Asian Development Bank provides US$1 million for Papua New Guinea earthquake relief

PORT MORESBY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA (4 April 2018) —The Asian Development Bank (ADB) today signed a $1 million grant agreement with the Government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) to help fund priority relief and recovery activities following a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, which struck Hela Province on 26 February.
The agreement was signed by David Hill, ADB Country Director for Papua New Guinea, and Charles Abel, Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer, at a ceremony in Port Moresby today.

Papua New Guinea’s Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Charles Abel with the Country Director of ADB’s Papua New Guinea Resident Mission David Hill at the signing ceremony at Parliament House today .

“The earthquake and subsequent aftershocks caused widespread destruction and loss of life,” said Mr. Hill.
“This emergency relief assistance will help restore livelihoods. ADB stands ready to provide further assistance for the stricken provinces to rebuild.”
“The Government of Papua New Guinea appreciates the ADB grant, which will assist our relief and restoration efforts,” said Mr. Abel.
“Rehabilitation costs for water, roads, electricity, schools, and other sectors are likely to be very significant.”
On 1 March, a state of emergency was declared, following extensive damage in Hela and Southern Highlands provinces, which are considered the worst affected areas by the earthquake.
" Homes, bridges, roads, and power transmission and health facilities were destroyed, with loss of life estimated to have exceeded 100 people and counting. The disaster also caused severe landslides, which covered whole settlements, blocked roads and contaminated water sources in the affected areas.
The grant will come from ADB’s Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund— a special fund designed to provide incremental grant resources to ADB developing member countries impacted by a major natural disaster—and will help the estimated 554,000 people that have been affected in five provinces of Papua New Guinea.
ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.
Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members—48 from the region.
ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.
 Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members—48 from the region.

Son treks Papua New Guinea in footsteps of US war hero dad

washingtonpost.com | April 3, 2018

CANBERRA, Australia — Jon O’Neill flew 23 hours from Florida to the mountainous jungles of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific in search of clues to the life of his war hero father, whom he can barely remember.

In this March 2017, photo provided by Justin Taylan, Jon O’Neill, right, poses with World War II historian Justin Taylan for a selfie in De Land, Fla. Photo by: Justin Taylan via AP

At times, it has been a painful journey of discovery among the rusted relics entangled in undergrowth of a conflict that ended 75 years ago for his father, U.S. Army Air Forces 9th Fighter Squadron of the 49th Fighter Group ace John G. “Jump” O’Neill.
But it has also been an experience planned over a decade that has rewarded the 57-year-old editor and recreational pilot from De Land, Florida, beyond his expectations.
“I go ... back home with more memories than I ever thought I would be able to take with me. It’s been amazing,” the son told The Associated Press from Rabaul, the former Japanese stronghold on the Papua New Guinea island of New Britain, over which the father had four of his eight Japanese kills in a P-38 Lighting fighter.
The image of the father had been etched in the son’s mind more by family stories than by memory. John O’Neill died of leukemia in Florida when his only son was 6 and his daughter Tracey was a year younger.
With the guidance of World War II historian Justin Taylan, founder of the charity website PacificWrecks.com, which documents and preserves war sites and graves, the son has retraced his father’s 1943 wartime steps, from Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, to the wilds of the country’s north and east coasts.
Japan took Rabaul in 1942 and held it until the war ended in 1945. But Rabaul had been rendered useless as a base for Japanese fighting in the South Pacific by relentless air attacks and isolation from supply lines.
The son’s two weeks in Papua New Guinea, Australia’s nearest neighbor, ends on Wednesday.
On March 28 — his late father’s 97th birthday — Jon O’Neill was at Oro Bay, a former U.S. military staging post on the northeast coast, where his father shot down a Mitsubishi Zero, his second Japanese kill, on the day he turned 22.
A poignant moment came when visiting the town of Dobodura on the east coast, where an array of 15 airstrips for bombers and fighter planes became the U.S. front line of the Pacific War. From there, John O’Neill launched into intense air battles over Rabaul with his friend Capt. Richard Bong, the United States’ highest-scoring ace, who won a Medal of Honor for 40 confirmed kills. Bong survived 146 combat missions, only to be killed in California while test-flying a jet fighter prototype shortly before the war ended in 1945.
“When I got to Dobodura and I saw the runway where he flew from, I just got really, overwhelmingly depressed that I just couldn’t look at him and say, ‘What was this like for you when you were 21 or 22?’” O’Neill said.
“I got to see the campsite where he actually lived while he was in Oro Province, and that to me was one of the most amazing experiences, just to know that he was there,” he said.
O’Neill was promoted to captain before returning to the United States with Bong in late 1943 as combat heroes to sell war bonds.
Within weeks, O’Neill’s P-38, nicknamed Beautiful Lass, and its new pilot, Ormond Powell, disappeared somewhere in the New Britain jungles or the Bismarck Sea.
Taylan, who has been to Papua New Guinea dozens of times since his first visit in 1993 with his veteran grandfather, Carl R. Thien, a U.S. Army combat photographer in the Pacific, believes Beautiful Lass will someday be found.
The key is to reach out to villagers who have known for generations where in the jungle the wreckage lies.
“We believe the plane can be found,” Taylan said. “I can’t promise to him (Jon O’Neill) how long or how difficult that would be. But knowing him and seeing his experience of this trip makes me really want to find his father’s aircraft.”
“There are hundreds of missing in action aircraft from just the United States in this country and probably dozens from Australia. Many may never be found. Others will be found beyond my lifetime,” he said.
Jon O’Neill said Oro Province, where his father spent most of 1943, was much the same as it was during the war years.
The American military presence during World War II is still evident to those who look beneath the jungle canopy.
O’Neill hacked through the jungle with a machete for an hour to reach the wreck of a P-38. He saw a B-24 Liberator bomber, a Jeep and a canteen marked “U.S. Army 1942.” Near Japan’s Tobera Airfield on New Britain, he saw the wrecks of Mitsubishi Zeros that his father might have fought.
O’Neill cherishes the idea that Beautiful Lass might one day be found.
“It was last seen over New Britain somewhere,” he said. “It disappeared into a cloud and never came out, and I’m hoping that one of these days Justin will find it and I’ll be able to come back and actually see my father’s plane.”
“Who knows? You fly over New Britain and there’s just jungle. It could be down there anywhere,” he said.

Papua New Guinea group backs ICTSI

 by Darwin G. Amojelar, manilastandard.net
April 3, 2018

International Container Terminal Services Inc said Noho-Magae, an organisation representing the Baruni and Tatana communities in Papua New Guinea, has supported the operations of its subsidiary at Motokea International Terminal in Port Moresby.
MIT chief executive officer Edward Muttiah said ICTSI was pleased to have Noho-Magae on board to represent the interests of the Baruni and Tata communities.
“Today, we commence a 25-year journey and the strong support of our community partners has ensured a solid foundation built on trust, respect, and mutual commitment to build a world-class maritime facility–one that will, in time, become a source of pride for the nation,” he added.
ICTSI senior vice president and head of Asia Pacific Christian Gonzalez expressed optimism on the project, saying ICTSI was “privileged and excited to have been granted the opportunity to collaborate with our host community to jointly realise the potential of the Port of Motukea as a logistics hub. This mutually beneficial goal would not be possible without the support of our host communities.”

HRH Princess Haya shares photos of Dubai's latest humanitarian mission to Papua New Guinea

Dubai has sent a plane loaded with supplies to Papua New Guinea
emirateswoman.com | April 3, 2018

Following a devastating earthquake in February, more than 270,000 people in the southwest Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea need help. Thanks to HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and HRH Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, that assistance is on the way.
In a series of images shared to Instagram on Monday evening, HRH Princess Haya shared news of an 80-tonne supply drop leaving Dubai.

Read:Here’s how Princess Haya is helping to tackle world hunger

The plane was provided by HH Sheikh Mohammed, Ruler of Dubai and Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE.
“WFP today airlifted more than 80 metric tons of life-saving, relief items from International Humanitarian City in Dubai to Papua New Guinea,” HRH Princess Haya wrote in her caption. The supplies would help around 60,000 people, she said.
The plane left from Dubai’s International Humanitarian City, which is the UN World Food Programme’s largest humanitarian hub.
More than 60 per cent of WFP relief deliveries leave from Dubai, Stefano Peveri, head of the UN Humanitarian Response Depot, said.
“We are grateful for Sheikh Mohammed’s generosity in rapidly providing this plane. His support is crucial to deliver humanitarian assistance to those most affected by this natural disaster,” Peveri continued.
Among those supplies were the nutrient-dense disaster relief biscuits that Princess Haya began funding with the WFP in January.
“HRH Princess Haya’s generosity is literally a life-saver. When an emergency happens, WFP must deliver food quickly, and this effort will put our emergency response into another gear so we can save lives anywhere, anytime,” said the programme’s executive director David Beasley at the time.
Here’s hoping those supplies give the people of Papua New Guinea the relief they need.

Sheikh Mohammed donates his plane to send aid to Papua New Guinea

 by Siobhan Downes, whatson.ae
April 3, 2018

The Dubai ruler has once again used his private jet to do some good.
Not everyone who has their own plane uses it for selfless activities – but then not everyone is H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The vice president of the UAE and ruler of Dubai has sent his private cargo jet to Papua New Guinea, which was hit by a devastating 7.5 magnitude earthquake in February.
According to the UN World Food Programme, the aircraft donated by Sheikh Mohammed departed the UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Dubai on Monday morning, carrying more than 80 metric tons of life-saving, nutrient-dense biscuits.

ALSO READ: The UAE is officially the most generous country in the world

The food aid is expected to reach those in need within days, benefiting 60,000 people in the southwest Pacific nation.
“We are grateful for Sheikh Mohammed’s generosity in rapidly providing this plane. His support is crucial to deliver humanitarian assistance to those most affected by this natural disaster,” said Stefano Peveri, head of the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot in Dubai.
The airlift was facilitated by the International Humanitarian City, which is chaired by HRH Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, Sheikh Mohammed’s wife.
Princess Haya, who is also a United Nations Messenger of Peace, shared some pictures of the operation to her Instagram.

اليوم، قام برنامج الأغذية العالمي بنقل أكثر من 80 طناً من المساعدات الإغاثيّة الضرورية من المدينة العالمية للخدمات الإنسانية إلى بابوا غينيا الجديدة التي تعرّضت لهزّة أرضية مؤخراً. طائرة المساعدات الإغاثيّة – التي تبرّع بها صاحب السمو الشيخ محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم – حملت طعاماً يكفي لسدّ حاجة حوالي 60 ألف شخص من الذين تضرّروا جرّاء الهزة الأرضية ‏ #WFP today airlifted more than 80 metric tons of life-saving, relief items from International Humanitarian City in Dubai to Papua New Guinea ‏The plane, generously donated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, carried enough food to feed approximately 60,000 people affected by the earthquake

It’s not the first time Sheikh Mohammed has freed up his private jet, either. In October 2016, the ruler famously loaded the 747B-400 with Dhs1.3 million worth of emergency supplies to send to cyclone-hit Haiti.
Princess Haya was also onboard the jet to ensure everything was distributed to plan.
And last year, Sheikh Mohammed ordered an emergency airlift bridge be set up to create a connection between the UAE and the more than 500,000 Rohingya refugees who fled from violence in Myanmar to southern Bangladesh.
The UAE has been named the world’s largest donor of official development aid, relative to its national income.
In 2016, the UAE spent 1.21 per cent of its gross national income on development aid – which totalled Dhs15.57 billion.
The United Nations recommends economically-advanced countries spend at least 0.7 per cent of their gross national income on aid, which shows the UAE really has gone over and above.

Australia's Oil Search resumes operations at Kutubu complex in Papua New Guinea

 By Christina Martin, reuters.com
April 3, 2018

(Reuters) - Australia’s Oil Search Ltd said on Tuesday that operations have resumed at a facility closed in the wake of a major earthquake in Papua New Guinea in February, with oil output under way from a number of wells in the Kutubu field.
Production has resumed at an initial rate of about 4,000 barrels of oil per day, the company said.
 Oil output from the array of Kutubu complex fields is expected to be restored gradually through April.
The company said its condensate handling facilities at Kutubu, connected to a giant Papua New Guinea liquefied natural gas (LNG) project operated by Exxon Mobil, were also ready to receive LNG condensate once the project resumes gas production.
Oil Search did not give any further information about the resumption of gas production, or the status of LNG operations at Exxon’s Hides gas processing.
Exxon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday and has previously said it expected to resume production within two months of the Feb 26 quake.
Oil Search said it will release revised guidance for production, as well as operating and capital costs in 2018, when it reports its first-quarter results on April 17.
Shares of the oil and gas explorer dropped as much as 1.7 percent to their lowest in more than two weeks against a 0.1 percent decline in the broader market.

Oxfam and New Zealand supports Papua New Guinea beekeepers


‘It’s my dream to continue this work’
by Eilish, oxfam.org.nz
April 2, 2018 


“To the Australians and New Zealanders who are donating their money to support this work, it’s really touching the lives of the rural people. And that’s what I like to see. When you support people it brings joy to your heart."

Photo: Patrick Moran/OxfamAUS

Oxfam is working alongside Kelly Inae, who owns Mountain Honey, and supporting him to provide training, advice and affordable equipment to rural beekeepers as part of a four year livelihoods project in Papua New Guinea.
“In a year of working with Oxfam I’ve trained almost 80 people. I supply them with my bee boxes and train them. They can bring their honey to me and I pay them in cash. This is greatly helping their living standards.
"I have managed to help all of these people through the support that Oxfam has given me. I am happy about this.”
The support that Kelly provides beekeepers across PNG means that many of them now generate enough of an income to support their families’ and save for the future.
"It motivates me to look at families and friends who have been able to build houses. It’s my dream to continue this work. In the future someone will say, ‘This house was built from honey money’ and I will love hearing that.
“Honey money giving people a house, honey money giving people an education, and honey money uplifting their living standards.
“I would like to say thank you to the Oxfam team who are supporting work in Papua New Guinea. I have been able to travel with Oxfam into areas where they are working here and I have seen a lot of things that are being done to help the community and it’s just amazing.”

This work is part of Oxfam’s HARVEST project – read more about it here.

*This project is partly supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade