Up north, there's another boatpeople issue

By MICHAEL MCKENNA of The Australian

Papuan border crossers raise the flag on Cape York last week. Picture: Jonathan Baure Source: The Australian

FROM his dingy, overcrowded cell in Port Moresby's Boroko prison, Jonathan Baure is already plotting his next assault on Australia's border.
It has been 10 days since he stood on the shore of Daru Island, along the southeastern tip of Papua New Guinea, to see off 16 dinghies, carrying 119 PNG nationals - including 13 children - headed across the Torres Strait to reclaim their "birth right" of Australian citizenship.
Baure, a former tile salesman, had planned and openly promoted the voyage for weeks.
There was no shortage of willing passengers.
Despite November's cholera outbreak on Daru, which killed 32 people, more than 400 supporters from all over the country flooded the island, paying Baure to join the unwieldy flotilla of banana boats.
Leader of an emerging group of "Australian Papuans", Baure has for a decade waged a losing battle with Canberra to recognise that people from the former Australian territory of Papua were not given the choice to remain Australian when PNG gained independence in 1975.
Two High Court cases have been lost in Australia over the issue, and Baure unsuccessfully launched his own case in PNG, which was thrown out in 2009.
Several months ago, Baure and his group, which claims to have 700 registered members, decided to take the fight to the Australian mainland. "I was born in Papua in 1967, before independence, and like many others, my birth certificate is stamped 'Australian'," Baure tells The Weekend Australian after his arrest on fraud and immigration charges this week. "Nobody has listened to us, so our plan was to go to Australia, get arrested, raise awareness of the issue and have our cases heard in the courts like the asylum-seekers. We knew they couldn't stop us."
He was right.
On December 22, as the boats were about to leave, Australian and PNG customs and immigration officials rushed to Daru, alerted by the influx of people who had emptied the local shops of diesel and other supplies.
One Australian official from the high commission in Port Moresby pleaded with Baure and his supporters, warning they would be flown back to Daru without seeing the inside of a courtroom and the boats - the source of income for scores of families - confiscated.
Undeterred, Baure, who stayed behind to "handle the media", and the authorities then watched as the packed boats disappeared over the horizon. Within hours, the vulnerability of Australia's northern borders was exposed again.
Last year, Torres Strait councils told a Senate inquiry PNG nationals were pouring onto the islands to live, flouting immigration laws, running drugs and overwhelming health services in the region.
Despite a customs helicopter and patrol boat shadowing and then intercepting Baure's flotilla, one of the boats seemingly landed undetected on the tip of Cape York. At one stage, the customs vessel came alongside the lead boat, with the commander inviting Baure's offsider Laura Rea onboard to take a phone call from one of Immigration's most senior officials. "It was somewhere near Zagai Island (about 100km south of Daru), and the man on the telephone said we had no claim, that our case had already been lost in the High Court years ago," Rea tells The Weekend Australian. "He said that unless we turned back, we would lose our boats and be sent back immediately, but everyone wanted to go on."
Darkness started to fall and the boats were tied up to the Customs vessel, with the children brought aboard as the rest of the party slept on the dinghies. The next day, they were led to Horn Island, off the northern tip of Cape York, where they were detained before being flown back to Daru last weekend on a chartered plane.
Australian Immigration spokesman Sandi Logan said the incident could end up costing taxpayers $500,000. Logan says many of the passengers were not born before 1975, and could not qualify under even the criteria of the group's claims to citizenship.
"Customs, Queensland police, doctors and immigration were all involved when many of them were preparing for the floods and they had to deal with this prank, this protest."
The voyage has also come at a great cost to the passengers. Rea says the boat owners are devastated their vessels have been confiscated despite being warned before they left that it would happen.
She claims Immigration officials later assured the group on Horn Island their boats would be returned. "But Australia has confiscated their banana boats, and that is devastating to them and the families they support," she said.
Baure is facing up to three years' in jail, after being arrested in Daru as the passengers were being flown back. PNG police allege the 400 people who travelled to Daru had paid a minimum 200 kina ($77) to Baure for membership of his group and a document that purported to prove each of their claims for Australian citizenship.
Baure has been charged under section 96 of PNG's criminal code, relating to "false assumption of authority", as well as offences under the Migration Act.
He denies duping anybody into believing they were guaranteed citizenship with the documents.
"The documents that the police are calling a fake visa was actually just a pass so that the boat owners knew who was legitimately entitled to be on the boat," he says.
"I wanted to raise money for the group but also make sure that drug runners and other people didn't slip onto the boats."
Baure says his arrest is an attempt to destroy his group and put an end to the simmering issue. "We are already making plans, there will be other boats.
"There are many people still on Daru wanting to make the voyage. They can confiscate our dinghies but we will come back with canoes and if they take them we will make more and return.This is a fight about our civil rights being denied, not all of us want to move to Australia and people shouldn't think there are going to be hordes of Papuans arriving to live off welfare.
"I have the information that will win the case. Why is Australia so fearful of facing a bunch of uneducated Papuans in court?"

CEO under scrutiny

 Papua New Guinea Sports Foundation chief executive officer Iamo Launa has come under fire from staffers within her own organisation for what they claim are numerous breaches of mismanagement and misappropriation of funds, The National reports.

The log of evidence collected and documented by her subordinates is hefty.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a well-placed source at the PNGSF head office in Port Moresby claimed the list of questionable practices was sizable and warranted investigation.

These are serious allegations and if they were not backed by documented evidence then one would think that the CEO would have taken immediate legal recourse to defend her reputation.

But that has not happened.

Initially when the “file of complaints” was circulated to the PNGSF board chairman Graham Osborne and Sports Minister Philemon Embel, as well as various other institutions, including the media earlier in the month, Launa, was called in by Osborne to explain – which she did.

Osborne came out publically this week backing the PNGSF CEO and stating that he still has faith and confidence in her to lead the government body.

He is currently reviewing the file and Launa’s acquittals and will decide if further action needs to be taken.

Osborne said the allegations originated from within the PNGSF office from individuals who were unhappy with Launa’s leadership.

He claimed that these persons had themselves been subject to investigation for various improprieties and, as such, had suspicious motives.

Regardless of the issue of motive, the fact remains that Launa must answer for actions pertaining to the use of funds and, in some cases, taking liberties with her position.

The instigators have also questioned Osborne’s authority in the matter claiming his stewardship of the board is in effect null in deliberating on the issue.

They said because the board’s term expired seven months ago, his acting position did not preclude him to decide Launa’s fate as would be the case if he were the fully fledged chairman.

The point though seems moot as Osborne is all but certain to retain the chairmanship once the national executive council meets next month to make a raft of decisions, which have hitherto been delayed.

The question now is if Osborne finds no reason to take further action, after reviewing the file and is satisfied with the acquittals, should the matter be pursued?

It should not, because Osborne is the chairman whose job it is to handle that area of executive management.

Attention should then focus on just how the PNGSF, a lesser known institution than its more popular partner the PNG Sports Federation, is being run by the current executive, namely Iamo Launa.

Being liked by your subordinates, however, is not a prerequisite for the top management position.

But having a good rapport with those under you and, more importantly, having their respect goes a long way in achieving not only the bigger goals of the institution but indeed the everyday running of the PNGSF office.

Several sources within and outside the foundation claim that Launa “is hard to get along with” and portrays a demeanor that is not easily liked.

Furthermore, her leadership skills have been criticised by some observers who claim that she simply does not have the acumen to run a national body.

However, there could also be a cultural aspect at play here with the unease from certain pockets of the PNGSF workforce emanating from the fact that she is, a woman in charge.

When Launa was appointed to the position in 2008 she had beaten out two other male candidates with the backing of the then Sports Minister Dame Carol Kidu.

Although her ascension raised a few eyebrows at the time she was more or less given the benefit of the doubt.

Will she be given a pass this time or should she earn it?

 

City nurse contracts cholera from patient

 By ELIZABETH MIAE

 

A STAFF member at the Port Moresby General Hospital’s cholera treatment centre (CTC) reportedly became ill after coming into contact with a patient’s faeces and vomit on Wednesday, The National reports.

This happened as people with cholera-like symptoms from the city and parts of Central continue to go in numbers to the CTC for treatment since last Friday.

The 12-bed centre has been full since the start of the long weekend with patients experiencing severe diarrhoea.

Staff had to work around the clock to treat those patients and attend to new admissions.

With the New Year tomorrow, health workers expect more patients as cholera was now widespread in the city.

The centre said at this time, the main mode of transmission would be through contaminated food as celebrations continued from last week.

NCD cholera task force team leader Dr Timothy Pyakalyia said the size of the ward inside CTC allowed for an extra five or six patients but it would be a struggle for staff if there were more than 18. 

He said they were bracing themselves for the worst as people feast and drink to welcome the New Year.

Pyakalyia added that by now people should be aware that cholera was present in the city and all they had to do was practice safe hygiene to prevent contracting it.

As of yesterday morning, nine people were admitted, bringing the number of admissions to 273 for this month.

He said the problem with cholera was that 80% of people who carried the bacteria did not show symptoms while the other 20% showed all the symptoms requiring treatment.

Pyakalyia cautioned people as the 80% group could easily infect them through their ignorance of safe hygiene.

 

28 houses go up in flames following magistrate's death in Madang

By JEFFREY ELAPA

 

TWENTY-eight houses were burnt down at Keng and Mater villages by angry youths, following the death of a village court magistrate on Karkar Island in Madang, The National reports.

The villagers blamed the death of the person on sorcery.

The youths then went on a rampage and razed houses of those suspected to be involved.

Provincial police commander Supt Anthony Wagambie Jr said the incident occurred a day before Christmas and the houses were all semi-permanent and build from bush materials.

He said that police on Karkar had attended to the incident.

Members of the rapid response unit from Madang were later send to the island to ensure the situation did not get out of hand.

Wagambie said the situation was under control as police investigations continued.

Leaders from other villages on the island had mediated for peace and more talks would start after the New Year.

Wagambie said police had also arrested two youths for break and enter and stealing.

A home-made gun and a substantial amount of marijuana were also found in their possession. 

On the Christmas operations, the Madang police commander said roadblocks along the north and south coast roads had netted a large amount of smuggled alcohol.

Many unregistered and non-road worthy vehicles were also impounded.

Police also arrested and charged many drunkards and homebrew consumers along the North Coast Road.

Wagambie said police foot patrols along streets and in settlements ensured residents celebrated their Christmas peacefully

 

'Aussie' Baure still in lockup

 SELF-proclaimed “Australian citizen” Jonathan Baure, whose followers managed to sneak past Australian security in the Torres Strait to reach the Cape of York last week, is still in police custody in Port Moresby with no hope of bail – at least for the remainder of this year, The National reports.

Yesterday was his fifth day in the lockup at the Boroko police station after he was arrested on Daru Island last Saturday, flown to Port Moresby and charged with breaches of immigration and customs laws in organising a flotilla of boats, with 122 Papua New Guineans, to travel to Australia to protest that they should be recognised as Australians.

Baure’s lawyer Robbie Kanison Kone, of Poro Lawyers, failed yesterday to find a magistrate to grant him bail.

But Kone said later he was hopeful that his client would get a fair hearing in court.

Police had refused bail since Baure appeared in court.

Yesterday, at an impromptu hearing at the residence of magistrate Lawrence Kangwia, police rejected Kone’s application for bail.

However, the magistrate ruled that the matter should be heard at a Waigani Committal Court this morning.

Baure told The National at Boroko that he did not understand why he had not been released on bail on his own recognisance.

He had been charged with false assumption of authority and impersonating a public officer.

Police prosecutor Aibare Bosing said Baure had been charged with false pretense under section 97(1) (b) of the Criminal Code.

Baure’s “victory”, though, was being able to organise at least 10 people from his original group of 122 to reach Cape York Peninsula and raise a Papuan “flag” on Australian mainland soil.

The stunt was part of the group’s ongoing struggle for recognition that Papuans were not given a choice to remain as Australians when PNG gained independence in 1975.

Papua covers the southern half of the PNG mainland and the group claimed its members were still Australian citizens because there was no referendum to legally sever ties with Australia.

Other members of the group were rounded up in Australian waters around the Torres Strait islands and airlifted back to Daru last weekend.

 

Ipatas slammed

Politics heats up with house due to sit to elect Governor General

 

A COALITION partner of the National Alliance party-led government came under attack from a key figure of the ruling party yesterday, underlining the tension and distrust that exist within the different factions in government, The National reports.

NA stalwart and Minister for Labour and Industrial Relations Sani Rambi yesterday attacked Enga Governor and People’s Party leader Peter Ipatas in a media statement, describing him as someone who cannot be trusted.

Rambi fired the broadside after Ipatas reportedly took offence at not being credited with the rise of Wabag MP Sam Abal to deputy prime minister, and then acting prime minister, at the expense of Kandep MP Don Polye.

It was suggested the move to demote Polye and promote Abal was cleverly done to destabilise and destroy NA in the highlands.

Ipatas later denied this, saying he did not set out to destabilise or destroy NA.

But, Rambi said Ipatas’ denial of having any part in the recent reshuffle “only reveals the cynical and sinister person that he (Ipatas) is”.

He said Ipatas was out to cause instability and destabilise the government.

“Everyone who follows politics in PNG knows Ipatas is the one who sponsored the opposition’s drive to overthrow the government when he led members of the current opposition to nail their shoes to a post at his Bluff Inn Motel last year.

“He has always been planning and scheming to change the government since 2007 after failing miserably in his campaign to become the next prime minister,”

Rambi said: “For him to now say that he is a ‘friend’ of NA, and will continue to support the government, is quite difficult to believe. His kind of friendship is one that NA, as an institution, cannot afford to trust.

“I urge Ipatas not to meddle into the NA party affairs because NA is simply too big an institution for him to play his self-centred politics with.

“While we respect and value the support of coalition partners, we will not tolerate those with sinister motives as, we believe, is the case with People’s Party and its leader.”

Rambi said NA was intact under the leadership of deputy leaders Polye (highlands), Patrick Pruaitch (Momase), Ano Pala (Papua) and Fidelis Semoso (New Guinea Islands) and would return to form the government after the elections in 2012.

Ipatas could not be reached for comments last night.

There were speculations that Ipatas and others outside NA were involved in convincing Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare to remove Polye as deputy prime minister.

Polye’s removal and the promotion of Abal created tension within NA, and a distrust for members of the coalition, and this had fuelled speculation the opposition would capitalise on this to remove the prime minister through a vote of no-confidence when parliament sits on Jan 11 to elect a new governor-general.

The opposition had said it would introduce a motion for a vote of no-confidence despite acting Speaker Francis Marus insisting he would not entertain any such motion

 

MMJV on the way to achieving community health post concept

It is a health service only to be dreamed of by most rural communities in Papua New Guinea, where typically one busy aid post orderly struggles to meet the needs of a long line of patients, with a short supply of medicines.

The new model is a community health post (CHP) manned by three health professionals, one specialising in the health needs of mothers and children, another in public health and one focused on healthy living programmes.

Morobe Mining Joint Ventures (MMJV) under its health infrastructure programme is on the way to achieving this ideal arrangement, meeting targets announced recently by the National Department of Health.

The department said in a public announcement last month that rural health system strengthening would occur through the rollout of the CHP concept.

The NDoH said the CHP was not all about building new infrastructure, but refurbishing and maintaining existing aid-posts and meeting standards and status set for a community health post.

Each CHP will ideally be manned by three health workers.

The department said the CHP was not a new concept as some provinces already had similar arrangements under different names.

It is about strengthening what is there already.

MMJV, the operator of the Hidden Valley mine and the developer of the Wafi project, is already working towards achieving the CHP concept through the construction and maintenance of a number of aid posts in the area of its operations in the Bulolo and Huon Gulf districts of Morobe province.

The company is constructing four new aid posts for its landowner villages near the Hidden Valley mine, at Nauti, Kwembu and Winima and the Wafi-Golpu project at Babuaf.

There are also plans to maintain existing aid-posts.

The national government’s plan is to strengthen rural health services in all 89 districts by 2020.

MMJV’s health infrastructure programme is aligned to support the plan within its area of operations.

MMJV is committed to providing improved medical services to the many thousands of people living not only in the communities located in its footprint of operations but throughout the district.

The company is working closely with the provincial health division to achieve this outcome.