Last Saturday Bulolo MP Sam Basil’s guide from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Tim Morris accompanied him to Kwinana outside
“The elder of the Yargon tribe Trevor Wally gave a fire gift to me after the fire ceremony witnessed by the Kwinana deputy mayor Dennis Woods,” Mr Basil said.
“A gift was also presented by the deputy mayor and I presented three Bulolo bilums to the officials.
“On Sunday we flew from
Bulolo MP Sam Basil has done it again.
Mr Basil, who recently returned from the
He returns on March 1.
Australian High Commissioner to PNG Chris Moraitis announced the trip in the presence of Mr Basil at a press conference last Thursday.
Mr Moraitis said the programme, known as the Australian Special Visitors Programme, was aimed at “up-and-coming” people such as Mr Basil to visit and give them a “very good insight” into the country.
He said Mr Basil would visit Western Australian,
Previous PNG beneficiaries of the programme, which has been run over many years, include politicians Paul Tienstien and Sam Abal, and journalist Frank Senge Kolma, among many others.
“We hope Sam (Basil) has a good visit there,” Mr Moraitis said.
“We’re happy to do that before Parliament resumes in March.”
Mr Basil said it was an honour for his Bulolo electorate to travel overseas so soon after his visit to the
“I’m very fortunate to go overseas this time, this time to
“This trip will really help me to understand
Mr Basil gave a vote of thanks to the Australian government, through its High Commission, for making the trip possible.
Over 100
UK Exporters Ltd, a Bristol-based company that runs a database of over 18,500
They are generally seeking new business, agents and distributors or are hoping to add to their customer-base in the region.
The companies range from manufacturers of fuel flow modulators and cleaning chemicals to chocolate and biscuit makers.
Each
Each individual company may be contacted direct from their company profile which includes their e-mail and web addresses.
Interested PNG companies can access their details from the UK Exporters Ltd website http://www.exportuk.co.uk/agents.asp or via the British High Commission Website http://www.ukinpng.fco.gov.uk
The UK companies’ interest in business opportunities in PNG follows the recent announcement by the London and Port Moresby Stock Exchange-listed New Britain Palm Oil (NBPOL) to build a £18 million (K68 million) palm oil processing facility in the UK.
UK High Commissioner to PNG, David Dunn, said that whilst the world was experiencing a global trade downturn the interest in PNG showed by
“The NBPOL investment is excellent news for the
Copies of the UK Exporters List for PNG have also been passed on to the PNG Investment Promotion Authority (IPA).
Crime and bad lives are the measure of a State's failure, all crime in the end is the crime of the community.
H.G. Wells (1866-1946)
PS: The thought is very much applicable to the current situation in
By PS TOKO, Madang
Sorcery-related killings are on the rise, especially in the
Since the turn of this century, many great people have died.
Somehow, their deaths were linked to sorcery.
People are fed up with sorcery and were now taking a bold stand to torture and kill sorcerers.
Such unjustified killings must be condemned.
The Government is taking the right approach to stop sorcery-related killings.
But, what if such claims are true?
We must be aware that sorcery is related to spiritualism.
How can you prove that the sorcerer is the murderer and is responsible for the killing?
Sorcery is associated with supernatural powers and spiritual things cannot be discerned with physical things.
Even doctors cannot explain the cause of it medically and scientifically.
On the other hand, steps must be taken to eradicate glasman as they are bogus.
These people are responsible for the deaths of many innocent people.
The law must be tough on these people.
Papua New Guineans must understand that sorcery was part of our culture.
It was there before our forefathers came into contact with the Western culture.
It was only used when needed, especially on their enemies.
But as the Western culture made its presence felt, so did wealth and transport system, leading to a widespread practice of sorcery because it was one of the fastest and easiest ways to make a fortune.
Unfortunately, many people were now taking the opportunity to kill others under the guise of sorcery.
As such, apart from the judicial system, the Government must also use education and religion to break down sorcery.
Awareness programmes must be conducted immediately in the
As sorcery is ingrained in our culture, it will take time to change the people’s beliefs, but I believe it can be done.
By RICHARD LLOYD PARRY,
They are burnt, stoned, slashed, poisoned or hanged. They range from the young to the elderly and more often than not they are women. Often they are killed by mobs of men but sometimes they face kangaroo courts. They are the “sorcerers” of
There have been more than 50 murders in recent months of people accused of practising black magic, according to human rights organisations. Authorities appear helpless to intervene although the Government has ordered a parliamentary commission to spend a year investigating ways to prevent witch-hunts, which arise from a tragic combination of tribalism, underdevelopment and superstition.
“When dozens of people have been killed, it's clear that the Government is not doing enough to protect its own citizens and maintain the rule of law,” said Apolosi Bose, of Amnesty International.
The persecution of the practitioners of black magic has a long history here in the eastern half of the vast tropical
Last Sunday a father and son were burnt alive close to
Last Friday a court in the town of
Accusations of witchcraft sometimes seem to be the pretext for the settling of local scores, and tend to be made by families who have lost a loved one to a disease without an obvious cause. Often this is cancer or, increasingly, Aids-related illnesses, which are spread by prostitution, scant use of condoms and high rates of rape and sexual violence against women. Victims of witch-hunts are often women who have married into a community from another tribe and who lack kinsmen of their own to defend or avenge them.
The objective existence of black magic is enshrined in
“People often don't trust the police or the judiciary and instead blame events on supernatural causes and punish suspected sorcerers,” said Mr Bose.
By ANDREW ALPHONSE
KOMO-Margarima MP Francis Potape will petition the
Mr Potape made the call after a drunken youth assaulted and attacked medical officers from the international medical organisation, Medecine Sans Frontiers (MSF) or Doctors Without Borders, at the
Mr Potape, who was in Tari last weekend, was angered by the manner in which the drunken youth, who is a casual employee with the MSF at the hospital, attacked the female and male expatriate MSF officers before damaging the windshield of their vehicle. Mr Potape said the action of one person had tarnished the good name of all Tari and Hela people.
The MP fronted up at the Tari police station on Sunday afternoon demanding the policemen to have the culprit arrested and charged immediately.
Mr Potape said the MSF officers had been offering their services free of charge to the Hela population since mid-last year and the manner in which they were assaulted by a drunkard had brought shame and humiliation to the Hela people and their leaders.
Mr Potape met with
He said the action of one man had made thousands of Hela people suffer.
Police in Tari said the suspect was arrested and locked up at the police cells on Monday.
Mr Potape said he would petition the PEC meeting this week to immediately impose a liquor ban in Tari and Hela.
He also called for security measures at the hospital to be improved.
Meanwhile, Dr Koensong said the MSF staff were evacuated upon advice from their boss in
Dr Koensong said the delivery of health services to Tari and Hela had greatly improved with the presence of the MSF doctors at the hospital
