Bad start to border operations

By ISAAC NICHOLAS

 

THE border security operation, Sunset Merona, got off to a bad start with a Vanimo police traffic officer hospitalised and a stand-off between Sandaun police and the Port Moresby-based police task force on border duties, The National reports.

Acting Police Commissioner Anthony Wagambie last night denied knowledge of the incident.

However, there were also unconfirmed reports that a PNG task force member was shot at and wounded by the Indonesian armed forces.

The man was admitted at the Vanimo General Hospital last night.

The border operation had also attracted the attention of Indonesian authorities after Wagambie allegedly led a contingent of uniformed PNG police task force members into Indonesian territory to shop last Saturday.

West Sepik provincial police commander Joe Kasieng had ordered the closure of the Vanimo police station after an alleged attack by task force members left a local police traffic officer with serious injuries.

The traffic officer had been hospitalised.

Sources from Vanimo said the incident had led to a stand-off between West Sepik and the Port Moresby-based task force.

The situation remained tense as Kasieng demanded the arrest of the police personnel involved in the attack.

The incident comes after Wagambie had attracted the ire of the Indonesian soldiers by crossing the border at Wutung with his men in full uniform into Batas market on the Indonesian side of the border to do shopping.

Indonesian official sources claimed that a PNG security force commander, going into Indonesian territory in full uniform, was a violation of international laws and border agreements unless it was a joint exercise between the two countries.

The Indonesian embassy, however, played down the border crossing issue as the Batas market was popular for shopping but, because of the PNG border exercise and because the police commissioner was involved, the crossing had raised eyebrows, particularly that of the Indonesian military.

Responding to questions, the embassy confirmed that last Saturday, some PNG police officers had crossed over into Batas to buy some souvenirs at the traditional Indonesian market.

An embassy spokesman said the tour was guided by a Mr Sutar (Indonesian consulate) and PNG border liaison officer Moses Poi.

The spokesman said this was allowed under current arrangements between the two countries.

Wagambie, when asked last night, said he was curious about the kind of trade going on at Batas and wanted to see for himself.

But, before crossing the border into Batas, he had asked Poi to seek permission from the Indonesian authorities to allow him a tour of the market facility.

However, the embassy spokesman stressed that the Indonesian government monitored the border constantly and would appreciate advance information on any activity, official or otherwise, which involved crossing the border.

 

 

 

Sir Michael back as prime minister

By JEFFREY ELAPA

 

PRIME Minister Sir Michael Somare, who voluntarily stepped aside following his referral and pending appointment of a leadership tribunal, resumed duties at 1.30pm yesterday, The National reports.

The National had been told that a number of high-level meetings were conducted last weekend amid pressure from the ruling party executives.

With the prime minister back in his office, it was presumed safe for the government to go to the polls next year after getting National Alliance party matters resolved and knowing that they were intact.

Prime Minister’s chief of staff Paul Bengo said in a short statement yesterday that Sir Michael officially resumed at 1.30pm after almost five weeks holidaying since Dec 10 last year.

He stated that after almost 40 years in parlimaent, Sir Michael had outstanding incurred leave which he had decided to take late last year and for a duration of five weeks; and  he had decided to resume duties yesterday.

Bengo said Sir Michael’s first duty after resuming office included calling on the new governor-general, Michael Ogio, a briefing by acting Prime Minister Sam Abal and he later chaired a special national executive council meeting yesterday afternoon.

He said the prime minister would also officiate at the opening of the new Wewak town market and jetty projects jointly funded by the PNG and Japanese governments later this week.

A new police post would also be opened.

However, Bengo did not go into any of the power play meetings held last weekend or the high-profiled ministerial meetings understood to have taken place.

The media was advised of a conference yesterday but that was later cancelled with no reasons given.

Bengo, when asked of a possible cabinet reshuffle, responded that there was no need for any major reshuffle with just one vacancy in existence, which is the ministry of higher education, science and technology.

The ministry was vacated by Ogio after he was elected as the ninth governor-general of Papua New Guinea by parliament last Friday.

However, with the parliament adjourned to May, it was likely that the new governor-general would have to wait until then to be sworn in and depart for London to meet the queen.

According to legal sources, Speaker Jeffrey Nape would be acting governor-general while Francis Marus would remain as acting speaker until the swearing-in of Ogio.

 

 

 

Sevua apologises for incomplete cases

By JULIA DAIA BORE

 

RETIRED judge Mark Sevua last Thursday apologised to the lawyers and litigants involved in 40 court cases that he leaves incomplete as a result of leaving the judiciary, The National reports.

Sevua said he had been about to finalise his decision on the hearing of the fate of the completed report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Finance Department when he was discontinued from holding his office as a judge by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission.

He officially left office on Jan 6.

Sevua told media personnel late last Thursday that in addition to the Finance Inquiry, he had outstanding a further 39 rulings and decisions.

Among them was the other high profile case of former chief secretary Isaac Lupari who questioned the validity of his dismissal from office.

Lupari’s lawyers had flown to Alotau where Justice Bernard Sakora granted leave for judicial review in Alotau and the application for judicial review came before Sevua who said last Thursday that he heard the substantive matter and had then reserved his decision to a later date.

He had been about to hand that decision down when he was terminated from serving as a judge resulting from the Judicial and Legal Service decision last Sept 28 not approving his request for extension by five years .

Sevua expressed his regrets over the matters now having been returned to the court registry.

He said: “So I have left quite a number of cases - about 40 cases (incomplete). And I will say this, I am very sorry to the litigants and the lawyers for this to happen.

“I think I have to say that on record, I am very sorry that these cases have had to be returned to the registry, for other judges to rehear and deal with them.

 “Last week (two weeks ago) I had my staff return all those files and a list of those files to the registrar and, you know, I am very sorry, that those people have waited so long and they did not get any judgements done on those cases.

“I hope they will be given priority.”

 

 

 

Porgera probe team makes first arrests

ACTING police commissioner Tony Wagambie yesterday announced that a special task force that had been investigating violent crimes, including sexual assault, in Porgera, Enga, has began making arrests, The National reports.

“Following three months of intensive investigations, members of the RPNGC investigations taskforce assigned to this issue have now begun to arrest alleged offenders,” Wagambie said.

“After receiving solid intelligence on these matters from the mine managers Barrick Gold and their independent investigators, our task force has moved quickly to identify alleged offenders involved in these matters,” he said.

The investigation has been supported by the Porgera Joint Venture (PJV), Barrick Gold and the local community leaders.

He said the latest arrests were a warning to those who committed violent acts against others that they too would be brought to justice.

Wagambie said investigations into other reported cases, including alleged abuses by members of the RPNGC in the same area were continuing and he expected more arrests in the coming weeks and months.

“No-one is above the law, even members for the constabulary. Make no mistake – we are coming for them too,” Wagambie said.

The PJV in a statement yesterday also announced that it had sacked employees who had allegedly been involved in or had knowledge of but did not report assaults against women and others.

The terminations were a result of a thorough internal investigation and are part of several actions Barrick and PJV were now undertaking.

 More people are expected to be sacked.

“The mine took immediate actions after the disturbing results of an internal investigation into allegations of assaults and other serious crimes. We have terminated employees who were found to have breached our strict code of conduct regarding employee behaviour,” Mark Fisher, Barrick PNG’s executive general manager said.

“The PJV is taking a zero tolerance policy regarding these incidents. Those who have been terminated are those who have been credibly implicated in criminal activity, alleged to have misled investigators, or were aware of these alleged crimes and did not come forward.”

When the PJV received credible allegations in June 2010, PJV contacted Wagambie and requested a criminal investigation be undertaken.

The PJV asked former chief ombudsman Ila Geno to conduct an independent inquiry into alleged violence against women cases and report findings directly to the constabulary.

Barrick also conducted an internal investigation which involved a 15-member independent investigation team.

This outside investigative team spent several months at the mine interviewing more than 650 employees and conducting a comprehensive investigation of personnel and procedures.

“Wagambie announced today, the police have made arrests and charged some of these individuals with breaking the laws of this country. We have been working in close cooperation with the PNG police and we will continue to provide information and support to aid in their criminal investigation,” Fisher said.

“We condemn these alleged crimes in the strongest possible terms and wish to see anyone involved brought to justice under PNG law.”

“The PJV does not tolerate any form of violence or human rights abuse – against women or men - and we expect any employee who sees or hears about such acts to immediately report what they know to the appropriate authorities,” Fisher said.

 

 

 

Malaria widespread in remote Karimui

By SAMUEL RAITANO

 

THE Chimbu health department has reported malaria cases to be widespread in the remote Karimui district in Chimbu with an unconfirmed report of 10 lives already lost, The National reports.

Chimbu principal health adviser Cain Tommy, while reporting the matter, said a team of health officials from the Kundiawa General Hospital were flown yesterday to assist medical staff on the ground following the alert made to the headquarter.

Tommy said 10 officials were sent to assist the staff in the five existing medical facilities at Bomai, Kapi, Karimui, Negabo and Aya.

It was also being reported that flu had hit the district at the same proportion, but it was not confirmed if it was linked to the prevalence of malaria.

Tommy thanked Karimui-Nomane MP Posi Menai, the provincial administration and the district administration for assisting in the charter of aircraft to deliver medical supplies to the affected area at a cost of about K50, 000.

Tommy, who had once served in the district from 2002 to 2007, said the area was rugged and it was a difficult task working in those areas especially during wet seasons.

He commended the medical staff for working tirelessly and faithfully in giving health services to the people in much need, under harsh conditions.

Other basic services to the district were also said to have deteriorated and government attention was a need for the people in Karimui.

Attempts to contact the provincial administrator was unsuccessful, however, the situation of containing the malaria cases were said to be going well.

 

 

 

 

Papua New Guinea to set up own tuna tagging plan

PAPUA New Guinea is keen to set up its own Pacific tuna tagging programme to cover fisheries observers in-post catch sampling and satellite-based supervision of vessels, The National reports.

The US$3 million programme will be conducted by the secretariat of the Pacific community (SPC) and National Fisheries Authority within the exclusive economic zone for three years.

Tagging projects to better understand various aspects of tuna in the Pacific were done before.

The recovered data informed stock assessments of important tuna species and its main goal was to sharpen the accuracy of the estimates regarding how much tuna can be sustainably fished and help establish scientifically-based catch limits.

As of July of last year, nearly 15% of all tags had been retrieved and recaptures continued at a variety of unloading points.

Some 4,000 fish stomachs were collected and almost 3,000 Fatmeter measurements made to indicate the condition of the fish.

Analysis on about half of the stomachs showed nearly 200 different species out of some 55,000 counted prey.

The SPC's programme has used almost 1,000 "archival tags" that get placed inside the fish belly and trail a pencil-length antenna on their outside.

The tags then gave precious details pertaining to the tuna's behaviour, feeding times, depth habits and other factors.

Archival tags were considerably more useful than conventional tags, which offer information on growth, migration and mortality.

Tagged tuna have already been captured as far as 4,500km from the point where they were originally released, and can show up in locations as far removed as Thailand and Ecuador

SPC scientists have also travelled overseas to form collaborative arrangements with members of the tuna sector throughout the region as part of the follow-up to the main scheme.

Thus far, about 10% of the archival tags have been recovered and more are awaited.

This represents about 5,500 days of data for the stock assessment and modelling section of OFP, offering insights into tuna behaviour including:

•  Tuna have been found to dive to depths exceeding 1000m, possibly to avoid predators; 
• To  maintain an ideal body temperature, they adjust their depth;
• Each species possesses a 'favourite depth,' evident as well in their diet; and
• Tuna are known to assemble under floating objects; data showed that these tuna remain nearer the surface than those in free schools, such that they become more vulnerable to fishing.

 

Injustice - is the dual wage structure

By DAVID NALU

Shacks and rooms offering board and lodging - the abode of our fringe dwelling professionals but in conditions bordering on abject poverty- often with no running water or electricity, often in unsanitary conditions which would make even their forefathers in their tribal villages cringe

I wrote this my birthday – call it a mid life crisis or whatever you want to – but I have decided to give myself a day off work on the day, partly to recover from a pre-Christmas cocktail party where I had a few too many glasses of red wine and partly to assess how my career was progressing at this point in life, and to celebrate or commiserate.
I also took the time to contemplate on how best to continue to live with, or to initiate discussion, debate and draw attention to what I consider one of the biggest injustices that local employees have had to live with for eons and will continue to, unless our collective voices are raised now and remedial action is taken.
That injustice is the dual wage structure that ensures expatriates are continued to be paid exorbitant amounts of money with all the perks and privilege, whilst the average Papua New Guineans slaves away for an annual salary that often does not even amount to the monthly accommodation rental bill for any individual expatriate officer.
Under the Australian colonial administration, the dual wage structure was originally set up understandably to attract skilled manpower to a remote colonial outpost like the Territory of Papua and New Guinea that lacked appropriately qualified personnel and desperately needed it.
However, the same old justification to retain this outdated practice is definitely running a bit thin now, given that the country now has qualified personnel who can perform just as well as anyone else.
It seems that it is retained in its current form, more in the interest of companies and organisations to keep down local labour overhead costs to the bare minimum, increase profits, and more likely to finance the exorbitant salaries of expatriate officers.
In many cases, the meagre salary paid to the national workforce in the main urban centres makes decent rental accommodation for the masses totally out of reach and only a dream. I am sure we all know of so called “professionals” – the lawyers, doctors, accountants or IT professional who because of these very circumstances are forced to become fringe dwellers and seek a place of refuge in squatter settlements by renting out shacks or rooms.
With real estate rentals already spiralling out of control in urban centres – there is an emerging and ever-growing class of fringe-dwelling professionals eking out a living in the corporate world and returning to seek board and lodging in conditions bordering on abject poverty- often with no running water or electricity, often in unsanitary conditions which would make even their forefathers in their tribal villages cringe.
I like to think of myself as a fairly well educated type – born and raised in the late colonial era of the 1970’s and 80’s by parents who were career civil servants – had the privilege of being taught by good teachers, sometimes expatriates - and now have tertiary level qualifications even with a post-graduate studies stint abroad.
Experience wise – I’ve had years of experience with several multinational organisations and now hold a managerial job that draws heavily on that experience and requires me to put in the same hard yards and maybe more than the next expatriate officer.
But sorry masta, I don’t get paid even a tenth of what the expat dude gets, even though my skills, qualifications and experience are on par or superior.
The ever-widening disparity is outright exploitation and is institutionalised racism of the highest order.
Due to lack of opportunities and choice, the masses have resigned to the fact that this is the order of the world, to be accepted without question.
Slave rates are being paid to the average skilled worker who takes home on average around PGK14,000 per annum or K500 per fortnight, which is barely enough to live on, let alone pay rent, transportation and to put bread on the table.
This fuels a host of socio-economic issues including corruption, the bustling black market of stolen goods, loan sharks, extortion and the list goes on what lowly-paid workers resort to simply survive,
The disparity will become painfully apparent when the LNG project and associated development comes into full steam and the imminent inflationary pressures which will see the appreciation of kina against major foreign currencies.
The negative impact of improving kina value, unless contained, will be the so called “Dutch Disease”.
Whilst imports may become cheaper, the benefits will be offset by a decline in export revenue earnings due the reduced demand for exports because it is simply too expensive for other countries to buy.
A concerted effort needs to be made by the government, central bank and other financial institutions to contain this phenomenon to ensure maximum benefits from the development are retained.
Unless this happens, the purchasing power of the meagre earnings of the average worker is set to be significantly eroded further.
The disparity between what expatriates are compensated compared to what Papua New Guineans are getting paid is a colonial legacy that has outlived its time and must now come under close scrutiny by the appropriate authorities and the human resources profession.
Minimum wage rates for all job types needs to be properly reviewed routinely, and realistically adjusted and aligned with the true cost of living.
If done properly on a timely basis, it will assist to alleviate a host of socio-economic issues which continues to plague modern-day PNG society.
Workers of PNG, arise, you have nothing to lose - but shackles of the colonial past and the prospect of being fairly paid for a fair days work.
And if that does happen, just maybe we’ll have more workers such as myself, less inclined to take a “sickie” to nurse a hangover, giving them idle time to hatch up ideas on how to kick-start a workers revolution.

Contact email: ngaluc1965@gmail.com