Message from Dr Wari Lea Iamo, Secretary of the Department of Environment and Conservation, on World Wetlands Day

The International World Wetlands Day falls on the 2^nd of February each year.

 It marks the day the Ramsar Convention was signed in the Iranian City of Ramsar in 1971.

This year the theme is Wetlands and Forests – forests for water and wetlands in celebration of the United Nations International Year of Forests.

As the secretary of the department responsible for protection and the sustainable use of natural resources I launch this day as a significant day for us to remember that wetlands and forests are important for our economic and social wellbeing.

Papua New Guinea as a sovereign country signed up to the convention and became a member on the 16^th July 1993.

 PNG, being a member to the convention, shows that it is committed to raising awareness locally, in the region and globally that PNG has very significant areas of wetlands that are important to its people.

By being a signatory it has enlisted two sites as significant wetlands in PNG: Tonda wildlife management area in Western province and Lake Kutubu wildlife management area in the Southern Highlands province.

Wetlands are all about water, the continuous supply of water and its natural resources. Recognising   wetlands and its importance is very essential for the supply of fresh water, maintenance and use of biodiversity, mitigation of the effects of climate change and the hydrological cycle of water, livelihoods of communities who depend on all wetlands ecosystems from coral reefs, coastal ecosystems, peat lands, and swamps to lakes and rivers to alpine wetlands.

There are many benefits that we all derive from these wetlands.

Simple things that we do everyday involve water.

In PNG, these wetlands provide for us tremen­dous economic and conservation benefits through fish­eries production, flood control, maintenance of shoreline stabilisation, estuarine systems for our coastal fisheries, water quality and provision of rec­reational opportunities and large quantities of varieties of food.

We wash or fish in the seas or rivers or reefs or look for crabs or shells or dig for mud crabs in the rivers, mangroves, mudflats, marshes and sea grass beds.

Wetlands also house extensive biodiversity, ranging from corals, sea grasses, fishes of all sorts from small ones to very huge whales and sharks in the deep oceans, crocodile in our rivers, shorelines and swamps, crustaceans, mollusks, from microscopic organisms as  bacteria, algae and lichens, mosses to varieties of mushrooms to higher plants, thousands of insects, varieties of birds that fly in the sky or on the ground, water snakes that use the wetlands to breed, all kinds of animals that also live in the wetlands and in the forests. These animals also are a significant part of the wetlands ecosystem.

The 2nd of February, however, should have special meaning for everyone in this country. For anyone who has ever jumped into the river on a hot day, paddled a canoe through some mangroves to collect crabs or shellfish from mudflats, dived or snorkeled over a brightly coloured coral reef, or simply stood by to see a reef heron awaiting the arrival of its next meal, or watched a sooty oyster catcher search for its meals on the shoreline or a masked lapwing in the swamps or flocks bar tailed godwits in their thousands using our wetlands on their way to the north of Siberia where they breed .

 In fact, for every Papua New Guinean, the 2nd of February is a time to celebrate a very special part of our natural environment – the "wetlands".

So for us we can focus on all types of forest, those that are often or always wet, such as mangroves, flooded forests, peat swamp forests and lowland rainforests often inundated with water for most part of the year.

 What better occasion for us to look at the importance of these forested wetlands, whether we live near them or not, because of the many benefits they bring?

It is also a good opportunity to focus on the many threats they face too.

 As we reflect on the immense economic, social and ecological value of our wetlands, we are also painfully aware of the rapid rate at which many of our wetlands are being degraded and disappearing.

 Impact projects occur mainly in our wetlands also as too often we wrongfully think of them as wastelands.

 In other parts of the world they are used as waste dumping grounds resulting in toxic and harmful substances entering the waterways and ocean, or they are used as landfills for housing projects.

 Furthermore, wetlands tend to be over-used through excessive withdrawals of water for townships or cities or through the removal of key species from the area, thus losing biodiversity species that are importance to maintain healthy waterways.

Losing our wetlands means losing the valuable services they provide and this almost always impacts negatively on humans.

Tourism, food security and coastal protection are often the most-obvious losers when wetlands die.

In small islands, marginalised people, often live very near to and depend directly on wetland ecosystems for their livelihood.

 They are also the least able to cope with the impacts of wetland loss. 

Climate change adds another dimension to the continuing destruction of our wetlands but it brings a greater concern for their preservation.

 Across the country, there is growing evidence that climate change is resulting in more frequent cyclones and storm surges, coastal erosion, loss of fish breeding grounds and reduced water quality on many small islands resulting in loss of community's livelihoods.

However, it is also becoming clear that better management and protection of our wetland ecosystems could help our most vulnerable communities whether coastal and inland; build resilience and adapt better to the impacts of our changing climate.

 Strong mangrove areas, for example, act as highly-effective buffers against storm surges and cyclonic waves; healthy coral reefs and seagrass beds provide breeding grounds for fish and other marine animals, thus strengthening food security of coastal dwelling populations; healthy and strong coral reefs are also the first line of defense against storm surges and waves associated with the changing climate.

 The interaction between healthy coral reefs and healthy mangroves can therefore not be discounted as a major defensive asset of our islands, and one that we need to protect.

Protecting and conserving the diversity of life, including conserving our valuable wetlands and adapting to and building resilience to climate change impacts are inextricably interlinked.

Our mandated role as a government agency recognises that we cannot realistically address one without the other and, more importantly, that human activity is as much to blame as climate change for the continuing destruction of our natural ecosystems especially focusing on the impacts of logging on forests.

This year, the International Year of Forests, presents us with an opportunity to take stock of our ongoing contribution to nature conservation and work towards building resilience to the ever-increasing impacts of climate change.

It may seem all too simple, but if we strengthen our commitment to conserving mangroves, coral reefs and seagrass beds; improve waste management and prevent marine pollution; and reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and destruction to forests, we have hope that we can save our forested wetlands and possibly set our communities in preparation to withstand the impacts of climate change.

This World Wetlands Day, I challenge every one of you, no matter who you are or what you do, to take stock of what is happening around you and make a change in your life for the well-being of the unique water-based environments in which half of the population of Papua New Guinea lives.

Wetlands of Papua New Guinea

By ROBERT RAGE of Department of Environment and Conservation

In celebration of World Wetlands Day, Feb 2, 2011

Forests for Water and Wetlands

The theme for World Wetlands Day 2011 was specially chosen to link with the United Nations International Year of Forests.

It provides an ideal opportunity to focus on those forests that are often or always wet.

 They are marine, inland wetlands and human-made wetlands and coastal wetlands or intertidal forested wetlands dominated by mangroves.

Whether we live near them or not, wetlands provide many positive benefits for people. Inland swamp forests protect catchments while coastal swamp forests protect our coastline against storms and rising sea levels in some cases.

 All swamp forests provide diverse habitats for an impressive range of animal and plant species.

Riparian forests along or around rivers, streams and lakes play a significant role in stabilising banks, trapping sediments and carbon, removing harmful nutrients, reducing water velocity after storms and providing shade for aquatic life.

 And of course, forests and wetlands together, have a vital role to play in the provision of freshwater for human health and wealth.

World Wetlands Day is a time to reflect on the importance of wetlands in our lives; to celebrate what has been achieved but also, to rise to the challenge to do more for wetlands, not just on one day but throughout the year.

 So, what is World Wetlands Day?

World Wetlands Day is held on February 2 every year and marks the signing of the International Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (the Ramsar Convention), on February 2,  1971,  in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

World Wetlands Day was celebrated for the first time in 1997 and since then, events and activities are held world-wide in February each year to raise awareness of wetland values and benefits.

So where are Papua New Guinea's wetlands?I asked this question to Ms Rose Singadan, manager of sustainable terrestrial protection:

 "First, there are, many types of wetlands under the three Ramsar classifications but I will name three major types generally recognised as wetlands in PNG.

"They are: the alpine wetlands or high altitude wetlands, for example,  the two lakes on Mt Wilhelm in Simbu Province (plus three other smaller ones]; Mt Victoria wet grasslands in the Central province, and many other unknown lakes up in many of our mountain tops.

"There are the arid wetlands and they are usually dry and wet in wet seasons but we could include the manmade Waigani Swamp and the Tonda wildlife management area (WMA) in the Ramu / Markham valley.

 "The third is the estuarine wetlands.

"Usually these are locations where the rivers meet the sea like the Gulf Basin, Galley Reach in Central province and Sepik River Basin.

"These are basins that hold vast mangrove forests".

For the record, according to surveys and studies carried out in the last two decades by the Department of Environment & Conservation, PNG has a total record of 5, 383 lakes with a surface area greater than 0.1 hectare; 3, 003 with a surface area of equal to or less than 2 hectares and 22 lakes larger than 1, 000 hectares.

Seventy-five per cent (75%) of theses lakes are found in the Western province and East Sepik province.

The largest of these lakes is Lake Murray in Western province with a surface area of 650 sq km at an approximate depth of 10m and the second largest is the Chambri Lakes in East Sepik province with a surface area of just less than 600 sq km and filling a shallow depression of the Sepik flood plains.

 These wetlands are home to large tracts of mangrove and nipa Palms, the most-extensive spread found in the Kikori and the Purari Delta in the Gulf of Papua.

Collectively, the mangroves forests in these basins occupy an area of about 162, 000 to 200, 000 ha,  providing habitation to an enormous treasure house of wildlife and fauna.

So why conserve wetlands?

 Wetlands are among the world's most productive environments.

 They are cradles of biological diversity, providing the water and primary productivity upon which countless high concentrations of species of plants and animals depend for survival.

 In turn, this biological diversity is the food source for our people.

 Wetlands are also important storehouses.

They trap carbon (dead trees, leaves, grass etc) in their mud banks and hold edible plant genetic material which supports the livelihood of many of our people.

 Sago, for example, which is a common wetland plant, is the staple diet of more than half of the country's population.

Seventy-five per cent (75%) of our population does not have gas and electricity and almost all of their cooking is fueled by wood, harvested from wetland forests.

 Wetlands are nature's water filter for fresh, clean drinking water.

 Therefore, the multiple roles of wetland ecosystems and their value to PNG must be understood by all of us.

Department of Environmental and Conservation (DEC) is mandated to contribute to the conservation and wise use of wetlands in PNG, through the strengthening of capacities based on the technical implementation of the Ramsar Convention.

DEC's vision is to minimise the loss of wetlands because it continues to happen in PNG through various impacts  like mining and urban expansion, for example,  the loss of the Era Kone (Ela Beach) wetland.

 Therefore, wetlands must be conserved, protected or rehabilitated through integral management practices based on the Ramsar Convention guidelines that will guarantee sustainable enjoyment and livelihoods of wetland communities.

DEC objectives therefore are to promote research and education on the wise use of wetlands in PNG;  promote and encourage biodiversity conservation in wetlands; promote and increase the number of protected areas in wetland areas;  promote sustainable livelihoods in wetlands;  prepare available human resources;  increase capacity building for the management and conservation of wetlands;  and implement the objectives of scientific-technical plan of the Ramsar Convention for the wise use and conservation of wetlands in PNG.

World Wetland Day is a global call for all including Papua New Guineans to become concerned about the importance of wetlands preservation, its uses and its significance to man's livelihood and derived cultures.

In the face of rapid urban expansion, population increase, the effects of climate change, and the accelerating crisis of safe drinking water, PNG must appreciate the value of wetlands.

Wetland values

These values range from economic benefits, for example, water supply (quantity and quality); fisheries (over two-thirds of PNG's fish harvest is linked to the health of coastal and inland wetland areas); agriculture, through the maintenance of water tables and nutrient retention in floodplains and swamp; timber production in our lowland swamp forests; energy resources, such as peat and plant matter; wildlife resources; and recreation and tourism opportunities.

These functions, values and attributes can only be maintained if the ecological processes of wetlands are allowed to continue functioning with minimum of threat.

University of Goroka holds 2011 student orientation for the first time

The University of Goroka on Wednesday launched its first-ever orientation week for new students, as part of their introduction to the 2011 academic year. 

The programme, to officially welcome newcomers to the university, was also an opportunity to acquaint new students with staff of UOG.

 International students were also given a special welcome to the campus.

Guest speaker was the UOG pro chancellor, Jerry Tetaga, former secretary for education.

Tetaga spoke to the students on behalf of the University of Goroka Council in an effort to improve relations with students and the university, so that UOG may be an institution comparable to those around the world.

Tetaga also highlighted several points in his address to the students by commenting on the UOG council's commitment to change to people's mindsets, work ethics, attitudes, structure and development to improve the situation at UOG.

 Students were also reminded of their responsibilities, rights, expectations and of the laws and policies whilst attending the university.

Tetaga congratulated the students for choosing to study at UOG and wished them the best for their future years at the institution.

The programme also included sessions for students from student services department on motivational talks on personal attitudes and stress management; services available on campus including chaplaincy; security; IT access on campus; a tour of the UOG library; and issuing of registration forms.

 The day's programme ended with an evening showing of a movie to students in the Mark Solon Auditorium.

The orientation program will continue for the whole week, with a programme for registration beginning on Monday, Feb 7.

Kokoda Track Authority appoints new CEO

The committee of the Kokoda Track Authority (KTA) has announced the appointment of James Enage as its chief executive effective as of February 7.

 "We are pleased to announce Mr Enage's appointment as he is a local man with a deep understanding of the Kokoda Track, its people, the trekking industry and  government processes," said acting chairman of  KTA, Ruben Maleva.

Enage has been chairman of the KTA for the past two years and brings a wealth of experience and understanding to the position.

 He has previously held positions such as KDP health programme manager, policy analyst with Department of Prime Minister and NEC, and human resource manager with Central provincial administration.

 He also holds various honorary positions such as chairman of the Kokoda Track sports development programme and president of the Dobbo Warriors rugby league club.

The KTA's management committee will now seek a landowner representative from the Koiari people to represent their interests.

Enage will convene a series of meetings to elect the KTA Koiari landowner representative.

Ruben Maleva will act as the KTA chairman until a management committee meeting in May where the committee will elect a new chairman.

"This is an important day for the KTA where a local man takes on the most-senior role within the organisation and we thank the Australian and PNG Governments for their support through the Kokoda Initiative over the past three years," Maleva said.Current expatriate chief executive, Rod Hillman, will work closely with Enage throughout the rest of 2011. 

A timeless connection

By DAVID NALU

Like seagulls, the ancient mariners with their kasali (sailing canoes), with hand-woven sails displaying the insignia of the capatain of the voyage , plied the Huon Gulf from the south to the north, often into Madang and across the Vitiaz Straits to the south coast of West New Britain trading claypots and sago for mats, bilums, garden produce and obsidian.

Serene...Dot Island in the background

They were critical in sustaining the intricate trading network that had existed before the arrival of the first Lutheran missionaries.
They feature in folklore, and in certain traditional stories and songs from Sabic to Sia genre – and is testimony to the often romanticised status that the seagull people once held amongst the people of the Huon Gulf coastline and the role they played in trade in traditional society.

Inlet to Laukanu

It was the the Ahi, Bukaua and Jabem people of the northern part of he Huon Gulf coastline of Morobe that called them the seagull people, thus the name Laukanu in “Jom Kawa/Jabem”, their lingua franca ,
Laukanu, originally called Apoze, is a small Kela-speaking village past Salamaua point.
It is my mother’s birth place and is where she spent her early years.

Dinghy at Sawet against the backdrop of Laukanu

It is still the place where my maternal relatives live and is where I retreat to escape.
Located in a closed inlet marked by Dot island, it is sheltered from the open sea and sits at the foothills of a majestic mountain range that rises immediately from coconut palm-fringed shorelines past several rows of thatched roof houses, into sago swamps on into waterfalls and lush tropical rainforest.
An hour out of Aigris Market, next to the main wharf in Lae by banana boat takes you to Salamaua Point, another half hour on leaves the point a blue haze in the background – and will have you approaching Dot Island.
It is then through a coral lined canal with calm turquoise green waters that separates Dot Island from AliawePoint which then gradually merges into the tranquil calmness of crystal blue waters as you round Sawet Point, emerging into of a secluded mangrove lined inlet, strangled between touring mountains covered in the dense canopy of lush tropical rainforest which rise from the sea shores.
We then pull alongside a small jetty outside where my Uncle Janganouc lives, near the old sawmill “Sawet”, in the inlet across the bay from the main village.
It is then, that the breathtaking beauty of the scenery and tranquility dawns on you, never ceasing to leave me in awe, as I step off the dinghy.
Adding to the mystique, as if on cue - the deep haunting, cooing sounds of the giant hornbill and pigeons breaks the eerie silence of the early evening.
The sound bounces and echoes through the inlet and over the bay, from the mountains to the sea almost as if the ancestral spirits stand to acknowledge and greet the return of a lost son and sense the true agenda of my trip.
The sweet serenity, familiar sights and sounds quickly puts you at ease - it is only then, that you know you are home.
This trip was a personal pilgrimage to put to rest the silent cries of the same ancestral spirits.
My late mother had been laid to rest near her late husband, far from the tranquil settings of her ancestral home.
I was there, simply to make amends.
Arriving in the main village at dusk, I opted to head for the mountains to bathe in the cool waterfalls.
My cousin Stanley, and myself tred along a dried river bed that weaves its way through the rain forest into the mountain, to the head of a stream where waterfalls cascades icy cool water over moss-covered rocks and is where we settle in for a long refreshing dip.
As we return, night sets in quickly.
The night forest comes alive as cicadas, crickets, birds, flying foxes, mammals and various insects conspire to blend their sounds and perform their orchestral manoeuvres in the dark
On our return, dinner awaits, smoked tuna with taro and a cup of sweet black nevers taste this good.
And then late into the night , I sit on the canoe decks of one the many canoes that line the water front, around a fire and over more cups of black sweet black tea, buai and tobacco to catch up with my maternal uncles.

Maternal uncles and relatives

Early the next morning, with the first rays over the sun creeping up over the horizon, I rise to see the silhouette of lone fishermen on canoes paddling in or anchored in the distance.
Looking around, I notice the trunks of fallen coconut palms evidence of rising sea levels which have definitely wiped away all remains of my late grandfather’s footprints and eroded away the very shoreline where his small bungalow once stood amidst remnants of his epic kasali voyages.
Familiar sights, smell and the rhythmic roll of breaking waves evoke childhood memories that arouse nostalgia, of long days I spent here with my grandfather, who would enthrall me with tales of his exploits sailing the kasali.
Memorabilia and remnants from those epic voyages stored in the rafters and under the flooring of his thatched roof bungalow, each had a story.
He would pause , give me this strange, distant look, as his mind wandered back to the days of his adventurous past, proceeding then to earnestly relate and recount the details of these stories to me, but always in Jom Kawa, never in Kela.
Flicking back to reality, I set off to leave the village and to trek around the bay back to Sawet where I had arranged to be picked up for the return trip to Lae.
The walk takes me through the Kaiwa village of Kelkel where I am stopped to have buai and a chat with acquaitances of my late mother.
I move on along the beach hearing the screams of delight, as a group of children swing from a cane cable tied to a tree and drop into the sea.
I pass another small hamlet at Gomara where mountain streams have been piped by bamboo and PVC hoses into a steady gush of the same cool water and is where I stop to have a quench my thirst and dip under.
I walk on mesmerised by the magical visual effects that the early morning light has, as it bathes and dances on the foliage, sea and the mountains.

The old man and the sea

Finally, now midway around the bay – I pause on the beach at the entrance to the village cemetery .
I take a quiet moment of reflection , to remember aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents who lay here, but moreso to finally let the ancestral spirits of my grandfather know, that though my mother was laid to rest far from her ancestral home, her very essence will always remind me of the timeless connection I have to the people of this tranquil paradise.

JK ‘might have been’ governor general

By MALUM NALU
On Wednesday evening, while my kids were laughing away at Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy on my laptop, I was flicking through a scrapbook belonging to well-known media personality Justin ‘JK’ Kili and wondering what might have been.
The scrapbook basically contained old newspaper and magazine cuttings dating back to the early 1970s when JK began his colourful career in radio.

JK grtduating from a course at BBC London in 1985

In fact, so much has been written about JK over the years, that I need not ditto.
The cuttings jumped out at me, as I am a child of the 1970s, and feel very much of an affinity to this iconic pilot of our airwaves.
Suddenly, I was a child again, listening to JK, and singing these unforgettable words from the Carpenters’ Yesterday Once More:

“When I was young
“I'd listen to the radio
“Waitin' for my favorite songs
“When they played I'd sing along
“It made me smile…”

Ironically, I became familiar with this song while growing up on Sohano, the island off JK’s home of Buka, back in the halcyon days of the early 1970s.
What if JK was our current governor general instead of the incumbent-elect, North Bougainville MP, Michael Ogio?
But for all sad words of tongue and pen, wrote the great American writer John Greenleaf Whittier, the saddest are these, “it might have been”.
Early last month, through another good mate and former radio personality, Emile ‘Uncle ET’ Tenoa, I found out that JK had out his hand up to be in the running to be governor general.
Then-acting governor general Ogio, also minister for higher Education, was understood to have met prime minister Sir Michael Somare to declare his unavailability for election and to lobby for JK to contest on behalf of the people of Bougainville.
The government was understood to have asked for Ogio’s candidacy for the governor general’s seat, however, he had decided against it because of political commitment to his people as North Bougainville MP.
JK was said to have the support of all four Bougainville MPs in Ogio, South Bougainville’s Steven Kama, Central Bougainville’s Jimmy Miringtoro and governor Fidelis Semoso.
JK, 58, from Lemanmanu village on Buka, confirmed his availability for the governor general’s election when I met him at the Holiday Inn on Thursday, Jan 6.
.For those who came in late, he is a Queen’s awardee, PNG Logohu medal awardee, two-time prime ministerial awardee, Australian senatorial awardee and the most-trained, most-honoured, and, most-celebrated media and industry manager in Papua New Guinea.
JK needed the support of another 11 MPs to meet the required 15 to be eligible to contest, however, was confident of garnering the support because of his nationwide popularity as a radio icon.
“If the people (through their MPs) want me to contest, then I will oblige,” he told me then.
“If anything comes to fruition, I can honestly say that I am qualified as a citizen of Papua New Guinea.
“I have the international exposure and the regional experience for the job, if the people so want me to do.
“I think I’m capable, willing and able.
“If Parliament elects me, that’s on merit.
“I have not put my hands up, but the people of Bougainville have put their hands up for me.
“Our (Bougainville) members are pushing for me, so I leave it to them.”
However, by the time deadline for nominations for the governor-general’s post lapsed at 4pm on Wednesday, Jan 12, only two candidates – JK not included – were confirmed.
Government candidate Ogio and Sir Pato Kakaraya were the only nominees who would go through the secret ballot on Friday, Jan 14.
Ogio seemed to have made an about-turn on JK, and the man who had been campaigning hard for him, ‘Uncle ET’ Tenoa.
“I see him (JK) as a very-qualified candidate,” ET, another charismatic former radio man from Bougainville (Mortlock islands) told me.
“On top of that, he is not politically-aligned with any party and is well respected by the people of PNG, because of his services to them as a radio broadcaster and a journalist.
“”He’s a household name who is known to MPs from both sides of parliament.
“There’s a misconception that governor general’s position is for former politicians.
“The governor general’s position has got to be a neutral one.
“The governor general has got to be elected on merit.
“I totally agree with having someone from the outside!
“Let’s not create the misconception among ourselves that the position is for former politicians, as well as based on regionalism!”
On Friday, Jan 14, Parliament elected Ogio as the ninth governor-general of PNG.
Voting for the new governor general went ahead despite a notice of appeal being served to the acting speaker, the clerk of parliament, the acting prime minister and the state solicitor.
The government, with its strength in numbers, elected Ogio, defeating his rival Sir Pato 65-23 while another eight votes were declared informal.
Papua New Guinea was left wondering what might have been if JK had become governor general, as so many MPs on both sides of the house, grew up listening to his voice on radio.
I leave the last word to JK: “I am young, intelligent, and have the charisma to do the job very, very well.
“I bring to the position of governor general 38 years of a wealth of experience in the public service, private and corporate services.
“I have a very strong knowledge of regional and international relations and co-operation, and the necessary understanding of how government and provincial governments work.
“I have many, many years of national exposure and international exposure, which places me in the right position and the right level and tilt, to make this job work successfully for PNG and our people.”
American writer John Greenleaf Whittier: “For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been'.”

Yasi vents fury on Popondetta

* Dam busted
* Taps run dry
* Police on alert

By JASON GIMA WURI

A lone villager crossing the Bango River which had provided Popondetta residents water until Wednesday when it flooded its banks and washed away the temporary dam. Part of the wire fencing at right is what is left of the dam. – Picture by JAMES WILA

POPONDETTA in Northern is without water after the Bango River flooded its banks and washed away the town’s dam following heavy rain since Wednesday night, The National reports.
Reports said rain was still pouring yesterday with local police stepping up patrols to deter opportunists and looters.
The National Weather Service had confirmed that the heavy rains experienced in Popondetta and other parts of Oro and Milne Bay were directly related to Cyclone Yasi.
Weather service acting director forecasting and warning centre Jimmy Gomoga yesterday said Popondetta, the Owen Stanley Ranges and Milne Bay’s Misima and Rossel Islands were experiencing rain bands.
Gomoga said: “This may also suggest continuous rain in the days ahead.”
Oro provincial disaster office acting coordinator Lawrence Baisa said the town’s water supply had been cut off after the dam was destroyed.
He also reported the flooding of Kausada village along the North Coast but there was no casualty.
“The flood waters have risen to post levels with every good gardens destroyed.”
Baisa said the creek next to the St Margaret’s School of Nursing was flooded but there were no reports of any infrastructural damages.
“Although the Girua River is flowing dangerously fast, the bridge and airport have not been affected,” he said.
The provincial administration was arranging a vehicle for Baisa to visit the affected areas and assess the damages.
Popondetta police station commander Insp Noboya Zozowa had instructed his men to stay on full alert following rumours of possible looting and other crimes.
PNG Water technicians were understood to have retrieved the main raw water pump and were trying to get it repaired.
“While that is going on, there will be no water supply for the township for an indefinite period,” Baisa said.
“Fortunately, we have not received reports of any casualties.”

TWL, Lynden ink JV deal

By PATRICK TALU

 

PAPUA New Guinea’s biggest prime and logistic mover Trans Wonderland Limited (TWL) will venture into air and sea transport services to meet the growing logistics demand from the PNG LNG project and other new resource developments in the country, The National reports.

This was revealed yesterday by TWL managing director Larry Andagali during the signing of a deal with one of world’s leading logistic movers – Alaska-based Lynden Logistics.

Lynden Logistics’ country manager Greg Vaughan lauded TWL’s plan and said: “From PNG we can build a sustainable global business.

“We are looking forward to the possibilities of developing a sustainable multimodal transport business and providing the best possible services in PNG and the Australasia region.

“It’s perfect for us to begin here in PNG and I have no doubt we can achieve that,” Vaughan said.

The companies signed the deal that would pave the way for them to develop an integrated transport and logistic company for fast, efficient and quality services to clients and explore other opportunities in the Australasian region.

Andagali said the deal marked yet “another significant milestone for TWL in its quest to becoming a truly integrated transport and logistics company”.

“I admire the commitment and determination for Lynden Logistics in developing a world-class company from its humble beginning as a two-truck company some 60 years ago.

He said Lynden and TWL have some parallel in history as both companies started small then grew with resource based development project.

“We also have an opportunity to use this relationship to explore benefits derived from setting up well-managed landowner future funds like Alaska Permanent Fund.

TWL, with a fleet of more than 70 prime movers and growing rapidly, makes the joint venture the biggest road transport company in PNG.

Meanwhile, Education Minister and Chairman of the Hela Transitional Authority James Marape commended TWL for achieving success as a landowner company.

Marabe has urged all the LNG project area landowners companies to unite for successful business ventures.

Constantinou is BSP chairman

BANK South Pacific has a new chairman, and he is Kostas Constantinou, The National reports.

Chief executive officer Ian Clyne announced that Constantinou was elected unanimously after Noreo Beangke stepped down during a special board meeting of the directors yesterday.

Constantinou had been a director of BSP since April 2009.

He is a prominent businessman in PNG and is chairman of Airways Hotel and Apartments Ltd, Airways Residences Ltd, Lamana Hotel Ltd, Hebou Constructions (PNG) Ltd, a director of Gazelle International Hotel Ltd, Heritage Park Hotel Ltd in the Solomon Islands and Grand Paci_c Hotel Ltd in Fiji.

Constantinou was also a director of POMSoX-listed Airlines PNG Ltd and ASX-listed Oil Search Ltd.

Clyne, on behalf of the board, congratulated Constantinou on his appointment as BSP chairman.

He said Constantinou was a well regarded and successful businessman in PNG, and that he would bring a wealth of experience to the role of chairman of BSP.

Constantinou and Clyne both expressed their gratitude to Beangke who had been a director of BSP since August 1993 and chairman since May 1994.

During that period, Beangke was instrumental in the development of BSP as a PNG-owned commercial bank following the exit of National Australia Bank as owner of BSP in 1993, which ultimately led to BSP amalgamating with PNGBC when PNGBC was privatised in 2002.

Beangke provided leadership and vision during this period and also oversaw the development and implementation of BSP’s Paci_c strategy that led to BSP operating in Niue, the Solomon Islands and Fiji.

Beangke would remain on the board as a director.

Tom Fox was also re-elected as deputy chairman.

 

 

Teacher report finds flaws in selections

By DULCIE OREKE

 

A NEW National Research Institute report yesterday found evidence of flaws and corrupt practices in the teacher appointment process in PNG, The National reports.

The report stated that although, there were guidelines to appoint teachers in the Teaching Service Act of 1995, teachers were appointed illegally.

The study conducted in eight provinces, two from each region highlighted some teachers being appointed through nepotism, bribery and by force.

“This contributes to corruption, lack of accountability and transparency and failure on the part of the appointing authorities to effectively and efficiently manage the process of teacher appointments,” the report read.

It was pointed out that teacher appointment process continued to be a concern among teachers, parents, board of management and governors throughout the country.

“The education gazette is always late, the appointment of teachers is not done before the end of the year and teacher resume late for duties.”

It was also revealed that teachers who were eligible for higher level positions were rarely notified of the outcome of their application.

An example was a 2009 case where teachers in East Sepik who applied for promotional positions were informed about their outcome of their applications in October 2010, which was already late to take up their appointment.

The report also identifies the following;

* Factors contributing to teachers’ refusal to take up teaching appointments;

* Actions teachers take when take when they are given positions for they apply;

* Actions appointing authorities take when teachers refuse to take up their appointments;

* Factors contributing to teachers late resumption of teaching duties; and

* Problems associated with the resumption of duty process.

 

 

Judge wants court to look and smell good

By JULIA DAIA BORE

 

THERE is one thing I do not like, and that is body odour, said National and Supreme Court judge Justice Ambeng Kandakasi, in a courtroom filled to capacity with lawyers and their clients who were present for the alternate dispute resolution (ADR) mediation session yesterday morning, The National reports.

Kandakasi dropped this bombshell when announcing that the mediation session would continue later in the afternoon at the smaller ADR centre mediation facility which he said would prevent overcrowding and disruption to the air ventilation system

That is said was common knowledge in any overcrowded courtroom situation.

The judge, therefore, asked that only lawyers and a limited number of clients should come for that afternoon session and not like the big turnout earlier in the day.

In saying that he appointed to begin at 3pm.

Kandakasi also pointed out to the lawyers present that lawyers must dress up according to their profession’s ethical dress standards. 

“We need to raise the standards of lawyers dress,” he said, adding that he had raised these issues in the past and he would do so again.

“I will not hear any lawyer who is not appropriately dressed.

“Your appropriate dress is white shirts and black trousers, not brown trousers.

“Ensure that your shirt is tucked in neatly into your trousers.

“For those of you who chew betelnut, make sure there are no stains.

“I do not want to see stains on your white shirts or bibs – they must be clean.

“I do not want to see you sweating and puffing when you arrive to present yourselves in court; this is not a nightclub but a court,” the no-nonsense judge told the civil courtroom 10, which was filled to capacity with lawyers and their landowner clients who were present to hear the LNG-related mediation session yesterday.

 

Parents swap foodstuff for school fees

Chimbu scheme proves a success

 

By VERONICA FRANCIS

 

School fee is the main problem all parents in rural and urban centres face nowadays with the high cost of living.

However, for parents in Chimbu they were fortunate with the introduction of a scheme in which fresh produce and livestock were given to the schools as payment for school fees for their children.

According to Chimbu Governor Fr John Garia, the scheme was successful and had been running for two years.

This year will be the third year, adding the schools and especially parents were very cooperative.

He said it was difficult for parents to meet the standard required fee upfront, therefore the scheme allowed them to bring vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, greens and livestock such as pigs and cows to the schools in exchange for school fees.

Garia said the vegetables and livestock were weighed and charged at a normal retail price against the school fees.

He added that parents could bring in supplies over time until they meet the required amount.

“This scheme has worked successfully for both the parents and the school. The schools run all year and have surplus at the end while the parents are not burdened to look for cash,” he said.

Garia said that Chimbu had the lowest school fee rate because of good management.

“Most schools in the province have no management problems and the records are good because they do quarterly checks to make sure everything is running smoothly,” he said.

He said the idea was to maintain the strength of human resource, adding that sometimes students missed out and did not further their education because of school fee problems.

Garia said that with no natural resource to dwell on, Chimbu focused on developing its human resource and would continue to do so.

 

 

Abal denies saying 'LNG was rushed'

DEPUTY Prime Minister Sam Abal yesterday said the PNG gas agreement is a well-considered document that will stand the test of time, The National reports.

He refuted claims and inferences that the whole gas agreement and processes had been rushed.

Abal said he had used the Tok Pisin word “hariap” to describe the process of negotiation and signing of the gas agreement in May 2008 in order to secure the 2014 market window, “and this was wrongly reported as a statement that the project has been rushed”. “This is unfortunate.

“I was certainly not trying to suggest that the government has rushed finalisation of the gas agreement, but wanted to convey that we needed to get on with the task of concluding the agreement in a specific time frame,” the deputy prime minister said.

“As a senior member of cabinet, I was aware that the negotiations took a year to conclude and I am confident that it will stand the test of time.”

He said the chronology of events leading up to the financial close and beginning of full execution of the PNG LNG project clearly showed no “rush” in the project.

The gas agreement was negotiated from 2007-08. Gas agreement signing took place in May 2008. Licence-based benefits sharing agreement (LBBSA) was negotiated from 2008-09. BSA was signed in May 2009 and UBSA thereafter in December 2009.

The final investment decision was reached on Dec 8, 2009. Financial close and beginning of full execution took place in March last year.

“The gas agreement is a well-considered document.

“It was essentially negotiated by a team of senior bureaucrats with key economic ministers and the ministerial economic committee endorsed all significant progressive documents with concurrency of the full cabinet,” Abal said.

He said cabinet was always aware that there would be significant benefits to all PNG stakeholders if sales from the LNG project could target a perceived global supply shortfall in the 2013-14 period and “this is what we achieved”.

“Those who follow international trends, particularly since the global financial crisis, would be aware that experts are now forecasting the possibility of a glut in LNG supplies from around 2017.

“Many Australian projects are now in a race to try and beat the deadline.

“In PNG’s case, we have concluded sales for our production at exceptionally good terms starting from 2014 because we remained schedule-driven despite the many challenges we face.”

The deputy prime minister said it was unfortunate that because of news stories suggesting the agreement had been rushed, others were now claiming the gas resources had been “sold cheaply”.

“That is erroneous reasoning without the basis of depth and objectivity,” Abal said.

He said government statements had clarified that this was not the case and international commentators and analysts had embraced the PNG agreement as a model for other countries to follow.

 

 

Yasi's strength felt in Alotau

By JASON GIMA WURI

 

TREES were uprooted and a temporary blackout was reported in Alotau and parts of Milne Bay yesterday morning as Cyclone Yasi passed through the Coral Sea producing strong gust winds of between 30 and 45 knots, The National reports.

Milne Bay provincial disaster coordinator Eric Balaria confirmed the reports.

The cyclone was heading towards the Australian state of Queensland and made landfall at 10pm PNG time.

“The strong surge of wind between 10am and noon caused minimal destruction.

“We also received reports that some houses had their ridge caps blown away, banana and betelnut trees were uprooted and a temporary blackout, allegedly caused by tree branches falling across power lines,” Balaria, who was at East Cape, 50km out of Alotau town, monitoring the situation, said.

Confirmed reports said straight after the strong winds subsided, rain and thunderstorms took over.

No major incidents had been reported.

Officials were hopeful to get updates from the outer islands by today.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service in Port Moresby confirmed that Cyclone Yasi had moved onto North Queensland.

Senior broadcaster Kwekweina Maiwori said by yesterday afternoon, the cyclone was 345km east of Cairns.

“PNG’s area of responsibility has been cancelled as the cyclone is moving west southwesterly and will directly hit the coast of North Queensland at a category 5 level and travelling at a speed of 280km per hour. 

“In Milne Bay, gale winds warning of 34-45 knots, which were felt earlier yesterday, have been cancelled.

“Winds of 25 knots will still be in the Milne Bay area for another 24 hours,” Maiwori said.

“Because of the unpredictability of the wind and the rains, we should continue to stay clear of the waters and take extra care until NWS clears the weather warnings in the next few days.”

 

 

Five die in Southern Highlands gunfight

By ELIAS LARI

 

FIVE people are dead, a man is under medical treatment and properties worth thousands of kina were destroyed in a fierce gun battle between two tribes in the Nipa-Kutubu electorate in Southern Highlands, The National reports.

The fight, between the Hulsoan and Tegipo 1 and 2 tribes, started over a prolonged delay in compensation payment over the death of businessman Hulson Song from the Tegipo tribes believed to have been killed by someone from the Hulson tribe through sorcery in 2009.

However, in the delay, the Hulson tribe shot dead two other young men from the Tegipo tribes during New Year’s Eve last year.

The Tegipo tribes then retaliated and shot dead two Hulson men and wounded another young man who is nursing pellet wounds on his legs.

Tegipo councillor Jack Elal said this was one of the most fearsome fights they had been involved in.

He said the fight had destroyed the lives of many people and properties worth thousands of kina.

Elal said a bishop’s house and a primary school at Injua were also burnt down and the fight was getting out of control.

He said his tribe was willing to make peace because they did not want the fight to continue.

Elal said if leaders like local MP Philemon Embel and administrator William Powi who is from the same area, together with the police and peace mediators went to the scene and initiate peace talks then people would surrender.

He said Embel had not made any effort to iuntervene in the situation.

Elal said Embel was focusing on sports and forgot to help his people.

He said the situation could turn worse because high-powered weapons were being used.

Elal added that people wanted the tribal fights to end and urged Embel and Powi to intervene to restore peace between the two tribes.

The National called SHP police commander Teddy Tei yesterday but he said he was in a meeting and could not comment.

Also attempts to contact the Mendi General Hospital were not successful.

 

 

Chamber slams fights

THE Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PMCCI) has described the recent spate of ethnic clashes in the nation’s capital as barbaric and primitive behaviour by uncivilised people, The National reports.

In a statement yesterday, the chamber said the causes were often petty, and could be solved quickly and efficiently by a police force which should be equipped and committed to stamping out such behaviour.

“Gordon Market should be one of the premier markets in the city, but it is in an anarchic state; a battleground for various groups from the highlands vying for economic supremacy in an area which is literally a stone’s throw away from the police station. How can the Lae City Market operate so efficiently when NCD’s cannot?

“The various groups from the resource areas hanging around town are a large part of the problem.

“Let’s be honest – do we really believe the money they are seeking is for ‘business grants’ or ‘seed capital’? It is pocket-money that is being spent in bars and brothels, and is fueling the increase in public drinking and offensive behaviour.”

The chamber added that such behaviour at  markets were out of control and just tinder boxes waiting for some drunkard to bump someone or step on someone’s produce and we have World War III triggered by opportunistic and armed young men.

PMCCI said if police were under-resourced then City Hall should step in by engaging heavy security provided by qualified security companies who were instructed to exercise a zero tolerance policy on those causing trouble and allow the law-abiding public to get on with their lives peacefully.

“We despair of our police getting a handle on such clashes – we have yet to see one person charged – yet  crimes committed, such as beheading and mutilation, are beyond belief in the capital city,” the statement said.

PMCCI called on police and Governor Powes Parkop to lead a crackdown into public drunkenness, threatening, abusive language and carrying of weapons such as bush knives in the city’s confines saying, “We have had enough, and the streets and our markets belong to decent people.”

 

set baseline and data on what was on the ground.

Industrial park planned for Gulf

By ANCILLA WRAKUALE

 

GULF will see the development of an industrial park project that will cater for all the resource project activities in the province like the PNG LNG Project in partnership with Inter-Oil and Energy World International, The National reports.

Gulf Governor Havila Kavo revealed this at a media conference yesterday.

Kavo said extensive studies such as social mapping and environmental studies are underway in projected impacted areas to establish snapshots on the likely impacts and other issues to allow for equal participation from the people.

“We hope the industrial park would help Gulf citizens and PNG at large,” said Kavo.

He said PNG is blessed with vast resources and these resources should be used to industrialise PNG.

Gulf has established a business arm called Gulf Oil and Gas Company (GOGC) which is solely responsible for resource development projects in the province.

GOGC chief executive Mark Baia said they were doing checks and balances to ensure that everyone was included in the projects and that relevant studies and awareness were conducted before the implementation.

Baia highlighted that once everything came into place, they were also looking at developing key such as airport and deep water port facilities and housing infrastructure.

He said they were looking at improving cash economy such as local coffee processing and coconut production for the people.

Also yesterday, two consultants who would be engaged in carrying out marine and ecological studies in the impacted areas around Ihu, Baimuru and Kikori were commissioned.

Prominent marine biologist Pochon Lili said he was honoured to be included in the project and that it was vital the studies should be conducted to set baseline and data on what was on the ground.

LNG project No.2 signed

First gas shipment scheduled for 2013

By BOSORINA ROBBY

THE second LNG project in PNG, led by InterOil Ltd, has set a tentative date for its first gas shipment at the end of 2013, one year ahead of the ExxonMobil-led PNG LNG project, The National reports.

Gulf Governor Havila Kavo (left) and InterOil chairman and SPI 208 director Phil Mulacek signing the project funding, construction and shareholders agreement on behalf of the people of Gulf and the three InterOil partners yesterday. At right from Mulacek are Treasurer Peter O’Neill, Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and Petroleum and Energy Minister William Duma. – Nationalpic by EKAR KEAPU

This was revealed by partner Liquid Niugini Gas Ltd (LNGL) chief executive officer Henry Aldorf yesterday at the signing of the project funding and construction agreement and a shareholders agreement between LNGL, South Pacific InterOil (SPI 208), Energy World Corporation (EWC) and Gulf Governor Havila Kavo.
The signing was witnessed by Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, Petroleum and Energy Minister William Duma, Finance and Treasury Minister Peter O’Neill and Internal Security Minister Mark Maipakai.
Yesterday’s event essentially marked the launch of construction of the US$4 billion three million tonne per annum (mtpa) land-based LNG plant in Gulf. It would be developed in two phrases – 2mtpa and 1mtpa expansion.
These agreements followed an announcement last September of a partnership between Pacific LNG Operations Ltd and EWC.
Aldorf explained that the LNG plant would be built economically, compared with other new LNG projects and would provide the Asian market with clean energy.
He said this was due to a new financial modular that was developed with other partners to ensure the second LNG would deliver in record time.
He thanked the partners involved in the project and the landowners and provincial and national governments for their assistance in making the project come to reality.
InterOil chairman and SPI 208 director Phil Mulacek explained that the timeline for the project was set to start selling the LNG from the Elk Antelope fields, beginning at a cost of US$450 million per million tonne.
EWC CEO Stewart Elliott said the project could be seen as having two parts – hardware and software.
“The hardware refers to the equipment, pipelines, the plant and the LNG shipment and finding new markets in Asia.
“We are looking to develop a receiving terminal in the Asian market to cater for the 20 million tonnes of gas we produce,” he said.
The software part involved the people of Gulf who had been in close contact with the company from the beginning, because they wanted the project to improve their lives.
Elliott said no one has opposed the project because they see the benefits they will get including business opportunities, education and other infrastructure facilities.
“You have our assurance that we will do our utmost to care for the people,” he said.
The partnership was that SPI 208 would be in charge of the Elk Antelope fields while LNGL would construct the pipelines and would also work with EWC to build the LNG plant off the coast of Gulf.
The plant would process an estimated 2.25 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas over 15 years.
In return for its commitment to fully fund the plant, the agreements provided that EWC was entitled to a fee of 14.5% of the proceeds from the sale of LNG, less agreed deductions and subject to adjustments based on timing and execution.
The agreements provided a framework for the possible expansion of the plant’s capacity to 8mtpa of LNG.
In monetary terms, Mulacek explained that since it would cost US$450 million per million tonne, this would be US$450 million multiplied by the 8mtpa the LNG is capable of producing, which should be around US$4,000 million (US$4 billion)