey; and in the highlands these women are flooding the markets with temperate cut flowers and growing, training and supplying African yam seeds and packaging home-grown organic coffee for export.

Maria Linibi and Cathy McGowan visits bilum sellers of Goroka town and urge them to join the PNGWiADF network

These women came together from their respective regions to participate in a survey conducted by Cathy McGowan and Val Lang from the Australian Women in Agriculture to map out the membership of women’s peak agriculture body in the country, the Papua New Guinea Women in Agricultural Development Foundation (PNGWiADF), to determine the organisation’s current institutional arrangements and the women’s expectations of the organisation, identify governance issues affecting PNGWiADF and the support they need from the organisation.

Members of registered groups represented in the Eastern Highlands Women in Agriculture with members of the survey team

McGowan and Lang were assisted by project partners, Fresh Produce Development Agency (FPDA) and National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI).
PNGWiADF President Maria Linibi facilitated the survey of various groups.
A report of this activity will be put together by McGowan to present to the project leader, Prof Barbara Chambers from the University of Canberra to submit to the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), who funded the project.

Specialist African yam grower Jennifa Kena displays some of the yams she presented as gifts to new members of EHWiA

Over 20 registered groups, 10 individual members and hordes of interested women and men attended and participated in the survey, expressing their personal experiences and recommending ways PNGWiADF can best serve their interest to promote locally-grown foods and vegetables, flowers and tree crops.
Most of the women farmers said good communication systems, training, access to markets and credit facilities were a major hindrance to their success.

Meeting members in the Central province

For instance, Julie Anton travelled from Mt Wilhelm to Goroka to participate, hoping that PNGWiADF would network her to a market for her highlands orchids.
Another woman from Garaina in the south of Morobe province walked for nearly a week to reach members of her group from Bulolo district, then travelled together to Lae to participate in the survey; she was determined to actively participate and express her group’s need to be trained to grow quality vegetables to be able to tap into a ready growing market in their area, the mining townships of Bulolo and Wau.
Budding entrepreneur Marey Yogiyo attended the gathering in Goroka as an interested coffee farmer but with the burning desire to encourage other coffee farmers to drink their own coffee.
Yogiyo and her family grow organic coffee in the Aiyura Valley of Eastern Highlands and process and package it for sale in retail shops.
Since it is a new brand, the Bauka Blue Kofi is up against the established brands such as the Kongo Coffee, Goroka Coffee Roasters and Sigri Coffee.
So far she has secured Bintangor Trading in Goroka to sell her product.
These women are a few finds from the survey and there are more to be discovered.
The survey team was pleased with the information collected so far which will go a long way in identifying strategies to address women’s issues and to make them equal partners in agricultural development.
As part of the report, the survey team will recommend to the project initiators a capacity training that will address an area that has been raised by various groups.
The onus will be on PNGWiADF to use the information to be responsive to the needs of women and continue to raise their issues to the various pillars of government as the national mouthpiece of women food producers.
A full report of the survey will be available in May.

Farmers want simple extension materials

By SOLDIER BURUKA of DAL
Kamba villagers in Madang province say agricultural information and extension materials should be made more simple and easier for farmers to read and understand.

Kamba farmers study samples of extension materials produced by the workshop participants and voice their approval

The villagers, mostly farmers who grow all kinds of food crops, as well as produce coffee, cocoa and others like spices and balsa, told participants of a sub-regional training course on production of extension materials held in Madang recently that appropriate information and extension materials and regular extension visits were important to support the rural farmers and boost the sector.
The workshop participants from Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, under the auspices of CTA and IRETA, spent a few days interviewing farmers and discussing their requirements for extension materials and information.
Based on the interviews and discussions, the participants prepared a number of materials including booklets, pamphlets, brochures, posters and others which they took back and presented to the farmers.
Kamba farmers were impressed with the materials produced by the participants saying that they would like more of the materials to be produced and widely distributed to boost agriculture productivity.
The materials produced covered topics such as control of taro leaf blight and taro beetle, pruning cocoa to increase yield, and formation of farming co-operative associations and came in the form of booklets, brochures, posters and other materials.
They said that they were always busy doing other things and many of them also understood little English.
They preferred extension materials in a form that was simple and understood by everybody.
After the completion of the two-week training, the course facilitators from CTA and IRETA handed over all the extension materials to the farmers and Madang provincial agriculture division to distribute to others as well.

Manus islanders take to farming

By JAMES LARAKI of NARI

Community members clearing land to plant sweet potato and cassava on M’Buke Island

Growing food crops is a difficult task on islands and atolls and the M’Buke Island in the Manus Province is no exception.
Efforts are being made to encourage M’Buke Islanders to grow their own food, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the PNG Sustainable Development Program Ltd (PNGSDP) and the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI).
Under a two-year food security project, NARI is introducing improved crop and livestock varieties in an effort to encourage the islanders to grow their food.
NARI-released technologies to be transferred under this project include: African yam, NARI taro, drought-tolerant and high-yield cassava varieties, corn, lowland land early maturing sweet potato varieties, Muscovy ducks and other vegetables.
Located on the south east of Manus Province, M’Buke Island has a population of about 700 people and food shortage is a common problem.
The islanders, who depend on marine resources for their livelihood, will now be able to grow their own food with planting materials and training on crop and livestock production, and on simple processing techniques provided by NARI.
This food security project funded by PNGSDP is aimed at alleviating the current food shortages and malnutrition problems by improving crop and livestock production on a sustainable basis.
To kick-start the project on the island, a baseline survey was undertaken last June and planting materials of the improved varieties are being supplied to the island from the NARI Southern regional centre based at Laloki.
The project, which is being implemented in partnership with the Manus Investment Peoples Association and the provincial Department of Agriculture, has created interest among the islanders to grow their own food.
A resource centre would be established from where planting materials and other information would be distributed from.
It is hoped that the outcomes of this project will also benefit other communities on the neighboring islands and mainland Manus as well.
NARI is carrying two other similar projects funded by PNGSDP in the Rabaraba district of Milne Bay and Morehead in Western province.

Jiwaka kaukau show on tomorrow in Minj

By JOSEPHINE YAGI of NARI

Youths watch attentively as Sr Louisa of the Catholic Church conducts food processing training at Don Bosco in Minj last year

Sweet potato (kaukau) accounts for 63% of the dietary energy of the population and is becoming the mainstay of the country's food security.
Current production is more than three million tonnes per annum.
The biggest challenge facing the village communities in Papua New Guinea is knowledge on possible products from sweet potato that can be developed for the retail market.
Traditional technologies are no longer capable of producing products that are better quality for the retail markets.
To address some of these issues, a kaukau fair will be held tomorrow (Thursday) at the Anglimp South Wagi district administration office in Minj, Western Highlands.
The fair is funded under the Australian Centre for Integrated Agricultural Research (ACIAR) post-harvest and marketing project and is the first of its kind that will be facilitated by key stakeholders including Lilly Be’soer group (RWDI), Sr Louisa’s groups, Jiwaka interim administration, National Agriculture Research Institute NARI) and Fresh Produce Development Agency (FPDA).
Participating groups and individuals are expected from in and around the Jiwaka region.
“Kaukau fair is one of the projects of the technical component projects of ACIAR sweet potato post-harvest management and marketing, which is the main initiator of the projects,” said NARI post-harvest project leader Anton Mais.
“The fair focuses on the idea of identifying possible sweet potato products to link with training to be held in March.
“It offers a variety of ideas and information on various sweet potato processing practices and attendees will gain valuable information for their well being.
“The expected output of the project is to identify and develop sweet potato products to exhibit during the fair and conducting evaluation to assess the potential link to the training.”
Activities apart from speeches include food exhibitions by groups and individuals, judging of food entries by judges, taste panel of kaukau products, evaluation of major products and award presentations of the best products.
‘The kaukau fair concept is new in PNG and it plays a central role in the value chain, as it reinforces and develops the fundamental linkage between agriculture and the industry or market access improvement, thus creating a more favorable environment for spin-off business development,” Mais said.
“As such, we would like to utilise the concept of kaukau fair as a helpful event to get the women and vendors thinking about processing sweet potato products."
The kaukau fair starts at 10am tomorrow with an open invitation to everyone and and around Jiwaka to attend.

Bank of Papua New Guinea backs bid to review super funds

THE Bank of Papua New Guinea is supporting the proposal by Nambawan Super Ltd (NSL) to review the Superannuation General Act 2000, the umbrella legislation covering the operations of all super funds in Papua New Guinea , The National reports. 

According to NSL managing director Leon Buskens, a task force was established to review the SGPA legislation introduced by the Mekere government more than 10 years ago.

“Nambawan Super is in the forefront of lobbying to enact key changes to the act to improve operational arrangements aiming to achieve more benefits for members, especially in light of the economic boom expected from the LNG project,” Buskens said in a statement yesterday.

He said the Bank of PNG had indicated its support for the proposal to set up a task force committee to review the act.

 “Nambawan Super’s board and management are in regular contact with the industry regulator (Bank of PNG) as well as the government and other industry participants. 

“Last year, we wrote to the regulator proposing a comprehensive review of the Superannuation Act. 

“We are pleased to report that the bank has been receptive to this and will present the proposal to the minister for finance and treasury,” Buskens said.

Nambawan Super had proposed changes on its services to include contribution rates, life and medical insurance, payments on compassionate ground, family super, housing withdrawals, extending the super net and RSA limited increase.

It had proposed increasing compulsory contribution rates by 2%, which would move the current employee portion of 6% to 8% and the employer portion from 8.4% to 10.4%.

NSL also proposed to fund members’ life insurance premiums from its profits by election by each member and with extra contributions by them and would recommend to consider the position if compulsory contribution rates were increased.

It also advocated amending the legislation to allow the trustee to be able to make payments to a member on compassionate grounds, such as where the member’s immediate family is critically ill and life can be prolonged with medical treatment.

It was also in favour of introducing a new product to allow fund members to have sub-accounts for their family members. These accounts would be set up on voluntary contributions.

“A culture of savings in our society will also be promoted here,” Buskens said.

“For housing withdrawals, NSL considers putting in place a formula that allows the member to use part of his or her employer contributions for this important purpose.

“In extending the super net, NSL has proposed lower contribution rate for companies employing 15 people to contribute to superannuation which provides a scope for the self-employed to contribute to superannuation.

“NSL recommended consideration of K500,000 as the revised maximum that could be held in the RSA product as it believes that as member balances continue to increase, it makes sense for RSA maximum to increase as well,” he said.

It was not clear if the National Superannuation Fund (Nasfund) was aware of the proposal and had come up with similar recommendations to BPNG.

 

Southern Highlands teachers make their stand

By STAFF REPORTERS 

 

TEACHERS in the Southern Highlands yesterday reportedly stormed the education office located inside Agiru centre in Mendi and closed it , The National reports. 

A teacher at the scene told The National that teachers contributed money to buy a new padlock and chain and locked the office and chained it around 11am.

The teachers, who are supposed to return to their respective schools next week to prepare for classes, were angry at failure by provincial and national education authorities to respond to their demands for hardship allowances, a general pay increase and housing allowance.

The teachers gave a 14-day notice to provincial government, Education Department and national government to respond or they would walk off their jobs.

Southern Highlands adviser Joel Raitano, who was in Lae yesterday to assess teacher incentives, refuted earlier report that about 4,000 teachers had threatened to resign en masse over poor working conditions.

He said an inquiry team was investigating teacher incentives and the cause for education standards and systems.

A large number of teachers, however, decided yesterday that they would not fill their resumption of duty forms as directed by acting education secretary Dr Joseph Pagelio until their demands were met.

John Kuimp, one of the teachers on the working committee assisting the PNG Teacher’s Association (PNGTA) branch in the province, told The National from Mendi that the teachers had decided not to take up their posting until all their demands were meet by the provincial and national governments.

Kuimb said the teachers decided to stay out of class until their demands were met, adding that all schools in the province would remain close for indefinite period.

PNGTA national president Tommy Hecko has thrown his support behind the teachers and called on Southern Highlands Governor Anderson Agiru to listen to the teachers’ pleas.

Hecko yesterday said teachers were feeling the effects of the LNG development in the province and that the K300-K400 base salary for teachers  there was insufficient to sustain their daily needs.

 “I appeal to Agiru to sit down and negotiate with the teachers. Do not ignore their calls, at least hear them out,” he said. 

Kuimb said the teachers wanted an additional K400 in mining allowances to be paid by the provincial government on top of their normal salaries.

They have been demanding   a mining allowance since Kutubu oil was first exported some 17 years ago. Successive provincial governments promised to pay them but that has never materialised.

He said with the big multi-billion kina gas project coming on stream, the teachers wanted their long overdue allowances to be paid, adding that their K6 housing allowances was “a joke” and should be increased to K100.

Hecko said primary and elementary schools would be hit the hardest with less than a week of school holidays remaining.

In Lae, Raitano said no specific teacher incentives for the liquefied natural gas project impacted areas were set in place.

The idea of incentives for impacted areas was discussed but is yet to be determined between all the levels of government (council, district, provincial and national government) and teachers.

Raitano did say however, that the incentives would begin this year and that teachers in most disadvantaged schools would benefit.

What these benefits are and when they might be implemented, he would not reveal.

 

 

21 die in flu and malaria outbreak

By VERONICA FRANCIS   

 

TWENTY-one people have died so far in the recent flu and malaria outbreak in the Salt-Nomane and Karimui area in Chimbu , The National reports. 

It is understood that of the 20, two are children under the age of five from Karimui, 17 are from Bomai and two from the Negabo area.

Karimui-Nomane MP Posi Menai told The National yesterday that 17 health workers from other parts of the province had been deployed to Karimui last week to help contain the outbreak.

He confirmed that a funding of K110,000 had been released for medical supplies and all costs for the health workers.

Menai said Bomai had recorded more deaths because the area was geographically isolated and the health facilities there were rundown, and health workers could not make it on time to contain the outbreak.

“As the member responsible and because of the remoteness of the area I will do my best to keep health workers on the ground and use all available resources to contain the outbreak,” Menai said.

He said at the moment the health workers were doing well, adding they had been given another week to stay in the affected areas.

Menai has made a personal commitment to monitor the situation and make sure everything goes back to normal.

 

 

Australian injured in car-jacking

AN Australian aid adviser in Papua New Guinea has been seriously injured in a violent car-jacking in Port Moresby, The National reports.

A spokesperson for the Australian High Commission confirmed the victim, a man in his 50s, worked for Australia’s aid programme.

“An Australian man had his car stolen in a car-jacking on Thursday evening in Port Moresby,” the spokesman said.

“He sustained serious injuries during the assault.”

The man was discharged from a Port Moresby hospital on Friday and flew to Brisbane for further treatment.

The spokesman would not disclose any more details for privacy reasons but said PNG police were investigating.

AAP also understands that at the weekend another Australian official was involved in an unsuccessful car-jacking by a gang of youths.

The attacks occurred in the same time frame as a fierce tribal fight in Port Moresby that left five men dead with scores more admitted to hospital with knife wounds.

The fight erupted at a popular market on Thursday afternoon but retaliation attacks continued until Sunday.

Chief Superintendent Joseph Tondop called for calm in the wake of the “animalistic and barbaric” clashes that included a beheading and several dismembered bodies.

“Port Moresby is a modern city and I can’t understand why people resort to such barbaric acts,” Tondop said.

“It is very dangerous for such ethnic violence to erupt in Port Moresby.

The clash involved two Highlands ethnic groups, the Taris and the Engans, who have a fierce reputation for such clashes in their home regions that often spill over into the capital hundreds of kilometres away.

The Economist magazine regularly ranks Port Moresby as one of the five worst cities in the world to live in because of violent crime, corruption and the absence of basic infrastructure.

In November last year a young group of Australian volunteers travelling in Madang, on PNG’s northeast coast, were car-jacked, tied up and robbed, with one woman raped. – AAP 

 

Expatriate man believed killed, pregant wife raped

Belgian hubby missing since Jan 27

 

By ZACHERY PER

 

A BELGIAN man is missing, believed murdered, in the remote Nondri area of Gumine, Chimbu, after he and his wife were abducted by a gang of men two weeks ago, The National reports.

The pregnant wife was allegedly raped repeatedly for two days before she was rescued by tribesmen in the area, Chimbu police have reported.

Seven people, including a couple, have been arrested and charged in relation with the incident and yesterday appeared for mention in the Kundiawa District Court.

The National visited Gumine over the weekend and was told by locals that they strongly believed that expatriate Tony Boddin of Belgium had been murdered and buried in the thick jungle of the Bomai area.

Head teacher of Nondri Primary School Michael Sipa told The National  in Gumine in an exclusive interview: “It was reported that one of the gunmen put the gun to his (Boddin’s) neck and fired, killing him instantly.

“We believe that he has been killed.

“Some villagers saw bloodstains on the trousers of some of them when they brought the wife out so it is strongly believed that they must have killed him,” Sipa said.

According to Sipa, the attackers abducted the couple on Jan 12 and tied Boddin to a post inside a house before taking his pregnant wife to a nearby bush where she was raped repeatedly.

The attackers later took the husband into the bush where they could have killed and hid his body.

The wife was rescued by the head teacher and members of other sub-clans Toma and Barama of the Sa tribe.

She was reportedly treated at the Nondiri Health Centre before being taken to Gumine station.

She stayed with Sipa’s family near Gumine station and left for Jiwaka to be with her family before The National arrived in the area.

The woman told Sipa’s family that the next day, the men came to her armed with crowbars, spades and weapons so it was believed that they must have killed the husband.

Chimbu provincial police commander Chief Insp John Kale said police deployed to the area picked up five suspects, including a woman.

He said the thick jungle in the area had complicated their investigations, however, he would send more policemen into Nondri this week.

Boddin was an elderly retired member of the British defence force who later became a volunteer and came to PNG and was working in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville for some time before he went to the highlands.

Sipa said they knew that Boddin went with the Catholic church missionaries to Goroka before going to Chimbu and onto the Jiwaka region where he met his wife who has Manus and Jiwaka parents.

“The expatriate came and stayed with us at Nondri for four months. He remained in Nondri during the Christmas and New Year period,” Sipa said.

The expatriate went to Jiwaka and returned with his wife to Nondri and stayed with the people of the Gorekulame clan of the Sa tribe.

“He (Boddin) promised to help the people write proposals for development projects for the remote Nondri-Amia area,” Sipa said.

Dirima community leader James Wai condemned the action of a minority group of people, saying the people wanted changes and developments.

He said such incidents would scare off people and developments.

Particulars of the other suspects arrested would be made available soon after the completion of police files. The suspects had been remanded at the Kundiawa police cells.

Kale yesterday confirmed that a couple was among those arrested.

No motive for the abduction, rape and possible murder had been established.

 

Potential for aquaculture development in Papua New Guinea

By JAMES LARAKI and DENSLEY TAPAT of NARI
Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming refers to the breeding, rearing, and harvesting of plants and animals in all types of water environments, including ponds, rivers, lakes, and the ocean.


Inland fish farmers in Pomio, East New Britain province, visiting a fish pond in Lausus during an aquaculture training conducted by NARI recently

 Similar to agriculture, aquaculture can take place in the natural environment or in a manmade environment.
The farming of fish is the most-common form of aquaculture and involves raising fish in tanks, ponds and other forms of enclosures mostly for food and to generate income.
Fish species raised by fish farms include salmon, big eye tuna, carp, tilapia, catfish and cod.
Aquaculture has become an important source of fish available for human consumption.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, global aquaculture production has grown at 11% a year over the past decade and is projected to continue increasing.
Expansion of this industry globally has been fuelled by the increasing demand for fishery products coupled with declining catches from marine bodies.
As a result aquaculture has become an important economic sector in many countries.
PNG has a huge potential for aquaculture development, particularly for small to medium-scale farmers.
Numerous efforts by the PNG government and FAO in the 1950s could not trigger the aquaculture industry in the country.
The progress has been slow since, either commercially in the private sector or small-scale farming in rural communities.
This is so despite its potential with the availability of large and diverse freshwater as well as marine environments.
PNG is also home to most of the important tropical aquaculture species such as barramundi, freshwater prawns, freshwater crayfish, sea cucumber, tropical sponges and corals, groupers, marine prawns, mud crabs, giant clam and pearl oysters.
The National Fisheries Authority (NFA) through an aquaculture technical coordinating meeting with stakeholders in June 2007 identified limitations associated with aquaculture development in PNG.
It identified the need for the development of suitable feeds, production and distribution of quality fingerlings, networking and collaboration, commercialisation, marketing, health and bio-security issues, and extension support.
A recent assessment of inland pond aquaculture development and research activities by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) indicated the need for the development of effective feeding and pond management strategies.
It noted the growing needs for fingerlings for carp, tilapia and trout.
The potential to culture native species like eels, freshwater prawns, crayfish and catfish was also highlighted.
Through the smallholder livestock development project, the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) is embarking on aquaculture development in PNG through a new initiative supported by the national government with a view of promoting income earning opportunities and as a food source in rural communities.
Under this project NARI is looking at the use of local materials as feed source for pond fish and appropriate feeding practices for available fish species.
It is also looking at mini-hatcherie for fingerling production, pond development and integrating fish with other livestock species such as poultry.
The geneticall- improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) is being used.
Aquaculture work on station has shown to be promising and it is being piloted out in three provinces: Morobe, Western Highlands and Central.
A series of trainings are being conducted for potential fish farmers in these provinces to encourage local participation and promote small-scale village based fish pond operations.
With proper management, small-scale fish farming could easily become a source of income and means of household food security for rural inland communities.
The trainings involve practical demonstrations and information sharing sessions on inland aquaculture planning, pond design and construction, pond management, and on-farm fish feed making using locally-available feed sources.
Participants are being encouraged to share their knowledge with others in their communities.
These trainings will also identify needs and issues faced by farmers in the rural communities. NARI will continue to deliver targeted training and demonstrations on inland aquaculture to encourage and promote aquaculture.
Despite the potential and increasing interest for aquaculture development in PNG, aquaculture research and development has not received much recognition.
Trained manpower and infrastructure for research and development in aquaculture is also limited.
Collaboration between key players of the industry is also lacking.
Efforts by NARI and others in promoting aquaculture research and developments in the country need to be supported.
Collaboration and partnership efforts are required to the develop aquaculture in the country to its full potential.Using appropriate aquaculture techniques and technologies, the aquaculture industry has shown that it can grow, produce, culture, and farm all types of freshwater and marine species.
PNG could do the same if all players play their part in a coordinated manner.
The aquaculture sector, like that of agriculture, has huge untapped potential in farming aquatic organisms.
It provides enormous opportunities to empower rural people with food source and generate income.

Robbery lands one in hospital

Others get away in waiting vehicle


By RIGGO NANGAN


ONE man is in critical condition at the Angau Memorial Hospital after an armed robbery at the Lae Yacht Club on Saturday morning went wrong, The National reports.

Robbery gone wrong ... A man lies injured at the Lae Yacht Club premises after an armed robbery on Saturday morning went wrong. Reports said four men drove into the club premises in a white utility and stole about K14,000 in cash and cheques. On their way out, the robbers were confronted by a security unit when shots were exchanged and a man, who is recovering at the Angau Memorial Hospital, shot. The robbers abandoned the utility and escaped in another waiting vehicle.. – Nationalpic by RIGGO NANGAN

Four armed men drove into the Lae Yacht Club premises through the gate, unsuspected while one of them held up a G4S guard at the guardhouse at gunpoint.
The vehicle they arrived in was believed to be stolen from an electronic goods employee last Wednesday and had another company’s sticker on it.
Three men rushed into the clubhouse and straight for the club office and held up the employees.
They took about K14,000 cash and cheques and were on their way out when a G4S armoured vehicle which was on its routine routine to pick up the money pulled up.
The G4S guard who was held up at the gate said he did not suspect anything because the sticker was of a
vehicle which always supplied food to the club and never checked it when it drove through the gate.
He said when the utility had gone in, one of the suspect walked up to him and pushed the barrel of a pistol into his mouth and pushed him into a room in the guardhouse.
“On hearing a commotion in the club house, the suspect left me and ran to meet his colleagues who were making their getaway after they were disturbed by the armoured vehicle personnel,” the guard said.
He said he quickly locked the gate and ran out to the main road while the gang tried to drive out.
The armoured guards exchanged shots with the gang.
It was then that one of the suspects, identified later by the guard at the gate to be the one who held him up, was shot and seriously wounded.
The armoured vehicle rammed the parked utility to keep it from moving and seeing no way to escape, other members of the gang jumped over the fence and drove away in another vehicle that was waiting on the main street, the Butibam Road.
The injured man was later taken to the hospital by police.
Police had issued warning to the public to take extra precautions when moving around in their vehicles because car thefts were on the rise in the city.

Government admits to rushed gas agreement

By PATRICK TALU

 

THE government has admitted to resource owners and the people of Papua New Guinea that the PNG liquefied natural gas project agreement signing was rushed, The National reports.

Newly appointed minister responsible for all LNG matters relating to outstanding memorandum of agreements (MoA), ministerial commitments, seed capital finds, infrastructure development grants and other outstanding issues, Deputy Prime Minister Sam Abal, made the admittance last Friday to landowners at the Unagi oval in Port Moresby.

“Mipela government i tok sori long rasim PNG LNG agreement mipela i sainim (we, in government, are sorry for the rushed PNG LNG agreement that was signed),” Abal said.

He said there was immense pressure to get the project to first gas within limited time to secure markets against competing LNG projects in the region.

The window of opportunity for PNG’s gas to secure lucrative markets would have closed had PNG taken longer to bring the project on stream.

Abal said due to these pressures, the government had no choice but to conform to the will of the developer and entered into the PNG LNG agreement.

He admitted that the current LNG-related issue between the government, ExxonMobil and the landowners was the direct outcome of that rushed agreement.

The deputy prime minister, who is also minister for works and MP for Wabag, stressed that since the mistake was already made, there was no option but to address the consequences.

Thomas Gamu, the man who had been mobilising LNG project landowners to fight for their rights and benefits, asked Abal how they would be compensated.

“Now that the LNG agreement has been rushed and cheaply sold away, the government must tell us as resource owners, Hela, and the people of PNG how we will be compensated for selling our gas cheaply.

“Our resource has been cheaply and hastily sold off by our government.

“It is a great failure on the part of the government to protect its interest and its sovereignty than serving the interest of foreign-owned companies,” Gamu said.

 

IPBC talks to fund over power woes

THE interminable power disruptions which cost millions of kina in lost business and damaged assets and much inconvenience has forced the Independent Public Business Corporation (IPBC) to enter into negotiations with Nambawan Super Ltd to fund additional power generation capacity for Port Moresby, The National reports.

Minister for Public Enterprises Arthur Somare announced yesterday that the two organisations would sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) which would ensure that adequate funding was available to upgrade the system and to minimise the severity of disruptions that have been occurring especially in Port Moresby and Lae.

Somare said he was saddened by recent events that were partly the result of a number of unfortunate incidents that affected electricity supplies in Port Moresby.

There was a loss of generating capacity at the base load Rouna-2 hydropower station and at Kanudi and subsequent flooding just after Christmas worsened the situation. Debris from the floods clogged the intake gate and screen at Rouna-2. There was also a reported fire at the Kanudi-2 engine.

“We cannot let this situation continue. We must rectify these problems and ensure there is adequate generating capacity for Port Moresby and Lae in particular to have stable electricity supplies. The system also requires adequate spinning capacity to avoid major brownouts whenever significant maintenance work is carried out,” Somare said.

“I am hopeful this will now take place under the supervision of IPBC. The MOU with Nambawan Super Ltd provides assurance that the work that needs to be done will start to move forward immediately and not be hampered by financial considerations.”

The arrangement, when signed, will be a big relief for PNG Power which announced last week that power interruptions might continue to 2014 because of lack of funding to attend to urgent maintenance and upgrading work.

Somare said he was also hopeful that electricity supply problems, which have affected Lae and the Highlands grid, would also be resolved this year with completion of work on refurbishment of the Ramu hydro station.

This will be supplemented by backup diesel generating capacity at Taraka (12 MW), Madang (13 MW) and at Goroka (4 MW).

 

 

Talasea man guilty of manslaughter

A WEST New Britain man, in his 30s, from Garu village, Talasea, has been found guilty of manslaughter by the Kimbe National Court, The National reports.

Joe Tuka was an oil palm worker charged with killing fellow worker Hali Beki, from Morobe.

The court found that Beki’s death arose from a fight between two groups of people at Daliavu Plantation, in the Talasea area of West New Britain, on Sept 30, 2008.

 Tuka was alleged to have killed Beki by punching him in the head during a confrontation between the Tuka and his brother-in-law, and the Beki and his nephews.

The state was of the opinion that Tuka threw the first and lethal punch and that Beki did nothing to warrant being punched and did not respond to Tuka’s blows.

The defence, on the other hand claimed that Tuka, although present at the scene, did not throw any punches and that Beki was punched by the brother-in- law Mark Orio.

   Meanwhile, the court, having heard the two arguments in the preliminary assessment, stated: “The medical evidence suggests that the deceased died due to a heavy blow to the head. The state’s evidence which was that the deceased was punched on the nose twice – first by the accused and then by Orio – was consistent with the medical evidence.

The evidence of the defence witnesses – that the deceased was punched in the head by Orio, not by the accused – was also consistent with the medical evidence.

There was no evidence, or suggestion, that the cause of death was anything other than the blow(s) to the head inflicted in the altercation.

“Whoever punched him in the head killed him. The question is: Was it Orio? Tuka? Or both?” Justice David Cannings said.

Cannings, who presided over the case last June 16 and then completing it on Jan 20, with his final decision the next day found Tuka, guilty of manslaughter.

 He said: “Making a decision on whether an accused is guilty in a case where diametrically different versions of events are presented is not a simple matter of deciding who to believe.

“The court might tend to believe the version presented by the state witnesses but still find the accused not guilty if it is not convinced beyond reasonable doubt.  However, deciding who to believe is a good place to start the decision-making process and, in this case, I believe the state witnesses.” 

Cannings added that the defence witnesses “gave inconsistent evidence about whether the Morobeans were armed.        

“The contentions that they were armed and that there were six of them are not believable as neither Orio nor Tuka were injured,” he said.

 

POMSoX growing

THE Port Moresby Stock Exchange Ltd (POMSoX) recorded another good trading year due to strong economic growth driven by the multibillion kina LNG project, which is creating genuine opportunities for most businesses across all sectors of the economy, The National reports.

According to its year-end market performance market report, the market was expected to rally this year in connection with forecast strong economic growth and countrywide boom in the resource sector.

POMsox recorded a 118% rise in its total market capitalisation to close at K109.5 billion as of Dec 31, from K50.1 billion at the beginning of last year.

The significant increase in market capitalisation was a result of Newcrest Mining listing last September which contributed K76 billion in capitalisation.

However, the total number of market transactions recorded throughout the year dropped 5.4% to 5,846 from 6,182 in 2009.

The home-listed stocks led the way with higher volume of market activity.

During the year, the Kina Securities Index (Ksi) reached a high of 7,562.29 points and closed the year at 7,430.43, up 9% from 6,816.26 points posted during the same period in 2009.

Meanwhile, the exchange’s investment awareness and education programme continued to play a key role in educating our Papua New Guinean investors.

This programme would be expanded to include an advance seminar programme for investors.

 

 

Five die in city clash

Enga and Hela people fight over cellphone

 

By JEFFREY ELAPA

 

FIVE people have been reported killed over the weekend in Port Moresby in a violent clash between people of Hela and Enga origin, The National reports.

The fight between the two groups reportedly started over a mobile phone at the Gordon market last Wednesday.

Metropolitan Superintendent Joseph Tondop said that unconfirmed reports put the death toll at five with a few hospitalised with injuries.

In related issues:

• The Gordon market is closed indefinitely until the matter is resolved;
• A peace mediation, brokered by police, is scheduled for 9am today; and
• Leaders call for the Vagrancy Act to be reintroduced to curb movement.

Police reported that the fight erupted after a drunken youth from the Hela region refused to give back a mobile phone he had snatched from a woman.

Police said the argument accelerated into an ethnic clash with supporters from both sides joining in and fought using bush knives, sticks and stones, forcing the public to flee in all directions.

Gordon police were earlier outnumbered but were able to quell the tension with the help of police reinforcement from other stations.

The fight erupted again last Thursday forcing the market to close.

Tondop said that the criminal investigation division reported that two people were confirmed death while the other three slayings were yet to be confirmed.

According to reports he received, three people from Tari and two from Enga were killed.

The killings did not happen in one location and the fear was that people were targeted in all suburbs.

According to reports, one person was killed at Gordon, another killing occurred at 5-Mile with another at the Erima wildlife junction.

Sources said another person was killed at Waigani which forced the relatives to retaliate by chopping to death another at Gordon yesterday afternoon as he was trying to jump on a PMV bus.

A source said that another killing occurred at Gerehu yesterday evening, but police could not confirm the killing.

Meanwhile, Tondop appealed to all leaders from both groups to meet at the Jack Pidik Park for an urgent peace meditation starting at 9am today.

He said that the aim of the meeting was to appeal to both sides to stop the fight and help police identify the instigators of the fight from both sides.

People who wanted more information can contact him on his mobile 72648838 or his office on 3244282.

He also said that the Gordon market would be shut for an indefinite period until the conflict was resolved.

Police had warned the public to take precautions as people seemed to be taking law into their own hands by attacking anybody who either spoke Enga or Huli.

 

 

Rust in peace!

The Ramu Ranger was built in Cairns to serve the people in the Middle Ramu and Bogia districts almost 20 years ago by the then Regional Member, Peter Barter.

Rust In Peace...Madang Ranger in Madang Harbour

It was taken over by a local company and ownership disputes resulted in the vessel going into disrepair.
The Ramu Ranger served the people along the Ramu River in the Madang Province and undertook commercial runs to Manam, Kar Kar, Long Island carrying copra successfully.
It now lies in a ship's graveyard in the Madang Harbour as pictured in a state beyond repair along with numerous other wrecks that have also suffered the same fate.

A few more wrecks in the ship's graveyard in Madang Harbour

Throughout the maritime provinces of Papua New Guinea,  similar stories can be told of numerous barges and vessels that were purchased without proper advise being provided resulting in many rusting away through lack of maintenance.
Sir Peter suggested it was time for the national government through the National Maritime Safety Authority to provide an advisory service to assist the provincial governments and MPs purchasing the right type of vessel that can be operated commercially in PNG for the specific purpose intended.

Tingim Laip meeting in Madang

Tingim Laip phase two review has been taking place at the Madang Resort for the past week. Those attending were Tingim Laip project officers and regional coordinators from across Papua New Guinea.



Meeting underway at Madang Resort Hotel

 Key partners include Save the Children, Family Planning International and well as the provincial aids council, all of whom are working with various organisations including the PNG Defence Force, oil palm companies, local level governments and mining companies throughout PNG.
Tingim Laip is the largest HIV prevention project in PNG and has been operating for seven years.
The phase two workshop was launched in Madang in 2009 by the chair of the National Aids Council, Sir Peter Barter.
The meeting in Madang is to review phase two with the priority to consolidate their work and expand new sites beyond the existing 36 sites in 11 provinces.
Tingim Laip is a project funded by AusAID under the coordination of the NAC.
Ms Anne Malcolm from AusAID and Sir Peter Barter attended the meeting where Sir Peter challenged those attending to provide advice for the NAC on various issues, including how the protocol for testing could be changed to suit PNG culture.

Ms Anne Malcolm addressing the meeting

He also said that it was extremely important for everyone to be aware of the need to be accountable as national and international donors had zero tolerance to any mismanagement of funding and that everyone involved with awareness, prevention and treatment used whatever funds are available for the purposes intended.

Blackouts to 2014

By DENNIS ORERE

PNG Power linesman David Shangi insulating the ABC lines to the transformer connecting the Pacific Star Ltd office along Waigani Drive in NCD. – Nationalpic by EKAR KEAPU

POWER interruptions, the bane of all town and city dwellers, may continue until 2014, The National reports.
That is the somber forecast by the only supplier of electricity in the country, PNG Power.
PNG Power chief executive officer Tony Koiri said at a press conference yesterday that PPL did not have the money to fund urgent work to get reliable electricity supply to all centres.
“We do not want to make any excuses for the recent power outages, he said.
“While there has been a separate initiating incident on each occasion, each of these has led to a more extensive blackout.
“This has exposed weaknesses in the system and PPL is taking steps to replace the faulty electronic equipment that, in most cases, is old.
“We acknowledge that such weak spots should have been identified and maintained proactively,” Koiri said.
Power outages were to continue in the main centres, particularly between 9am and 3pm.
Koiri assured residents in PNG that there were promising prospects for a stable electricity system by 2014, but the biggest concern now was the short-term sustenance of power, especially for the major centres where a lot of business activities occur.
Koiri said PNG Power was looking at other energy sources to supply electricity in the long term. The main aim would be to use natural gas to support the current network and meet the demand for electricity.
PPL and the government had initialed a memorandum of understanding to use gas from the Hides reservoir.
The recent outages had reportedly affected Port Moresby and Lae customers.
In Port Moresby, there was a loss of generating capacity at the Rouna 2 hydropower station and Hanjung’s Kanudi power station.
“This apparently caused tripping at the substations at Boroko and Konedobu.”
There was also a fault at the Waigani sub-station transformers, Koiri said.
After the last festive season, excessive flooding brought down debris that clogged the screens and intake gate at Rouna 2.
Rouna and Kanudi are the main sources of power for Port Moresby.
He said PPL has in place business and development plans for capital investment based on projected operational profit and loan facilities.

Classes threatened over mining allowance

By JAMES APA GUMUNO

 

TEACHERS in Southern Highlands have told the provincial government to pay them their mining allowances “or there will be no classes this year”, The National reports.

There are 4,000 teachers in the province.

More than 100 of them gathered at the provincial headquarters building, Agiru Centre, yesterday in Mendi and demanded that they be paid these long overdue stipends.

The allowance was set at K400 a fortnight.

Their demands were contained in a petition, which came at a time when the provincial executive council was also discussing the provincial budget. Governor Anderson Agiru chaired the meeting.

The teachers also threatened that they would not return to their schools until they were paid their mining allowances.

Their demands for mining allowances had started when the first oil flowed out of Kutubu about 18 years ago. However, their pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

Spokesmen Bogom Inua and John Mono said this time they would not listen to the Teaching Service Commission, acting education secretary Dr Joseph Pagelio or the provincial government.

Inua, who holds a diploma in education and had been teaching in Southern Highlands for 40 years, said a teacher’s base salary of K400 was not enough to cater for a family’s needs in these times of sky-rocketing prices.

He said an expected salary increase, based on a memorandum of agreement signed last year, was not effected yesterday.

Mono expressed similar sentiments.

He warned that schools in the province would not resume classes until their demands were met.

Attempts to get comments from the provincial education adviser were unsuccessful.

 

 

Abal in charge of planning committee

THE National Executive Council yesterday directed Deputy Prime Minister and Works Minister and national planning committee chairman Sam Abal to be the government’s focal point for settling all outstanding issues relating to the PNG LNG project, The National reports.

Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare issued the directive following a briefing yesterday morning by Abal and senior cabinet minsiters and party leaders who are members of the planning committee.

Developer ExxonMobil were also summoned to provide an update regarding the temporary work closure of the Hides 4 conditional plant site early this week.

In assuring the developer ExxonMobil and operator Esso Highlands, Sir Michael reaffirmed that the PNG economy and the future of the people depend on the prject and that the government had got a handle on it.

Both the government and the people, particurlarly the landowners were committed to see its first LNG cargo leave its shores in 2014.

The landowner matters and issues are in-house matters and the government will move to settle it.

Meanwhile, chairman of Hides Gas Development Coporation (HGDC) Libe Parinali was the first to thank Sir Michael in appointing Abal to handle LNG matters.

“We will be working with Sam Abal as it is welcome news and we look forward to progerssing the LNG project.”

“The task now is to streamline the government operations and processes so that our joint venture development partners, financers, customers, people of PNG and most importantly resource owners know the point of contact.

Sir Michael said the key ministerial economic and social sector committees including the ministerial gas project committee were also members of the national planning committee.

In a further directive, the NEC instructed that all outstanding MoA funds relating oil monies owing to landowners companies to be paid as soon as possible.

Other isses pertaining to appropriations such as minsiterial commitments made during the UBSA and LBSA process of negotiations has also been directed for immediate settlement.