US academic gang-raped on Karkar Island, Madang

AFP

A US academic has been gang-raped by an armed mob in Papua New Guinea, barely a week after an Australian was killed and his friend sexually assaulted by a group of men.The incidents come after a brutal spate of sorcery-related crimes that have sparked condemnation from the United Nations and undermined the poor Pacific country's standing as a destination for tourism and investment.
In the latest case, the white academic told AFP that she was attacked on Friday while conducting research on birds and the impact of climate change in a remote forest on Karkar Island in Madang province.
Police in the capital Port Moresby on Sunday confirmed the attack.
"We have taken statements but no arrests have been made yet," a spokesman told AFP. "This is a very serious incident."
The 32-year-old was walking along a bush track with her husband and a guide when nine men armed with rifles and knives ambushed them, stripping the husband and guide naked and tying them up, she said.
They then stripped her, bound her hands, cut off her blonde hair to the scalp and gang-raped her for about 20 minutes before something in the forest startled them and they ran away.
The guide managed to break free and the three of them fled naked back to the nearest village, several hours away, she said.
The husband and wife returned to Port Moresby on Saturday, where they were met by a photographer working for AFP who helped them file police reports and organise a flight out of the country.
The case was also reported to the US embassy. A duty officer told AFP Sunday that the embassy had no comment to offer.
Violence against women is endemic in Papua New Guinea, but it is rare for a white woman to be targeted, and the academic said she wanted to tell her story to shine a light on the issue.
"This story should not come out because I am white," said the woman, who was on her fifth visit to the country since 2010, often staying for up to four months to conduct research.
"It should come out in hopes that it empowers Papua New Guinean women to stand up and say no more violence against women in this country.
"I hope my story can make a change."
The American's ordeal comes barely a week after Australian Robert Purdy, 62, was shot dead at Mount Hagen, in PNG's Western Highlands, and a woman he was with, reportedly from the Philippines, was gang-raped by 10 armed men.
PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill condemned that attack as the "cowardly act of animals".
"This kind of behaviour totally undermines our efforts to make our country a safe destination for investment and tourists," he said.
"We cannot allow the entire nation to suffer because of the behaviour of one or two sick people."
The incidents follow a series of gruesome murders, including a 20-year-old mother who was accused of witchcraft, stripped and burned alive in front of a crowd at a market near Mount Hagen in February.
Earlier this month, an elderly woman was beheaded after being accused of sorcery.

Beautiful Milne Bay gears up for tourists

Source: The National, Wednesday, April 17,  2013 

 By MALUM NALU

CULTURALLY-rich Trobriand Islands, also known as the Islands of Love, along the northern straits of Milne Bay, is gearing up for its biggest ever invasion of tourists.
Milne Bay will be inundated with hundreds of tourists later this year, the biggest number ever, as P&O Cruises launches the first dedicated Papua New Guinea cruises.
In a first for P&O Cruises, PNG will feature in two dedicated itineraries, with Pacific Dawn sailing from Brisbane to the turquoise waters of Milne Bay, where it will visit provincial capital Alotau as well as the beautiful white sand beaches of Doini Island and the Trobriand Islands.

View of Milne Bay from Alotau International Hotel.-Pictures by MALUM NALU

The first cruise from Oct 31 to Nov 9, takes in Alotau, Kiriwina Island, Kawanasausau, and Doini Island.
The second cruise from Nov 16-Nov 26, takes in Kitava, Kiriwina Island, Alotau, Kawanasausau, and Doini Island.

Beautiful sun, surf and sand along the road from East Cape to Alotau.

The maiden cruise to Milne Bay in October is timed to coincide with Alotau’s Canoe and Kundu Festival, where local communities compete in canoe races, costume display and other cultural performances.

Milne Bay baskets at the arts and crafts shop in Alotau. So many more will be needed for the tourist 'invasion'.

Kiriwina-Goodenough district administrator, Nou Labui Bua, is now working against time to get things ready, including setting up new jetties on Kitava and Kaibola.
“We’re expecting cultural groups from the Trobriand Islands to perform in all those venues that we will put up,” he told The National in Alotau.

One of the many forest streams along the road from East Cape to Alotau.

“In the meantime, the preparation work is that we will have to put up jetties.
“Jetties will cost K1 million at Kaibola and K600,000 at Kitava.
“Kiriwina-Goodenough MP Douglas Tomuriesa is getting the money out of his district services improvement programme (DSIP) funds to have these jetties put up.

Milne Bay magic along the road from East Cape to Alotau.

“There is enough time.
“PNG Ports, with the assistance of cruise operator P&O, is getting the plans for the jetties prepared.
“We expect the entire Kiriwina community plus the smaller islands around there to converge on Kaibola on the day to perform.
“They have been told to get their baskets, whatever they can put up, to make a bit of money on the day.”

PNG and Fiji seal Vodafone deal

By Eoin Blackwell, AAP Port Moresby Correspondent

Vodafone Fiji will take over management of PNG mobile phone carrier bemobile, as the nations' leaders announced closer economic ties.
PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and Fiji's interim prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, signed off on the Vodafone Fiji venture in Port Moresby on Tuesday.

PAA © Vodafone Fiji will take over management of PNG mobile phone carrier bemobile.

The plan will see the Vodafone brand brought to PNG and the Solomon Islands.
"We have more mobiles than people," Mr Bainimarama said.
"The term historic is often over-used, but not in this instance. The two leading island nations, Fiji and PNG, have joined hands in a joint commercial venture that promises to revolutionise the lives of all our people for the better."
About 35 per cent of PNG's roughly seven million people currently have access to a mobile phone, compared with 110 per cent coverage in the smaller Fiji islands.
Fiji's National Provident Fund will take a 40 per cent share of bemobile, while the PNG government's commercial arm, the Independent Public Business Corporation (IPBC), will take 51 per cent.
The remaining nine per cent of shares will be spread between the PNG Sustainable Development Program and superannuation providers Nambawan Super, Nasfund and GEMS (PNG).
"This is an exciting venture and an important milestone in the new relationship Fiji is building with Papua New Guinea," Mr Bainimarama said.
"We are pursuing closer economic ties with the view of eventually creating a single market for the countries of the Melanesian Spearhead group."
The Vodafone deal is part of a broader package of economic ties.
PNG and Fiji will engage in annual trade talks and relax visa requirements for travel between the two nations, while PNG will hire Fijian public servants to bolster its ailing public service.
"We will be sending a team to go to Fiji within this year to start recruiting Fijians to come and work here to take up positions where we have a huge chronic shortage in our public service structure," Mr O'Neill said.
He also announced PNG will grant 50 million kina ($A22.2 million) in two tranches to Fiji to help it prepare for elections in March 2014.
The pair did not take questions from the press.
Mr Bainimarama arrived in PNG on Monday for a four-day state visit.

Prime Minister condemns killing of Australian in Mt Hagen

 Prime Minister Peter O'Neill was today angered at reports of the murder of an Australian tourist in Mt Hagen on Monday morning.

Media reports said the Australian, who was identified, was shot dead at a friend’s home while his girl friend was pack raped.

“I condemn the killing of this tourist and the attack on his girlfriend. It is a cowardly act of animals. This kind of behaviour totally undermines our efforts to make our country a safe destination for investment and tourists,” the Prime Minister said.

He demanded Police Commissioner Tom Kulunga to do all that is necessary to bring those responsible to justice.

“Our community cannot be safe until we bring perpetrators of such heinous crimes to face the full force of the law.

“We cannot allow the entire nation to suffer because of the behaviour of one or two sick people,” Mr O’Neill said.

Australian man shot dead in PNG

By Eoin Blackwell of AAP

AAP

An Australian man has been killed and a woman gang raped by a mob in Papua New Guinea's Western Highlands.
Robert "Bob" Purdy, 62, from Melbourne, died instantly after being shot at point blank range on Monday morning when a group of up to 10 men confronted him at a house on the outskirts of Mt Hagen.
The men then raped a female guest at the house.
The woman, understood to be from the Philippines, was taken to Mt Hagen hospital for treatment.
"The motive of the killing of this innocent Australian is not known at this moment as well as the identity of the killers," Highlands Divisional commander Teddy Tei told the Post Courier newspaper.
Mr Tei said no valuables had been taken from the scene and police could not rule out the possibility that the owner of the house, who is away in Sydney, was the target.
"I condemn the actions of these animals," Mr Tei said.
"This is inhumane.
"We are investigating this very serious incident which is likely to have severe ramifications on the country's image."
Mr Purdy operated a towing business, Cobra Towing, on the Gold Coast for more than 20 years and is understood to have been working in construction while in PNG.
In February, Mt Hagen was the site of the brutal murder of Kepari Leniata, a 20-year-old mother who was stripped naked and set on fire in front of a crowd after she was accused of using sorcery to kill a child.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said consular officials in Canberra were providing assistance to the man's family in Australia.

Australian businessman killed in Mt Hagen

By Robyn Wuth of Gold Coast News

COLOURFUL Gold Coast businessman Bob Purdy -- a towie known as "Cobra Bob" -- was shot dead in Papua New Guinea at the weekend.
The former Ashmore businessman, who famously repossessed everything from cruise ships to skyscrapers, was shot in what was believed to be a botched robbery in the dangerous Mt Hagen area.

'Cobra Bob' Purdy in a file photo from 1991

It is understood Mr Purdy died instantly.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the death of a 62-year-old man in Papua New Guinea.
Friends yesterday confirmed Mr Purdy's death but declined to comment.
Mr Purdy was well known on the Gold Coast and operated a towing business, Cobra Towing, for more than 20 years.
His other enterprises included an "equipment" import-export business which targeted small countries with troubled economies, car yards, a repossession business and experimentation with the manufacturing of table tops from broken glass.
Mr Purdy had been working in construction in the Mt Hagen area.
Numerous travel warnings have been issued for the area due to the high level of serious crime.
Local authorities warned of a "heightened risk" of armed robbery and attack.
Mr Purdy's body is expected to be returned to the Gold Coast for the funeral which has not yet been arranged.

Coffee pioneers of Milne Bay

Source: The National, Monday, April 15, 2013 

 

By MALUM NALU

 

 BEATRICE and David Alwyn may be rightfully called the ‘first couple’ of coffee in Milne Bay province.
The couple, from remote Daga, north of Alotau, were among 55 coffee growers from remote areas of the province who completed a week-long course in basic husbandry practices, agronomy, harvesting, and processing techniques at Bubuletta outside Alotau last Friday.
Beatrice and another young woman, Lina Tutuna, were the only ones among males.

CIC provincial farmer and training coordinator Dickson Kenas with Beatrice Alwayn and Lina Tutuna.-Nationalpics by MALUM NALU

Beatrice and David,  aged 27, with two young children,  started growing coffee two years ago, now have 5,000 trees on two hectares of land, and expect their first harvest later this year.
While many other young people in Milne Bay and Papua New Guinea are turning to alcohol and drugs, not so the Alwyns.

The ‘first couple’ of coffee in Milne Bay…Beatrice and David Alwyn.-

“I’m very privileged to have attended this training,” Beatrice told The National.
“Through this training, I have learned so much about maintaining my coffee trees.
“Through this help, I’ll go back to my own land and tend my coffee trees.
“Over the last three years, I have struggled so much with coffee problems, and what I have learned from the Coffee Industry Corporation and the division of agriculture and livestock, I will apply to my coffee block.”
David says since he was taught about coffee growing by provincial agriculture adviser, James Duks, he has never looked back,
“We started growing coffee about two years ago,” he said.
“In the middle of this year, it should start to bear fruit.
“I think around September or October this year we should have our first harvest.”
David completed Grade 10 at Holy Name High School in Dogura, while Beatrice did her education at Rabaraba Vocational Centre.”
He is encouraging young people to turn to the land and grow coffee, rather than wasting away their lives on alcohol and drugs.
“My advice to my other young friends is that drinking is not a god thing,” David says.
“We take drugs, we do bad things.
“I’ve been telling them to grow coffee.”