Hillary Clinton cancels Papua New Guinea visit

From AFP

 

• Hillary Clinton cancels Pacific trip
• Australia, NZ and PNG were on itinerary
• Ms Clinton will concentrate on Haiti crisis

 

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has cancelled the remainder of a trip to Asia to deal with the crisis afflicting Haiti.

Ms Clinton had been due to visit Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

Ms Clinton had been scheduled to leave Hawaii today to make a brief stop in PNG before going on to New Zealand and Australia.

Earlier, she told reporters she planned to continue with the journey but would look to shorten it.

"I have decided to cancel the remainder of my (trip) and return to Washington," Ms Clinton said.

Ms Clinton said she had called Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith with the news and he had been "very understanding" of the decision.

"Thankfully, these are very good friends and they know that we wouldn't be cancelling were it not for something of this magnitude," she said.

"When I talked to the Foreign Minister, he was very understanding.

"I told him we would try to reschedule as soon as we can find a mutually convenient time."

Ms Clinton and US Defense Secretary Robert Gates were to be in Canberra for annual foreign affairs and defence ministerial talks (AUSMIN) on Monday.

Ms Clinton indicated the cancellation would have no impact on an already close relationship with Australia.

"I talk to the Foreign Minister all the time. I know that Secretary Gates talks to his counterpart all the time," she said.

"So we have a very close consultative relationship and we will reschedule the AUSMIN as soon as we can."

Ms Clinton's visits to Papua New Guinea and New Zealand will be rescheduled.

Ms Clinton had planned to meet Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Sunday and was due to visit Melbourne on Tuesday.

Antelope-2 test records more gas condensate

INTEROIL reported Tuesday (January 12, 2010, 03:28pm GMT) that a second drill stem test at its Antelope-2 well at Upper Purari River in Papua New Guinea’s Papuan Gulf confirmed a 15% increase in condensate (liquid gas) production compared with the first drill stem test.

The well flowed at a stabilised rate of about 11 million cubic feet of gas per day, while the condensate to gas ratio averaged 20.7 barrels per million cubic feet of natural gas.

The test is being carried out over an open hole section from 2,222 metres and 2,325 metres.

 “We anticipate that the higher condensate ratio tested in DST-2 of the Antelope structure will improve the previously estimated economics of the stripping plant proposed to be constructed in Gulf Province,” InterOil’s chief executive, Phil Mulacek, said in a statement Tuesday.

InterOil said it would carry out another drill stem test in the lower section of the current open hole before it resumed drilling into targeted heavier condensate and potential oil zone

 Following testing and logging of the lower vertical section of the well bore; the company said it plans to drill a horizontal lateral to explore a potential oil zone.

 

 

 

40 die in horror Papua New Guinea road accident

Villagers assisting survivors from the horrific road accident where two vehicles crashed into each other 130km out of Lae in the Markham Valley on Tuesday afternoon

By PISAI GUMAR and DAISY TANIOVA PAWA in The National

FORTY people have died in the worst road accident in Papua New Guinea.
It happened about 130km out of Lae in the Markham Valley on Tuesday afternoon.
Two 25-seater buses crashed head on at speeds of more than 100km an hour, immediately killing 37 of the 59 people aboard both vehicles.
Three others, who had been severely injured and awaiting transportation to Lae, were later admitted to the Lae International Hospital morgue, at Milfordhaven to take the number of the dead to 40.
Of the 19 survivors, 11 have been treated for injuries and eight have been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Angau Memorial Hospital.
Police and medical workers said last night the number of dead could increase.
It is believed another two dead were taken straight from the crash site to their villagers in the Markham valley. If authorities confirm it, the number of the dead should reach 42, Angau Hospital workers said.
The accident took place at Ragiampum village on the Highlands highway between Umi Bridge and Watarais, which is at the foot of the Kassam Pass and near the Madang and Eastern Highlands borders.
A Route 100 (Highway) coaster bus was heading to Lae from the Highlands loaded with people and fresh produce from Mt Hagen, Western Highlands province.
Its passengers were mainly people from Western Highlands, Simbu, and Eastern Highlands provinces.
The other vehicle, a Route 3 PMV that services the Lae and Gusap route, was loaded with passengers of mainly Markham, Morobe province, origin.
According to eye witnesses at Ragiampum village and the Mutzing police, the buses were trying to avoid a pothole when they collided.
The impact killed the passengers. Some of them were thrown out of the side windows and splayed on the tar. Others were thrown onto grass on the side of the road.
Many of the dead suffered broken heads, necks, and limbs.
Motorists who were after both vehicles arrived immediately to a scene in which the PMVs were smashed outside and ripped inside.
Bodies were lying incongruently in a macabre and bloody scene that profoundly shocked many people who had seen ghastly accidents before.
“This is the nastiest and bloodiest of accidents on the highway,” Markham MP Koni Iguan said. Villagers standing near him agreed.
“We have witnessed less than 10 victims on previous occasions ... this is horrific.”

Escapees' hideouts still unknown

By DULCIE OREKE in The National

 

POLICE yesterday afternoon still had no leads into the whereabouts of the 12 escapees who walked out from PNG’s highest maximum security unit at Bomana Jail, on the outskirts of Port Moresby on Tuesday morning.

Acting deputy commissioner of police, chief of operations Raphael Huafolo yesterday said police really did not know where the escapees were but were still looking for them.

He said the people were in fear and were scared to come forward to give any information regarding their escape but it would take time as they were dealing with people.

In the mean time, he said that when they did get any forwarding information police would have to assess and check those information.

Mr Huafolo however, advised the public to co-operate with police and report the matter to them for any sightings of the escapees.

“All information will be treated confidentially,” Mr Huafolo said.     

He also appealed to the escapees to voluntarily surrender to police.

Meanwhile, police in the Milne Bay province have stepped up operations at all entry points into the province for any possible access by the 12 dangerous men.

“More than 20 policemen will be deployed to the airport, waterfronts and along the boarder areas of Oro and Central provinces to check all boats, aircrafts and people entering the province,” provincial police Lincoln Gerari said.

He said although they had not received any leads into the exact location of the escapees, police were prepared to ensure that Milne Bay province was not threatened.

Insp Gerari called on the public

Papua New Guinea must take up the West Papua issue with United Nations

By REG RENAGI

 

The Papua New Guinea government must now take up the issue of West Papua with the United Nations and must not sweep this long-outstanding issue concerning the ongoing Melanesian Papuans under the mat. 

The Australian and the Indonesian government also need to be brought into this three-way negotiation on what can we do now for the people of West Papua.

The so-called ‘Act of Free Choice’ was a total farce by Indonesia to annex West Papua and subjugate its indigenous Melanesian people.

This act was a violation of West Papua’s legal right to self-determination, a violation of the ‘sacred trust’ under Article 73 of the UN Charter and a breach of Indonesia’s treaty obligations under the UN Charter and the New York Agreement.

 This action cannot justify Indonesian sovereignty over West Papua.

The struggle for West Papua 'self determination' will continue whether Indonesia likes it or not.

Many more of our Melanesian people will die in future.

The Papuans are fighting for their future survival.

Countries like Australia and PNG are afraid of Indonesian aggression.

Tragically, West Papuans have been made a sacrificial lamb by the criminal acts of the Indonesian authorities, aided and abetted by a weak-willed United Nations.

It is very sad and unfortunate that, with her great influence and clout in the international arena, all Australia can muster is to watch by helplessly from the sidelines.

Australia in future will continue to wonder just what she could do to help the West Papuans (ditto for PNG) without upsetting Indonesia.

 It clearly failed to do anything in East Timor, so why should it be any different now.

Does Australia care?

 Not really, but anything to do with West Papua and its people should be in her national interest.

This sticky issue will not go away for Australia, Indonesia and PNG, and a middle ground must be found.

The plebiscite took place sometime between 14 July and 2 August 1969; the Indonesian government holding its so-called ‘Act of Free Choice’ in West Papua.

Indonesian authorities took 1,022 Papuan tribal representatives to eight locations – one for each region of West Papua: Merauke, Jayawijaya, Paniai, Fak-Fak, Sorong, Manokwari, Cenderawasih and Jayapura.

Many Papuans walked from very-remote areas for three days to their designated locations leaving behind their wives and children in the ‘care of the Indonesian government’.

These 1,022 Papuans were given two choices: either remain with Indonesia or sever ties with Indonesia, and become an independent state like PNG.

What resulted from this rigged political event is now history.

 But the question still remains: what does the UN and the Australia and PNG governments hope to do about the West Papua issue?

Indonesia is not going to let go of West Papua easily as it wants to own this very resource-rich part of the New Guinea island as part of the republic.

 Additionally, any future negotiations will prove very difficult with the transmigration program going on for many years now to redistribute its growing population eastward towards PNG.

This is another foreign policy challenge for Australia and PNG.

China is a distraction now.

But PNG must be always on guard, and keep watch over its western border at the going down of the sun, lest it be surprised one fine day.

Will Australia come to her aid in future?

Who knows.

This should be a big worry for Prime Minister Michael Somare who's about to leave the political scene one of these days soon.

Prime Minister let us also put this issue on our discussion agenda with US Secretary of State, Mrs Hillary Clinton, when she visits PNG this week.

National security at risk

From The National

 

The escape of the 12 dangerous prisoners is now a national security issue.

The National Security Advisory Committee summoned Correctional Services Commissioner Richard Sikani to brief them after lunch yesterday on the escape.

NSAC chairman and Chief Secretary Manasupe Zurenouc has been recalled from Lae where he is attending the Lutheran church synod to attend to this issue.

The NSAC will be conducting a full meeting today to address the break-out of some of the worst criminals in the country.

Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare has been informed.

Correctional Service Minister Tony Aimo who is away in his Ambunti-Drekikier electoral for electoral duties is also believed to have been briefed and will be returning to Port Moresby to take charge of the situation.

Mr Sikani said yesterday that the NSAC would be conducting its own independent investigations into the great escape.

He said the Correctional Service would be conducting its own investigations in what he called “highly suspicious” escape where all security procedures at the maximum security unit at Bomana were breached.

Business houses have been warned to take extra security measures in light of the escape of the country’s top criminals.

Woman 'lawyer' frees 12 hardcore prisoners

By JACOB POK in The National

 

A WOMAN “lawyer” aided the daring escape of 12 high risk prisoners, including bank robbery suspect William Nanua Kapris from the Bomana Maximum Security Unit in another hostage situation yesterday morning.

Kapris and five others, regarded as dangerous, had been involved in series of major robberies.

Besides Kapris, the others are Oliver Ben Gabi, Ben Nom, Elizah Tingal, Kito Aso and Don Aka.

The other escapees were from the main compound who were temporarily housed at maximum security.

They included John Siko Wel, who was sodomising young prisoners, James Pari, who is a serial rapist jailed for the rape and murder of a woman pilot in Lae several years ago, Peter Plesman, Greg Varvar, Duma Korowa and Raphael Walimini.

Plesman, Korowa and Walimani are on death row, or condemned detainees.

The escape drama started at the Port Moresby General Hospital at about 8.30am where a detainee, accompanied by three warders, was being treated for epilepsy.

Two warders were with the prisoner while the driver, who was in the vehicle, was held up by armed men who blindfolded him and took him hostage to a hotel room.

There he was forced to call the Maximum Security Unit guards to inform them to expect a female human rights lawyer (named) from a law firm to visit prisoner John Siko Wel.

Correctional Service Commissioner Richard Sikani said the daring escape in a hostage situation was aided by this lone woman in a clear breach of established security procedures on which visitation is granted only by the Commissioner, deputy commissioner (operations) or the courts.

Mr Sikani said the woman pretended to act as a human rights lawyer and went straight to the MSU in a blue vehicle where she delivered a letter to the guards and passed through the main gate.

He said the letter was a request letter to the officer in charge of the MSU, seeking entry to give legal assistance to the prisoner Wel.

Mr Sikani said while she was inside the prison, a guard assisted her into the visitor’s section where the prisoner was called out to meet her.

He said they sat and talked at a round table for a while and then the woman lawyer moved her chair and bent forward and in that instance passed a pistol to Siko Wel who held up the guard and ordered the other guard to unlock the cell gates and emptied the entire facility of its 12 prisoners.

He said they then made their way out of the main gate and escaped in the vehicle with the woman at around 10.33 am.

Mr Sikani said his office and police were informed of the escape an hour later at 11.30 am.

This is the second escape of robbery suspect Kapris Nanua who pulled off a similar escape in 2006 where he used a doctor to write that he was very sick and a lawyer wrote to prison officials persuading them to release him for treatment where he escaped when in hospital.

Mr Sikani has reported the matter as high priority to the National Security Advisory Committee who will be meeting today to institute an independent investigation while the CS will carry out its own.

He said all the ports and airports are now being monitored by police and Correctional Service officers and appealed to the community to help report suspicious looking people.

Mr Sikani also asked the public to take precaution and for cooperation in reporting in the escapees.