Potape: Focus on LNG project

 By JEFFREY ELAPA

 

PETROLEUM and Energy Minister Francis Potape has called on stakeholders to work together and ensure the multi-billion-kina liquefied natural gas project is delivered on time and within budget, The National reports.

He said the first consultative meeting would be held at the PNG Institute of Public Administration at 8am on Monday.

The meeting would allow ministers, government agencies, landowners and invited LNG partners to provide updates and progress reports on their LNG-related work.

Potape and other Southern Highlands leaders will attend the meeting.

"It is important that we, as a government, provide accurate information on the project to the people because, at times, interruptions to construction work are not based on accurate information," he said.

Invitations had been extended to the departments of commerce and industry, treasury, planning, public enterprises, attorney-general and other entities like MRDC to make presentations.

"These departments and agencies play a crucial role in progressing the LNG project and it was important that they attend the meeting and inform the landowners about the correct procedures and processes to follow," Potape said.

He said the presentations would focus on business development grants, memorandum of agreement funds, integrated landowner groups, ADR on LNG litigation and infrastructure grants.

"Work on the vetting and incorporation of ILGs will also be launched at the meeting so that clans and sub-clans can be identified."

Potape said he would recognise clans and sub-clan through a ministerial determination published in the National Gazette as beneficiaries of all benefits.

Bogia bug threatens copra yield

By ANGELINE KARIUS

 

COPRA production could be drastically affected by up to 80% from the effect of the Bogia coconut syndrome, The National reports.

Provincial adviser Savi Godfried said the disease could easily wipe out most of the production yield from the coconut industry in the province.

He said the insect causing the disease was yet to be identified and authorities were awaiting the results of samples sent to Australia and the United Kingdom for testing.

"Our scientists are working to find the cause of and solution to the disease," he said.

Godfried said the disease, which spread from one coconut tree to another, could prove costly to the rural farmers.

"Their chidren's school fees, medical and food sources will be affected," he said.

The coconut trees affected have their leaves turn brown, lose the nuts and the crown eventually falling off.

A public notice had been issued to warn locals of a possible epidemic.

Godfried said trees bearing betelnut and bananas had also been affected by the mysterious bug.

Meanwhile, the cocoa pod borer has spread to Karkar Island.

"Gradually, it will affect plantations along the North Coast," Godfried said.

"Our current strategy is to empower communities to consider the application of pest disease management.

"The best practice management to improve cocoa condition in respective location includes cutting grass, digging drains, pruning shades, pruning cocoa trees, regular harvesting of dry pods, regular removal of dry and disease pods and burying infected pods."

Police raid homes, attack villagers

 By JEFFREY ELAPA

 

POLICE, in their campaign against alcohol-smuggling, have left hundreds of people homeless and others injured during raids in the Margarima district, Southern Highlands, yesterday, The National reports.

District chief Kerry Mamai Lero said more than 100 homes and trade stores were raided and properties destroyed during the raid at Hiri in the lower Waghi local level government.

He said the raid started at the Olam villages and ended at Wapulaka village, a distance of about 10km.

Lero said the people had been left homeless and he asked for assistance, describing the situation as a "disaster".

Attempts to get comments from provincial police commander Supt John Anawe in Tari were unsuccessful.

Police Commissioner Anthony Wagambie, when contacted last night, said he was not aware of the incident.

It was believed that the series of raids was conducted by armed policemen based at the LNG project site and at Tari.

The attack was said to be in retaliation for the recent burning of a police vehicle allegedly by locals.

Lero said the vehicle-burning incident took place when six Margarima policemen, in civilian clothes and allegedly drunk and led by station commander Snr Const John Sali, were returning from Mendi and were confronted by two youths.

He said an argument started and the local youths, who were also drunk, burnt the police vehicle.

He said while the youths were also at fault, the families and traders in the district should not be blamed for the incident.

Lero said the villagers had even volunteered to help police detain the youths who had allegedly burnt the vehicles.

Police sources, however, claimed that on the day of the vehicle-burning incident, more than 19 youths, armed with weapons and led by a local teacher, had stopped the police vehicle. Others joined them and overturned the vehicle before burning it.

Police said the villagers were angry that the officers had confiscated 150 cartons of beer from traders in the area.

Police had been conducting regular patrols in the area following a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol put in place by the provincial executive council.

Hela leaders have condemned the vehicle-burning, saying it was the first time civilians had turned against police.

This was the second incident involving beer smuggling in the province this year.

An earlier incident resulted in the death of a policeman at Kaupena in Ialibu after a group of officers had intercepted villagers illegally transporting beer over the Kaguel River.

The body of the officer was found on the banks of the Purari River a few months later.

Meanwhile, reports from Mendi said people were still consuming alcohol despite the province-wide ban.

WHO monitors transfer of TB cases to PNG

 THE World Health Organisation is looking into monitoring the transfer of tuberculosis clinics from the Torres Strait to Papua New Guinea, The National reports.

The decision by the Australian and Queensland governments to move the clinics has been criticised by TB specialists who fear the move could exacerbate the spread of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Until July, the Australian government had been paying the Queensland state government to treat PNG nationals but Queensland Health said the funding was inadequate and it could not cater for more TB patients.

Last month, a spokeswoman for the Australian health department said its priority was to help PNG improve its own health services so that patients did not need to cross the Australian border.

The World Health Organisation denied reports it was intervening but in a media statement said it was actively involved in discussions with the PNG government.

WHO said that with appropriate planning and additional financial support, it believed PNG “will be able to manage TB cases and, as services improve, PNG will handle the more complex multi-drug-resistant form of the bacterial infection”.

Search on for missing 8 in Madang

 A SEARCH began yesterday afternoon for eight men missing at sea in Madang, The National reports.

Provincial disaster marine safety officer Captain Pascal Yali believes the 19-foot boat they were in had either capsized or drifted into open sea while they were returning to Karkar Island on Monday and encountered strong winds.

He said if the boat had been adrift it would be heading towards East Sepik by now.

Yali said they were not aware of where the men were from but it was confirmed that there were no children or women on board.

He said relatives told him the men were transporting bags of betelnut.

He said the boat might have been over-loaded. It could normally carry only up to nine passengers, minus any additional cargo.

“There is no news of survivors yet,” he said adding that contact would have been made if the people were still alive.

The men had left Karkar Island at 8am on Monday for Kubugam, on the North coast of Madang.

Customs rakes in K1 billion in revenue

 THE Papua New Guinea Customs Services has recorded K1.06 billion in revenue from January to July, The National reports.

That is K86 million or 9% more than the forecast amount of K974.35 million, Customs Commissioner Gary Juffa yesterday.

He said that meant the service had collected K80 million more than expected.

Juffa said the result was another tremendous effort despite the service being under-staffed and having a tight budget.

“We are still struggling with limited resources although we received a generous budget allocation, we would have liked more but we were still able to do well,” he said.

“I believe that we could easily double the amount if we had the exact funding we had requested and were able to fully staff the agency, pay better benefits to officers and carry out out more audits and other revenue recovery programmes.

“This work is done by the hardworking customs officers throughout PNG who deserve decent wages, housing and other benefits,” Juffa said.

He said to address the issue of funding of such benefits, Customs had presented a submission to the Treasury Department to retain 50% of the proceeds of all seized goods and 50% of all penalties applied and collected to ensure a 24-hour response capability for enforcement in PNG, a 24-hour trading system to ensure that industry was not in any way delayed with legitimate trade and to fund continuous Customs and inter-agency enforcement operations as well as address staff welfare.

He said the submission was being reviewed by the Treasury Department before it was passsed on to the minister for deliberation and endorsement and finally to cabinet.

“It is important to ensure that we are able to react in a timely manner to detect and intercept smuggling and other such transnational crimes and protect the interests of the people of PNG and the economy,” Juffa said.

“I am mindful of the delays and costs associated to industry as from processing of their imports and exports and wish to improve efficiency to reduce cost of doing business in PNG.

“It is important to ensure that vital revenues necessary for nation-building are effectively collected or recovered.

“To do this, we need a honest and effective workforce and to ensure that we need to remunerate officers and give them proper benefits,” he said.

Potape: Focus on LNG project

 By JEFFREY ELAPA

 

PETROLEUM and Energy Minister Francis Potape has called on stakeholders to work together and ensure the multi-billion-kina liquefied natural gas project is delivered on time and within budget, The National reports.

He said the first consultative meeting would be held at the PNG Institute of Public Administration at 8am on Monday.

The meeting would allow ministers, government agencies, landowners and invited LNG partners to provide updates and progress reports on their LNG-related work.

Potape and other Southern Highlands leaders will attend the meeting.

"It is important that we, as a government, provide accurate information on the project to the people because, at times, interruptions to construction work are not based on accurate information," he said.

Invitations had been extended to the departments of commerce and industry, treasury, planning, public enterprises, attorney-general and other entities like MRDC to make presentations.

"These departments and agencies play a crucial role in progressing the LNG project and it was important that they attend the meeting and inform the landowners about the correct procedures and processes to follow," Potape said.

He said the presentations would focus on business development grants, memorandum of agreement funds, integrated landowner groups, ADR on LNG litigation and infrastructure grants.

"Work on the vetting and incorporation of ILGs will also be launched at the meeting so that clans and sub-clans can be identified."

Potape said he would recognise clans and sub-clan through a ministerial determination published in the National Gazette as beneficiaries of all benefits