Rough seas, strong winds at Finschhafen

Update from Finschhafen: James Krimbu, a health worker at Braun Rural Hospital in Finschhafen, Morobe province, told me from Finschhafen that the area had been experiencing very rough seas and strong winds, which was hampering rescue efforts.
“At the moment, there are rough seas and strong winds in Finschhafen,” he said.
“District administrator organised boats to go out but they can’t because the seas are too rough.
“At the moment, they are on standby at Buki Wharf.
“They made a first attempt before lunch but they encountered rough seas and strong winds and they turned back.”
Krimbu said no bodies had been delivered to the Braun hospital, however, a helicopter had flown over Finschhafen for Lae

Rabaul Shipping office deserted after mv Rabaul Queen sinks

By ALAN MCLAY

President

Lae Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Our information is that the ship went down at about 6 am this morning.

There are extremely high winds and the sea is very rough.

The local villagers are very hesitant in venturing out to sea to assist the rescue in fear for their own lives (they know their own coast).

The Rabaul Shiiping office in Lae is deserted with a large crowd around it and no one can contact any of the management in Rabaul.

mv Rabaul Queen sinks with more than 300 passengers on board

Passenger vessel mv Rabaul Queen has sunk with more than 300 passengers on board in waters off Finschhafen, Morobe province.
It is confirmed that the ship went down approximately 20 nautical miles north east of Finschhafen (6° 10 south 148° 08 east) 300 plus on board. 
"There are four vessels and a helicopter in the area now assisting," said Lae Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Alan McLay.
"International ships have been called in to assist where thay can. 
"We had a call from Finschhafen that 15 bodies were helicoptered into Butaweng (the hospital in Finschhafen)."

“Tree of life” creates potential for coconut based products

By SOLDIER BURUKA of DAL

The coconut is truly the “tree of life” and has many uses for millions of people around the world.

And in PNG like many Pacific Island countries, virgin coconut oil is increasingly becoming popular for the production of medicines and cosmetics.

A college lecturer who has ventured into producing medicinal and cosmetic coconut oil-based products says there is enormous potential in rural PNG communities.

He has also developed products for cooking purposes.

Leonard Kaptigau shows samples of his products during a visit to DAL headquarters

However, Leonard Sarikey Kaptigau, a lecturer at Madang Teachers College, and trained health nutritionist, says that people like him needed more support in terms of funding and technical assistance from the government.

The Department of Agriculture and Livestock last year donated an oil expeller machine worth over K9, 000 and the Madang provincial administration has provided some funding assistance for his research and training activities.

But he needs to go further now that the public is aware of his work and there is increasing demand for the products.

Since the donation of the machine, they have produced good quality virgin coconut oil.

Kaptigau, of Bari village in Madang, is asking DAL and other agencies to further assist him in purchasing storage containers in different sizes which can be used for storage and distribution.

Different types of containers are needed to store and to bottle the products and dispatch to various locations.

The former primary school teacher and inspector who holds a degree in education, established RM Sarikey Bio Products which has been producing a range of products from coconut oil and plants including virgin coconut oil, coconut cooking oil, cocoa butter oil, cocoa butter crude cream, carrot oil, soursop oil, round cabbage oil, noni leaf oil, guava fruit oil, round onion oil, marita oil, cucumber oil and others.

Virgin coconut oil can be used together with a wide range of plant parts that contain cosmetic and medicinal properties to effect changes in the body by applying it externally on skin surfaces or drinking the oil.

The oil expeller machine is capable of extracting oil from any oily seed as well as production of fruit juice by squeezing the fruit parts.

 It can also produce 40 litres of coconut oil from 200 coconuts in one hour.

Kaptigau, who was trained in health and nutritional education, sports science and medicine in Australia, said it had taken him five years of study and experiments into how the purest coconut oil could be used together with plant parts to help the body.

These products have already been given to the public and there have been positive results with no side effects experienced.

There is enormous potential for mass production with many people showing interest in the products.

 But this will depend on capital as well as facilities.

The plan is to train villagers who can produce these products within their own communities and also provide opportunities for people to utilise their coconut, cocoa and plants for other uses.

“We are what we eat,” Kaptigau says.

“The foods we eat do not just provide us with the energy or nutritional requirements but have healing properties to heal and stop major illnesses from making our physical body and mind sick.”

He is now close to formulating a coconut-based product for HIV/AIDS sufferers.

Learning to market taro

By SAMUEL KEHATSIN of NARI

PRODUCING agricultural produce to meet the requirements of markets requires special attention and those involved need to be equipped with the required skills.

This is exactly what a taro commercialisation project in the East New Britain province is doing, ensuring taro growers under the project are aware of the requirements involved in processing taro before exporting them to major local urban markets or overseas.

Participants going through steps involved in field planting

One of the newly-planted taro fields of the AIGS taro commercialisation project

The project, funded through the Agricultural Innovations Grant Scheme (AIGS) of AusAID, is conducting a series of training for farmer trainers to educate farmers on the importance of the various stages involved in processing taro to meet market demands and quarantine requirements.

One such training was conducted last week at the NARI Island Regional Centre at Keravat, attended by farmers and trainers from various local level governments in the province.

The training, facilitated by staff of the project, featured post-harvest techniques, selection of quality planting materials, field planting techniques, chemical application and safety and storage. Demonstrations were held to show the process involved from harvesting, cleaning, grading, and packing of taro to meet export requirements.

 Kiteni Kurika, a project staffer and one of the facilitators, said that the biggest problem was the lack of support from other agencies to see the beneficiaries of what the association was capable of doing.

 She added that it was a mammoth task, especially when engaged in trying to export food crops like taro to overseas markets.

Kurika said her team was trying to ensure quarantine issues and meeting market demand on a regular basis was better understood by farmers.

Participants expressed that the training was useful, saying they knew how to plant taro but to process taro to meet requirements had been an eye opener.

 Through this project, taro growers in province have made a first shipment of taro to the Pacific Adventist University and are already selling in the supermarkets of Port Moresby.

East New Britain Women and Youth in Agriculture Corporative Societies Association is already leading the way in agriculture in the province and is calling for more support from government agencies, NGOs, and the private sector in the province for them pursue this further.

The association is now looking at the LNG projects and other project sites, with options of exporting to New Zealand also being considered.

Oro duo wanted for stealing state property

By JUNIOR UKAHA

POLICE in Oro are looking for two public servants who allegedly removed property belonging to the Northern Province Restoration Authority.
Provincial police commander Victor Isouve said in December last year, the pair allegedly under the cover of darkness took a container of furniture, electrical goods and other items from the NPRA compound to Oro Bay to ship to Rabaul.
He said the new chairman, Arthur Jawodimbari, got suspicious of the actions of the duo and informed police who responded by stopping the men at Oro Bay and searched the container.
Isouve said a vehicle, wokabout sawmill, tables, chairs and electrical items were in the container bound for Rabaul.
The two men, who were employees of NPRA, were questioned and released pending further investigations.
The other suspect from East New Britain fled the province while the second man was in Port Moresby to sort out school fees for his children.
Isouve said investigations into the affairs of the NPRA revealed that four to five new vehicles were bought using the organisation’s money but were never delivered to the province to help Cyclone Guba victims.
He said instead all the vehicles were kept in Port Moresby by individuals.
Isouve said police were trying to find out where all the money had gone to.
He said the El Nina period in the province had resulted in road conditions along the Kokoda Highway and other places like Oro Bay and Girua deteriorating

United in grief

By ISAAC NICHOLAS

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill and Sir Michael Somare yesterday shook hands and stood united in grief – at the funeral of a parliamentary colleague, The National reports.
Political differences were put aside as MPs from both sides of the warring factions farewelled the late Patrick Tammur in Port Moresby.
The Kokopo MP died last week after a long battle with diabetes.
MPs paid their tribute and viewed his body at the Grand Hall of Parliament. It was followed by a memorial service at the St Joseph Church in East Boroko.
O’Neill shook hands with Sir Michael and his son, Angoram MP Arthur Somare in a “funeral reconciliation”.
O’Neill was accompanied by his deputy Belden Namah, cabinet ministers, Speaker Jeffery Nape and deputy speaker Francis Marus.
Sir Michael and Arthur arrived with Ambunti-Dreikikir MP Tony Aimo, Southern Highlands Governor Anderson Agiru, Madang regional MP Sir Arnold Amet and Pomio MP Paul Tiensten.
The two factions sat side by side again at the funeral service at the St Joseph Catholic church in East Boroko.
Tammur’s body will be flown to Kokopo this morning where a traditional Tolai welcome with the Tumbuan-Dukduk ceremony is expected at the Tokua airport.
Tammur is survived by wife Salome and three children Oscar, Sophia and Theresa.
O’Neill joined Sir Michael and other leaders in paying tribute to the late MP.
“When he defeated Sir Rabbie Namaliu in the 2007 general election, he knew the challenges that lay ahead of him and the expectations of his people, were great,” O’Neill said.
“Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare recognised his pedigree and his potential and appointed him to his Cabinet in the former government.
“And the young man did not disappoint. He presided over a number of key policy changes in the information and communication technology arena, which now guide development in the industry.
“It is indeed a huge loss that this illness has cut short the life of this promising young leader.
“For his time of public service, however short, I thank his family and the people of Kokopo.
Sir Michael also conveyed his condolences to the family and the people of Kokopo.