Yanga girl is Miss Ahi 2010

By MALUM NALU

Yanga beauty Christine Amos has been crowned as Miss Ahi last last Friday night at the Lae International Hotel.

Miss Ahi Christine Amos flanked by proud parentsStephanie and Willie Amos at the Lae International Hotel last Friday

Amos, 20, who has just completed Grade 12 at Lae Secondary School, won the crown from 14 other beauties from the six Ahi villages of Yalu, Kamkumung, Hengali, Butibam, Yanga and Wagang in the climax of the week-long Ahi Festival.
She will have five years of university education, in either Papua New Guinea or overseas, paid for by festival sponsor Riback Stevedores.
Riback general manager, Peter Boyd, also announced that the company would be looking at sponsoring Amos to contest the 2011 Miss PNG quest.
Amos, who was lost for words after being crowned, said she would strive to promote the theme of the festival, which is “promoting education through sports and culture”.
“I thank my mum and dad and all the people of Yanga for their support, as well as Riback Stevedores for taking up this intiative to sponsor and organise this festival,” she said.
A good crowd of people attended the crowning, mainly from the six Ahi villages as well as members of the Lae business community.

Miss Ahi Christine Amos (centre) flanked by first runner-up Emily Namung (left) and second runner-up Alang Issac

Runner-up was Emily Namung, 21, from Wagang village, who has just completed Grade 12 at Coronation College, who pocketed K1, 000.
In third place was Alang Issac, 19, from Butibam village, who won K500.
The other 12 participants received K200 gift vouchers from Riback.
The crowning capped off a hectic week for the 15 young women, who were screened and interviewed by judges, and paraded in traditional and modern dress.

MMJV statement untrue

Bulolo MP Sam Basil says a statement issued by the Hidden Valley mine on December 16 claiming he has withdrawn legal proceedings over the pollution of the Watut River is untrue.

"I have not withdrawn the legal proceedings on behalf of 110 landowners who have been seriously impacted by the pollution of the Watut River by sediment and heavy metals from the Hidden Valley mine,” he said.

"For the Hidden Valley mine to claim that I had made an announcement to that effect is simply not true.”

Basil says he has been in dialogue with the mining company Morobe Mining Joint Venture (MMJV) and representatives of its owners, Harmony Gold and Newcrest Mining, in an attempt to find a satisfactory resolution of the issues without having to go through lengthy and expensive court proceedings.

"To that end I have agreed not to take any further steps with the litigation until my lawyers and scientists meet with the mine owners in January,” he said.

“But I have not, and I repeat have not, withdrawn the proceedings.

"I am also very disappointed that MMJV have not issued a further media release, as requested by my lawyers, correcting the public record.”

 

For more information contact:

Sam Basil - Mobile: 7215 4806

Tiffany Nongorr - Mobile: 7268 9295

 

Basil denies MMJV claims

Bulolo MPSam Basil, says a statement issued by the Hidden Valley mine on December 16 claiming he has withdrawn legal proceedings over the pollution of the Watut river is untrue.

 "I have not withdrawn the legal proceedings on behalf of 110 landowners who have been seriously impacted by the pollution of the Watut river by sediment and heavy metals from the Hidden Valley mine,” he said.

For more information contact:

Sam Basil, Bulolo MP             - Mobile: 7215 4806

Tiffany Nongorr                      - Mobile: 7268 9295

 

 

 

Wilshere a big hit in Lae

From MALUM NALU in Lae
Former Kumul rugby league captain John Wilshere was a big hit in Lae over the weekend in the lead-up to the inaugural Ahi Festival which he officially opens at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium today (Sunday).
Wilshere, the last captain  of the respected Kumul sides which won the Pacific Cup in 2009 under coach Adrian Lam before this year’s well-known disaster at the Four Nations, is the ambassador of the festival and a true son of Ahi from Butibam village.
He got the ball rolling by leading a 20-strong motorcade through pothole and crime-infested Lae to promote the festival last Friday and continued his tour de force the next day with a visit to each of the six Ahi villages – Yalu, Kamkumung, Hengali, Butibam, Yanga and seaside Wagang – to present them their uniforms and sporting equipment.
It was just in time for Christmas as Wilshere put smiles on the faces of the long-suffering Ahi people.
The festival, a weeklong extravaganza of Ahi sports and culture including a Miss Ahi pageant, begins tomorrow (Monday) after today's opening.
Wilshere was accompanied by key organisers including Riback Stevedores operations manager George Gware and games coordinator, former champion sportsman Bob Aaron.
He was feted like royalty at each of the six villages, who laid out the red carpet and welcomed him with traditional song and dance, and plied him with gifts.
Wilshere’s message at each of the six Ahi villages was simple: nothing was impossible with discipline, hard work and commitment.
“I ask that you all play fair and may the best team won!” was his resounding message.
The festival, the first and biggest of its kind to be held in Lae, is aimed at promoting Ahi culture, unity, social issue awareness and showcase local talent in sport, music and business.
Proceeds of the festival will go towards building a resource centre to be known as Ahi Resource Centre which would have a library, computer laboratory, and conference room and workshop facilities.

Papua New Guinea may bar foreign tuna fishers from its EEZ

THE National Fisheries Authority (NFA) has proposed to bar all foreign flagged vessels from fishing within the PNG economical exclusive zone if compatible management measures are imposed by Western Central Pacific tuna commission (WCPTC) in the high seas, The National reports.

This was the bold message from Fisheries minister Ben Semri at the opening of the 7th WCPTC meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii this week.

Semri said PNG, through the NFA, would take this measure if the WCPTC encroaches into the EEZs of coastal states instead of operating the high seas.

He said if the tuna commission could not do its functions and interfered with the measures that coastal states carry out within the EEZ, then PNG might be left with no option but to consider closing the EEZ to all foreign flagged vessels that were licenced under bilateral and multilateral arrangements. 

PNG has abundant tuna resource which accounts for approximately 500,000 metric tonnes within PNG’s EEZ (10% of the world catch).

Semri also said PNG supplied 10% of the world tuna catch, of which more than 80% comprised skipjack. 

PNG has a strong partnership with private sector partners which had laid the foundation to build a strong national tuna fishing and processing industry that used tuna caught within PNG’s EEZ.

NFA managing director Sylvester Pokajam said the sustainable management of tuna resources was a “paramount concern” to PNG.

“We have continuously carried out management measures and put in place tools to ensure the sustainable management of tuna for the future generation,” he said.

Semri told the tuna commission to carefully impose compatible management measures in the high seas so that the fisheries resources, especially tuna species, were managed sustainably.

The NFA had done PNG well in terms of tuna, other fisheries and marine resources management, he said.

As part of management and conservations exercise, NFA has developed a web-based vessel monitoring system (VMS) that is more powerful and more flexible to provide real time reporting and data management.

 

 

Prime Minister: I will step aside

By ISAAC NICHOLAS
PRIME Minister Sir Michael Somare has confirmed that he will step aside if the chief justice appoints a leadership tribunal.

Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare stressing a point to journalists yesterday. – Nationalpic by EKAR KEAPU

“Should a tribunal be set up, I will step aside in the interim as prime minister,” he told a media conference yesterday in Port Moresby, The National reports.
And, he officially confirmed Wabag MP Sam Abal as the new deputy prime minister – the man who could be acting prime minister as early as next week.
“However, I would like to make it clear to the public that this case is not a criminal case,” he said of the 2006 decision of the Ombudsman Commission to refer him to the public prosecutor for failing to submit returns or acquittals of his pay, as required of all public office holders, between 1993 and 1998.
When Sir Michael was referred by the Ombudsman Commission to the public prosecutor in 2008, he appealed against that in the National Court.
He also sought to restrain the public prosecutor from asking the chief justice to set up a tribunal until the substantive matter against the Ombudsman Commission was dealt with.
However, last week, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, allowing acting public prosecutor Jim Wala Tamate on Wednesday to notify Sir Michael that he would ask Sir Salamo Injia, within three days, to appoint a tribunal.
Sir Michael yesterday said the dismissal of the appeal did not affect the Supreme Court application challenging the Ombudsman Commission’s referral, which is the substantive matter before the court.
He said, as a citizen, he had every right to pursue the matter in court and he would only step aside when a tribunal was appointed.
Sir Michael said: “It is an administrative issue that my lawyers are addressing in the Supreme Court.
“I cannot make comments that will be seen as an attempt to influence the courts, however, I do take exception that an alleged administrative breach can be confused with cases that are criminal in nature.
“My substantive case is pending in the Supreme Court but I respect the decisions taken by the office of the Ombudsman Commission, public prosecutor and the chief justice.”
The prime minister made a brief statement on his referral when confirming a reported cabinet reshuffle in which Sam Abal was appointed deputy prime minister and minister for works.
The media briefing was done after Abal was sworn in by acting Governor-General Paul Tiensten at Government Haus.
Sir Michael had the support of Abal, Internal Security Minister Mark Maipakai, Public Service Minister Moses Maladina and Lagaip-Porgera MP Philip Kikala, who were present.

Wenge: Prime Minister should consider retirement

By ELLEN TIAMU

 

MOROBE Governor Luther Wenge says Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare has achieved many milestones during his illustrious career as a politician and, with current steps by the public prosecutor to refer him to a leadership tribunal, it will only be proper that he retires from politics, The National reports.

Speaking to reporters in Lae yesterday, Wenge said Sir Michael had become a national icon and his name was synonymous with the country’s attainment of independence, making him deserved of the title of grand chief because he was the chief of chiefs.

The Morobe governor said the prime minister had served in politics for more than 40 years and was the longest serving politician in the Commonwealth nations.

He became a leader and stayed a leader through the democratic process and was a nationalist who stood for all things PNG, Wenge said.

“As a Papua New Guinean, I am one of his greatest admirers although there are some issues that we differ on.

“He has done his part for the country and has led the nation to many great achievements, the recent being the Vision 2050 policy,” he said.

The prime minister, Wenge said, had done his part and should now step down from politics and allow other capable politicians to take Vision 2050 and run it.

“Sir Michael has had an outstanding political career and, for him to be dragged through the court system is belittling, so, my suggestion to him will be to step down from politics.”

Wenge’s comments followed media reports that Sir Michael would be referred to a leadership tribunal for not submitting his annual financial returns, hence, breaching the Leadership Code.