Heart for marine life

With a heart for marine life and the protection of their environment, Miss BSP 2010 Rachel Sapery James is encouraging coastal communities to love and protect natural barriers such as coral reefs and mangrove forests, The National reports.

 To get her point home, she was caught scuba diving off the coast of Kimbe in West New Britain last weekend after doing some humanitarian work in the township. James is an advocate for marine conservation activities and as part of her task in the Miss PNG Red Cross Quest, she will be visiting her home province, New Ireland, to conduct awareness on climate change and issues affecting the environment.

 At BSP, she is employed as social and environmental management systems officer.

James has a masters in science and a degree in international studies of aquatic tropical ecology and conservation, obtained from the Bremen University in Germany.

Sex crimes up

Police say young, even grannies, targeted

 

SEXUAL assault is definitely on the increase in Papua New Guinea with even minors falling victim, The National reports.

Even grandmothers had fallen prey to sadistic behaviours.

And, one in every two women had been sexually assaulted, police said at a workshop in Lae on sexual violence. They fear the percentage could be higher.

This included married women who were forced to have sex with their husbands against their will.

Officer-in-charge of the sexual offences squad in Port Moresby, Det-Sgt Tinol Pakiapon made the comments during the first of a series of sexual offences workshop at the Bumbu barracks in Lae.

Pakiapon was, last year, recognised by the Australasian Council of Women and Policing in its annual excellence in policing awards for his commitment towards improving the response to victims of sexual assault.

In an incident in the National Capital District five years ago, a man was charged with forcing his penis into the mouth of a six-month-old child. The offender was charged with sexual penetration.

Even men and boys were victims of sexual offences but, according to Pakiapon, because of societal norms that gave rise to the notion “men must be men”, most men do not speak out for fear of being stigmatised.

Very young boys were also forced to take part in or were sodomised and, out of fear, many kept quiet about their ordeal and did not speak up.

Many of the victims, both male and female, were traumatised by these experiences and, just having to go through the process of police interviews and appearing in court, made them re-live these traumas.

According to Pakiapon, the three-day meeting on sexual offences provided police prosecutors, magistrates, public solicitors, health care workers, community-based corrections and medical practitioners with a comprehensive overview of the importance of a coordinated response to victims of sexual assault and a greater understanding of legislative requirements.

The Lae Family Support Centre reported receiving between 30 and 50 cases of sexual assaults a month and attending to more than 5,000 patients since 2007.

Police said they were only seeing the tip of the iceberg, about 10% who reported these matters to them but they believed 90% of cases went unreported.

Officer-in-charge of administration with the office of the public prosecutor Nicholas Miviri said the number of sexual offences was increasing because of its prevalence and prominence on the courts criminal listing alongside murder, wilful murder and robbery.

The focus of the meeting was also to provide better services for victims and to help them to settle back into their communities.

Pakiapon said police attitudes in handling such cases “also need to change” so that more people, who are sexually abused, could come out and seek retribution in the courts.

 

Treasurer O'Neill focuses on fiscal discipline, growth

NEW Finance and Treasury Minister Peter O’Neill has assured the people that the government’s priority is to maintain fiscal discipline and sustain economic growth.., The National reports.

O’Neill, who is the Public Service Minister, had been given an added responsibility as Finance and Treasury Minister.

He said his immediate priority was to ensure spending was maintained within the budget level and important government programmes were prioritised.

“Key issues that are of government concern are education, health, infrastructure and law and order. These are key areas that the government will prioritise over the remaining part of the year,” he said.

O’Neill said the government’s district service improvement programme would continue as well as other key programmes aimed at empowering and transforming the rural economy.

“We want to maintain stability so that the business sector and investors have confidence in the government,” he added.

“The government will ensure economic growth continues to prosper, creating an environment for growth in the employment sector.”

O’Neill said economic growth was expected to continue at 8%, largely driven by the start of construction of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project and other new mines.

“The government is mindful of past experiences when uncontrolled government spending caused major economic hardships,” he said.

O’Neill said the budget was framed against the government’s medium-term fiscal strategy (MTFS), the medium-term development strategy (MTDS) and the medium-term debt strategy supported by the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA).

He said the government’s adoption and adherence to these strategies underpinned the prudent economic and fiscal management of the economy.

O’Neill, the leader of the People’s National Congress (PNC) party and member for Ialibu-Pangia, is a second-term MP.

Treasury and Finance was left vacant when Aitape-Lumi MP Patrick Pruaitch was suspended by the Supreme Court in May on allegations of leadership breaches.

O’Neill has an honour’s degree in accounting from the University of Papua New Guinea and had served various senior positions in the private sector including being president of the PNG Institute of Certified Practising Accountants, partner in Pratley & O’Neill accounting firm, executive chairman of PNGBC, Motor Vehicle Insurance, Pacific MMI Insurance, Finance Pacific Ltd, Port Moresby Private Hospital Ltd and Remington Technologies Ltd.

He also served in various portfolios when he entered parliament in 2002, including public service and leader of government business and opposition leader.

 

 

Historic MoU signed

PAPUA New Guinea yesterday signed a historic memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a feasibility study to pipe water resources into Australia from Southern Highlands, The National reports.

The project is valued at A$30 billion (K72 billion).

The feasibility study alone is expected to cost A$20 million (K480 million).

The feasibility project was approved by the National Executive Council in 2008.

The MoU for the feasibility study was signed between the Cairns-based project developer Might and Power Australia Pty Ltd chairman Fred Ariel, Department of Environment and Conservation chief legal adviser Ben Pasigan on behalf of the state and Imbonggu MP Francis Awesa on behalf of Southern Highlands government.

Awesa said: “It’s a historic occasion for the project with a billion kina magnitude.

“It’s indeed the single biggest sustainable and economically viable project involving clean energy, especially water resources in the province and PNG as a whole, apart from oil, gas and other mineral and non-mineral projects.

“Oil and the so-called LNG will deplete in the next 30 years, but water will continue to sustain both Australia and PNG as long as this world exists.”

The opposition stalwart said he had discussed with the Australian federal government and the opposition as well as the Queensland, Victoria and South Australian state governments.

“They are very supportive and that makes this project significant,” Awesa said.

Ariel told the respective stakeholders and reporters that the plan to pipe water into Australia was not an overnight thought.

New Boeing 767 for Air Niugini

Boeing 767-300ER finds new home . . . The Jackson International Airport came alive yesterday evening with the baptism and welcome of Air Niugini’s new Boeing 767-300ER, The National reports.

 Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare (second left) and his deputy Don Polye (left) could not deviate from being part of the official welcome party as they officially cut the ribbon to welcome the 194-seat aircraft to its new home.

 Assisting with the ribbon-cutting was Air Niugini board chairman Sir James Tjoeng and State Enterprises Minister Arthur Somare. - Nationalpic by EKAR KEAPU

 

Rebellious six back with National Alliance

THE six defectors of the ruling National Alliance party’s Southern region have returned to the fold, saying they are still loyal to Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and his coalition government, The National reports.

And, yesterday, the party offered the olive branch to the rebels’ leaders Sir Puka Temu (Rigo MP), Milne Bay Governor Luke Crittin and Charles Abel (Alotau) to follow suit.

New NA Southern region leader Mark Maipakai said the door was still open for the trio, that they had not been sacked by the party.

At a Parliament House media press conference yesterday, the rebel group claimed that their defection last week to the opposition to support a planned motion of no-confidence in Sir Michael was an internal NA party matter, and they had not resigned from the party.

Their spokesman and Ijivitari MP, David Arore, said they had decided to return and support Sir Michael and their new regional leader Maipakai.

“We moved out as a group and now we have come back. We have not resigned and, therefore, we are still members of the party,” he said.

Those who returned, apart from Arore, were Moresby Northeast MP Andrew Mald, Central Governor Alphonse Moroi, Goilala MP Mathew Poia and Gulf Governor Pitom Titus Bombom.

South Fly MP Sali Subam was named but was not present to confirm his return.

Maipakai said the regional split in the party was over the Temu leadership but the group had reunited and was intact under his leadership.

Before the split, the Southern region had 11 MPs in the NA-led coalition but his had been reduced to eight with Temu, Crittin and Abel still with the opposition.

Immediately after the media conference, Maipakai an-nounced that they had a meeting with Sir Michael to iron out their differences and sought ministries in an anticipated cabinet reshuffle.

Earlier, the group had written an apology letter which was hand-delivered to the prime minister.

Maipakai said the Southern bloc remained committed to the prime minister until the 2012 elections.

Maipakai was elected regional leader and Mald his deputy during a regional party meeting last Thursday.

 

 

National Alliance denies top job vacancy

THE National Alliance has denied claims of a vacancy in the party’s political leadership, The National reports.

The party’s national president, Simon Kaiwi, said the Post-Courier’s front-page report on yesterday, claiming that Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare would step down before Aug 14, was grossly misleading.

He said it appeared that the report was fabricated by people who were ignorant of the NA constitution and did not know the basic processes of government and parliament.

According to the newspaper report, quoting Deputy Prime Minister Don Polye, the prime minister had told a party caucus meeting that he would step down before next month and hand over the top job of running the country to another person within the National Alliance.

However, Kaiwi said this was not true, adding that the party has a provision within the NA constitution for the nomination of its leadership.

He said there was no vacancy in the party leadership and Sir Michael was still the parliamentary NA leader.

According to the NA constitution, the selection of a new party leader is taken during party conventions by party members. The prime minister is elected by members of parliament, not by individuals and political parties.

It is understood that the party leadership issue would be one of the highlights at the NA national convention in Western Highlands’ Jiwaka region.