Carbon trade is 'cargo cult' says Forest Minister

BY KEITH JACKSON

PERHAPS stung by allegations that it had gone soft on self-proclaimed ‘carbon traders’, the Post-Courier today publicised comments by Forest Minister Belden Namah that “carbon trade is a cargo cult”.

Mr Namah reiterated that at present there is no legal framework for carbon trading in PNG, and there is no guarantee that carbon trade could bring in the tangible development and services.

In a statement that will shock conservationists, however, he said logging will benefit the local people more than carbon trading.

The people of Pangia should be proud their timbers will be used throughout PNG, he said.

However, some landowners expressed disappointment that procedures had not been followed by the National Forest Service and urged their leaders not to sign away their timber rights.

Governor Anderson Agiru supported the project but urged the Forest Service to ensure that landowners to one day become developers in their own area.

 

MS Columbus arrives in Madang

MS Columbus docking in Madang on yesterday with 143 mainly German passengers

Of these, 41 took a flight to Madang on chartered Dash 8 aircraft, remainder undertook sightseeing tours around Madang.

 The expedition ship is owned and operated by Hapag Lloyd which operates to smaller ports than the larger ships in the Hapag Lloyd fleet and on this occassion it arrived in PNG from the Solomon Islands and has already visited Rabaul. Wesley

Hatan, a senior member of Melanesian Tourist Services staff travelled aboard the vessel to assist in the coordination of sightseeing at the various ports in PNG.

The Columbus visited Port Moresby in 2009 and is exprected to return in 2011.

According to Wesley Hatan, the excusions have operated well, passengers have been satisfied with their visit to PNG with minor delays in Rabaul due to road conditions and this morning, fod in Goroka which delayed the aircraft arrival.

The ship departs for Wewak on Monday then onto Manila to continue their world cruise.

Politicians funded escape

Kapris names 3 politicians in shocking tell-all

 IN a shocking tell-all, suspected bank robbery William Kapris has reportedly told police that three politicians funded his escape from the Bomana prison as well as his criminal activities.

Kapris, who described himself as a “marked man” during the questioning, is said to have named the three politicians along with some prominent leaders and businessmen.

Sources told The National that apart from financing his escape from Bomana prison on Jan 12 with “a few hundred thousand kina”, these people had also allegedly funded Kapris’ criminal activities, including three high-profile robberies involving millions of kina.

Kapris told police he knew he was a marked man because of the “damaging” information he held.

“He said the ‘leaders’ were deeply involved,” a source told The National.

Kapris also alleged that a “black bank” located in Port Moresby’s Gordon suburb was also involved.

He claimed the “black bank” was operated by a Chinese man who had links to Singapore.

During the interrogation, Kapris gave specific details on how he and his accomplices robbed the Metals Refining Operations (MRO) of 13 gold bullion bars (each worth about K2.5 million), the Kerema BSP of about K800,000 and the Madang BSP of about K2.4 million.

The three politicians were allegedly paid about K350, 000 each for the Madang BSP robbery and another K40, 000 for the Kerema job.

Kapris himself got about K60, 000 to organise and fund the Madang robbery.

He said all were “inside jobs” and that there were no hold-ups, no kidnaps, and no guns involved in any of the three cases.

He said the “insiders” opened the safes and handed the loot to his gang.

The gold bars were allegedly disposed of by the operator of the “black bank”.

Kapris said the loot was hidden away for safekeeping and later distributed among themselves and their “financiers”, including the politicians and insiders.

He claimed he was planning to travel with the man to Singapore on Dec 2, 2008, when he was arrested.

Kapris is expected to appear in court today for a second mention in relation to his prison escape on Jan 12 from Bomana maximum security jail.

The sources were not able to tell The National whether details of the interrogation had been submitted to Police Commissioner Gari Baki.

Tagis takes SRC to task

Caption: University of Goroka students filling out their withdrawal forms

HIGHER Education director-general Dr William Tagis says the dissenting Student Representative Council (SRC) of University of Goroka (UOG) is a blatant denial of individual students’ freedom to pursue higher education, The National reports.

“I believe issues have not been explored sufficiently and the UOG student-led class boycott is something far more disconcerting than what the students and academic staff are telling the public.

“The emerging concerns include, first year students living off campus in rented accommodation, demolition of four students dormitories to make way for a donor-funded extension of the six-storey dormitory complex, outdated library books, inadequate computer laboratories and computer terminals, inadequate internet facility and printing access, operation of the Interim University Council of 2006,  staff salary package not reviewed, a range of management issues, handling of the 2010 crisis, formation of the new 15-person university council, and side lining of the vice-chancellor and the two pro vice chancellors.

“The NASA lodged eight points in its petition to the vice-chancellor on the Feb 25 while the SRC has not given anything,” Dr Tagis said in a statement today.

Dr Tagis also highlighted the failure to get the vice-chancellor and the two pro-vice chancellors, the SRC and NASA to meet and resolve the crisis with the Goroka MP and local leaders.

Dr Tagis and a policy officer travelled to Goroka in the third week of the crisis and spent five days mediating with the university community.

The UOG management agreed for the vice-chancellor to remain to form the new university council by March 4 and he would step aside for the council to appoint a caretaker administration and institute a committee to investigate the current council.

The pro-vice chancellors also agreed to step aside on Feb 26.

The SRC, however, ignored the agreement and announced that it will organise mass withdrawal by March 1 because their demands were not met.

“It is assumed that they also wanted a new caretaker administration because they hate the three senior staff, an illegal action under the UOG Act.

“This notice therefore serves to inform the university community and the people of Papua New Guinea that the action of the three members of the SRC executive and the 21 provincial students to prolong the boycott and inciting students to withdraw from the 2010 academic year is a blatant denial of individual students’ freedom to pursue higher education,” he said.

 

Cabinet to be reshuffled, resized

By ISAAC NICHOLAS

PRIME Minister Sir Michael Somare intends to increase the size of his Cabinet, and has promised to reshuffle his Cabinet after the March sitting of Parliament which starts tomorrow, The National reports.

But Planning Minister Paul Tiensten, the man who sets the Government’s agenda on the floor of Parliament, brushed aside suggestions the increase in Cabinet’s size and the reshuffle has anything to do with the threat of a vote of no-confidence.

Mr Tiensten, who is Leader of Government Business, said the Government was intact and was not distracted by the Opposition’s mooted vote of no-confidence motion.

Parliament sits at 2 o’clock tomorrow and high on the agenda is the Bill to increase the number of ministries from 28 to 31, the motion to have nominated women in Parliament and amendments to the Organic Law Governments to retain the provincial seats after 2012.

“We have the executive arm and we will go into Parliament to run the business of the day of putting through legislative amendments and policy statements,” Mr Tiensten said after a special National Executive Council meeting tonight.

He said if the motion (of no-confidence) was introduced, the Private Members Committee would sit down and determine the merits and demerits of the motion.

He said the committee would determine whether it (motion) was of national importance or if it was parochial.

“There is a process before it can be entertained by Parliament but we are ready to defeat any motion as the Government’s strength is intact,” Mr Tiensten said.

Mr Tiensten himself has been the subject of a push by some governors from his New Guinea Islands region to have him removed as minister, but the Prime Minister has kept his faith in him.

In a statement released earlier today, the Prime Minister said he was holding back the announcement of a reshuffle until the re-introduction of the Bill to increase the number of ministries from 28 to 31.

This is not catered for in the 2010 Budget, and the Government will blow a hole in the budget to fund the expansion of Cabinet.

But the Prime Minister said the expansion had to happen after 35 years.

“We have had 28 ministers since 1975 when our population was less than half of what it is today. A total of 35 years have lapsed and responsibilities have greatly increased.

“Due to the political stability our growth since 2002 is almost five times more. We have to better manage governance with the level of growth taking place in the country today.

“Currently, many ministers are taking care of more than one portfolio and there is a need to share some of these responsibilities.

“In the proposed changes I will also be giving vice ministers more responsibilities and functions so that they can complement the work of the ministers.

“Experience has shown that ministers also have not been able to properly utilise vice-ministers.”

Warriors given a second chance

Kundiawa Warriors are back after 3 years in exile

 

By BURI GABI and ZACHARY PER

 

PNG rugby league’s prodigal son the Kundiawa Warriors are set to return to the country’s premier rugby league competition the bemobile Cup, The National reports.

After getting the green light by the Cup governing board over the weekend, the Simbu franchise will take part in the competition after three years in the sporting wilderness.

The Warriors paid K70, 000 to the PNGRFL offsetting a K60, 000 debt incurred by previous sponsor Pagini Transport.

The extra K10, 000 was an initial payment to get the Warriors on board with an additional K80, 000 yet to be paid for the Simbu provincial team complete its entry requirements for 2010.

According to Fox, all franchise teams are urged to pay their franchise fees of K90, 000 for this year before March 13.

The bemobile cup board under chairman Don Fox agreed unanimously to accept the Warriors bid after submissions and guarantees from the interim Warriors board headed by Jerry Kapka with the endorsement of Simbu MPs in Governor Fr John Garia and Kundiawa/Gembogl MP  Joe Mek Teine.

Fox, also the PNG National Rugby League board chairman, confirmed that the Warriors were definite starters for the 2010 season but under strict conditions in particular not bringing the game into disrepute through violence.

“We want to make rugby league a family sport were mums and dads can take their children to watch a game of footy but we need to put a stop to violence in rugby league first,” Fox said.

He said the board decided to re-instate a team from Simbu which he acknowledged had produced many great players over the years and would no doubt continue to do so.

With the inclusion of a team from Simbu, the bemobile Cup can now boast a full complement of teams from the Highlands region further strengthening the competition.

This will now see a total of nine teams in the semi-professional competition: Agmark Gurias, ACTL Bombers, Toyota Mioks, SBS Muruks, CIVPAC Vipers, Masta Mak City Rangers, Bintangor Eagles, Bintangor Lahanis and the Kundiawa Warriors.

The competition will kick off on the April 25 with four matches around the country while one team has the bye.

PNGNRL Chairman, Don Fox said that he was impressed with the Warriors’ commitment to re-entering the competition and commended Warriors board chairman Jerry Kapka and the rest of the interim board for their tireless work over the last seven months.

Fox also visited the playing facilities at the Warriors home ground, Dickson Oval, recently to see first hand the interim board’s plans for redeveloping the playing surface and the stands in time to host home games this season.

 

Lae, Cairns ink economic tie-up

Mr McLay (right) and Mr Blockey shaking hands after  signing the agreement at the Melanesian Hotel in Lae. –  Nationalpic by OSEAH PHILEMON

Business chambers of both cities to expand trade

 By OSEAH PHILEMON

THE Lae Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and the Cairns Chamber of Commerce Inc (CCCI) in Australia have signed an agreement to improve economic and commercial ties between the two sister cities, The National reports.

The agreement was signed between LCCI president Alan McLay and his Cairns counterpart Jeremy Blockey after a tour of Lae city by a Cairns business delegation.

The agreement states that the two chambers, recognising the immense possibilities of improving economic and commercial ties between Papua New Guinea and Australia, have agreed to work together to establish and develop commercial links between the respective members of the two chambers within the scope of their terms of reference.

The agreement states that the two chambers undertake to co-operate with each other and do their best to strengthen and improve economic cooperation and trade between the two cities.

It also states that the two chambers shall mutually assist and contribute to the expanding commercial links between trade enterprises of the two cities.

They agreed to exchange information and views on widening commercial ties between the two cities and countries.

The agreement states that the two parties will participate in each others’ national exhibition, international trade, specialised exhibitions, economic and technical fairs, information bureaux, symposia, conferences or similar events taking place in their respective cities with the aim of expanding economic co-operation.