Innocent inmate at 10 months old

Caption: Tamara Player Tomscoll and her 10 months old prison-born baby Paula outside court yesterday just before boarding a prison van for Bomana. Young Paula has been denied immunisation and other basic health services while inside the prison camp.

 

Courtroom falls silent as Kapris’ aide recalls giving birth on bare floor of jail cell

 

By JULIA DAIA BORE

 

TEN-month-old Paula Player Tomscoll is paying the price for the crime her mother Tamara allegedly committed and is now at Bomana jail for – their temporary residence outside Port Moresby, The National reports.

Paula was born on a bare floor of her mother’s Bomana jail cell at 5.05pm on Oct 5 last year, devoid of basic midwifery help because of the mother’s alleged association with bank robber-escapee-rapist William Nanua Kapris.

Mother and child were denied basic medical help which were available to other inmates, a hushed Waigani National Court was told yesterday.

Such were the conditions for a new mother that Tomscoll even attempted to take her own life, twice.

“I have given birth to my baby on the bare floor of my cells.

“Water was constantly leaking through the walls, cells infested with mosquitoes and we were prone to suffering from malaria ... there is a high rate of tuberculosis (TB) in the jail.

“There are no medical staff to treat us, or my baby when she is sick.”

Mother Tomscoll, tears streaming down her face, told the court of her traumatised account in the “very small” cell she now calls home: “My daughter still lacks immunisation (which babies normally have access to).”

However, Paula is now her constant “innocent inmate” company in and outside the jail – yesterday they were together, again, at the dock at Waigani as her mother described the unhygienic condition under which they live.

Tomscoll, 33, appeared yesterday charged with being an accomplice of Kapris in the robbery of the Madang branch of Bank South Pacific.

She pleaded guilty to two charges under the Criminal Code – the first was of being an accessory after the fact to a crime of armed robbery of the Madang BSP branch robbery and, the second, of receiving stolen property of K127, 000, proceeds of that bank robbery.

Tomscoll’s guilty plea came after the state told the court that she had known that Kapris was the mastermind behind the Madang robbery and, with that knowledge, she had assisted him to escape punishment.

The court was told that she had provided logistics for his getaway from Domara in Central to Port Moresby, after Kapris had travelled by dinghy from Madang and, also, of receiving monies that were proceeds of that crime. 

 Tomscoll started allocutus (a statement before being sentenced) by saying: “I want to say sorry to the court for taking up its time because of this matter. I want to say sorry to Bank South Pacific.”

National Court judge Justice Salatiel Lenalia ordered that there must be a pre-sentencing report of the prisoner presented to court by Aug 31 before he could make a ruling.

The charge of “being an accessory after the fact” carries a two-year jail term while receiving stolen property is punishable by 14 years in jail.

Mother and child will return to the Waigani dock on Aug 31 to hear submissions on sentencing – whether Bomana will be permanent home for the next 14 years.

Yakasa: Sex crimes against minors up

By WALLACE KIALA

THE police sexual offence squad and NCD metropolitan command have been alarmed over the reported increase in the number of rape and sexual assault cases against minors, The National reports.

Latest reports indicated that many of the victims were primary school-aged children and many of the perpetrators were known to the families of the victims.

NCD metropolitan police commander Chief Supt Fred Yakasa said incest cases were also on the rise. However, he could not provide any figures.

“We have the most vulnerable group within our families and communities that are being targeted, and community leaders and parents must help clamp down on offenders,” Yakasa said.

“Parents and guardians must be mindful of people, or even relatives, whom they leave their female children with to look after,” he added.

A senior investigator with the sexual offence squad confirmed the reports yesterday.

The officer, who declined to be named, said the office had received an average of 10 cases a day in the last few months involving female and male victims under the age of 15.

“Most of the cases reported involved parents and children from broken marriages and homes.

“Even male children aged between four and 10 are being victimised by older male relatives,” she added.

She said because of cultural reasons, many of these offences were not reported to police and were often settled outside of the law.

 

 

Mysterious disease kills 13

By ELIZABETH MIAE

 

A MYSTERIOUS disease has killed 13 people, including three children, in the Murray Valley area of North Fly district, Western, The National reports.

The villages affected are Sanganabip, Fakgubip, Kwerimin and Dahamo.

These villages are near the Juha and Hides liquefied natural gas (LNG) project areas on the border of the Southern Highlands and Western.

District manager Michael Rameng told The National from Tabubil yesterday that according to reports they received, the “mystery” illness caused vomiting, stomach aches and people were defecating with blood.

He said they received the report of the outbreak two weeks ago from villagers who had to walk a day to the nearest aid post at Serbang village to use the two-way radio to get in touch with the district administration.

Rameng did not specify how many people from which village had died but said a team of health officials, with the help of officers from the Ok Tedi Mining Ltd, had flown into the area on Monday to assess the situation and give a report when they returned on Friday.

He  said at this point, they did not know what the disease was but they were not ruling out cholera.

Rameng said the area had experienced heavy rain recently and the village’s water sources could be contaminated from flood waters.

Bolivip ward councillor and former governor Norbert Makmop said people did not have any access to health facilities and had to walk long distances to get treatment.

Olsobip LLG manager and North Fly district manager were informed of this and they forwarded reports to the North Fly authorities for urgent medical teams with medical supplies to be flown in.

“Whatever the killer disease, we fear it could spread to other villages in Western, SHP and West Sepik,” Makmop said

Western Governor Dr Bob Danaya said last night that he was briefed on the deaths while visiting Kiunga over the weekend.

“From what I have heard, it sounds like a viral attack.

“The complaints sound pneumonia-like, but it could be severe malaria.

“Children are affected because many children in the areas are not immunised because the area is very remote.

“We will have to wait and see the results of tests before we provide the appropriate and adequate response,” Danaya said.

Please pass these to your teacher friends

Dear friends,

 

It would be useful if PNG students and teachers learned the derivation of words based on Latin and Greek roots. Combine these with an understanding of prefixes and suffixes and there is access for all to hundreds of words.

We are long distant members of the Roman Empire that brought Latin to England, France, Italy and Spain. Then Normans came to England and brought French words based on Latin. So English double-dipped into Latin. Australians brought English to Papua New Guinea.

Let us explore a selection of Latin and Greek roots. We have a new way of looking at English. There are not just thousands of words. There are dozens of word groupings.

It would be good if the roots of words were returned to the class room.

Students would enter a new world of language.

 

 

Latin                                      Greek

 

Every day                                   Official & scientific

words                                         words

 

****************

 

Ago (actus) – I do.

agent, act, actor, react, reagent, agile, action, interact,

interaction,

 

Ameas (amat) – Love, happy

amorous, amicable, amamas (tok pisin), amour (French)

amo (Italian), amiable.

 

Arche – rule

Monarchy, oligarchy, anarchy

 

Aster – a star

Aster daisy ( flower looks like a star), asteroid,

astronomy, astrology, asterisk, astronaut

 

Aves –the birds

Aviation, aviary, aviator

 

Baros – weight

Barometer, barometric,

 

Biblos – a book

Bible, bibliography, bibliotheque (French)

 

Cado ( cassus) – I fall

accident, cadence, cascade, decay, decadent, decadence.

occasion,

 

Capio (captus) – I take

Capture, captive, captivate, escape, captivity

 

Caput – the head.

Cap, captain (English), Kapitano (Italian), Kapitain (Spanish) capital,

caption, decapitate, recapitulate.

 

Cedo (cessus)  - I go

Proceed, procession, recede, recession, concede, concession

intercede, intercession, cede, cession, precede, precedent.

 

Centum – a hundred

Century, cent, centurion, centavo (Spanish), centenary,

centenarian

 

Claudo (claussus) - I shut

Exclude, exclusion, include, inclusion, clause, cloister,

recluse,

 

Cor – the heart

Cordial, core, Coeur (French), courage, courageous, courtesy,

Sacre Coeur ( French Catholic)  Cor blimey ( English slang)

 

Corpus – the body

Corporal, corpse, corpulent, corporation. Corps, Corpus Christi

(Italian) , incorporate

 

Culpare – guilty

Culpable, Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa ( Latin Catholic)

 

Curro (cursus) – I run

Current, incur, incursion, recur, recurrent, course, cursory, cursive

discourse, cursor

 

Decim – ten

Decimal, decimate, decade, December (Julian calendar)

 

Demos – the people

Democracy, democratic 

 

Dens (dentis) – a tooth

Dentine, dentist, dental, denture, indent, indentation

 

Dico ( dictus) – I say

Predict, prediction, indict, indictment, diction, indicate,

indication, dicta-phone, dictionary,

 

Duco (ductus) – I lead

Duct, viaduct, oviduct, conduct, conductor, conduction

Duce ( Italian), reduce, reduction, deduce, deduction,

produce, product, production, introduce, introduction.

 

Eo – I go

Exit, exeunt (Shakespeare)

 

Facio ( factus) – I make

Factory, manufacture, facile, faction,

 

Fero ( latus)  - I bear

Refer, transfer, confer, reference, conference, relate,

translate, translation, collate

 

Finis – the end

Finish, pinis (tok pisin), finite, infinite, final, finality,

finissimo (Italian), finale, refine, refinery, finery

 

Flecto (flectus) I bend

Flexible, inflexible, reflect, reflection, deflect, deflection.

flex, inflexion. Reflex

 

Fluo – I flow

Fluid, fluent, fluency, influence, affluent, effluent

 

Fort (fortus) – strong

Fort, fortitude, fortissimo ( Italian),  Codral Forte,

comfort, comfortable.

 

Frango ( fractus) – I break

Fragile, fraction, fracture, fragment, fractious,

 

Fundo (fundus) – I pour

Fund, funnel, profound, refund

 

Ge –the earth

Geology, geography, geophysical,

 

Gradior (gressus) – a slope

Grade, gradual, gradient, gradually, degrade,

progress,

 

Grapho – I write

Photograph, telegraph, graph, graphite, graphic,

 

Homeo – the same

Homo sapiens, homophobia, homosexual, homogeneous

 

Jacio (jectus) – I throw

Inject, injection, project, projection, projector, reject, rejection

eject, ejection, ejaculate, deject, conjecture, interject, interjection

 

Judes – a judge

Judiciary, judge, judicial, judgment

 

Jungo (jungtus) – I join

Junction, juncture, adjunct, injunction, conjunction

 

Legis – law

Legal, illegal, legislate, legislation, legislature

 

Lego (lectus) - I gather

Lecture, college, religion, lecturn, collect, collection

 

Logos – a study or discourse

Biology, astrology, geology, anthropology, anthology,

monologue, catalogue, dialogue, epilogue

 

Luna – the moon

Lunar, la lune (French), lunatic (people believed to go

mad a the full moon)

 

Manus – the hand

Manual, manuscript, manage, management

 

Mater – a mother

Maternal, matron, ma’am, mama,

 

Metron – a measure

Meter, barometer, anemometer, thermometer,

 

Mitto (missus) –I send

Emit, emission, transmit, transmission, promise, commit, admit,

committee, commission,  admission, permit, permission

 

Moveo – I move

Mobile, automobile, mobility, immobile, movie

 

Nascor (nativitis) - I am born

Native, national, international, nativity, felice nativitat (Spanish) 

 

Pars (partus) – a part

Part, particle, particular, partition, participate, apartment, compartment,

repartee, separate, separation, impart

 

Pater – a father

Papa, paternal, patron, pastor,

 

Pathos – feeling

Pathos, pathetic, sympathy, apathy, empathy, antipathy

 

Pax – peace

Peace, compassion, Pacific Ocean, pacify, pacification

 

Pendeo (pendus) – I hang down

Pendant, pensive, penis, pendulum, suspend, penchant

 

Pes (pedus) – a foot

Pedal, pedestrian, pedometer

 

Phonos – sound

Telephone, phonetics, phone,

 

Phos – light

Photograph, phosphorus, photosynthesis, photogenic

 

Pleo – I fill

Complement, implement, implementation, supplement

 

Plico – I fold

Application, apply, reply, imply

 

Porto (portus)  - I carry

Port, report, transport, transportation, import, importation,

export, exportation, deport, deportation, deportee, important.

 

Premo (pressus) – I press

Press, pressure, express, depress, impresario (Italian) supreme,

impress, impression, compression

 

Primus – first

Prime, primary, primeval, primitive, imprimateur

 

Rex (regis) – a rule

Regal, vice-regal, tyrannosaurus rex

 

Polis – a city

Police, metropolis, metropolitan,

 

Pono (possus)  - I place

Postpone, opponent, expose, impose, repose, depose, deposit,

composite, composition,  position, expose

 

Sacre – holy

Sacred, sacristy, Sacred Coeur ( Catholic French)        

 

Scando (scandus) – I climb

Ascend, ascent, descend, descent, scandal

 

Skopeo - I view

Telescope, periscope, microscope, scope,

 

Secto (cidus)_ - I cut or kill

Dissect, dissection, bisect, intersect, intersection, suicide,

genocide, insecticide, spermacide, resection, section, sector,

sect, insect

 

Scribo ( scriptus) – I write

Describe, description, inscribe, inscription, conscription, scribe

scripture, scribble, prescribe, prescription, script

 

Specio (spectus) I see

Special, specialty, inspect, inspection, respect, spectacles, species,

introspect, introspection

 

Tango (tangus) - I touch

Tangible, intangible, tactile, tact, tactless

 

Tenio (tendus) – I hold

Tender, tendon, extend, intend, intention, contend, contention,

pretend, pretension, portend, tension, extension 

 

Terra – the earth

Terrestrial, terra firma, inter, interred, interment, extra- terrestrial,

Mediterranean ( middle of the earth) Terra nova, subterranean

 

Therme – heat

Thermal, thermometer, hypothermia, thermostat

 

Traho (tractus) – I draw

Tractor, traction, contract, extract, retract, contraction, retraction,

detract, detraction, distract, distraction

 

Video (vissus) – I see

Video player, DVD, vision, visible, invisible, revise, advice,

advise,

 

Venio – I come

Venture, convene, convention, invent, convent, veni-vidi-vinci

(I came- I saw- I conquered), prevent.

 

Verto (versus) – I turn

Revert, reverse, inverse, converse, convert, conversion, versus

 

Vinco -_I conquer

Convince, vanquish, invincible, HMS Invincible.

 

Volvo (volvus) – I roll

Revolve, revolver, Volvo car, involve, revolution, convolution,

convolvulus (flower)

 

Zoon – an animal

Zoo, zoology, zooplankton, zoological, spermatozoa, protozoan

 

If you are interested in words, please keep these on your computer and run your eye down the list from time to time. I learned these words from Grades 7-12 from 1958 to 1963. I will never forget. 

 

 

Regards,

 

 

Bruce Copeland BA BEdSt   

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, Mum

Happy Birthday to Mum, Mrs Moasing Nalu, who would have turned 72 today, but who left us on September 2, 2009.

You're still the best Mum in the world and will always be remembered by your children, grandchildren, family and friends.

That's a picture of her above with a baby while a nurse at Buangi Hospital, Finschhafen, many years ago.

Madang's 2nd tailings pipe

Yandera developer looks at disposal options

By SINCLAIRE SOLOMON 

THE developer of Madang’s second biggest mine is considering a deep sea tailings placement (DSTP) system – similar to the one which has landed the Ramu nickel project developer, Ramu NiCo, in court and further delayed construction of its refinery in Basamuk in Madang’s Astrolabe Bay, The National reports.

Australian-based Marengo Mining Ltd has selected a site not too far from the Ramu NiCo’s refinery and planned DSTP system construction which had been put on hold following an interim injunction taken by a group of landowners who claimed the system would be environmentally damaging.

Marengo is developing the Yandera copper-molybdenum-gold prospect in the Bismarck Range, several kilometres southwest of Ramu nickel’s Kurumbukari nickel-cobalt mine.

Managing director Les Emery confirmed the DSTP proposal yesterday but also pointed out that “a number of tailings disposal methods would continue to be evaluated”.

The DSTP plans were highlighted in Marengo’s June quarter report which was released last Friday.

Three key tailings management possibilities had been identified: a tailings storage facility (TSF) within the Ramu Valley, about 28km from the processing plant; the DSTP, about 100km from the plant site; and combination of TSF and DSTP.

Interestingly, Marengo engaged Coffey Natural Systems of Australia, the same company engaged by Ramu NiCo for its environmental management and deep sea tailings placement study.

“The Ramu valley is the preferred site to establish a TSF because of the flatter terrain, lower drainage management requirements and geotechnical aspects.

“Additional studies would be conducted to determine if it would be necessary to implement the DSTP within the initial 10-year operating life.”

“Oceanographic testing equipment was deployed into Astrolabe Bay, on the north coast of PNG, in an area selected as a potential location for deep seas tailings placement (DSTP).

“This testing is part of comprehensive baseline study activity, required to be carried out before any development and environmental permit is made.

“Prior to the deployment of the oceanographic equipment, public awareness meetings were held at nearby villages.

“These meetings were a great success and will set the foundation for similar meetings, as other activities are undertaken.”

Emery did not specifically answer questions on whether Marengo was following the Ramu NiCo court case and its eventual outcome to decide whether to proceed with the DSTP system.

However, he told The National that the system was included in its definitive feasibility study (DFS) into the development of the Yandera project which was scheduled for completion by the end of this year.

Emery said that during the course of the study, many aspects of proposed mining operations had been considered as part of developing a long life mining operation which would benefit all stakeholders.

“To achieve this outcome, we continue to consider the various components, their suitability of application to the project, their effect on the environment and communities, and their economic viability.

“A number of tailings disposal methods continue to be evaluated, including that of DSTP for the safe storage of inert process tailings, after recovery of sulphide concentrates.

“Land-based tailing storage methods are also being evaluated and the final decision as to what will be included in the mining approval applications will be made early next year.”

He said that based on a the DFS completion date, securing of project financing and permitting approvals the US$1.6 billion Yandera project could be in full production by 2014.

On the other hand, the US$1.37 billion Ramu nickel project was scheduled to be commissioned later this year.

Road works not delivering

By STEPHANIE ELIZAH

 

PARTICIPANTS at a field staff conference in Port Moresby were told yesterday that the road construction industry (RCI) has not delivered to the expectation of the Department of Works, The National reports.

Works regional and provincial managers, civil engineers and staff were also warned that unless drastic measures were instituted, the situation would not improve and the ensuing effects would not only be detrimental to the industry but to the future development of PNG.

Northern-Islands regional works manager Brian Alois highlighted this during his presentation on “managing the effects of competing priorities and the struggling road construction industry” at a week-long conference which ends on Thursday.

“There is already sufficient evidence to show that the road construction industry is failing in more ways than one and, we (DoW ) as the mandated implementation agency, has not been able to discreetly contain the situation,” he stated.

Alois added that the cost to carry out road projects had increased 10 times in the last 16 years, for instance, to upgrade and seal a kilometre of road in 1994 was about K100,000 but will now cost about K1 million.

All these, he said, was having an adverse effect in the drawdown of the national transport development plan (NTDP).

“In the next couple of years, NTDP will be reviewed and, when it takes place, a greater number of the 16 roads which are listed as priorities, would retain their status and the non-priority roads will remain non-priority for another period of time,” he argued.

These 16 roads, Alois added, accounted for 4,217km out of the 9,328.5km of national roads which “is really an unfair distribution of service”.

“So, if the NTDP focuses on 4,217km of road, it is actually serving 870,000 people out of the 6.73 million which clearly indicates that we are not getting it right,” he said.

Alois challenged field staff to provide solutions to the effects as the best way to manage a problem.