Government admits to rushed gas agreement

By PATRICK TALU

 

THE government has admitted to resource owners and the people of Papua New Guinea that the PNG liquefied natural gas project agreement signing was rushed, The National reports.

Newly appointed minister responsible for all LNG matters relating to outstanding memorandum of agreements (MoA), ministerial commitments, seed capital finds, infrastructure development grants and other outstanding issues, Deputy Prime Minister Sam Abal, made the admittance last Friday to landowners at the Unagi oval in Port Moresby.

“Mipela government i tok sori long rasim PNG LNG agreement mipela i sainim (we, in government, are sorry for the rushed PNG LNG agreement that was signed),” Abal said.

He said there was immense pressure to get the project to first gas within limited time to secure markets against competing LNG projects in the region.

The window of opportunity for PNG’s gas to secure lucrative markets would have closed had PNG taken longer to bring the project on stream.

Abal said due to these pressures, the government had no choice but to conform to the will of the developer and entered into the PNG LNG agreement.

He admitted that the current LNG-related issue between the government, ExxonMobil and the landowners was the direct outcome of that rushed agreement.

The deputy prime minister, who is also minister for works and MP for Wabag, stressed that since the mistake was already made, there was no option but to address the consequences.

Thomas Gamu, the man who had been mobilising LNG project landowners to fight for their rights and benefits, asked Abal how they would be compensated.

“Now that the LNG agreement has been rushed and cheaply sold away, the government must tell us as resource owners, Hela, and the people of PNG how we will be compensated for selling our gas cheaply.

“Our resource has been cheaply and hastily sold off by our government.

“It is a great failure on the part of the government to protect its interest and its sovereignty than serving the interest of foreign-owned companies,” Gamu said.

 

IPBC talks to fund over power woes

THE interminable power disruptions which cost millions of kina in lost business and damaged assets and much inconvenience has forced the Independent Public Business Corporation (IPBC) to enter into negotiations with Nambawan Super Ltd to fund additional power generation capacity for Port Moresby, The National reports.

Minister for Public Enterprises Arthur Somare announced yesterday that the two organisations would sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) which would ensure that adequate funding was available to upgrade the system and to minimise the severity of disruptions that have been occurring especially in Port Moresby and Lae.

Somare said he was saddened by recent events that were partly the result of a number of unfortunate incidents that affected electricity supplies in Port Moresby.

There was a loss of generating capacity at the base load Rouna-2 hydropower station and at Kanudi and subsequent flooding just after Christmas worsened the situation. Debris from the floods clogged the intake gate and screen at Rouna-2. There was also a reported fire at the Kanudi-2 engine.

“We cannot let this situation continue. We must rectify these problems and ensure there is adequate generating capacity for Port Moresby and Lae in particular to have stable electricity supplies. The system also requires adequate spinning capacity to avoid major brownouts whenever significant maintenance work is carried out,” Somare said.

“I am hopeful this will now take place under the supervision of IPBC. The MOU with Nambawan Super Ltd provides assurance that the work that needs to be done will start to move forward immediately and not be hampered by financial considerations.”

The arrangement, when signed, will be a big relief for PNG Power which announced last week that power interruptions might continue to 2014 because of lack of funding to attend to urgent maintenance and upgrading work.

Somare said he was also hopeful that electricity supply problems, which have affected Lae and the Highlands grid, would also be resolved this year with completion of work on refurbishment of the Ramu hydro station.

This will be supplemented by backup diesel generating capacity at Taraka (12 MW), Madang (13 MW) and at Goroka (4 MW).

 

 

Talasea man guilty of manslaughter

A WEST New Britain man, in his 30s, from Garu village, Talasea, has been found guilty of manslaughter by the Kimbe National Court, The National reports.

Joe Tuka was an oil palm worker charged with killing fellow worker Hali Beki, from Morobe.

The court found that Beki’s death arose from a fight between two groups of people at Daliavu Plantation, in the Talasea area of West New Britain, on Sept 30, 2008.

 Tuka was alleged to have killed Beki by punching him in the head during a confrontation between the Tuka and his brother-in-law, and the Beki and his nephews.

The state was of the opinion that Tuka threw the first and lethal punch and that Beki did nothing to warrant being punched and did not respond to Tuka’s blows.

The defence, on the other hand claimed that Tuka, although present at the scene, did not throw any punches and that Beki was punched by the brother-in- law Mark Orio.

   Meanwhile, the court, having heard the two arguments in the preliminary assessment, stated: “The medical evidence suggests that the deceased died due to a heavy blow to the head. The state’s evidence which was that the deceased was punched on the nose twice – first by the accused and then by Orio – was consistent with the medical evidence.

The evidence of the defence witnesses – that the deceased was punched in the head by Orio, not by the accused – was also consistent with the medical evidence.

There was no evidence, or suggestion, that the cause of death was anything other than the blow(s) to the head inflicted in the altercation.

“Whoever punched him in the head killed him. The question is: Was it Orio? Tuka? Or both?” Justice David Cannings said.

Cannings, who presided over the case last June 16 and then completing it on Jan 20, with his final decision the next day found Tuka, guilty of manslaughter.

 He said: “Making a decision on whether an accused is guilty in a case where diametrically different versions of events are presented is not a simple matter of deciding who to believe.

“The court might tend to believe the version presented by the state witnesses but still find the accused not guilty if it is not convinced beyond reasonable doubt.  However, deciding who to believe is a good place to start the decision-making process and, in this case, I believe the state witnesses.” 

Cannings added that the defence witnesses “gave inconsistent evidence about whether the Morobeans were armed.        

“The contentions that they were armed and that there were six of them are not believable as neither Orio nor Tuka were injured,” he said.

 

POMSoX growing

THE Port Moresby Stock Exchange Ltd (POMSoX) recorded another good trading year due to strong economic growth driven by the multibillion kina LNG project, which is creating genuine opportunities for most businesses across all sectors of the economy, The National reports.

According to its year-end market performance market report, the market was expected to rally this year in connection with forecast strong economic growth and countrywide boom in the resource sector.

POMsox recorded a 118% rise in its total market capitalisation to close at K109.5 billion as of Dec 31, from K50.1 billion at the beginning of last year.

The significant increase in market capitalisation was a result of Newcrest Mining listing last September which contributed K76 billion in capitalisation.

However, the total number of market transactions recorded throughout the year dropped 5.4% to 5,846 from 6,182 in 2009.

The home-listed stocks led the way with higher volume of market activity.

During the year, the Kina Securities Index (Ksi) reached a high of 7,562.29 points and closed the year at 7,430.43, up 9% from 6,816.26 points posted during the same period in 2009.

Meanwhile, the exchange’s investment awareness and education programme continued to play a key role in educating our Papua New Guinean investors.

This programme would be expanded to include an advance seminar programme for investors.

 

 

Five die in city clash

Enga and Hela people fight over cellphone

 

By JEFFREY ELAPA

 

FIVE people have been reported killed over the weekend in Port Moresby in a violent clash between people of Hela and Enga origin, The National reports.

The fight between the two groups reportedly started over a mobile phone at the Gordon market last Wednesday.

Metropolitan Superintendent Joseph Tondop said that unconfirmed reports put the death toll at five with a few hospitalised with injuries.

In related issues:

• The Gordon market is closed indefinitely until the matter is resolved;
• A peace mediation, brokered by police, is scheduled for 9am today; and
• Leaders call for the Vagrancy Act to be reintroduced to curb movement.

Police reported that the fight erupted after a drunken youth from the Hela region refused to give back a mobile phone he had snatched from a woman.

Police said the argument accelerated into an ethnic clash with supporters from both sides joining in and fought using bush knives, sticks and stones, forcing the public to flee in all directions.

Gordon police were earlier outnumbered but were able to quell the tension with the help of police reinforcement from other stations.

The fight erupted again last Thursday forcing the market to close.

Tondop said that the criminal investigation division reported that two people were confirmed death while the other three slayings were yet to be confirmed.

According to reports he received, three people from Tari and two from Enga were killed.

The killings did not happen in one location and the fear was that people were targeted in all suburbs.

According to reports, one person was killed at Gordon, another killing occurred at 5-Mile with another at the Erima wildlife junction.

Sources said another person was killed at Waigani which forced the relatives to retaliate by chopping to death another at Gordon yesterday afternoon as he was trying to jump on a PMV bus.

A source said that another killing occurred at Gerehu yesterday evening, but police could not confirm the killing.

Meanwhile, Tondop appealed to all leaders from both groups to meet at the Jack Pidik Park for an urgent peace meditation starting at 9am today.

He said that the aim of the meeting was to appeal to both sides to stop the fight and help police identify the instigators of the fight from both sides.

People who wanted more information can contact him on his mobile 72648838 or his office on 3244282.

He also said that the Gordon market would be shut for an indefinite period until the conflict was resolved.

Police had warned the public to take precautions as people seemed to be taking law into their own hands by attacking anybody who either spoke Enga or Huli.

 

 

Rust in peace!

The Ramu Ranger was built in Cairns to serve the people in the Middle Ramu and Bogia districts almost 20 years ago by the then Regional Member, Peter Barter.

Rust In Peace...Madang Ranger in Madang Harbour

It was taken over by a local company and ownership disputes resulted in the vessel going into disrepair.
The Ramu Ranger served the people along the Ramu River in the Madang Province and undertook commercial runs to Manam, Kar Kar, Long Island carrying copra successfully.
It now lies in a ship's graveyard in the Madang Harbour as pictured in a state beyond repair along with numerous other wrecks that have also suffered the same fate.

A few more wrecks in the ship's graveyard in Madang Harbour

Throughout the maritime provinces of Papua New Guinea,  similar stories can be told of numerous barges and vessels that were purchased without proper advise being provided resulting in many rusting away through lack of maintenance.
Sir Peter suggested it was time for the national government through the National Maritime Safety Authority to provide an advisory service to assist the provincial governments and MPs purchasing the right type of vessel that can be operated commercially in PNG for the specific purpose intended.

Tingim Laip meeting in Madang

Tingim Laip phase two review has been taking place at the Madang Resort for the past week. Those attending were Tingim Laip project officers and regional coordinators from across Papua New Guinea.



Meeting underway at Madang Resort Hotel

 Key partners include Save the Children, Family Planning International and well as the provincial aids council, all of whom are working with various organisations including the PNG Defence Force, oil palm companies, local level governments and mining companies throughout PNG.
Tingim Laip is the largest HIV prevention project in PNG and has been operating for seven years.
The phase two workshop was launched in Madang in 2009 by the chair of the National Aids Council, Sir Peter Barter.
The meeting in Madang is to review phase two with the priority to consolidate their work and expand new sites beyond the existing 36 sites in 11 provinces.
Tingim Laip is a project funded by AusAID under the coordination of the NAC.
Ms Anne Malcolm from AusAID and Sir Peter Barter attended the meeting where Sir Peter challenged those attending to provide advice for the NAC on various issues, including how the protocol for testing could be changed to suit PNG culture.

Ms Anne Malcolm addressing the meeting

He also said that it was extremely important for everyone to be aware of the need to be accountable as national and international donors had zero tolerance to any mismanagement of funding and that everyone involved with awareness, prevention and treatment used whatever funds are available for the purposes intended.