Massive search for missing researchers in West New Britain

Caption: PNGIMR director Prof Peter Siba… 'massive search going on'

 

By MALUM NALU

 

Management of the PNG Institute of Medical Research has refuted "malicious allegations" on EMTV that it was not doing enough with the search and research and rescue efforts for its missing researchers.

 The five missing staff from the PNGIMR - Tanya Oakiva, Gibson Gideon, Leonard Vavana, George Dogoya, and Lydia Petrus - departed Milimala on mainland West New Britain destined for Bali Island on Aug 1 and have never been seen since then.

 "There seems to be lack of communication between relatives here in Goroka and other centres, and this has led to relatives getting emotional and over-sensitising the issues in the media," PNGIMR director Prof Peter Siba said today.

 "Since receiving news of the missing team, IMR has provided huge financial support towards the search operations.

 "This is of the biggest search operations in the history of PNG with the assistance of West New Britain provincial disaster office and the administration, National Disaster Office, National Maritime Safety Authority, Digicel, New Tribe Mission, Islands Airways, North Coast Aviation, Niugini Helicopters, Police and NBC West New Britain being engaged in search and rescue efforts.

 "The efforts include aerial searches along the New Britain island and the smaller islands within the West New Britain waters, Islands as far west as Long Island, Siassi islands, Bagbag, Karkar Island and along river tributaries on the main West New Britain mainland.

 "Provincial disaster offices in other provinces including East New Britain, New Ireland, Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Manus, Madang and Morobe have been informed and are doing what they can to assist."

 Prof Siba said as the area where the boat went missing was known for piracy-related activities, police had now been engaged.

 "Due to the sensitivity of the situation, much of the information on police activity is not available," he said.

 "Boat sightings have been reported, but, many of these stories are second, third or fourth-hand news and difficult to pinpoint the person who saw the boated and reported it initially.

 "The IMR management appeals to the locals to assist us in providing factual information about any sightings of the boat or missing people.

 "Search and rescue efforts are now concentrating on land as piracy becomes the main focus of investigations by police.

 "PNGIMR, in dialogue with the West New Britain provincial disaster office have since put a reward for information leading to recovery of its staff.

"The search is still continuing and we ask the relatives to understand the magnitude of this search operation and provide positive contributions and not malicious and negative attacks against the IMR.

 "The missing staff are employees and 'family' members of the PNGIMR, which is a State entity of the Government of PNG.

 "The IMR management and staff sympathise with the families of the missing staff, and are regularly updating the relatives."

 Prof Siba said the 2011 PNG Medical Symposium in Kimbe was still on, and could not be dictated by anybody other than the PNG Medical Society.

 "As usual, the IMR, as the premium research institution in the country, is sending a large group of participants to attend the symposium," he said.

PNG gets low literacy rating

By DULCIE OREKE

PAPUA New Guinea is placed at 148 out of 182 countries in a United Nations listing on national literacy rates, National Literacy Awareness Secretariat Willie Jonduo says, The National reports.
He said according to census 2000, of the six million people, "43.8% are illiterate".
"These statistics are alarming because when PNG is compared with the rest of the
countries in the world, using the United Nations human development index, its placing is 148th out of 182 listed countries," he said.
Jonduo said the Education Department, national library and the national literacy awareness secretariat had joined forces to improve the national literacy rate every year.
He said while the rest of the world would be celebrating International Literacy Day on Sept 8, PNG had extended that to a week given the language complexity and cultural diversity.
"The world is keeping an eye on PNG's education to ease and eventually eradicate illiteracy," he said.
Jonduo said PNG was a signatory to United Nations' declaration on education for all (EFA), and the country had to report on the achievements of EFA goals in 2015.
He asked if the country had evidence to show that it had done anything to achieve the EFA goals.
He said these goals included:

•   Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children;
• Ensuring the learning needs of young people and adults were met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills programmes;
• Ensuring that by 2015 all children had access to free and compulsory primary education of good quality;
• Achieving a 50% improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015; and
• Improving all aspects of the quality and excellent of education with measurable learning outcomes.

PNG gets low literacy rating

By DULCIE OREKE

PAPUA New Guinea is placed at 148 out of 182 countries in a United Nations listing on national literacy rates, National Literacy Awareness Secretariat Willie Jonduo says, The National reports.
He said according to census 2000, of the six million people, "43.8% are illiterate".
"These statistics are alarming because when PNG is compared with the rest of the
countries in the world, using the United Nations human development index, its placing is 148th out of 182 listed countries," he said.
Jonduo said the Education Department, national library and the national literacy awareness secretariat had joined forces to improve the national literacy rate every year.
He said while the rest of the world would be celebrating International Literacy Day on Sept 8, PNG had extended that to a week given the language complexity and cultural diversity.
"The world is keeping an eye on PNG's education to ease and eventually eradicate illiteracy," he said.
Jonduo said PNG was a signatory to United Nations' declaration on education for all (EFA), and the country had to report on the achievements of EFA goals in 2015.
He asked if the country had evidence to show that it had done anything to achieve the EFA goals.
He said these goals included:

•   Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children;
• Ensuring the learning needs of young people and adults were met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills programmes;
• Ensuring that by 2015 all children had access to free and compulsory primary education of good quality;
• Achieving a 50% improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015; and
• Improving all aspects of the quality and excellent of education with measurable learning outcomes.

9-Mile alcohol ban on

By JUNIOR UKAHA

NCD metropolitan commander Supt  Joseph Tondop has placed a total ban on alcohol sale and consumption at the 9-Mile settlement outside Port Moresby, The National reports.
This follows the killing of John Sine Kaupa, the operations manager of Kuima Security Services, during an alcohol-related violence on Sunday.
Tondop warned the 2,000-plus settlers of portion 2219 Moitaka Ridge and the Tari community yesterday that anyone selling or consuming alcohol would be dealt with by his officers.
A drunken brawl between a Tari man and a Kuima Security guard ended in Kaupa's death, and later triggered off a fight between the Chimbu and Tari groups.
He said the ban would be in place as long as he was the city's police chief.
Community leader James Mogia promised Tondop and NCD operations chief executive Andy Bawa that anyone selling alcohol in the area would be reported to the police.
Kaupa, who was allegedly killed by the Taris, was believed to have been drunk when he took his shotgun and left to retrieve a company bus that was damaged by a group of men that morning.
His younger brother Anthon Kaupa, who flew in from Lae, Morobe, on Monday, said there was no need for further violence as the matter was in the hands of the police and those responsible for the killing of his brother would be brought to justice.
Tondop said the police had set up camp in the area and would try their best to get the two groups together to live peacefully in the area.
Meanwhile, it is believed that at least four high-powered guns were among weapons used in the ethnic clash, including two M16 assault rifles and pump-action shotguns.
Tondop admitted that guns were used in the fighting but he could not verify the type of weapons used.
"Reports we received is that guns were fired in the night but that could not be verified," he said.
All stores in the area including 9-Mile's Sigirap market had remained closed and no buses were operating in the area due to the tension.

Sir Salamo asked to disqualify himself

By JULIA DAIA BORE

CHIEF Justice Sir Salamo Injia has been asked to disqualify himself from hearing the East Sepik provincial executive council's special reference case because of an "apprehension of bias", The National reports.
Lawyer Manuel Varitimos, of Young and Williams, representing Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, made the submission to the Supreme Court presided by Sir Salamo yesterday. But no detail of the "apprehension of bias" was presented to the court.
The East Sepik council is questioning the legality of the process used by the national parliament on Aug 2 to vote into office the Peter O'Neill-Belden Namah government.
Varitimos' application was submitted to the court during the second directional hearing to confirm the interveners in the proceedings who were named in this order from first to seventh: Attorney-General Dr Allan Marat, Jeffery Nape as speaker of parliament, the Ombudsman Commission, Sam Abal, Peter O'Neill, Belden Namah and National Alliance Party.
The counsel will argue Varitimos' application today.
Sir Salamo said "time was of essence" and ordered that the parties be served the necessary documents by 6pm last night and their response should be filed with the court registry by 9am today.
Sir Salamo will decide after hearing the submissions from both sides whether he should disqualify himself from the case.
It is understood that O'Neill is taking the issue with the fact that lawyer Terry Injia, the son of Sir Salamo, is employed by Steel Lawyers, the law firm of Rimbink Pato who is assisting lawyer Ian Molloy, representing the East Sepik council.
O'Neill's lawyers are expected to raise the issue of "apprehension of bias" on this basis.
They are raising issues because Injia had stated in an affidavit submitted to the court that he would be assisting Pato.

Somare case deferred

ANGORAM MP Arthur Somare's judicial review challenging his referral to the leadership tribunal has been adjourned yesterday to Monday, The National reports.
Presiding judge Justice Panuel Mogish said he did not have the files for the case.
The review was to have been listed yesterday.
Somare's lawyer Ian Molloy disrupted Mogish's hearing of criminal matters to have the matter heard.
But Mogish said he had other matters to deal with and that the file was not before him.
The matter is in relation to Somare being referred to the leadership tribunal.
The argument in the review was to question the legal powers that acting public prosecutor Camillus Sambua exercised in appointing state prosecutor Katwa Umpake to sign the referral.

Govt clarifies appointment policy

By ISAAC NICHOLAS

THE national government will not make wholesale changes to the heads of departments and statutory bodies.
Prime Minister Peter O'Neill yesterday said there would not be any political appointments, The National reports.
"We are making two changes in the public service because they did not follow proper procedures."
Department of Personnel Management secretary John Kali said on Monday that more heads of government departments and statutory bodies would be removed.
Senior government officers who had been removed since the O'Neill-Namah regime took office were Margaret Elias as chief secretary and Gabriel Yer of finance.
Manasupe Zurenuoc took over from Elias while Stephen Gibson was appointed acting finance secretary.
When asked about the confusion the changes would create if a Supreme Court reference challenging his election as prime minister, and the validity of his government, was upheld, O'Neill said parliament had spoken.
He said democracy was demonstrated by the parliamentary process which was determined by more than 50 votes to put a new government in office.
State Enterprises Minister Sir Mekere Morauta said parliament and the courts were independent institutions.
"The government must move on. It cannot wait for the courts to make a decision," he said.
But Sir Mekere said a decision on the matter by the courts would be respected.