As in the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, Australia has again caught itself up in a strategic political entrapment situation with the US in a protracted insurgency war in Afghanistan.
It is time new Prime Minister, Julia Gillard review Australia's foreign policy on Afghanistan.
PM Gillard must now not be seen to promote her last two predecessor's same policy of keeping Australian troops in Afghanistan longer than is necessary.
The longer this policy remains unchanged, more Australian troops will die and return home in coffins.
It is time Australia critically reviews her direct involvement in the eight-year war in Afghanistan.
I believe the US military occupation of Afghanistan will end up being unsuccessful as time goes on.
If you do not believe me, then learn from history.
Australia must lean from its Vietnam history.
The Soviet Union lost its insurgency war in Afghanistan.
In 1986, the Soviet generals found to their great disappointment that after seven years no single piece of land in that country had been occupied by a Soviet soldier and the majority of the territory still remained in the hands of rebels.
Soon after, the Soviets withdrew from their Afghan misadventure.
Thousands were dead on both sides, yet the occupation failed to produce a stable national Afghan government.
This same scenario is being replayed in stark contrast.
I am sure Australian military planners know this.
The Australian government must now critically reassess its continued involvement in a volatile situation that has trapped Australia to stay on regardless of what it may mean in a matter of time - total defeat.
This is an insurgency like in Vietnam with no end in sight as to when to pull troops out and go home.
Australia has no real "exit-strategy" and neither does the US.
This may be a poor excuse for Australia that Julia Gillard can correct.
All Australians will be right behind her and this may well win her the federal elections for the ALP this year.
The US and the coalition forces are now eight years into this so-called war against terror in Afghanistan.
The present US strategy is flawed and what happened to the Soviets will also happen again to the US, Australia and the coalition force.
Australia must not be blind to what the US says it is in that country for.
A big part of the problem stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation.
The US seems to ignore the fact that it is its very presence as occupiers that feeds the insurgency in Afghanistan.
This would be the case if Papua New Guinea was invaded and occupied by a foreign force (s).
All diverse groups would put aside their disagreements to unify against a common foe -foreign occupation.
For all its technology know-how, like the Soviets, the US will not win this so-called war against terror.
This is what has happened in Afghanistan.
Australia should by now have worked this very problem out.
The US has got it really wrong.
Adding more US troops will only assist those who recruit fighters to attack US/coalition troops.
The enemy is effectively using the US occupation to convince villages to side with the Taliban.
As in Vietnam when Australia was caught out with the US in a political entrapment, Afghanistan is no different.
With no real workable strategy in Afghanistan, without a vision of what victory will look like, the US is left with the empty rhetoric of the last administration that “when the Afghan people stand up, the US will stand down”.
I believe the only solution to the Afghanistan quagmire is a rapid and complete US withdrawal including Australia too from that country, and the region.
Australia cannot afford to maintain its long involvement with the US in this unnecessary war that is hitting the Australian taxpayers hard with the prospects of more young Australian lives lost.
The continued coalition occupation of Afghanistan will not make Australia any safer.
With that short analysis, I say to Julia Gillard, it's time to pull our Aussie troops out of Afghanistan now.
Village poultry provides a
source of income, improves nutrition and help meet family and social
obligations.
Local
feed resources can be used more effectively for feeding poultry.
Balanced
rations for village birds can be devised from potential feed sources.
Farmers
could also introduce new crops and use pasture species with higher nutritional
values.
Feeding chicken with commercial feed has been
challenging due to rising costs of imported ingredients and feeds.
Alternative feeding strategies are however available.
One approach is to develop concentrate diets for finishing
broiler chickensby blending cheap local feed
ingredients.
Since 2002, NARI has been working on improving efficiency
and productivity of smallholder poultry producers.
One such way is to test locally-available feed
materials that can potentially be used as feed ingredient in poultry diets.
A project on poultry feeding system was developed in
Lae to establish aquality-assured
research facility for Papua
New Guinea to determine the quality of
poultry feed.
A variety of
feed resources from PNG were tested using this facility.
They included maize, wheat, sorghum, sweet potato, sago, cassava, banana
and legume leaves from village crops.
By-products tested were millrun, rice bran, palm
kernel meal, copra meal, tuna offal meal and pyrethrum marc.
Potential
poultry ingredients with apparent metabolisable energy (AME) values ranging
from 12-15 MJ/Kg DM were agro-industrial by-products such as copra meal (15.01
MJ/Kg) and pyrethrum marc (13.63 MJ/Kg)), traditional staples such as cassava
(15.87), sago (15.01) and sweet potato (15.39 MJ/Kg) and grains such as wheat
(12.76).
The AME values of palm kernel meal and copra meal at
30% inclusion were 9.05 and 9.86 MJ/Kg respectively.
Growth of birds was measured for seven days in the AME
unit and fully evaluated over six-eight weeks in the broiler grow-out facility.
Birds (three weeks of age) fed diets for seven days in
the AME unit with low inclusion rates of cassava, sweet potato, palm kernel
meal and copra meal performed well.
Copra
meal-based diets were superior.
Evaluation of
local feed resources over the full growing period of broilers were also
undertaken with diets containing maize, cassava, copra meal, fishmeal and
leucaena leaf meal.
These diets
were compared with a commercial ration comprising mainly imported feeds.
In some trials
feed conversion was superior in the commercial ration.
In other trials there was no difference between the
commercial or the PNG feed-based diet.
Based on this, an alternative feeding strategy was
developed, involving the development of a high protein poultry concentrate
containing fishmeal and copra meal.
The concentrate was fed with up to 70% of high energy
sources such maize, sweet potato or cassava. On-station and village feeding trials
were conducted to evaluate the concentrate feeding strategy.
Meat birds fed with commercial broiler feed
outperformed those fed the concentrate diets but the net income from sale of
live birds was only 5% lower for the concentrate sweet potato diet.
However, the
huge demand for live birds may still make it profitable to use local feed
resources mixed with a poultry concentrate, particularly in remote areas of
PNG.
The project
was extended for another three years with the title ‘Improving profitability of
village broiler production in PNG’ and focused on evaluating the economic
viability of the concept of using concentrate as an alternative means of
reducing broiler finisher feed costs.
The poultry feeding systems project had laid a solid
foundation to assist in the development of the smallholder poultry sector in
PNG, enabling this project to place a much-stronger focus on delivery of
feeding strategies to village farmers through participation of NGO and conduct
of on-farm evaluation trials.
Two energy concentrates – high energy and low energy
- were developed to be used as mashed mixes with cassava and sweet potato,
respectively.
The tubers are
cooked as for human food and mixed thoroughly at about three to one ratio of the
boiled tubers with the concentrates and then fed to birds fresh.
As birds need to have unlimited access to the feed,
the mixed mash should be prepared twice daily and offered to birds to minimise
possible wastage and spoilage.
These best bet feeding options were
extensively tested at village level in lowland and highland areas of PNG and
were confirmed as appropriate and feasible.
Three NGOs were directly involved
in the testing of candidate feeding options and the piloting of best bet
feeding options.
There were the Christian Leaders Training
Centre (Banz), Lutheran Development Service (Morobe) and Ok Tedi Development
Foundation (Tabubil).
Results from all three sites
confirmed findings from the on-station grow-out trial conducted at NARI Labu
that birds fed with 50% sweet potato with 50% low energy concentrate and 50%
cassava with 50% high energy concentrate diets were able to reach market weight
of 2kg or more at 42 days of age. Feed conversion efficiencies of birds on
these test diets were similar to results obtained at NARI.
Growth performance of birds is not affected by
form of presentation of sweet potato component of the diet (mashed or milled).
The best bet feeding options were
again tested on farm in selected villages through contact via our partners.
The trials were conducted in
Madang, Morobe, Eastern Highlands, WesternHighlands and Western provinces.
Overall performance of broilers on the test
diets was good, attaining target market of over 2kg from week five of age.
The sweet potato-based diet compared very well
with the commercial control on end weight.
Economic modeling was also done
on the use of mini feed mills to process these concentrates and the graph below
depicts the projected costs.
It is profitable to also have mini feedmills
using the concentrate concept to minimise production costs.
Based on this research, it is
safe to recommend the two feeding options of using high energy concentrate with
cassava and low energy concentrate with sweet potato for poultry feed in areas
where these staple crops are in abundance.
Madness and troubled mind are qualities of mad artists. Such are the truths about Waigani lawyers and leaders. Pala edict on media freedom and people's free speech is a plot many lawyers and leaders do not know about.
Lawyers who advised the government are very lost. They lost respect and dignity as lawyers. Mole in their midst is a lawyer with the Justice Department. That lawyer worked for Nellie James in 2006. Unknown to this lawyer was that Nellie James was a mole for World Bank. She had in the beginning of that year accompanied a Graeme Hancock to WashingtonDC to negotiate second World Bank loan for PNG.
Another person on that trip was a Philip Samar. He is now in charge of World Bank funds at the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA).
World Bank created MRA under first loan. Now World Bank wants PNG and Bougainville to revisit mining powers on Bougainville.
Reviewing corporate structure without legal and policy bases is putting cart before the horse. PNG followed exactly the same path and is facing problems already. MRA's corporate plan was done prior to legislation. Bougainville is on a very dangerous path.
MRA is a Trojan horse on Bougainville. It was in 2008 when Bougainville leaders worked with MRA to allow MRA into Bougainville. The infamous Alotau 15 steps pact was a political pact. Legally Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) has mining powers. Sections 288 and 290 of the PNG Constitution vests mining powers in the ABG.
President John Momis has a mole in his house. Lawyer for ABG paid for by Australia is working against autonomy. Late Kabui and more recently James Tanis are victims of the Trojan horse.
Plot of lawyer and new Secretary for new Department of Mineral Policy and Geohazards Management Nellie James was to get Graeme Hancock into Bougainville. Now MRA her would be funder of new Department of Mining on Bougainville has advertised for consultants to do corporate plan.
Momis must remove MRA on Bougainville soonest. It is a mad artist with no way out.
Positive progress has been made in the months following the student boycott earlier this year at the University of Goroka.
The UOG council has begun implementing recommendations of the independent investigation committee’s (IIC) report.
From the report compiled by the ILC who investigated the boycott, the UOG council standing committee has initiated improvements to help the overall effectiveness of the university in two key areas.
The first key area will involve the restructure of the university.
This will involve a major overhauling of the university’s organisational structure to establish a model more relevant to the needs of the institution, in accordance with the organisational and academic re-structures already in place.
Special focus will be given to the areas of senior academic staff appointments and remuneration.
This will be undertaken by a specialist group composed of a consultant, UOG staff, and stakeholders who will work on the restructure as a matter of urgency.
The second key area to be undertaken as per direction from the council standing committee will concern staff salary increases.
The UOG is taking steps to address this issue by reviewing the current wage structure for academic and non-academic staff by re-implementing the existing staff development programme, and by re-introducing annual increments for staff appraisals.
This will be executed by the acting management team working together with representatives of the national academic staff association (NASA) and non-academic national staff association (NANSA) bodies to design a performance-based salary structure which will be adopted and implemented by the university.
Chancellor of UOG Benais Sabumei said: “The university has been long overdue for staff and academic reorganisational reviews and I am pleased that the IIC report has focused on these important areas.
“The university foreshadows many significant changes to the higher educational system, and these decisions will ensure UOG is prepared and ready to accept the challenges ahead.”
An armed policeman and an
airport security standing guard over the wounded gunman as he lies on the ground
after he was wounded and disarmed.
Suspect turns on public after
missing target
THREE people were wounded in an
attempted murder drama that unfolded at the JacksonAirport last Friday
morning, The National reports.
Four gunmen, allegedly from the rich
Moran oil project area in Southern Highlands,
went to the domestic terminal to challenge a landowner chairman and his officers
who were scheduled to board a plane for Moro to attend the launch of the Moran
Special Purpose Authority (MSPA).
Finding their target gone, the
suspects turned on the public, wounding two before police also wounded one of
them.
Among the delegation travelling to
Moro that morning was MSPA chairman Tony Kila, local MP Francis Potape, deputy
commissioner of police operations Anthony Wagambie, journalists and government
officials.
The National was also at the airport
bound for Moro when the incident took place.
The MSPA is voted into office by the
Homa-Pawa and Baguale people through their 33 incorporated land groups.
Recently, a new board headed by Kila
was elected into office, replacing that of former chairman David
Mulungu.
While it was alleged that the
airport shooting could have stemmed from the changes within the authority, it
could not be confirmed with police and local
authorities.
Reports said the attackers had gone
to the airport armed with three firearms.
At the airport, one of the gunmen
produced a handgun from a side bag and shot a bystander on the chest in front of
the domestic terminal entrance. He then fired another shot into the
air.
Another suspect, armed with an
assault rifle and a shoulder-link belt filled with cartridges, stood up from the
back of a Ford Ranger parked at the public car park and shot at the
public.
A lone policeman within the vicinity
of the incident retaliated and fired two warning shots at the gunman, urging him
to surrender. Instead, the shooting continued and another man from the
Highlands was shot just below the
shoulders.
The gunman then alighted from the
vehicle and took cover behind another car, believed to belong to PNG Gardener
Justin Tkatchenko, and more shots were fired with a total of 27 bullet holes
counted on the vehicle.
The drama lasted for about 20
minutes before the suspect was shot just below his knees and
disarmed.
The gunman, after being disarmed and
in agony, kept shouting that he was prepared to die for his land and for his
brother.
He was later sent to the Port Moresby GeneralHospital.
Two people, believed to be a father
and son, apart from the wounded gunman, were taken into police
custody.
Police at the scene also retrieved
the assault rifle, 27 live cartridges and the shoulder-link belt and a handgun
used in the attack.
Police believed the weapons used in
the attack were registered to a landowner company.
Police bail was denied
yesterday.
ACP Wagambie tagged the airport
incident as “politics of economy” where, he said, the landowners were fighting
over who should
control the
funds.
Air Niugini’s Jack Pidik blamed
Civil Aviation Authority for the incident after a similar incident took place
last month when a gold buyer was murdered inside the
terminal.
He said that there had been many
calls to improve security at the main entrance to the airport but nothing had
happened.
Meanwhile, reports from Homa-Pawa
said many pigs were killed and the planned celebration went well without any
disturbances despite the incident.
THE national government has been blamed for last Friday’s shooting incident at the JacksonAirport which left three people wounded, The National reports.
Among those wounded was a gunman who acted in a Rambo-style manner, firing at random at the public before he was shot, wounded and disarmed.
Police also arrested an alleged father-and-son gang at the airport while confiscating a handgun, an assault rifle and a gun belt with 27 live cartridges.
Police have refused them bail.
Authorities have attributed the airport shooting incident to landowner issues and differences.
Civil Aviation Authority chief executive officer Joseph Kintau has brushed aside claims by Air Niugini that last Friday’s incident was an airport security issue.
He said the incident was a sensitive landowner issue which the government did not address properly.
“The government must be blamed for the actions of landowners, because these issues must be addressed properly,” Kintau said.
His comments came after Air Niugini corporate affairs manager Jack Pidik blamed CAA for lack of security at the airport.
He said several requests and meetings had been held to improve security at the airport’s main entrance but nothing had eventuated, resulting in several internal security threats at the airport.
Early last month, a gold buyer was shot dead by armed criminals inside the terminal.
But, Kintau did not agree with Pidik, saying that the government must be held responsible for what happened last Friday.
Several landowner leaders at the airport also levelled the blame at the national government.
They said this was only the beginning of many more to come, explaining that landowners were already frustrated.
An expatriate at the scene last Friday said this was the start of worse things to stem from the liquefied natural gas project if not addressed properly by those in authority.
Meanwhile, assistant commissioner of police operations Tony Wagambie, who was at the crime scene when it unfolded, rated it as a security issue.
However, he said “it was the politics of money and power by landowners” in their fight to have access to landowner funds.
AUSTRALIANS were asked to help with the management of the large inflow of revenue from the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project because Papua New Guineans do not trust each other, Public Enterprises Minister Arthur Somare said, The National reports.
“I’ve invited the Australians to look over my shoulders,” Somare told The National at Brisbane airport en route to Melbourne for the PNG-Australia LNG ministerial meeting last Thursday.
The meeting was held to discuss the establishment of sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) as a vehicle to manage revenue flows to the government from the PNG LNG project.
He said Papua New Guineans were quite capable of managing the inflow of large amounts of revenue from 2014 but, for purposes of accountability and transparency, Australians were invited to “look over our shoulders”.
“The involvement of Australians would also help to further boost PNG’s international credibility rating.
“Papua New Guineans also did not trust each other to manage the funds. Therefore, the involvement of Australians should allay fears of inappropriate application and expenditures ... I may not be around by then,” he quipped.
The official delegation to Melbourne included Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Sam Abal, National Planning Minister Paul Tiensten, Public Services Minister Peter O’Neill, Commerce and Industry Minister Gabriel Kapris and a team of senior bureaucrats.
In a pre-talks statement, Somare said the ministerial delegation would discuss possible Australian assistance for the creation of a transparent governance regime covering taxes and dividends received by the PNG government from the LNG project.
“The government needs to have these measures in place before the LNG revenue starts to flow in about five years’ time,” Somare said.
Under a joint understanding signed with the Australian government late last year, PNG requested that Australia help set up an effective and transparent governance regime for the LNG project revenue to provide international credibility for a challenging undertaking.
