Bad roads delay work on LNG

EARLY works on the multi-billion-kina PNG liquefied natural gas (LNG) project are running behind schedule, the delay caused in part by the deteriorating state of the Highlands Highway, The National reports.

An official with Esso Highlands (PNG) Ltd, the subsidiary of ExxonMobil, said equipment and machines for early works for Australian company Glough Curtain Joint Venture (CCJV) were still sitting idle at the wharf in Lae waiting for affected sections of the highway to be repaired and freed up before the equipment and machines could be transported to the project site.

One of the worst affected parts is at Kalguwi village, near Kagul River, on the border of Western Highlands and Southern Highlands provinces.

Yesterday, a policeman attached with the Kaupena-based police highway patrol unit 17 reported that more than 100 trucks and cars were stranded at either side of the highway at Kalguwi.

He said that section of the highway had fallen into a state of complete disrepair and while light four-wheel-drive vehicles were being pushed and pulled to negotiate the landslip and the huge crater-like potholes up the slopes, heavy vehicles were unable to cross.

Police highway patrol units have been working around the clock to control traffic and ensure locals do not take advantage of the situation to harass commuters.

Imbonggu community leader Pius Alopea said The National.

Government should immediately look into repairing this section of the highway as it was becoming a national disgrace.

Mr Alopea said many vehicles had developed mechanical problems on this section of the road while the flow of goods and services into Southern Highlands had been greatly affected.

Mr Alopea said with the current wet season in the region, the road condition would only worsen unless the authorities do something.

 

College suspects typhoid outbreak

CLASSES at the Mt Hagen Technical College in Western Highlands province were suspended on Monday due to a suspected outbreak of typhoid, The National reports.

According to unconfirmed reports from student sources, about 60 students contracted what they believe to be typhoid.

The figure is likely to increase after all 400 students, lectures, support staff and their family members went for a voluntarily blood test yesterday.

Principal John Kiele said the results of the test would be made available today.

He said many students were complaining of typhoid symptoms when classes were suspended.

Mr Kiele said a team from the provincial health disease control visited the college and checked the dormitories, water tanks, supplies and collected blood samples from the students, staff and their family members.

He said that typhoid was caused by water, but was too early to point fingers at who is to blame.

Mr Kiele said that the cause of the problem would be revealed after investigations were complete.

He said the water problem was an on-going issue and this was not the first time the college had been affected by typhoid.

He said many of the students suspected to be infected with typhoid, were given medical treatment, however, no students were admitted at the Mt Hagen Hospital.

Mr Kiele said the suspension of classes would be indefinite.

The staff of Mt Hagen General Hospital, who tested blood samples, did not release any information when approached by The National.

They said the test conducted was confidential and they were not allowed to release the results to the media.

 

Gregan hails Genia

Caption: Queensland Reds captain Will Genia getting ready to pass the ball against the western Force in round five of the Super 14 earlier in the month. Genia was praised by former Wallabies scrumhalf George Gregan as being better than him and on his way to greatness.

Papua New Guinea could be looking at its first international sporting great, The National reports in its March 31 edition.
PNG has had several of its sports men make a name for themselves overseas and be considered among their code’s best competitors.
Marcus Bai in rugby league, Stanley Nandex in kickboxing and Mal Michael in Australian Rules spring to mind but 22-year-old rugby union scrumhalf and current Queensland Reds captain Will Genia could set a new benchmark for Papua New Guineans making it big on the international sporting scene.
One of Australia’s greatest halfbacks, George Gregan, has hailed incumbent Wallabies No.9 Genia as a superstar with more skills than him.
Such has been the meteoric rise of the young man who comes from Abau in the Central province who did not start playing rugby until senior high school.
Genia at a nuggety 82kg burst onto the international scene last year and after just 11 Tests, Gregan is touting him as a future Wallaby leader.
Pound for pound Genia is the strongest Australian rugby player, benching 172kg.
“He’s got a lot more skills than me,” Gregan said of Genia.
“He’s bigger, stronger and he can kick a lot further. I’m a dinosaur compared to him. He’s got a good head on his shoulders.
“I like the way he plays. He has time and space to do things, which is a sign of a real quality player.”
“He’s only 22 and has heaps of improvement in him. That’s what’s exciting.”
They are big wraps from the Zambian-born Bledisloe Cup-winning captain who also won a World Cup in 1999, played 139 Tests for the green and gold, and 136 games for the Brumbies, which included two Super 12 titles in 2001 and 2004.
You would trust his judgement as far as halfbacks go.
Gregan will long be remembered for his gritty determination which was highlighted by his infamous Bledisloe Cup-saving tackle on Jeff Wilson in 1994.
He turns 37 in April and will continue to play professional rugby for Suntory in Japan, under Eddie Jones, until mid-February next year.
Gregan was full of praise of Genia, whose potential was also noted by Reds coach Ewen McKenzie who made him captain this year.
“I think that leadership has really helped him go from strength to strength,” Gregan said.
“He is a very good player who understands the game. He’s very skilful and makes good decisions under pressure. He takes care of his forwards, has a very good pass and knows how to change his game when the opportunity presents itself.”
Some have gone as far to say Genia is the next Gregan.
“He’s is his own man, and he’s doing a great job. He also picked up the game late which shows how much talent he has,” he said.
PNG Pukpuks coach Billy Rapilla added further accolades on Genia saying he was effectively the world’s best scrumhalf on current form.
“He’s the best halfback right now and you can’t argue with Gregan’s opinion.
“Will is playing some very special rugby and his profile is rocketing off because rugby union is a truly global sport played in over a 100 countries,” Rapilla said.
On whether Genia’s accomplishments merit being rated above Bai’s and Michael’s Rapilla was circumspect.
“You really can’t compare Genia’s achievements to Marcus or Mal. You’re not comparing apples to apples, these are different sports,” he said.
“Leading sports icons in PNG have excelled in sports that have had good to great following like rugby league but there’s no denying that Genia could be headed for greatness in rugby union.”

Queensland Festival of Photography / BullsEye April 9 - May 29

 

Solomon Island appreciates NARI-EU-ACP programme

Caption: Solomon Islands parliamentary secretary with Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Edward Kingmele, exchanging notes with CEOs of Vanuatu Agriculture Research and Technical Centre and PNG’s NARI after signing an MOU for the NARI-EU-ACP S&T Programme

 

Story and picture by JOSEPHINE YAGA of NARI

 

Agriculture staff in Solomon Islands are in dire need of capacity building in various areas in agricultural research and development to carry out their mandates effectively and efficiently, according to Edward Kingmele, parliamentary secretary with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) there.

He, however, said the new sub-regional programme on capacity building for the three Western Pacific countries - Solomon Islands, PNG and Vanuatu - would now address that capacity.

 “Thus, it is a superb achievement by PNG National Agriculture Research Institute, MAL of Solomon Islands and the Vanuatu Agriculture Research and Technical Centre (VARTC) to win funding for three-capacity development projects in this highly-competitive call from European Union (EU) to the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of states which will benefit researchers in our countries,” Mr Kingmele said.

He said this during the launch of an ACP science and technology programme on capacity building at the Sir Alkan Tololo Research Centre in Lae recently.

 He was among stakeholders from key government and non-government agencies from Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and PNG who witnessed this milestone development.

The major local stakeholders included the management and staff of NARI, Fresh Produce Development Agency, Coffee Industry Corporation, Cocoa Coconut Institute and PNG Women in Agriculture Development Foundation.

Mr Kingmele added that agriculture was the backbone of Solomon Islands as it was the major productive sector, but following the crises in 2000, agricultural research and development in Solomon Islands was crippled in terms of both research and human capacities.

During the launch, programme partners NARI, MAL and VARTC signed a memorandum of understanding to work together in the programme over the next three years.

“The signing ceremony of the MOU between the three countries signifies a milestone in the move that Solomon Island and Vanuatu government are embarking on - having serious partnership arrangements with the regional organisations such as NARI and other lead agriculture bodies in PNG,” Mr Kingmele said.

“This partnership connects us to various international institutions and organisations elsewhere towards further development of the agriculture sectors in the two countries.”

The ACP S&T programme, totaling K11.5 million, is an ACP EU co-operation programme aimed at supporting ACP countries in formulating and implementing science and technology policies that can lead to sustainable development and poverty reduction through economic growth and progressive integration in the world economy.

The specific purpose of the programme is to strengthen the internal science and technology capacity of ACP countries to support research development and innovations in the ACP region at institutional (administrative and policy making), academic (research and technology) and civil society (business) level.

 The programme will be implemented in the three Western Pacific countries involving nine different organisations.

Coffee nurseries for East Sepik schools

Caption:  Navi Anis, CEOof CIC and Dr Mark Kenny, acting general manager of CIC’s research and grower services division, at a procession for the launch of school nursery programme in Maprik, East Sepik province

 

By REUBEN SENGERE of CIC

 

“You can never fail to be a farmer,”’ stresses Navi Anis, chief executive officer of the Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC).

 He quoted from remarks made by James Korarome, a CIC board director at the launch of the nursery programme last month at Aiyura in Eastern Highlands.

Mr Anis was the guest-of-honor at the recent launch of the coffee nursery programme for pilot coffee curriculum schools in East Sepik province. 

He observed in his first official visit as CEO that many farmers along the Yangoru and Maprik sections of the Sepik Highway had abandoned their coffee trees.

Mr Anis expressed sadness at the sight and asked farmers to rehabilitate the coffee trees when officiating at Maprik High School.

Maprik district is the top producer of Robusta coffee in the country so it was fitting that the event took place in the district.

Mr Anis said grower groups were the way to move forward in the coffee industry.

 Service delivery in groups is cost-effective and it provides opportunities for controlling quality of coffee as well as marketing the product.

The occasion was witnessed by stakeholders including students and teachers of participating schools, coffee farmers, provincial agriculture and education officials, and invited guests.

Coffee curriculum advisor Dr Arnold Parapi, who is in charge of implementing this CIC innovation, explained that the nursery package for participating schools would allow students to carry out practicals in the field rather than in the classroom.

 “It is a field laboratory,” he said.

Brian Waranduo and Samuel Pongiwa, principals of Burgam High School and Yangoru Secondary School respectively, said they saw a bright future for the coffee industry in the province.

Schools that are participating in the coffee curriculum pilot programme in the province are Burgam, Kubalia and Maprik high schools; Yangoru Secondary; and Negri and Banik primary schools.

Simon Peter, chairman of Maprik High School Board and a former CIC employee, countered that ‘”CIC officers are no longer sleeping with farmers” as was the case in the past.

East Sepik was the leading Robusta coffee producer until the intrusion of vanilla when farmers started abandoning their coffee gardens.

 However, according to East Sepik Coffee Cooperative chairman Jerry Anisi, production in the province was bouncing back.

“We may see East Sepik coffee regaining its status as the No. 1 producer of Robusta coffee in the near future,” he said.

“The coffee curriculum with its nursery package in pilot schools will skill the students – the future coffee farmers - to increase production in the province.”

United States-Japan Cooperation on APEC

Press Statement

March 29, 2010

Ottawa

Japan and the United States, as the hosts of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in 2010 and 2011, are cooperating closely to achieve substantive outcomes that will contribute to the growth and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region.

Together with the other APEC economies, our two governments are working closely to push forward on regional economic integration, taking a practical and concrete approach.

We are also cooperating in the design of a new growth paradigm for the region, to promote growth which is more balanced, inclusive, environmentally sustainable, and knowledge-based.

We are determined to take the lead in ensuring that APEC continues to serve as a driving force for economic prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world.

Japan and the United States look forward to working together with the other APEC economies to inspire new ideas for cooperation and to generate concrete outcomes.

Today, Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister Okada agreed to work together bilaterally on several signature initiatives that will support broader APEC outcomes, with a particular emphasis on human security:

· We will work together to ensure that APEC plans and implements specific and significant actions aimed at sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and food availability, and facilitating agriculture-related trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region.

· We will organize a Women's Entrepreneurship Summit to address policy, human resources and financing issues, thereby galvanizing the Asia-Pacific region to unleash the potential of women as entrepreneurs and business leaders.

· We will cooperate in addressing climate change by exploring opportunities to help economies in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly small island economies, to be better prepared to adapt to the likely impact of climate change.

· We will cooperate to enhance emergency preparedness in the Asia-Pacific region, with a focus on public-private partnerships and networking among experts, building on the outcomes of the Fourth APEC Senior Disaster Management Officials Forum in Kobe in January 2010, and deepening discussions at the Fifth Forum in the United States in 2011.

Beyond these measures, as APEC hosts in 2010 and 2011, Japan and the United States are working closely together to enhance the operations of the APEC organization, with an eye toward improving accountability and efficiency, and ensuring that projects and activities are closely linked to core APEC priorities.

For more information, contact:

Mr. Takuya Sasayama, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan

Telephone: 81 (3) 5501 8342