Hungry like the wolf!

With most of the shops closed today, many of the people at work were looking for a bite to eat, and one of the few fast food shops that was open was the one at Mobil Service Station, Waigani.

There was a long queue of people lining up for lunch, as this picture shows, and this shop certainly had a roaring trade today.

World's largest privately-owned yacht visits Madang

The mv Octopus owned by billionaire Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft sailed into Madang over Easter.

mv Octopus is 126m, almost 3, 000 tonnes, costs US$200 million and travels around the world for the owner and his friends.
Paul Allen, reported to be the third-wealthiest man in the USA and 12th in the world called into Madang for diving with Skita Libido from the Madang Resort. 
The picture shows the garage housing a submarine, catamaran, numerous tenders and jet skis.
 It also carried two helicopters which have their own hangar and the ship is staffed by 60 including two US ex Seals.
 The Kalibobo Spirit and Madang Resort can be seen in the background.-Picture by SIBONA MANI

PNG elections to go ahead: commissioner

By Eoin Blackwell, 

AAP Papua New Guinea Correspondent

Papua New Guinea's electoral commissioner says the 2012 poll will go ahead as scheduled, despite last week's controversial vote by parliament to defer it for six months.
Andrew Trawen says he is currently seeking legal advice on the constitutionality of the decision made by parliament on April 5 to defer the elections until October.
"I will proceed to advise the Governor General Sir Michael Ogio to issue writs for the 2012 elections as scheduled on 27th April, 2012," he said in a statement today.
"And I want the people of PNG to know that I have always maintained that the commission is prepared and the 2012 elections will go ahead as planned."
Parliament voted 63 to 11 on Thursday to defer the poll after government MP Waka Goi told the chamber a report from Mr Trawen recommended delaying the poll because of security concerns and an incomplete electoral roll.
Two days after voting for the suspension, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill released a statement saying the report did not recommend delaying the election and he still wanted an early poll.
He also said, however, that some MPs, particularly from the highlands, have expressed deep concerns about the rolls not being ready.
In the statement, Mr O'Neill said a special cabinet meeting would be held on Monday with Mr Trawen in attendance.
The government is expected to report the results of the meeting to parliament on Tuesday.
Mr Trawen said election preparations were on track and the commission was doing its best to prepare and deliver credible electoral rolls for a June 23 poll.
"I must assure voters nationwide that names of as many eligible citizens as possible will be shown on the final rolls that will be used for polling," he said.
He also addressed an election funding shortfall of 60 million kina ($AUD 27.7 million) cited by the government.
"The 180 million kina ($AUD 86.2 million) appropriated by parliament is not sufficient to adequately and properly conduct the 2012 elections ... regarded as the most crucial elections in the history of PNG," he said.
"I have directed my Finance Director to resubmit the shortfall bid of K60 million to the Department of Treasury for consideration in the monthly budgetary reviews."
Mr Trawen has consistently rejected comments from deputy PM Belden Namah and Speaker Jeffery Nape that parliament has the power to defer elections.
Critics of the move say PNG's 36-year-old constitution spells out strict five-year parliamentary terms and gives MPs the power to call early elections, but not defer them.
The police and military have also said they were ready for the elections, Mr Trawen said.
The move to delay the elections has prompted an outcry in PNG.
Former prime minister Sir Michael Somare and former attorney general Sir Arnold Amet say the move is blatantly unconstitutional.
"No parliament since independence has used its numbers to buy more time in office than these desperate 63 members of parliament who voted for the deferral of the elections," Sir Michael said.
"The elections must go ahead as scheduled in accordance with our noble constitution.
"The electoral commission always sets the date for the writs to be issued."
Students, former soldiers and trade unionists are planning a protest against the deferral in Port Moresby tomorrow.

Welcome to Papua New Guinea!

This is the lawn at Jackson International Airport on Saturday, strewn with plastic bags and other rubbish. This is the first sight for international visitors. Welcome to Papua New Guinea!

Buai pekpek (betelnut shit) in Port Moresby

This was the scene at the bottom of the Overhead Bridge in 4-Mile yesterday! Port Moresby is in a state of emergency regarding buai spitting and general littering.

Open letter to the Prime Minister on betelnut spitting and littering in Port Moresby and PNG

Dear Prime Minister,

While all the politics is going on, you and your fellow blind MPs do not see a very serious problem in Port Moresby and Papua New Guinea, the filth caused by buai (betel nut) and littering.

People spit buai and litter as they see fit with no respect whatsoever for rules and laws.

Filthy bus stop at 4-Mile yesterday.-Pictures@MALUM NALU

I see buai spitting and littering on the same scale as corruption in politics and bureaucracy, something that is completely out of control, and I call on you to declare a state-of-emergency against these ills which threaten to destroy us.

People now seem to take buai pekpek and other litter for granted, as this picture at 4-Mile bus stop shows

I urge you and your fellow politicians to get out of your ivory towers and see the kind of buai pekpek (betelnut shit) and litter that we wallow through every day.

A filthy Asian shop front at 4-Mile yesterday

Visit Gordon Market, one of the filthiest and most-dangerous markets in the country, right within the heart of the city.

Gordon Market yesterday...one of the filthiest and most-dangerous in PNG

Port Moresby is without doubt one of the filthiest capital cities in the world, likewise, Papua New Guinea is one of the filthiest countries in the world because of buai pekpek and littering.

You see this everywhere!

I urge you and your National Executive Council to consider this in your meeting tomorrow, as the National Capital District Commission has lost the plot for Port Moresby, likewise, other urban councils for the rest of the country

I write this for a cleaner and healthier Papua New Guinea, which I consider to be more important than the dirty politics going on right now.

Drum full of buai pekpek and litter along Waigani Drive yesterday.

Happy Easter.

6.2 magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Papua New Guinea

US Geological Survey

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea early Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami warning was issued. 

The quake hit at 02:15 am (16:15 GMT) 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of Rabaul, in Papua New Guinea’s East New Britain province and 885 kilometers northeast of the capital Port Moresby at a depth of 85 kilometers.

Quakes of such magnitude are common in impoverished Papua New Guinea, which sits on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire“, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates. Last month, the country was hit by a 6.7-magnitude earthquake but while the tremor was widely felt it was too deep, at 105 kilometers, to cause much damage.

Earlier in March, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the New Britain region of the country, with no damage or injuries reported.

A giant tsunami in 1998, caused by an undersea earthquake, killed more than 2,000 people near Aitape, on the country’s northwest coast.