Memories of another day

Goroka Show 1961. Picture by John Nitz
Goroka Show 1961. Picture by John Nitz.
Goroka Show Mt Hagen Boys. Picture by John Nitz.
Hawain River School, East Sepik, 1961. Picture by John Nitz.

I received these old pictures of Papua New Guinea from Jason Nitz in Australia, who received them from his uncle.

"Malum, some photos as promised – I have only just found these on a CD as we’re packing to move to Melbourne.

"They have all been labelled correctly as per my uncle’s notes.

"Look forward to hearing from you soon.

"-- Regards, Jason."

Sep08 Indicative Retail Prices

Please click on image to enlarge

New Erima school launches fundraising drive

Pacific Corporate Security Services director Jacob Kaupa (left) hands over K2,000 to fundraising committee chairman Jeff Kelage.

New Erima Primary School in the National Capital District has taken it upon itself to raise funds to rebuild classrooms destroyed by fire in April last year.

A fundraising committee, led by deputy chairman of the school Jeff Kelage, has been set up to raise the estimated K2 million necessary to rebuild the classrooms.

Governor-General Sir Paulias Matane has been invited to launch the fundraising drive at the school on Friday (September 12).

Pacific Corporate Security Services, through its director Jacob Kaupa, has got the ball rolling by donating K2, 000.

“The school was established in 1990,” Mr Kelage said,

“It has an intake of 1600 students annually.

“In April last year, two two-storey buildings housing eight classrooms and four office blocks, including the head teacher’s house, were destroyed b y fire.

“Another two-storey building next to it, housing four classrooms, has been condemned by the Building Board as unsafe.

“So all in all, the school now is without 12 classrooms.

“Nearly 600 students are affected: four Grade 4’s, for Grade 5’s and four Grade 6’s.

“They are now using makeshift classrooms under rain trees.

“Some of them are attending classes under rain trees.

“The National Department of Education assured us that these buildings would be replaced within three months.

“They told us that in April last year.

“Three months passed, and now it’s over a year, but nothing has been done.

“We are right next to the Department of Education but nothing has been done.

“What we’re doing now is that the board has decided to go on a major fundraising campaign.

“We will officially launch the fundraising campaign on the 12th of September.

“The launching will be officiated by the Governor-General.

“We have started sending out letters of appeal.

“This is where Pacific Corporate Security Services has come in.

“They are the very first to come in.”

Mr Kaupa said his company had decided to assist the school after being informed of its plight by Mr Kelage.

“I totally condemn the actions of a few individuals who want to serve their own interests by burning down classrooms that serve the Five, Six, Seven, Eight and Nine-Mile communities, Moitaka Wildlife and ATS,” he said,

“As a community leader, I request that those responsible be brought to justice.

“We, as parents and concerned citizens, should not only rely on government to rebuild the school.

“I appeal to parents, communities, business houses and any person out there who wants to assist in one way or another, to help put these classrooms back.

“Having said that, Pacific Corporate Security has donated K2, 000 to assist the fundraising committee.

“Like any other school in NCD, that school has been looked down upon since last year, when they lost two of two of their double classrooms and the third one has been condemned by the Building Board.

“With that, I’d like to thank the school board, the principal and the management for taking up the initiative to do the fundraising to do the building themselves, rather than waiting for the government to do that."

Fuel prices “the cheapest in months”

Port Moresby: THE retail price of fuel provided from InterOil’s Port Moresby refinery has fallen for the second consecutive month.

The reduction applies to the full range of fuels and includes kerosene, gasoline, diesel, zoom and jet fuel.

InterOil President Bill Jasper described it as “a continuation of last month’s positive and most welcome trend”.

“Kerosene prices are at their lowest level in four months”.

“Diesel hasn’t been this cheap since April and gasoline prices are at their lowest since March”.

“In fact, this is the largest single price drop since late last year”.

He said the recently announced September pump prices reflect the decreased demand for crude oil and refined fuels on the international market.

It also follows an increased output of OPEC nations.

Mr. Jasper described it as “the classic demand and supply equation”.

“The greater the international demand, the higher the price … but when demand eases, prices begin to stabilize and then fall”.

“It is good news but underlines the degree to which domestic fuel prices are the mercy of international forces”.

“Again it is evident that the major factors controlling local prices are external to our (PNG) economy”.

“Neither we, the Government nor the ICCC can control these forces. Often we cannot even predict just how far the pendulum will swing”, Mr. Jasper said.

“However, the current downward trend will be welcomed by governments, businesses and private consumers.”

“After months of pain our customers now have some relief”.

“Among these are the many families that use a range of fuels for both domestic and travel purposes”, he said.

“It is also good news for our business”.

“Lower crude oil prices mean that less of our working capital is tied up in oil shipments and crude stocks in storage facilities”, Mr. Jasper said.

He said that consumers throughout the world were also benefiting for the current lower prices.

“We are part of the international oil-consuming community and whatever happens overseas also effects us here in Papua New Guinea”.

Mr. Jasper said that this month’s price reduction was no guarantee of future trends.

“Domestic fuel prices will continue to be determined by international forces”.

For further in formation and to arrange media interviews contact:

Susuve Laumaea
Senior Manager Media Relations InterOil Corporation
Ph: (675) 321 7040
Mobile: (675) 684 5168
Email: susuve.laumaea@interoil.com

Goroka school boys rugby league stages its grand final

By RUSSELL DEKA HARADA

Last Saturday afternoon, Goroka had fine weather and a cool wind blew through town as we awaited the grand final games of the Goroka (Eastern Highlands) school boy’s rugby league,

Many schools around Goroka district, Daulo and Ungai-Bena took part in this year’s competition with total 21 teams from community, primary, high, secondary and international schools fielding teams in Under 14, Under 16 and Under 18.

Our team Iufi-iufa Raiders Under 14 made it into this year’s grand final.

Last year we won the Under 16 grand final but this year lost in the semi-final last week.

Last year Under 14 drew in the grand final.

Iufi-iufa boys played with Goroka International School.

The GIS boys played very well in the first half and scored a centre try to lead 4-0 at halftime.

At the half time the board chair man of the school and the former team manager of the Goroka Lahanis, Himony Lapiso, told the boys: "Enjoy your game and play like this is your home ground.”

Our boys played beautifully in the second half, but the National Park field is not level, so it was difficult to score.

Around the 35-minute mark we scored a successfully-converted centre try to win 6-4.

Team coach Eddie ‘Three Wheel’ Tom is a disabled person who lost his right arm in a traffic accident, however, always says, “disability is my ability”.

Rintenbe High School beat Faniufa Primary School in Under 16’s while Faniufa Primary School beat Goroka International School in Under 18’s.

Selected boys will go on and play in Lae and Kimbe.

Hope they can show good ‘Nokondi spirit’ there.

I am an assistant team manager of the Iufi-Iufa school boys amd fully enjoy the games in ‘Kol Peles Goroka.

I would like to thank the organising team of the league.

I hope the competition continues for the long haul and provides future rugby league players to the nation.

Science and technology

by DANIEL SAKUMAI

Good Morning!

I've read some of your articles on some of the recent developments in science and technology (most of which involve electronic communication)

I wanted to commend you on your effort to educate your readers on recent advancements.

Recently, the physics students at the University of PNG staged its Open Day on the 29th of August to coincide with OHE's 25th Anniversary.

Among our displays where two projects by the Incubator (a newly formed physics students group).

The first was a demonstration on digital television transmission, using a simple setup, and the second was a presentation on the use of a sensing device in phototherapy.

The latter was one that interested me.

The presentation was delivered by two of our final year Biomedical Physics students.

The presentation showed how a photo-transducer could be used in place of a radio-meter to measure the light intensity of the lights used in the phototherapy of premature babies born with jaundice (excuse my spelling).

When interfaced with a computer, monitoring is simplified.

The digital TV transmission demonstrated the transfer of intelligence (video and sound) from a digital device, e.g. MP3 player, to a television set, an anologue device.

Another presentation by students taking Electronics and Computing showed a database project which they undertook.

The database was designed around the program specifications of the Integrated Finance Management System which the students read about in the 2005 PNG Year Book.

I have tried in vain to get the media interested in the above.

So, I've decided to email you and ask if you'd be interested to write about any of the above projects.

No pressure! If you're not interested then that's okay.

Otherwise, reply back and specify which projects you are interested in and I will forward your email to the appropriate individuals.

Thank you for your time.

Daniel Sakumai

(Organiser of the Physics Students Open Day)

Key suspect in Taiwan scandal indicted, stays behind bars

THE key suspect in the Papua New Guinea diplomatic fraud scandal in Taipei, which involves Nawaeb MP Timothy Bonga and lawyer Dr Florian Gubon, was indicted last Friday.

Bonga, now the high-profile Public Accounts Committee chairman, and Dr Gubon were alleged to have negotiated with Taipei for diplomatic recognition at a price of US$29.8 million.
Bonga was Eda Ranu boss at that time

The allegation has been categorically denied and the national government is currently tightlipped on the issue.

Taipei Times reported at the weekend that Taipei chief prosecutor Huang Mo-hsin indicted Wu Shih-tsai, on charges of falsifying bank statements and lying to the police after he made up a story about being threatened by an unidentified gunman.

“Prosecutors decided that the evidence was sufficient to find him guilty, so we decided to indict him today,” said Lin Chin-chun, spokesman for the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, said during a press conference on Friday.

Wu has been in custody since May 6.According to Taipei Times, the procedure states that once indicted, the defendant must be immediately released, but Wu remained in detention after a request for an extension was granted by Taipei District Court Judge Chang Yung-hung after evidence found that he was trying to leave the country.

Wu and Ching Chi-ju, the other main suspect in the diplomatic scandal, were commissioned in August 2006 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former National Security Council secretary-general Chiou I-jen to act as intermediaries in an attempt to forge diplomatic relations with Papua New Guinea.

Taipei Times reports the Taiwanese Foreign Affairs Ministry agreed to wire US$29.8 million into Wu and Ching’s bank account at a branch of OCBC Bank in Singapore.

The funds were to be transferred to the Papua New Guinea government once the two nations had signed a diplomatic communiqué.

Sir Michael Somare was the prime minister at the time of the alleged scandalTaiwan failed to develop relations and in December 2006 the ministry asked for its money back.

Ching allegedly refused to return the funds and has since disappeared, reports Taipei Times.Chiou, former minister of foreign affairs James Huang and former deputy minister of national defense Ko Cheng-heng all resigned over their involvement in the diplomatic scheme.

Ching, who is a US citizen, is believed to be at large in the US.

Officials also continue to investigate whether former Huang and including former vice premier Chiou I-jen, among other senior officials in the previous government, should be indicted, too.

“This case concerned a lot of money, which was wired to foreign bank accounts,” Chief Prosecutor Huang Mo-hsin said.

“We have not finished our investigation or determined where the money is.”

Prosecutors said they were investigating whether any government officials, including former vice premier Chiou I-jen and former minister of foreign affairs James Huang, were involved in the case.

On May 6, Huang filed a detention request against Wu on charges of corruption, which was granted by the district court.

Wu should have been released last Friday, when the detention period expired, but prosecutors requested an extension on other charges.

“The forgery, and Wu’s lying to the police, made for a solid case for us to keep him,” Huang said.

Wu at one point defended his actions to police by saying he had been threatened at gunpoint.