Tkatchenko: 'Nothing sinister about Pacific Games contract'

By MALUM NALU

 

Sports and Pacific Games Minister Justin Tkatchenko says said there is “nothing sinister” about the awarding of a K263 million contract to China Railway Construction Engineering (CRCE) to build the 2015 Pacific Games Village at University of PNG.

He said this when asked by The National as to how and why CRCE was awarded a contract worth more than K263 million to build the village, despite the job being valued at only K190m by New Zealand engineering consultancy firm, Warren and Mahoney.

This is also despite CRCE failing to meet annual turnover requirements, not providing information on working capital, liquid assets and/or credit facilities, and no certificate of compliance to confirm payment of tax to the Internal Revenue Commission, disqualifying it from further evaluation for the contract.

“There is nothing sinister,” Tkatchenko said.

“I see nothing wrong.

“It’s gone through every process possible to come up to this final action.

“People will find nothing out of it.

“At the end of the day, we’ve recommended the best possible contractor to do the job on time.

“The most important thing for us is to get the job done on time.”

Asked about CRCE failing to come up with a certificate of compliance from the IRC, Tkatchenko said: “I wouldn’t have a clue.

“I’ve never heard about that.

“They (CRCE) must have complied if they are awarded the contract.

“Central Supply and Tenders Board (CSTB) made their evaluation from the current circumstances.

“That’s Central Supply and Tenders Board’s job.

“I had no issue with that.”

Fletcher Morobe Construction was recommended by the tender evaluation committee (TEC) to the CSTB ahead of nine other bidders to be awarded the contract at a cost of K191, 453, 553.80, however, this was somehow given to CRCE.

Tkatchenko, however, said Fletcher Morobe was willing to do that Aquatic Centre at 3-Mile so the village contract - with a deadline of March 2015 - was given to CRCE.

He said he asked the TEC why CRCE was given the village contract, despite Fletcher Morobe winning the bid.

“The answer that they (TEC) gave me was that Fletcher Morobe was happy to do the Aquatic Centre,” Tkatchenko said.

“They were more than happy to do the Aquatic Centre.”

Tkatchenko said the tender bids went through the TEC, CSTB, State Solicitor, on to Cabinet to make a decision, back to State Solicitor to draw up the contracts, and then on to Governor-General to sign.

He said CRCE was working with New Zealand engineering consultancy company, Becca, on behalf of the government as project manager, with Curtain Brothers doing the groundwork

Chinese company awarded inflated contract to build Pacific Games Village

By MALUM NALU

 

A Chinese company, China Railway Construction Engineering (CRCE) PNG, was awarded a contract worth more than K263 million to build the 2015 Pacific Games Village at University of PNG, despite the job being valued at only K190m.

Documents provided to The National show that CRCE was not in the top three of the 10 companies that bid for the contract, however, was approved ahead of the rest at an additional cost of more than K73 million to Papua New Guinea.

Sports and Pacific Games Minister Justin Tkatchenko, when contacted for comment, said there was “nothing sinister” about the awarding of the contract to CRCE.

A government source said a professional New Zealand engineering consultancy firm, Warren and Mahoney, did the scoping and estimation for the project which it said was worth K190m.

Moreover, the tender evaluation committee (TEC) of the Central Supply and Tenders Board (CSTB), disqualified CRCE from further evaluation, however, it was somehow awarded the contract.

The 10 companies that bid and their respective prices were China Railway Construction Group PNG (K149, 549, 896.90), China Railway Construction Engineering PNG (K263, 973, 822.56), Associated Builders (K389, 699, 629.50), J4J Construction & Hardware Supplies (K179, 550, 813.20),  China Harbour Engineering Ltd (K153, 307, 006.19), PNG Construction Ltd (K223, 437, 500), Digara Construction Ltd (K226, 479, 798.16), Fletcher Morobe Construction (K191, 453, 653.80), JIC Niugini Engineering (K173, 236, 504.02), and China Railway Group (K189,033, 309.98)

Fletcher Morobe Construction was recommended by the tender evaluation committee (TEC) of the Central Supply and Tenders Board (CSTB) to be awarded the contract at a cost of K191, 453, 553.80.

The other two top companies after that were China Harbour Engineering Ltd (K153, 307. 006.19), and JIC Niugini Engineering Ltd (K173, 236, 504.02)

“Members of the TEC assessed individual bids according to the evaluation criteria for technical scores out of 100, and average totals established to determine the ranking of the bids,” according to the TEC report.

“Emphasis was placed on technical scores for ranking individual firms, while financial capacity was assessed based on the available working capital.

“China Railway Construction Engineering failed to meet the annual turnover requirements and his (sic) failure to provide the working capital, liquid assets and/or credit facilities information, and no certificate of compliance to confirm payment of tax to the IRC, disqualifies him for further evaluation

Fletcher Morobe topped with 84 out of 100 followed by CRCE (77.3), China Harbour Engineering (77.2), JIC Niugini (76.7), China Railway Construction Group (76.5), China Railway Group (74), PNG Construction (63.5), J4J Construction & Hardware (70.5), Digara Construction (61.3), and Associate Builders (61.2).

Members of the TEC were chairman Gabriel Tomtai and members Simon Vai, Rayu Frank, Iammo Launa, Veari Hitolo, and Phillip Tabogani.

Tracing the footsteps of their Taiwanese grandfathers

By MALUM NALU

It is a very little known and sad story of World War 11 in Papua New Guinea, that many of the Japanese soldiers were in fact Taiwanese.

The Takasago Giyūtai (Taiwanese Volunteers) were forcefully-conscripted volunteer soldiers in the Imperial Japanese Army, recruited from the Taiwanese aboriginal tribes during WW11because of their hunter-gatherer culture, and sent to the jungles of far-off New Guinea to fight in a war that was not theirs.

Now, almost 70 years after the end of WW11 in 1945, a Taiwanese academic is in PNG to follow the footsteps of his grandfather in Wewak, East Sepik, as well as conduct traditional rituals to bring back the spirits of the Takasago Giyūtai who lost their lives there.

Tsai…a man on a mission

Prof Futuru Tsai, an academic at National Taitung University in Taiwan, left for Wewak yesterday (Thursday) with research student Yavaus Gling, artist Siki Sufin, and documentary filmmaker Siaman Zhang Yehai, on a special mission to retrace the footsteps of their grandfathers and bring their spirits with them back to Taiwan, as well as foster new bonds with the people of Wewak East Sepik, and PNG.

Prof Futuru Tsai with artist Siki Sufin, Taiwan Trade Mission representative Daniel Hu, research student Yavaus Gling, and documentary filmmaker  Siaman Zhang Yehai.-Pictures by MALUM NALU

He estimates that of the more than 4,000 Takasago Giyūtai brought by the Japanese to fight in PNG, up to 3,000 lost their lives here.

Tsai’s grandfather, Roeng, died two years ago aged 90, but his stories about WW11 in PNG, which included that of starving Japanese being forced to eat human flesh to stay alive in the jungles, have always intrigued his grandson, who had already published his biography.

This is his second time in PNG, having first come here four years ago with his father and younger brother, to retrace Roeng’s footsteps.

“There were more than 4,000 Taiwanese indigenous people who were conscripted by the Japanese to go to the battlefields, especially in Papua New Guinea, like Wewak, Madang, Lae, and Rabaul,” Tsai told The National yesterday.

“Four years ago, I traced the footsteps of my grandfather with my father and my younger brother.

“At that time, we made many, many new friends around Wewak and Angoram.

“This time, four years later, I bring with me one of the most-famous indigenous artists in Taiwan, a documentary filmmaker, and also one of the students from my graduate institute.

“This time, we want to bring our ancestral spirits from around the battlefield, back home to Taiwan.

“We also want to establish new connections.

“We want to create new understanding between Taiwan society and Papua New Guinea.”

Tsai admitted that the story of the Takasago Giyūtai was one of the little-known and saddest in the WW11 history of Taiwan, Japan, and PNG, and hopes that something positive will come out of his visit to Wewak and East Sepik.

Scotland to play Papua New Guinea

SAM VILLER

21 Aug 2013

Love Rugby League

  Scotland will play Papua New Guinea on Saturday 19 September at Big Fellas Stadium, Featherstone, in a full international as a warm-up ahead of the Rugby League World Cup.
It will be Scotland's only match this year before their RLWC2013 campaign kicks off against Tonga at Workington on Tuesday 29 October.
Papua New Guinea are in Group B at the World Cup along with New Zealand, Samoa and France. With Super League players such as prop Jason Chan from League Leaders Huddersfield, Wakefield hooker Paul Aiton, along with Championship players Jessie Joe Parker of Whitehaven, former Hull KR forward Makali Aizue now with Dewsbury Rams and Sheffield's Menzie Yere, PNG are contenders for a quarter-final place.
"We're delighted to secure the game against PNG," said Scotland coach Steve McCormack. "We've been working on it for weeks and all the pieces have fallen into place thanks to the tremendous efforts of the two countries' boards and Featherstone Rovers, who have been fantastic in making this happen. It should be a tremendous game and the perfect preparation for us ahead of the Tonga game."
Scotland will go into camp a couple of days before the PNG clash, having trained several times a week for the previous six weeks. They will depart for their RLWC2013 base at Workington immediately after the PNG game (kick off time to be confirmed).
Kumuls general manager Matthew Matusch had this to say: "PNG are excited by the prospect of playing their League Brothers from the far north. We are really looking forward to this opportunity as this is the first time, to our knowledge, that Papua New Guinea and Scotland have played each other.
"We are aware that we will be in for a good strong clash with the Bravehearts. Scotland looks as though they have a very good line up with the calibre of players which they have at their disposal. It should be a great match with two Warrior Nations coming together! We're hoping for a nice warm afternoon!"

Asylum seeker seeks to join PNG legal case

SBS

Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court is considering whether to allow an Afghan asylum seeker on Manus Island to join the legal challenge to centre.

A lone asylum seeker looking to join a constitutional challenge against his detention on Manus Island will have to wait until September for a decision from the Papua New Guinea courts.
Rawed Reza, an Afghan asylum seeker who has been housed on Manus Island since January 4, wants to join the challenge mounted by PNG opposition leader Belden Namah to Australia's tough new border policy.
Mr Namah's lawyer, Loani Henao, on Tuesday applied to Justice Stephen Kassman to add Mr Reza to the list of applicants, and pushed to visit Mr Reza at the detention centre.
"We are seeking orders from the court to have access to the assessment centre at Lombrum Naval Base on Manus, to obtain instructions from Rawed Reza, one of the persons who is seeking settlement in Australia," Mr Henao told the court.
Later, he told reporters Mr Reza was sent to Christmas Island in November last year.
"He's been in Manus since January 4," Mr Henao said.
"His wife and five-month-old son were killed in Afghanistan in December 2011."
PNG has agreed to temporarily detain all asylum seekers who try to arrive in Australia by boat.
This is the second challenge against the centre brought by Mr Henao and Mr Namah - their first was dismissed two months ago after it was found the correct legal procedure wasn't used.
At the time, the court ordered Mr Henao be allowed to go to the centre. However, Mr Henao said he was prevented by government officials from doing so.
When asked if email was the only way he had communicated with Mr Reza, Mr Henao replied, "That's why we want to go and see him."
The government was also ordered to present its response to the question of whether Mr Namah has the standing to bring the challenge.
Meanwhile the Australian government says it will continue to transfer detainees to Manus Island despite a similar challenge in the Australian courts.
PNG's department of immigration has said it is considering fitting resettled asylum seekers into available jobs in the public and private sectors.
More details of how a potential resettlement scheme will work are expected at the end of the month.
There are currently 223 asylum seekers being housed on Manus Island.
The court will resume on September 10

Palmer says he's found huge PNG gas field

From: AAP

August 21, 2013

 

QUEENSLAND mining magnate Clive Palmer says he has discovered one of the world's largest gas fields, a $35 billion deposit off Papua New Guinea.

Privately-owned company Palmer Petroleum, which he chairs, says the offshore gas field is in the Gulf of Papua, west of Port Moresby.
"The results of the studies are extremely favourable," Mr Palmer said on Wednesday.
"The asset could be worth in excess of $US35 billion and is potentially one of the world's largest gas fields."
He said the gas deposit is located near Exxon Mobil's $US19 billion LNG project in Papua New Guinea, on the northern end of the Gulf of Papua.
Mr Palmer said his company spent more than $50 million to explore an area of more than 3000 square kilometres.
Drill hole analysis and 3D surveys were conducted with British geological company Robertson, which belongs to the world's largest seismic surveyor of oilfields, CGG.
Analysts declined to comment on the discovery.
Earlier this year, Oil Search, which operates all of Papua New Guinea's oilfields, said it found modest quantities of gas in the Gulf of Papua, which led to its decision to pursue further exploration

Rabaul Queen owner Peter Sharp to face PNG court over ferry sinking

By PNG correspondent Liam Fox

The owner of a ferry that sank in Papua New Guinea last year is due to appear in court on today, charged with more than 160 counts of manslaughter.

Police yesterday arrested Captain Peter Sharp, the managing director of Rabaul Shipping, the operator of the Rabaul Queen that sank in February last year.
The expatriate Australian has been charged with negligence, operating an unseaworthy ship and 162 counts of manslaughter, one for every fatality that police have confirmed.
Tommy Yep's son was one of the lucky survivors and he says Captain Sharp's arrest is long overdue.
"We will at least get some sense of closure knowing that the person responsible for this disaster is going to face his day in court," he said.
"That goes towards the healing process."
Last year, a Commission of Inquiry found the ferry was unsafe, unseaworthy and overloaded.