PM O’Neill congratulates Commonwealth Games medal winners and all athletes competing for Papua New Guinea

Office of the Prime Minister

Papua New Guinea

 Prime Minister and Minister for Sports Peter O’Neill has congratulated the first two Papua New Guinea athletes to win medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and thanked the coaching staff and families of all athletes who are competing.
(Note that after making this statement, weightlifter Steven Kari won the first gold medal for PNG).
 O’Neill applauded every athlete who has made it to the games and said the country is behind them all the way.
"I congratulate all athletes who qualified for the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast,” he said.
"We know a lot of sweat and sacrifice has been required to reach to the Commonwealth Games and each of you must be congratulated.
“So far we have two silver medals in weightlifting events.  

"I congratulate Morea Baru and Dika Toua for their tremendous efforts to win silver in their weightlifting events.
“We look forward to welcoming you and all athletes home after the Games.
“There are still many days to go in this Games and I look forward to many more thrilling competitions for our athletes.
“But regardless of where our athletes finish, so long as they put in their best they can compete with pride and Papua New Guinea is right behind you cheering all the way.
“On behalf of the Nation I thank all Papua New Guinea athletes for their efforts, and I hope they wear our National colours with great pride.

" This is a time that you will remember for the rest of your lives.
“Our Government has demonstrated our commitment to developing sports in our country, from the grassroots to the highest level of competition.
“We will continue to enhance sports, from the regions to the professional training facilities.”
O'Neill said elite athletes are where they are today not only because of their talent and hard work, but also because of the people who support them.
“We must also thank all of the people behind our athletes who have made it possible for our young men and women to compete," he said.
“The coaches, trainers and administration and support staff who guide our athletes help them to give their best.
“We must also never forget the struggle and effort that is put in by the families of our athletes.
“To reach the Commonwealth Games standard requires families to be right behind our athletes, to make it possible for them to train and focus on their athletic careers.
“Family members are overcome with pride when they see their loved ones competing on the world stage.”

Educating people of what to do in a tsunami in Papua New Guinea

pg.undp.org| April 6, 2018

52- year old Evodia Stanley is a woman with a lot on her mind.

Evodia Stanley, Ward Member for Ialakua Ward in Kokopo District. Raluana Primary School is in the vicinity of Ialakua Ward. ©Kim Allen/UNDP

As a mother and grandmother, her family’s welfare is her main priority and Evodia does everything in her power to ensure they are safe and well. Since her election as the first female local level government member for her Ialakua community, Evodia’s concerns, now more than ever, include her family and wider community.

But there are some things that are beyond Evodia’s powers, such as natural disasters. Three weeks ago (on March 9th) a 6.8 magnitude earthquake shook her community and the wider region in her part of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Fortunately, there were no casualties.

Ialakua is located in East New Britain Province (ENB), home to active volcanoes, called Vulcan and Tavuvur, which are located on the Pacific Ring of Fire. This makes Ialakua and the rest of ENB highly vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis.

While preventing earthquakes and tsunamis are beyond Evodia’s powers, it is within her means to ensure her constituents, particularly the children, know what to do in the event of an earthquake or a tsunami. Considering safety of children and wider community, Evodia was a keen supporter to increase awareness amongst her family and community members in Ialakua.

Then, an opportunity was made possible thanks to the awareness drive on earthquake and tsunami preparedness through collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), National Department of Education (NDoE), National Disaster Centre (NDC), Department of Mineral Policy and Geohazards Management, and the Provincial Disaster Office. The awareness drive included face-to-face interactions on earthquake and tsunami drills between experts and teachers, as well as provincial and local level government officials. Following initial school and site assessments, earthquake and tsunami drills were conducted in George Brown Secondary and Raluana Primary Schools. Raluana Primary School is in the vicinity of Evodia’s community.

Out of the 697 students of Raluana Primary, 120 students in grade five were selected to participate in the tsunami drills. Apart from them, there were 196 observers which included elementary school students, community members, youths, and representatives from different sectors in the province.

During the tsunami drills, students were taught on how to identify early warning signs of tsunami, what to do in case of earthquakes and tsunami. The schools were also supported to develop their own emergency response and evacuation plans.

“I am grateful to all the partners involved in the tsunami drills,” said Ms. Stanley.

“I am also proud that the tsunami drills were carried out in my ward. The youth and community representatives from my ward were involved in the drills and learned important life skills. We will share what we have learnt here and inform our families and community groups about earthquake and tsunami preparedness,” she added.

UNDPs Disaster Risk Management project is assisting the NDoE and NDC to carry out tsunami drills in three schools, two in East New Britain and one in Milne Bay Province.

This is part of ‘Strengthening School Preparedness for Tsunami in the Asia Pacific’ funded by the Japanese Government. PNG is one of 18 countries participating in this regional project.

Papua New Guinea's Steven Kari smashes Commonwealth clean and jerk record to retain men's 94kg weightlifting title at Gold Coast 2018

By Daniel Etchells at the Carrara Sports Arena 1 in Gold Coast 
Sunday, 8 April 2018
Inside the Games

Papua New Guinea’s Steven Kari successfully defended his Commonwealth Games title in the men’s 94 kilograms weightlifting event after breaking the 17-year-old clean and jerk Commonwealth record here today at Gold Coast 2018.

He was trailing Canada’s Boady Santavy by 13kg with two attempts remaining in the clean and jerk but incredibly managed to lift 216kg to claim victory with a total of 370kg.
It smashed the previous Commonwealth record, set by Australia’s Alexan Karapetyan in November 2001, by 6kg.
Victory for Kari also secured Papua New Guinea a first gold medal of Gold Coast 2018.
Santavy had to settle for the silver medal with a total of 369kg.
The 20-year-old managed 168kg in the snatch, breaking Karapetyan’s Commonwealth Games record of 167kg set at Manchester 2002.
He then finished on 201kg in the clean and jerk after failing with his last attempt at 206kg.
Santavy is currently facing criminal charges related to a hit and run back home but Commonwealth Games Canada President Rick Powers said he was eligible to compete because he has not been convicted of a crime.
According to a news release from Sarnia police dated March 19, Santavy was charged with failing to remain at the scene of collision after turning himself in.
He was released on a promise to appear in court, The Canadian Press reports.
Completing the men’s 94kg podium was India’s Vikas Thakur, who finished with a total of 351kg.
He managed 159kg in the snatch and 192kg in the clean and jerk.
Samoa’s Siaosi Leuo ranked third in the snatch with 156kg but bombed out in the clean and jerk after failing with all three of his attempts at 200kg.

Team Wellington in ruthless form in dismantling of Papua New Guinea

boxscorenews.com | April 7, 2018

OFC Team Wellington sounded a warning to their remaining OFC Champions League rivals with a comprehensive 11-0 dismantling of Papua New Guinea champions Lae City Dwellers in their quarterfinal at David Farrington Park on Saturday.

Team Wellington's Nati Hailemariam celebrates his hat-trick. OFC via Phototek

The hosts dominated from start to finish with Nathanael Hailemariam opening the scoring in just the 6th minute on his way to a first half hat trick while Angus Kilkolly headlined the scoring with four goals.
Scott Hilliar, Andy Bevin, Justin Gulley and Mario Barcia shared the rest as Wellington secured a two-legged semi-final against the winner of Auckland City and Solomon Warriors who play on Sunday.
Wellington also rattled the woodwork three times as Lae City struggled to adapt to both the cold conditions and the way Wellington were able to stretch their defence and exploit the resulting space.
The one-sided win equals the biggest victory in the Champions League era of Oceania club competition – set last season by Auckland City’s 11-0 win over Malampa Revivors – and establishes a new mark for the largest win in a knockout phase.
“We’re delighted,” said Team Wellington coach José Figueira, whose side were coming off a defeat to Auckland City on last week’s grand final of the New Zealand premiership.
“The boys were pretty eager to get out on the field after the disappointment of last week and I thought we were exceptional today.
“Every game we play we want to play our way and dominate the games by attacking. We were disappointed last week that we didn’t cause as many problems as we normally do in the final third and that was a big focus this week at training.
“It was Lae today, but I think it was any other team today they might have been on the end of same thing. I’m delighted with every area of the game today.”
Lae City Dwellers coach Peter Gunemba was still shell-shocked after the Wellington onslaught in what was an historic first ever playoff game for Lae.
“It’s too much to comprehend,” Gunemba said.
“It’s a game. It’s gone now and we look ahead to next season in the Champions League. We did not expect the score would be this way.”
Hailemariam grabbed the first of his treble in the sixth minute when he gathered the ball on the edge of the area before lifting it over an on-rushing Ronald Warisan and eight minutes later, as the rain began to fall, Hailemariam pounced on a poorly-cleared ball to slot his second beneath the Lae ‘keeper.
Scott Hilliar met a Mario Illich corner with a firm near-post header to add Wellington’s third in the 17th minute and Angus Kilkolly pushed it out to five in the 40th minute with two goals in as many minutes.
Andy Bevin laid the ball on a plate in front of goal for Hailemariam to complete his hat trick just before the sides went into the sheds with the scoreboard showing 6-0 and it took Kilkolly 45 seconds after the restart to round out his treble, heading a Roy Kayara cross in off the upright.
Kayara was again involved in Wellington’s eighth, forcing a save from Warisan that fell to the feet of Andy Bevin who made no mistake from close range in the 57th minute.
Justin Gulley produced a fine solo effort 11 minutes later, cutting in from the right flank before riding the challenge of a would-be tackler and beating Warisan one-on one before Kilkolly and Mario Barcia added two more goals for good measure in injury time.
The quarterfinals continued on Saturday with Vanuatu’s Nalkutan FC hosting Marist FC from the Solomon Islands and the conclude on Sunday with Auckland City FC meeting Solomon Warriors before AS Dragon host Fiji’s Lautoka in Tahiti.

Earthquake measuring 6.5 magnitude strikes Papua New Guinea: EMSC

by Michael Perry, reuters.com
April 7, 2018

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A powerful 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea on Saturday (3.48pm local time), the European earthquake monitoring service reported.
The very shallow quake was only two kms (1.2 miles) deep and 93 km (58 miles) southwest of Porgera in the Enga province, said the EMSC.
Quakes are common in Papua New Guinea, which sits on the Pacific’s “Ring of Fire”, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.
The quake was 82 kms (51 miles) southwest of Porgera in Enga province and 47 kms (30 miles) deep, said the USGS. Earlier European quake monitor EMSC reported it at 6.5 magnitude and only two kms (1.2 miles) deep, but later scaled it down.
The earthquake happened just two months after a 7.5 quake struck the same highlands area, killing 125 people and leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless.
February's quake also damaged mining and power infrastructure and led ExxonMobil Corp to shut its $19 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, the country's biggest export earner.
Miners Barrick Gold Corp and Ok Tedi Mining also reported damage to infrastructure.
Some of the resource companies in the region, such as Oil Search, are still about eight weeks away from full operations.
Oil production at the Gobe field had already returned to normal.
The remote and mountainous region is struggling to recover from February's quake, which caused landslides that buried homes and cuts roads.
The United Nations estimates that some 270,000 people are in need of immediate assistance and 43,116 people remain displaced in 44 locations and care centres.
The United Nations pulled out its aid workers just two days before the latest quake due to violence from residents.
They have vowed to return once it is safe to do so.

More to follow...

David Chung quits OFC presidency amid rumours of political and financial corruption

by Andrew Warshaw and Paul Nicholson, insideworldfootball.com
April 6, 2018

April 6 – David Chung, president of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and one of FIFA’s highest ranking officials, has resigned after seven years in the job.

David Chung

 A short statement from the OFC said Chung, FIFA’s senior vice-president and an important ally in Gianni Infantino’s 2016 presidential election victory,  took the decision “after much deliberation, citing personal reasons.”
Chung’s resignation follows that of his general secretary at the OFC, Tai Nicholas, who left in February after almost two decades in the job. No reason was given for his departure though FIFA were known to be on the ground in the region following multiple reports made to the governing body of political and financial corruption within the OFC.
The lingering suspicion of financial impropriety surrounding Chung is only enhanced by attempts to examine the latest OFC accounts. No audited accounts have been made publicly available since 2015 – when Chung was re-elected. Audited accounts from 2006 to 20015 are available. Chung had a lifestyle that saw him living outside of Papua New Guinea, though his football powerbase was in the country.
Chung’s exit comes ahead of a special general meeting of the OFC Executive committee, which had been called for this Sunday in Auckland. At that meeting , according to the New Zealand Herald newspaper, the body was considering a vote of no confidence in Chung.
Chung, head of the Papua New Guinea FA and a member of FIFA’s highest-ranking committee – the Bureau of the Council  compromising each confederation president plus Infantino – was elected unopposed as OFC head in 2011, after the suspension of Tahiti’s Reynald Temarri for breaching FIFA’s ethics and confidentiality rules.
Chung, as the longest serving FIFA vice president, was effectively Infantino’s number two should he be unable to fulfil his duties. That role would now fall to Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa who Infantino beat in the last FIFA presidential election in 2016.
Chung was a controversial figure both within the OFC but particularly in Papua New Guinea  where he was president of the national federation.  Accused of vote-rigging at the 2016 PNGFA elections – his opponents said that he had illegally excluded supporters of rival candidate John Kapi Natto.
Since then Chung had lost any significant control of football in the country to a rival federation set up by the clubs.
Club support for the breakaway Football Federation PNG (FFPNG) – which has  Kapi Natto at its head -and its own breakaway club competition, the National Premier League (NPL), has grown rapidly with more than five times as many registered clubs as the official federation which had repeatedly failed to run competitions as clubs deserted it and lost confidence in its governance.
Neither the breakaway federation or its league are recognised by the OFC or FIFA, despite their widespread support at home.
Chung’s departure throws FIFA’s smallest confederation back into chaos and comes at an awkward time in terms of public exposure, with FIFA’s annual congress taking place in June just before the World Cup. That congress is already a political battleground over FIFA’s increasingly controversial World Cup 2026 hosting vote – assuming that it gets to a vote which is starting to look less likely.
FIFA’s linen still looks dirty, whether it will be aired fully in Moscow in June is unlikely, but with the OFC there are signs that a clean-up, or at least a hot wash, may be under way.

One Papua New Guinea's mother’s journey from violent discipline to positive parenting

BY RASHINI SURIYAARACHCHI
UNICEF
POSTED 06/04/2018

Last year in Papua New Guinea, a group of parents came together to talk about a topic many people avoid: violence at home.
Martina was one of those parents.
She’s a mother of five children in the coastal village of Simbine.
 Like all parents, she wanted her children to grow up healthy, strive at school and pave a bright future for themselves.
 Just like many parents in her community, Martina used violent discipline to make sure her children did their chores and worked hard at school.
The young mother didn’t know the dark consequences of physical punishment: that children exposed to violence at home may have more difficulty learning, exhibit violent and risky behaviour or suffer from depression and anxiety.
Then Martina joined UNICEF’s Positive Parenting programme.
For six weeks, she came together with other parents in her community to talk about their challenges and learn new ways to discipline their children without violence.
Read, in her words, how Martina transformed her home from a place of punishment to a space of open communication.
“I used to hit them all the time.
“Before I received the Positive Parenting training, I used to try my best to look after and discipline my children so that they would listen to me.
“I would hit them when they made me angry, I would hit them when they didn’t listen to me.
" I used to hit them all the time. I thought that was the right thing to do at the time.”
“At the Positive Parenting training, I realised that children have their rights too.
"When our children start learning how to talk, it is important that we don’t discipline by hitting them.
"My responsibility is to guide them to do the right things and discourage them from doing bad things.”

Things are different in Martina’s home since she attended UNICEF’s positive parenting training. Now, her children can grow up safe from physical punishment. © UNICEF/Suriyaarachchi

“It is important that we don’t discipline by hitting them.
"My responsibility is to guide them to do the right things.
“I tried using some of the techniques I learned at the training and I can see some changes in my house.
" I see that my children listen to me more now and they do what I ask them to do,” says Martina.
And it’s not just her children’s behaviour that has changed - the training has also helped her relationship with her husband.
“Now when I raise concerns about our children to my husband he tries to help me address these concerns - something he rarely did in the past.
"For example, I told my husband that we needed to prepare our three-year-old daughter for school and he agreed to help me buy the things that she would need for school.
"That’s a big change for me.

Martina’s children Odilia (below) and Martha will now grow up in a peaceful home. © UNICEF/Suriyaarachchi

“The future I want for my children is that I do my part as a parent to look after them well so that they can get a good education, get a good job and look after me and my husband later on in life.
"I also want my children to become good responsible community leaders when they become adults.”

Violence can mark forever

Children who are exposed to violence in the home are denied their right to a safe and stable home environment.
Many are suffering silently and with little support.
Emotional and physical abuse doesn’t leave children as they grow up - it can affect them for life.
Children who are exposed to violence in the home are more likely to be at risk of:

• Emotional stress and developmental harm. Infants and small children are especially susceptible to impaired cognitive and sensory growth;
• Behaviour changes including excessive irritability, sleep problems, emotional distress, fear of being alone, immature behaviour and problems with toilet training and language development;
• Poor concentration and focus in class, trouble keeping up at school and barriers to academic achievement. In one study, forty per cent of children exposed to violence at home had lower reading abilities than children from non-violent homes;
• Personality and behavioural problems in the form of psychosomatic illnesses, depression, suicidal tendencies and bed-wetting;
• Developing substance abuse issues, juvenile pregnancy and criminal behaviour; and
• Creating violent homes as adults and parents. The single best predictor of children becoming either perpetrators or victims of domestic violence later in life is whether or not they grow up in a home where there is domestic violence. Children who grow up with violence in the home learn early and powerful lessons about the use of violence in interpersonal relationships to dominate others, and might even be encouraged in doing so.

Help children grow up safe

Every child has the right to grow up safe from harm.
Violence in the home shatters a child’s basic right to feel safe and secure in the world.
Children need the violence to stop.
In Papua New Guinea and other countries in our region, UNICEF is supporting parents and governments to create safe communities for children.
We’re providing emergency medical care and training community leaders to prevent and respond to violence.
75 per cent of children in Papua New Guinea say they’ve experienced physical violence but if we all work together with parents like Martina, a whole generation of children can grow up in safe homes.