Captain: I saw fighter jets retreating

THE captain of the Air Niugini Falcon jet has revealed being intercepted by two Indonesian fighter planes despite numerous radio prior clearance and radio contacts with Indonesian air traffic, The National reports.
An operations occurrence report submitted by Capt Christopher Smith said on Nov 29, he was in command of the flight P2ANW operating from Subong (Kuala-Lumpur) to Port Moresby with a crew of three and eight passengers.
“Between the hours of 0312z and 0320z we were intercepted by military jet aircraft in the vicinity of Makassar Vor on A215 Airway over Indonesian airspace at Fl390,” he reported.
Smith said that two days earlier, an Indonesian overflight permit was obtained via Universal Weather to operate a flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the permit was valid for a period of seven days which would cover subsequent flights.
“On the morning of Nov 29, P2ANW departed Kuala Lumpur (Subong) without incident transitioning through Singapore’s airspace, navigating on our assigned route of flight. At 70 distance measuring equipment (DME) while communicating with Jakarta control, we received a traffic alert (TA) on our traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) device.
“The approaching aircraft then descended further which required no maneuvering on our part. As the pilot monitoring (and sitting in the right seat) of his particular leg, I notified Jakarta that we just received a TA and gave them DME reading from Makassar,” he said.
“The air control responded by giving us a frequency change to contact Ujung (Makassar) control on 127.5.”
Smith said they responded by giving them a frequency change to contact Ujung resolution advisory giving them climbing instruction and to monitor vertical speed.
Capt Vincent Kipma (flying the sector from left seat) disengaged the auto pilot and complied with TCSA system commands to avoid a collision.
Smith said the TCSA showed the position of the aircraft to be off their left which Capt Kipma acknowledged visually as a military jet fighter.
He said he radioed Ujung control explaining what was happening and queried several times the reason for the engagement as they had not prior warning.
The response, he said, was to report to the next reporting point which was Makassar.
“An unidentified voice (presumably the military jet pilot) said to contact Ujung without other instructions.”
Smith said he looked out his window and saw two fighter jets to their right and 500ft below retreating.
“As a crew, we began to analyse the event, trying to determine the reason for such a bizarre confrontation.
“We were on course and on altitude.
Both Jakarta and Ujung’s radio transmissions were poor but readable.
“In an effort to cover all options, I asked Ujung control if they had overflight permit on file and they responded with an affirmative.
“A phone call was made to Universal Weather from the flight phone explaining the engagement and to check the validity of the overflight permit and they acknowledged that it was also valid.”
The Indonesians had also admitted to scrambling two fighter jets to escort the Falcon over their airspace on its way to Port Moresby

Prime Minister: Indonesians here to stay

By ISAAC NICHOLAS


PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill has reassured Jakarta that his government has no intention of expelling the Indonesian ambassador or closing the Indonesian embassy in Port Moresby over the Nov 29 Falcon jet incident over Indonesian airspace, The National reports.
In direct contrast to his deputy Belden Namah’s 48-hour ultimatum last Friday which included recalling PNG embassy staff in Jakarta, O’Neill said yesterday that he was satisfied with the Indonesian government response to the mid-air incident involving the Air Niugini Falcon jet.
In a statement, he also reassured Indonesia of maintaining diplomatic relations.
O’Neill said he was satisfied with Indonesia’s immediate formal response on Saturday to the Falcon being tracked by two Indonesian air force combat aircraft on Nov 29 while en route home from Malaysia.
The government formally protested diplomatically to Indonesia last Friday.
The aircraft was on a private charter, not official mission, he added.
O’Neill accepted and thanked the Indonesian government for its high-level explanation that the incident arose out of a “discrepancy of the original flight clearance authority” issued by the Indonesian government for the Falcon aircraft.
According to the Indonesian government, the approval for the Falcon jet to use Indonesian airspace was for the period Dec 3-17 and not Nov 29, the day of the incident.
The Indonesian government was carrying out further investigations internally to verify if there was any formal approval granted for the Falcon Jet to use Indonesian airspace on Nov 29.
O’Neill said Jakarta further explained that its air force aircraft engagement with the Falcon jet was to “visually identify the aircraft and followed both their strict domestic standard operating procedures and normal international aviation practices” that deal with such situations.
When it was established that the aircraft belong to the PNG Government, the Indonesian fighter jets retreated, he said.
O’Neill was reassured that there was “never any ill-intention or threat posed to the Falcon jet and its passengers and flight crew by the Indonesian fighter aircraft.
He described the incident was most unfortunate and directed relevant authorities, including Air Niugini and Civil Aviation Authority, to carry out further internal investigations on the flight clearance arrangements for the Falcon flight and to ensure that such incidents are not repeated.
“All international civil aviation rules and regulations must be upheld at all times for any international flights by PNG aircraft.”
O’Neill reiterated that it was vital that both PNG and Indonesia continue to maintain diplomatic presence and dialogue in the respective capitals as they strengthen existing bilateral cooperation.
“As close and friendly neighbours in the Asia Pacific region, it is in both our interest to ensure that the bilateral ties build on solid foundations that have already been laid, over the years need to be safeguarded and sustained.”
He also directed that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade solely take charge of this important bilateral matter with Indonesia.

Belden Nama on the Falcon incident in Indonesia

Interesting to watch BELDEN NAMA on the 6pm EMTV news saying that it will take "10 to 20 Falcon jets" to load US$250 million in cash.

He also warned Indonesia to explain by tomorrow. 

On the other hand, PM Peter O'Neill says Indonesia-PNG relations will not be tarnished by the incident.

Yehiura 'Angwi' Hriewazi's death

Toksave to all friends, family members and journalists that veteran journalist YEHIURA ' ANWI' HRIEWAZI passed away in the early hours of this morning...such a young man

Councils and democracy - a pathway for Papua New Guinea

By JOHN FOWKE

John Fowke

The citizens of Australia, like those of all free, progressive democratic nations hold as their first and second most-dear possessions their families and their homes and real property.

 The great issues of tax, trade, foreign affairs and defence are generally regarded without question as the province of the Federal Government, but  ordinary people are quick to stand up and speak on  issues affecting their daily lives, their households, health and their children’s’ welfare, and their investments.

 There is nothing more destabilising and aggravating than unauthorised changes to laws and autocratic and, worse, corrupt decisions by a government.

In most democracies, the primary level of government provides both a forum and conduit for complaint or adjustment or suggested improvement.

This means the state or province, the town or rural local government institutions which protect citizens’ most prized  assets – homes, businesses, power, water and sewerage, schools and hospitals, law and order- these institutions are the forums most accessible and most responsive to the expressions of John and Joan Citizen.

 These institutions are basic to a settled, productive and satisfied society.

 This goes back to tribal times when no matter how impoverished and how low down in the tribal pecking order one was, there was always a right to stand forth in front of one’s clansmen and women and be listened to when there was general concern or a worry present in the community.

Such a system was formalised, for instance, amongst the Scandinavian raiders who conquered and settled large areas of England, Scotland and Ireland 1,400 years ago.

The tribal court was called the Witan, and here disputes and offences by tribesmen were settled according to custom.

 This ancient, basic right has been eroded in PNG to the stage where it is now almost non-existent.

Citizens feel a sense of powerlessness.

This is because traditional leadership which today is represented by the LLG Councillor and his Local Level Government have been neutralised as a force in politics.

This has been done simply and deliberately by cutting out the financial support necessary for LLGs to function other than in a ceremonial, flag-raising manner.

 By starving the LLGs of funds over a decades-long period the party system has intentionally connived to emasculate them; has rendered them without influence or effect in any real sense, especially in the provision of effective local communal leadership and representation.

This situation may be reversed- not without difficulty- by turning the LLGs into communally-aligned “quality control units” rather than physical service-providers with tip-trucks and bridge-carpenters and so-on.

LLGs should become communal quality-controllers, criticising and bringing to provincial and Waigani-based authorities’ attention all and any deficiencies in the function of service-providing departments and government agencies.

 This to be done through MPs whose loyalty is tied by agreement to the LLGs in each electorate.

 This will be resisted strongly by the political class and aspirants to this status because it cuts out the “parties”- the running sores within the PNG polity, source of personal advantage and enrichment of MPs.

An egalitarian society like PNG never needed”parties” as such.

The basis of all needs and identity in PNG is clan membership, home region, "ples matmat bilong tumbuna”; not occupational status, caste, or levels of wealth.

It was surprising and pleasing to see the union movement come together on the “2 PM’s “ issue recently; for a moment there was a flicker of trans-tribal unity on a political issue.

Evidence that a “workers party” could be a reality one day, instead of a mere shield covering the activities in Port Moresby of MPs and their associates.

An opaque ceiling, in effect, imposed between advantaged ”us” and “ them”, the electorate, kept downstairs in the dark.

That which has been suggested here may be accomplished legally, constitutionally, if a large enough number of LLGs can be persuaded to choose a preferred candidate within their electorate- (even though in some cases electorates and LLG districts overlap this is not an insurmountable barrier) - and then oblige the chosen one to sign an agreement tying his whole attention and all funding he is able to extract to the issues nominated by resolution of the LLGs in duly-managed-and -minuted session.

Very briefly, this is what I have been advocating as a remedy for today’s travesty where PNG, a self-declared and wealthy democracy is actually a corrupt hegemony managed for their own benefit by the makeshift mechanism of “parties” which have absolutely no meaning, nor meaningful manifestos, as far as ordinary people are concerned.

Pictures of yesterday's Airlines PNG Dash 8 fiasco in Daru

January 21 is 70th anniversary of Japanese bombing of Salamaua, Lae and Bulolo

Lest we forget, Saturday, January 21, will be the 70th anniversary of the Japanese bombing of Morobe's three golden towns - Salamaua, Lae and Bulolo. 

It is my hope that locals can get together, in whatever little way, and reflect on the significance of the occassion. 

In the lead-up to the anniversary, I'll be running a series of articles on Salamaua, Lae and Bulolo.