Ramu Agri Industries Ltd gives sweet K5,000 to Goroka Show

By MALUM NALU

Ramu Agri Industries Limited (RAIL) has given K5, 000 and 50 cartons of sugar sachets to the Goroka Show.

From left is John Piawu presenting the K5, 000 to chief inspector David Seine, deputy chairman of the Goroka Show organising committee. Looking on in the middle is Maurice Owens, national sales manager of RAIL

RAIL national sales manager Maurice Owens and marketing manager John Piawu presented the K5, 000 and sugar in Goroka yesterday.
While presenting the money and sugar to deputy show chairman Inspector David Seine, Owens said Ramu Sugar was a locally-grown product and RAIL’s focus was towards the cultural side of the Show.
The K5, 000 and sugar will go towards supporting the singsing groups that will participate in this year's show.
Seine thanked Owens and Piawu for travelling all the way from Gusap to make the donation and extended his appreciation on behalf of the organising Committee to the management of RAIL for coming on board to support this year's show.
He said RAIL had always sponsored the traditional singsing category and expressed his sincere gratitude for the support.
He said the sugar would be distributed to singsing groups for their morning tea and that should lighten the burden on the committee in feeding the singsing groups that would be coming from outside Eastern Highlands province.
Piawu said that RAIL hoped their support would assist in making this year's show bigger and better.
He said Goroka Show is the most-peaceful show in the country and that was attributed to the general peace-loving nature of Eastern Highlanders as well as the people in the organising committee.

Happy Birthday Mum!

Happy Birthday to Mum, Mrs Moasing Nalu, who would have turned 73 today, but who left us on September 2, 2009.

You're still the best Mum in the world and will always be remembered by your children, grandchildren, family and friends. We miss you so much

Feud rocks PNG Brussels embassy

By FRANK SENGE KOLMA

THE Papua New Guinea embassy in Brussels is embroiled in a bitter feud involving a Belgian national working there and her employer, that threatens to spill into the courts of Belgium, The National reports.
Belgian national Martine-Ghislaine Victoria Chaplin van Camp has complained of sexual harassment, of being locked out of her office and of not being paid for four months, among other things.
Brussels head of mission Ambassador Peter Maginde, in turn, had accused van Camp of blackmail, of removing sensitive documents and the embassy cheque book to her home.
Maginde had engaged a Belgian law firm to assist in reco­vering embassy property.
Whatever the truth of the matter, letters have been sent to the king of Belgium, the Queen of England as the head of state of PNG, the governor-general and the two governments repeating her accusations and making damaging remarks against not just Maginde but the work habits and character of the people of PNG.
According to van Camp, the king of Belgium had directed two of its ministers to attend to the matter.
Yesterday, a senior PNG Foreign Affairs Department officer confirmed that "several correspondence" had been received relating to the matter, adding the department had urged Maginde to resolve it.
In e-mail correspondence with The National, van Camp gave graphic accounts of the sexual harassment which she claimed took place within the embassy precincts.
It got to a stage, she claimed, where she had to stop wearing skirts and had to go into the ambassador's office accompanied by minister Alois Tabereng or third secretary Aileen Boi.
Maginde described her allegations as "absolutely false, without basis of evidence and there is no truth in it".
He said he had engaged a law firm to sue her for defamation and character assassination and to recover PNG government pro­perty.
In a letter to secretary Michael Maue on April 4, van Camp said: "Since Ambassador Peter Maginde seems unwilling to understand his obligations in respect of the legislation of his hosting country – despite the several reminders from the protocol of the ministry of foreign affairs to backpay my salaries and social security payments, as much as to provide local staff with legal contracts and their due social benefit payments – his Majesty Albert II, king of Belgium, has requested two of his state ministers to take this matter into their hands."
Van Camp confirmed she had taken her administrative work home as her office door lock was changed and she could not access her office and she could not continue because of the harassment.
Maginde responded this week by accusing her of trying to blackmail the embassy.
He said between April and May last year, she was informed that her performance level was not to "our expectations and she was taking many days off so we warned her to improve and comply with all the required instructions".
In the end, he said the situation was untenable and her employ­ment was terminated.
Maginde said: "She is almost 60 years of age and she claims that, due to her age, the embassy is responsible to employ her.
"We have said that is not pos­sible and, thus, have termi­nated her (employment) officially as of January but legally-effected as of April 2011 due to the three months' notice under the Belgian laws.
"She has been paid all her entitlements and benefits due under law.
"She says that if we terminate her, she would destroy me so that is her intention for the emails to everywhere and everybody."
He said the Belgian foreign affairs had been briefed and had asked her to return all government documents and financial accounts including cheque books.

Obama hails PM O’Neill

UNITED States President Barack Obama has congratulated Peter O'Neill on his election as the prime minister of Papua New Guinea, The National reports.
This is the second congratulatory message sent to O'Neill and his two-week-old government by world leaders.
The first congratu­la­tory message was sent two days after O'Neill was elected prime minister on Aug 2 by his Australian counterpart, Julia Gillard.
Gillard phoned O'Neill to say that Canberra was ready to work with him and his new government.
Gillard and O'Neill stressed the importance of continuing the strong bilateral relations that existed and other issues like the Manus asylum seekers processing centre and AusAID programmes in the country.
Obama congratulated O'Neill through the United States embassy in Port Moresby.
His congratulatory message read: "Dear Mr Prime Minister. Congratulations on your recent appointment as prime minister of Papua New Guinea.
"Our nations have a shared interest in the promotion of democracy and rule of law, the pre­servation of environ­mental and cultural diversity and stability and prosperity in the Pacific re­gion.
"I look forward to working closely with you and your government to promote these common interests, expand our bilateral economic ties and deepen our co-operation in the region.
"I am confident that through our combined efforts, we will strengthen the ties that bind our countries together and improve the lives of our people.
"Sincerely Yours, Barack Obama.

Waieng leads in Chimbu

By ZACHERY PER

PEOPLE's National Con­gress party candidate and former Kundiawa-Gembogl MP Peter Waieng was still ahead midway through the by-election elimination pro­cess when counting was suspended last night after the 22nd elimination, The National reports.
Waieng maintain­ed a comfortable lead with 7,328 votes, a difference of 1,988 votes over his nearest rival and former agriculture minister Mathew Siune (5,240).
The six candidates who were eliminated yester­day included Francis Iwa­inde, John Siune Kela, Francis Otto Gugl, Kiak Bagle, Siune Kua and John Sie Wigle.
After the distribution of their preference votes among the remaining 21 candidates, PNC's Peter Waieng led with 7,328 votes, Siune was second on 5,240, PNG Constitutional Democratic Party candidate Tobias Kulang was third with 4,917 votes, People's Party man Paul Gende fourth on 4,180 and former Kundiawa-Gembogl MP Wagi Merimba was running fifth on 4,047 votes.
A total of 381 ballots had been exhausted after last night's elimination leaving the 21 surviving candidates sharing a total of 51,643 votes.
Chimbu provincial election manager Steven Gore Kaupa said at the Kundiawa Lutheran Day High School the elimination would slow down when the elimination reached the 900 and more than 1,000-vote mark.
Kaupa said they were on track to complete the counting before Aug 26.

Writs date conflicts with day of prayer

THE date set for the return of writs for the Kundiawa-Gembogl by-election coincides with the National Execu­tive Council (NEC) declared public holiday on Aug 26, The National reports.
When Governor-General Sir Michael Ogio issued the writs, he set Aug 26 as the date for the writs to be returned, which falls next Friday.
According to yesterday's newspaper reports, there were "three public holidays remaining this year and 12 public holidays for next year".
Attempts to get comments from PNG Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen were unsuccessful.
However, it was understood that a new date would be set for the return of writs.

PM urged to make wise decisions

By SAMUEL RAITANO and JEFFREY ELAPA

LEADERS in Mendi, Southern Highlands,  want Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and Public Service Minister Bart Philemon to make some wise and sensible decisions on the administration of the province, The National reports.
It comes as the National Executive Council reinstated William Powi as acting administrator for Southern Highlands.
Lawrence Olkoben was acting in the position.
It led to a clash last Monday between their supporters in Mendi town.
Olkoben was appointed by the Somare go­vernment while Powi was appointed last week by the O'Neill government.
Powi's move to occupy office on Monday was resisted by Olkoben's supporters and
resulted in the clash which left some people injured and properties damaged.
Both men are understood to be from Nipa, a section of the highway that leads to the LNG project hub, Tari.
The leaders in Mendi said if politicians continued to promote their own cronies to be  adminis­trators in Southern Highlands, there was a potential for chaos, anarchy and bloodshed in Mendi and elsewhere in the province.
Community leaders from Hunjahumap, Wogia, Longo, Kiburu, Lai Valley, Upper Mendi, Lower Mendi and the surrounding communities and LLGs want the government to appoint someone neutral to administer the pro­vince.
They wanted the government to appoint someone from Mendi or Lai Valley.
 Meanwhile, Governor Anderson Agiru claimed  the earlier appointment of Olkoben was done through proper procedures.
Agiru said that Powi's appointment was a "rushed move" by the prime minister.
The court registry in Mendi has denied a report that a court case had been filed by Olkoben against Powi.
Powi had earlier this year challenged the Southern Highlands provincial executive council in its decision to have Olkoben appointed.
The matter is still pending in court.
Meanwhile, police in Mendi said the situation in town was still tense following Monday's fight.
Sources from Mendi said people were openly carrying bush knives around the town's streets.