Ex-pollie wants Somare back in chair

PRESSURE is mounting from groups within the National Alliance party circles for the return of Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare to lead government, The National reports.

Sir Michael, who voluntarily stepped aside as prime minister to challenge his referral by the Ombudsman Commission to the public prosecutor, may have been wrongly advised, legal sources said.

There had been pressure from within government also for Sir Michael to return as prime minister, and he has been in regular consultation with his government, which included a lunch-hour meeting with acting Prime Minister Sam Abal yesterday.

However, the prime minister’s office said yesterday that Sir Michael was still on holiday.

“He has been getting a lot of calls to resume as prime minister and we will release a statement if he decides to return,” an officer said.

Former Southern Highlands’ governor Hami Yawari had taken cue, saying Papua New Guinea was faced with a constitutional crisis and urged Sir Michael to immediately resume duties to steer the ship.

“The prime minister has not been suspended.

“The chief justice is yet to appoint a leadership tribunal. Once the CJ appoints the tribunal, then the prime minister is automatically suspended,” Yawari said yesterday.

“Today, I want to call on Sir Michael to resume duties. Our big LNG project is under serious threat by landowners.

“The LNG is your project and we want you to take charge and clear the path for the project to be realised.”

Yawari said the country would be thrown into crisis, citing the example of frustrated landowners who left Port Moresby last week to return home after failing to get their seed and MoA payments.

“These frustrated landowners may pose a problem for the government and we are demanding Sir Michael to resume duties to navigate these issues.”

Cholera in East Sepik spreads

By DUNCAN WILLIS

 

THE cholera outbreak in East Sepik has spread to Ambunti district’s Iniok village and neighbouring villages from the Tunap sub-district, The National reports.

At least 10 people have been confirmed dead since last Friday with unconfirmed reports of more casualties.

Ambunti-Dreikikir district administrator Solomon Hopkos confirmed this last Friday after being alerted by community affairs officers of Xstrata Copper Company which is developing the Frieda River copper-gold project in the district.

Its helicopter flew health officials and necessary medical drugs from the Burui health centre to the affected communities.

“I have mobilised health officials from Maprik and Burui health centres and a medical team has already been sent to the villages by the company’s helicopter,” Hopkos said.

He said he had tried to contact the provincial health office in Wewak but was unsuccessful since everyone was out for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

“I have sent them a fax and I am still awaiting their response.”

District health officer Dominica Wain, who is currently in the affected villagers to assess the situation, said: “As of last Wednesday and Thursday, more people are being affected and the death toll is increasing.”

Xstrata Copper Company has been assisting the district with logistics while waiting for the government to intervene and assist them to help fight the outbreak.

Since cholera is waterborne, contaminated waste in the river will prove fatal because there are many villages along the banks of the Sepik River and it could spread to villages downstream.

Hopkos and the district medical team are currently assessing the situation with very little funding and is appealing to the government and Health Department to take action and move in as soon as possible.

“I have a VHF radio operating 12 hours a day that we are monitoring constantly with Iniok, but we are requesting provincial and national health support,” he said.

“Health officials from Ambunti, Burui and Maprik are on the ground and are currently dealing with the situation.”

 

 

 

Reports claim cops shot 10-year-old

A BOY, 10, is among three males allegedly shot by Madang’s elite police mobile squad – the Rapid Response Unit (RRU) – in the early hours of Saturday, The National reports.

The unit, which was on night patrol, entered a residential premises and fired gunshots on the three males at close range, it was claimed.

According to one of the victims, Bade Soko, 30, from Manam, he, along with Jeffery Moiga, 10, from Goroka, Eastern Highlands and Menei Gaven, 16, from Liap, Manus, were enjoying card games and listening to music at his house on Luan Street at Milyok, when police arrived.

Soko was shot twice in both legs while Moiga and Gaven were both shot on their right legs.

The three are awaiting surgery at the Madang General Hospital emergency ward.

“They did not explain why they shot at us when they came up to my doorsteps and opened fire. There were plenty of them, we didn’t know what was happening, we were all shocked by the gunshots to our legs,” Soko claimed.

He added: “They then told us to sit down and said we were making too much noise so they entered my home.”

Jeffery Moiga’s mother, Alice Moiga, recalled that the mobile squad went to Soko’s home after returning from the hospital and cut down all of Soko’s banana plants growing in the yard, destroyed his market house and searched his home for illegal weapons, claiming that Soko was illegally in possession of a gun.

“They also accused Soko of building his house from stolen money. After what they did, we went to the Jomba Police Station seeking answers but all we heard was that they filed a police report accusing the boys of swearing at a police man,” Alice said.

The father, Dick Moiga, added that they were asked by Jomba police to file their complaints with the Madang police internal investigation unit for further investigation.

“This is not the first time. We have so many victims shot by police. It has gone too far, these officers are criminals in uniform, renegade police who swore an oath to protect and serve the community. They are hurting innocent residents and we are living in fear because we have policemen patrolling our streets with guns,” said Moiga.

A community meeting for ward seven, where the incident occurred, with neighbouring ward six and nine of Madang urban local level government was held yesterday afternoon at Jomba to seek the community’s views on police using firearms while patrolling residential areas.

Moiga said the outcome of the meeting would determine their next course of action, which, he added, would be taken up with higher authorities if need be.

Attempts by The National to get a response yesterday from Madang police station commander Senior Insp Steven Kaipa were unsuccessful as the inspector was preparing to attend church service and could not comment, howeve, he assured that he would respond today.

Madang police commander could not be reached for comments, however, Madang CID sources, last night confirmed the attacks.

 

 

9 New Year babies delivered in Goroka

By ZACHERY PER

 

GOROKA Base General Hospital, Eastern Highlands, has delivered a total of nine babies on the New Year’s Day, The National reports.

Staff at the labour ward confirmed nine babies were born to mothers from different parts of the province

The heaviest was a baby girl that weighed 3.9kg and was born to a young mother Gahame Tatape from upper Bena in Unggai-Bena district, Eastern Highlands.

She was delivered at around 8.30pm on Saturday. No complications were encountered for the nine babies, however the staffer did not disclose how many baby boys and girls were born.

The first baby to be delivered after the clock struck midnight was to mother Kokoe Moxy of Arufa village on an eastern outskirts village of Goroka towards upper Bena.

Moxy delivered a baby boy weighing 3.3kg at 2.40am.

When The National was at the labour ward in the morning on the New Year’s Day, staff at the ward were waiting for a long time before delivering the next baby after delivering the first one at 2.40 am.

It is understood a good number of New Year babies were born in some of the rural health centres in the eight districts in the province.

Numerous attempts to confirm the number of New Year babies at Kundiawa General Hospital, Chimbu, were unsuccessful.

 

Happy New Year Wish

My Happy New Year wish for you

Is for your best year yet,

A year where life is peaceful,

And what you want, you get.

A year in which you cherish

The past year’s memories,

And live your life each new day,

Full of bright expectancies.

I wish for you an exciting year

With happiness galore;

And when it’s done, I wish for you

So many more.

Somare may be back as prime minister

Sideline Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare may be back sooner than you thought, according to the weekly Sunday Chronicle newspaper.

The paper quoted reliable sources with Prime Minister’s and National Executive Council as saying that “Sir Michael was ill-advised by his legal team to step aside at the first place”.

“He has been wrongly advised by his legal team,” the source said.

Sunday Chronicle said: “Sir Michael stepped aside last Dec 17 after public prosecutor Jim Wala Tamate referred him to the Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia to set up a leadership tribunal to inquire into charges that Sir Michael did not submit financial returns over a number of years.

“However, it has now come to light that legal advice may have been wrong for the Prime Minister to step aside before the Chief Justice’s action to set up the tribunal.”

 

Governor Amet visits Manam

By MALUM NALU

Following the surveillance carried out on Boxing Day with Herman Tibong, the resident volcano observer for Rabaul Volcano Observatory (RVO), Sir Peter flew Governor Sir Arnold Amet, Peter Torot and Tibong for a further inspection of Manam to assess the danger of people remaining on the Island.

Smoke billows from Manam volcano.-Pictures courtesy of Sir PETER BARTER

“The Governor and Peter Torot visited Dugalava, Border, Bien and Tabele to guage the reaction of the people, most of whom were concerned about a catastrophic eruption and their concerns were put at rest that no immediate danger exists, but they were warned not to walk into valleys or tend gardens on the slopes,” Sir Peter said today (Sunday).

Madang Governor Sir Arnold Amet (centre) talking to Manam islanders

He said he had purchased a replacement battery for the seismic equipment and when installed it would allow the RVO to monitor the activity of Mamam more scientifically.
“The battery and charger was given to Herman Tibong,” Sir Peter said.

Sir Peter Barter’s helicopter against the backdrop of the smoking Manam volcano

“The situation remains much the same at Level 3 being declared by the RVO.”