Fright of a lifetime flying Air Niugini

By ALPHONSE MUAPI

PNG Electoral Commission media

 

PASSENGERS travelling on yesterday morning’s Air Niugini flight from Port Moresby to Lae and Manus got the scare of their lives when the aircraft developed technical problems midair soon after take-off, The National reports.

The 78 passengers on flight PX 292, from Port Moresby to Lae and Manus, were shaken when the Fokker 100 had to take off and land twice at the Jackson Airport.

The F100 aircraft developed technical problems soon after take-off at 9.45am.

It started experiencing technical problems with its landing gear about 10 minutes into the flight when the aircraft was about to cruise over the Owen Stanley Ranges.

The captain, trying not to cause panic among passengers, calmly announced over the aircraft’s public announcement system that, due to technical problems with some of the aircraft’s flight equipment and for the safety of passengers, he had to return to Port Moresby.

The plane landed safely at 10.15am at the Jackson Airport. Airport fire and rescue trucks were on standby at the PNG Defence Force air wing.

On arrival, passengers were advised by the captain not to disembark as Air Niugini’s ground staff (aircraft engineers) would have a look at the aircraft’s landing gear and clear the aircraft for a second take-off (departure).

After 45 minutes, the all-clear was given for the plane to fly. However, just five minutes after take-off from Jackson Airport, the captain’s voice came on again, apologising and advising that, unfortunately, they could not make it to Lae because the problem with the landing gear had re-occurred.

The plane was back on the ground at 11.30am.

During the second landing, a female passenger sitting in row 13 fumed, and said in Tok Pisin: “Festaim mipela kamdaun na mi tok long mipela go daun na kalap long narapela balus, tasol yupela no sapotim mi. Nau, lukim wanem samting kamap (the first time we landed, I said we should all leave this aircraft and board another. However, nobody supported me and, now, see what has happened).”

Passengers were all advised to disembark after the “second arrival”, and they did so calmly with some anger.

Luggages were also unloaded from the faulty PX 292 to another F100 aircraft that departed Port Moresby for Lae at 12.15pm.

“I got a scare of my life and decided not to board the other aircraft to Lae.

“I came out of the boarding lounge, caught a cab and went straight home,” Alphonse Muapi, writer of this story, said.

A statement released later to the media by Air Niugini’s corporate affairs department said there was no emergency landing at the airport.

“We wish to confirm that PX 292 from Port Moresby to Lae and Manus was delayed due to a technical defect and the situation did not require an emergency landing but to return to Port Moresby.

“The aircraft, after take-off, encountered an anti-skid defect and the pilot in command applied the standard operating procedures by electing to return to Port Moresby,” the airline stated.

 

MPs disgusted with axe murder

THE axing to death of a university student in Port Moresby has drawn widespread condemnation, with Deputy Prime Minister Don Polye warning that those responsible can expect no less treatment, The National reports.

“I do not think we should allow such heinous and barbaric behaviour to continue in our communities.

“Those responsible for this crime must realise that our laws will ensure that they can expect nothing less.

“Taking a person’s life away in a premeditated fashion is inhuman. It is uncivilised,” Polye said.

Mining Minister and Kompiam-Ambum MP John Pundari also condemned the cold blooded killing in Port Moresby saying he was appalled by the brutal killing of Christopher George Kalupai, a first-year law student at the University of Papua New Guinea.

“This is a complete disgrace, a slap in the face and has tarnished the good name of the rest of the law abiding citizens of our capital city,” he said.

Pundari wanted those responsible for the murder to immediately surrender to police and urged police to speed up investigations.

The late Kalupai, from Enga, was allegedly hacked to pieces by rival clansmen from Wapele village, Laiagam, after being dragged out of a PMV bus in Morata, Port Moresby, on Monday.

Police Commissioner Gary Baki was also disgusted with the killing and vowed that his men would “wipe” the killers from the rest of society.

“This payback and tribal war killings is totally uncalled for. It is animalistic and uncivilised.

“I call on the so-called Highlands leaders to cease their chest beating and political garbage to address these tribal fights which is an ulcer in their societies.”

Moresby Northeast MP Andrew Mald called on the Department of Justice and Attorney-General to immediately enforce the law which has been passed by parliament.

He said the country was losing many intellectuals and businessmen who could make a big difference in the overall development of this nation.

Mald said the judiciary must now act if we want to put a stop to horrific and senseless killing as if they were doing it their little village back home.

“Port Moresby is the country’s capital and not a place for some bunch of animals to practice and bring their village tribal differences,” he said.

“How can we put a stop to such barbaric actions of some inhuman bunch of group of people?”

Mald claimed that if the death penalty was not implemented, then the country should expect more innocent people would be killed and that perpetrators would think that they could get away from the law.

Lions Club of Lae needs your help

It will be smiles all round for the Lae Lions and Lioness Clubs members on Saturday, Nov 20,  as they gather for a special occasion as part of the reformation of the Lae Lions Club.

Club cecretary Jerry Manjawi with sick boy at the Angau Hospital children’s ward

Lae Lions Club branch president, Lion Namon Mawason, has confirmed that the immediate past district governor of Lions for Papua New Guinea and Northern Queensland, Lion John Muller, will be visiting Lae on this day to meet with the members of both the Lions and Lioness Clubs and to update them on Lions activities and programmes right around the world.

Muller said: “It is a great honour for me to return to Lae and to represent our current district governor Patrick Lynch for this formal visit to the club.

“Many years ago Lions had a strong presence in the local Lae community, and it is great that I am here and able to assist the new club as it continues to grow membership and build towards again being a chartered Lions Club.”

The Lae branch club currently has 15 members, and needs to recruit further community-minded people so that it can reach the minimum number of 20 Lions required to enable the club to again charter and be recognised as a club in its own right.

Mawason said: “The Lae club branch members and their families recently celebrated Papua New Guinea’s 35^th independence day on Sept 16, 2010, by visiting the Angau Hospital children’s ward and presenting some gifts - drinks, biscuits and ice cream - to the children as part of the service activities we do for our community.”

Club members preparing at Coronation College before proceeding to the hospital

He thanked Lae Biscuit Company and Laga Industries Ltd for contributing biscuits and ice cream for the Children.

Lions Club International is the largest service club organisation in the world, with over 1.36 million members in more than 48,000 clubs in 205 countries world-wide. Membership in Lions is by invitation, is open to all community-minded people, and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, gender, colour or disability.

Anyone wishing to know more about Lions should contact Mawason on phone (675) 76863219 or secretary Jerry Manjawi on (675) 4721011.

“We would love to see many new interested people at past district governor Muller’s visit on Saturday evening, Nov 20, so that they may learn more about Lions and also be invited to join our club,” Mawason said.

For further information and photo opportunities:  Namon Mawason (675) 7686 3219 / namon.mawason@lbcgroup.com.pg

Agriculture support services project launched in Chimbu

By SOLDIER BURUKA of DAL

Fr Garia unveils the official plaque watched by Dr Lahis and other officials

The people of Chimbu have been urged to utilise their land and resources for agriculture farming which will help improve their livelihood.

Chimbu Governor Fr John Garia called on the people to be more innovative and use whatever little resources they had to seek income-earning opportunities and reduce poverty and food insecurity.

He told the people not to use the rugged and mountainous terrain, inadequate infrastructure, ineffective services and other issues as an excuse.

Fr Garia was speaking at the official launching of the smallholder support services expansion project (SSSEP) in the province last week.

 Provincial administration staff, farmers, women’s leaders and provincial leaders attended the launching in Kundiawa.

He also presented K40, 000 as counterpart funding to help establish the new project office.

The programme will be introduced into the Kerowagi and Sinasina-Yonggomugl districts.

Central together with Chimbu are the two new provinces to be included in the expansion phase after the project was trialed in Morobe and Eastern Highlands for several years.

 It was trialed as a way to address the inadequate and ineffective delivery of agricultural support services in PNG, and the approach included contracting individuals and institutions to deliver support services to smallholder farmers.

The overall goal is to improve the quality of life of smallholder farmers by increasing their access to agriculture support services.

The Governor, whilst expressing his appreciation to the Department of Agriculture and Livestock for accepting his province, said SSSEP would boost agriculture development and provide opportunities for the farmers to improve their livelihood.

He expected the majority of the rural population to gain maximum benefit through their involvement in the project and urged all stakeholders to support the new system.

Fr Garia acknowledged the efforts of many farmers in food crops, rice, fish farming, livestock and coffee who had worked tirelessly without government assistance to become successful.

He said people should not always rely on the politicians for cash handouts but try to become self-reliant.

Fr Garia said he never encouraged handouts and always gave out seedlings and farming tools to farmers who requested for assistance.  

The Governor also called on public servants to stop being bottlenecks and assist in getting the flow of services to the rural communities.

He said new concepts such as the SSSEP could work effectively if public servants were committed and honest in the delivery of services.

Chairman of Kerowagi farmers’ co-operative society, Jacob Kerenga, on behalf of the farmers of Chimbu, thanked DAL and the provincial administration for selecting his province to be included.

He said people had the land and resources but they were lazy.

 They also lacked regular extension and technical advisory services and hopefully this would change through the SSSEP.

“This is the opportunity we have all been waiting for to improve agriculture farming activities,” Kerenga said.

“How can we improve our livelihood if we don’t go back to agriculture- the backbone of our economy?”

 Kerenga said while the people were being encouraged to produce more food crops, there were inadequate markets available.

He said this was one of the constraints faced by the farmers and urged DAL to do something.  SSSEP project coordinator Dr Sam Lahis thanked the Governor for the counterpart funding, which is a commitment towards supporting the SSSEP in the province.

He also acknowledged the New Zealand Government through the NZ Agency for International Development (NZAid) for providing grant funding worth over K3.7 million in support of the SSSEP in PNG.

Questions about outcome based curriculum and outcome based education

By BAPA BOMOTENG

 

The outcome based curriculum (OBC) and the outcome based education (OBE) policy will forever change the phase and the scenario of high school education after 2010.

 The grades 10s in 2010 are sitting for two weeks of grueling exams. 

How bad was the one-week, basic core subjects examinations to be flexed out to two weeks?

 What new re-defined subjects have been included? 

I bet there is a good mix of everything in each of these subjects spiced with a lot of culture. 

 There seems to be less of international English writing and reading skills. 

With a lot more village-based practical activities trying to direct students to be village-based, land cultivation-oriented. 

Where does that leave PNG in the 21st Century, modern English-speaking world of e-world?

 Does it all lead up to Papua New Guineans applying to Australia must complete an English competency exam before being admitted in to Australian universities?  

 The results of OBC in 2010 will be known in 2012 when applications are processed for university entries. 

Will our students be strong in pure mathematics, science, social science and English exams for university entry?

Our village-based elementary graduates, taught by unqualified teachers, already are disadvantaged against all our urban elementary entries into high schools.

There is a big gap between the elementary scholars and private school students from kindergaten, grades 6 and onwards.

Will wait until these Grade 10s are let loose in two years time after grade 12.

 

Bapa Bomoteng

LAE

 

 

 

Miss South Pacific pageant launched

Reigning Miss South Pacific Queen 2009 Merewalesi Nailatikau (right) with Miss PNG 2010 Rachel James Saperi at the launching of the Miss South Pacific Pageant 2010 in Port Moresby last night. – Nationalpic by AURI EVA

By ANGELINE KARIUS

 REIGNING Miss South Pacific Queen 2009 Merewalesi Nailatikau, 25, officially launched the Miss South Pacific Pageant 2010 last night at the Lamana Hotel, The National reports.

This year’s pageant will be hosted by PNG with NCD Governor Powes Parkop as patron of the pageant.

Other South Pacific Island countries taking part included Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Samoa, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands as well as the US state of Hawaii.

Accompanied by her chaperon mother Latu, PNG-raised Fijian Nailatikau said: “I am happy to revisit Papua New Guinea and willing to learn new things too.”

She said it was important that young women be given the attention at such events to have a voice and speak their minds to address various issues including HIV/AIDS. 

She said as a BSP Go Green ambassador in Fiji, she was adamant about raising awareness on the environment and its importance to humans.

Nailatikau added that last year’s theme on “climate change campaigner” reflected that importance during the event.  

Nailatikau lived with her parents at the Sopas medical college in Wabag, Enga, from six months old to five years before her parents, who were medical missionaries, returned to Fiji.

Law student axed to death

Brutal killing payback by rival clan, say police

 

By JUNIOR UKAHA and THOMAS HUKAHU

 

A FIRST-year law student at the University of Papua New Guinea has been hacked to pieces by rival Enga clansmen in an apparent payback killing in the Port Moresby suburb of Morata, The National reports.

Bystanders watched in horror as a group of men dragged Christopher George Kalupai, from Wapele village, Laiagam, out of a PMV bus near Tokam police barracks at about 3pm on Monday as he was returning home to Morata 3.

Police criminal investigation division detectives confirmed the killing, adding that no arrests had been made.

Last night, metropolitan commander Supt Fred Yakasa appealed to the suspects of the killing to surrender to police today.

The victim’s aunt, Vicky Kalupai, said frightened mothers in the bus had begged the captors to release her nephew but were warned not to talk or their throats would be slit.

He was put into a waiting vehicle and driven away.

Searching relatives found the chopped-up body about four hours later, near the Pawa station settlement, also at Morata 2.

Relatives believed Kalupai’s killing stemmed from last month’s bashing death of a man from Ambum at a Morota 2 bus stop which was blamed on the Kalupai family.

Yakasa condemned the killing, saying it was a payback killing by another Engan tribe.

“While the authorities in the city are trying to make Port Moresby a model city, some people are taking the law into their own hands and killing others,” he said.

“This must stop. We will not take this incident lightly. We will come down real hard on the suspects.”

 He called on the two groups not to take the law into their own hands.

“This is not the highlands; this is not your village.

“This is the capital of PNG; we are living in a civil society and there is a rule of law and we must all respect that,” Yakasa said.