UN Women and Ginigoada launch another MeriSeif bus

UN Women

Port Moresby, May 28, 2018 – Another bus was added to the fleet of MeriSeif buses bringing the total to four.

The  new Meri Seif  bus,  was handed over in a small  ceremony at Saraga Market, 6-Mile
This bus will serve 4-Mile TST,5-Mile, 6-Mile, Saraga, New Taurama Road, Vada Vada, Manu, Mahuru village, Sabama, Joyce Bay, Kaugere, Badili, 2-Mile, Murray Barracks and back to 4-Mile.
The Meri Seif buses not   only provide safe transport but also serve as a platform for awareness raising and networking among women about the issues such as livelihood opportunities and violence against women.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of Ginigoada Foundation NCDC Governors office, 6-Mile community leaders, UN Women and members of the public.
Speaking at the occasion, Adekemi Ndieli said: “Women’s safety and mobility is linked with their economic and social empowerment as well as prosperous cities. "I am very glad to see that the safe buses are benefitting women and children.
" UN Women will continue to work make cities of Papua New Guinea safer and free of violence against women.”
Chairman of Ginigoada Foundation and CEO of Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce David Conn challenged the Saraga community to take good care of the bus which will assist their women and girls travel safely.
UN Women, in partnership with Ginigoada, is implementing the Safe Public Transport Programme with funding support from the Australian Government.
This service  is aimed at  providing  reliable and affordable public transport that enables women and children to move freely and safely around Port Moresby.
Since the launch of the programme, over 230,000 bus trips were made by women and girls via the three Meri Seif Buses. | 

'Unrecognised crisis': 160km from Australia, women in serious danger

By Matt Wade
Sydney Morning Herald
29 May 2018

Australia’s near-neighbour Papua New Guinea is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a mother and there are signs the country’s health crisis is getting worse, a report has found.
Women in PNG are 35 times more likely to die during pregnancy than women in Australia, according to an evaluation of maternal health by the aid agency ChildFund Australia.

Women wait to have their children vaccinated at the Waima sub-health centre in Papua New Guinea. Photo: Courtesy ChildFund

Despite laws and programs to encourage supervised births, only 40 per cent of women in PNG gave birth at a health facility with a specialised birth attendant in 2016 down from 44 per cent in 2012. In some regions the share was just 21 per cent.
And when women do manage to reach a rural clinic for the birth of a child they often find these facilities unstaffed or without electricity, running water, or essential medication and equipment.
The report also draws attention to the threat of gender-based violence in PNG - surveys have shown a high proportion of women there have been beaten during pregnancy.
“PNG is a dangerous place for pregnant women and their newborns, not only because of widespread poverty but because of the extremely high incidence of domestic violence,” it said.
A separate government review of PNG’s national health plan published last year found the health sector had an “overall decline in performance over the last five years”.
Nigel Spence, the chief executive of ChildFund Australia, said it is disturbing that some indicators suggest the health challenges facing women in PNG are getting worse.
"It remains an unrecognised crisis that maternal health in PNG is at such a low point," he said.
"No woman should die giving birth. Yet in a country just 160 kilometres north of Australia, women are losing their lives every day during childbirth due to unsafe conditions and causes that are completely preventable."
Mr Spence said greater support needs to reach the local and village level, where most women in PNG give birth.
"The loss of life is at an appalling level," he said.
ChildFund's report, called National Health Crisis: Maternal Deaths in Papua New Guinea, says the lifetime risk of dying during childbirth is 1 in 120 in PNG compared to 1 in 8700 in Australia. Also, a newborn in PNG is 10 times more likely to die in the first month of life than an Australian newborn.

Judy almost lost her life giving birth to daughter Joylyn.Photo: Courtesy ChildFund

PNG is the largest recipient of Australian overseas aid and improving the health system has been a key aim of that support.
Even though this month’s federal budget revealed a $141 million cut to the overseas aid budget over the next four years, Australia’s contribution to PNG will increase from $541 million this financial year to $572 million in 2018-19.
Mr Spence said past aid spending by both governments and non-government organisations in PNG had "not always had the achieved the desired results".
But he said Australia has the means and the technology to do much more.
"This is our nearest neighbour and by any measure it’s an injustice that women not far from our shores are experiencing such risk when they are giving birth."

Matt is a senior writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.

Book publishing seminar on June 9

Well-known writer, book publisher and speaker Tiri Kuimbakul is organising the Book Publishing Seminar,  which was deferred from last year. 

It will be held on Saturday, June 9,  at the IEPNG/PNGHRI Building at Gordons.

Click image to enlarge

Everyone, including aspiring writers, are welcome to attend.

Preparations well underway in Papua New Guinea for APEC conference: official

xinhuanet.com

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Preparations are well underway in Papua New Guinea (PNG) for the 2018 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting, according to an official with the APEC PNG authority.

Christopher Hawkins, chief executive officer of the APEC PNG authority, told Xinhua recently that all buildings are well and truly on track, and "We will take possession of APEC House next month, that's where the leaders will be meeting."

"Other hotels or the convention centre are already established, but we are awaiting refurbishment at one or two more venues, but we will take possession of those ready for APEC in just a couple of months."

According to Hawkins, he and his team have also come up with some creative strategies to accommodate the travelling delegates and make sure the event runs smoothly.

"We do have a shortage of hotel rooms," he said.

"So what we have done is hire three cruise ships which are essentially floating hotels, to make up the shortfall."

Hawkins said they are now more determined than ever to showcase the spirit and resolve of the proud South Pacific nation.

"There is no doubt that PNG are a very resilient people and the recent tragedy has demonstrated that," he said, referring to the devastating 7.5 magnitude tremor back in February, along with a relentless series of aftershocks that followed, which have reportedly killed over 150 people in the mountainous central region.

With PNG riding a wave of economic success in recent years, Hawkins believes that APEC is the perfect platform to let the rest of the world learn more about the nation and its rich cultural history.

"There are a lot of people who don't know much at all about PNG," he explained.

"But there has been dramatic change taking place here and it has been 15 years of positive economic growth, despite the global financial crisis and the massive downfall in commodity prices."

The 2018 APEC summit will be held in November. The 2018 summit will be the first to be hosted by PNG.

NCDC pays K40 million for Sir Hubert Murray Stadium construction

National Capital District Commission

National Capital District Commision City Manager Bernard Kipit has confirmed financing arrangement for the construction of the K40 million Sir Hubert Murray Stadium.

Artist’s impression of the completed stadium

This is through part sale of the Sea Park land for K35 million, while the shortfall of K5 million will be met through Bank South Pacific financing.
Kipit said: "We have to be innovative in delivering much-needed infrastructure for the city, and particularly the incomplete stadium at the city centre.
"NCDC took over the incomplete Stadium and the contract with Curtain Bros, and executed new terms to resume the stadium construction at the cost of K40 million.

The current stadium.-Picture by ROCKY ROE

"This will see the completion of the stadium with the fully fitted western grand stand, car parking, fencing and other ancillary works to enable the stadium to be fully operational."
The buyer of the Sea Park land, Sea Park Development Ltd, owned by an Australian-based Chinese businessman Wilson Xue, will be required to invest at least K500 million under a covenant to transform the area.
This is required to protect the investment around Ela Beach and APEC Haus to convert the area as APEC Legacy precinct.  Pipit confirmed that the buyer had already made a deposit of K7 million to seal the deal in addition to paying stamp duty of K1.75 million.
Kipit said: "The second part of the sea park land that houses APEC Haus will remain owned by NCDC.
"Although we lost 4.19ha of the land for the stadium, NCDC is getting compensated with ownership of a new land in the water front known as Portion 2848, and in the process of securing ownership of another two parcels of land on the water front that will see NCDC’s stake increasing by about eightfold.
"NCDC will soon unveil the plan for the second phase of Ela beach and how it intends to deliver the plan.
"We will announce it when the title is received.
"Stadium will be delivered fully completed before APEC."
Pipit assured city residents: "Ela Beach precinct will be the master piece of infrastructure in our thrust of modernising the Port Moresby, and will be a hub for recreational and social activities and create true city vibe, day and night.

4 arrested over K100,000 bribery attempt of policeman

Police Media

Four persons, including a policeman,  have been arrested over another attempt to bribe police investigator Apollos Terry with K100,000 in cash.

Gordons Minor Crimes Unit officer-in-charge Apollos Terry with the K100,000 cash bribe during the briefing with Police Commissioner Gari Baki today. On the right of the picture is the K6500 cash found on a policeman.

Terry, the officer-in-charge of the Gordon Minor Crimes Unit, is currently heading an investigation into suspected human trafficking, uttering of Government documents and other related transnational crimes including suspected visa and passport racketeering.

Early this month, a Chinese national, Zhiyuan Cui, also known as Aaron, of Shandon Province, was arrested and charged when he tried to bribe Terry with K10,000 in cash.

Aaron is the managing-director of A & D Consultancy Ltd, a PNG-registered passport and visa agent.

In this latest bribery attempt, a man from Central allegedly gave Terry the K100,000 all in K100 notes and allegedly asked him to drop the case against Aaron Cui.

Apollos restrained the Central man and told him to call the person who gave him the money and arrange for a meeting. 

The person (named) came and was in the company of Aaron Cui. 

All have been detained and are currently being interviewed and are expected to be charged soon.

During the interview, the suspects alleged that two police detectives (named) had solicited K50,000 in cash from them to help stop the case. 

They were given K50,000 last week. 

Apollos' team arrested one of the policeman who denied the allegation. 

He had K500 in his pocket. 

He was locked up at the Boroko cells and K6000 cash was found at his residence at the Bagita Police Barracks in Port Moresby during a search. 
 More updates to follow.

APEC nations divided over statement on protectionism

by Takeyuki Hitokoto, the-japan-news.com
May 27, 2018

PORT MORESBY — Trade ministers from the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum wrapped up a two-day meeting in Papua New Guinea’s capital on Saturday, but did not include language critical of protectionism in their joint statement.

Disagreements on trade policy ultimately led the language to be omitted from the joint statement, which requires unanimous approval.

A “commitment to fight against protectionist measures” was instead included in the chairman’s statement, which reflects majority opinion among the member states.

In the joint statement, the trade ministers said they “urgently call for the removal of market-distorting subsidies” by governments and related entities, but did not refer to opposition to protectionism.

The chairman’s statement specified a “commitment to fight against and to rollback protectionist and trade distorting measures,” and also emphasised the importance of “the effective and timely enforcement of WTO [World Trade Organisation] rules.”

A source involved with the negotiations attributed the gridlock over the joint statement to “U.S. and Chinese obstinacy on the wording.”

In response, Papua New Guinea Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Rimbink Pato, who chaired the meeting, offered a compromise reflecting the two countries’ stances in which the wording would be omitted from the joint statement but included in the chairman’s statement.

The United States has imposed restrictions on steel and aluminum imports, while China has countered with tariffs on U.S. products.

As part of an ongoing trade dialogue, the United States has held off on imposing tariffs in response to China’s infringement of intellectual property rights, but friction persists between the two countries.

Japan and other countries targeted by the U.S. steel restrictions have called for a level-headed response to the move in line with WTO procedures.

At the meeting, China’s Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen criticised the United States, saying that China has upheld the WTO’s authority and opposes protectionism and unilateralism.

The United States in turn defended the legitimacy of its trade policies.

State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Kosaburo Nishime, who represented Japan at the meeting, said, “Amid the difficult realities facing the global economy, there have been market-distorting measures,” implicitly criticising the Chinese government’s excessive subsidies and preferential treatment of state companies.

Should U.S.-China trade friction grow more severe, other countries could be affected by a contraction in trade.

The United States is considering new tariffs on automobile imports for national security reasons, prompting concerns over the impact of such a move on global trade.

However, the APEC trade ministers’ meeting did not produce effective countermeasures.

At last year’s trade ministers’ meeting, only a chairman’s statement was issued due to U.S. objections to wording in the joint statement.