Mother’s joy on Christmas

Rita Patrick from Bereina in Central is a proud mum at about 7.30am on Christmas Day, giving birth to a 3.3kg baby girl at the Port Moresby General Hospital, The National reports.
Thankful for her daughter, Rita said Christmas was truly a time when miracles happen.
Sr Annette Semo said nurses and staff at the labour ward worked hard to ensure the safe delivery of 24 healthy babies on Christmas Day, the first of which was a baby girl weighing 4kg. Lae’s Angau Memorial Hospital reported 19 Christmas babies while St Mary’s Vunapope Hospital in East New Britain recorded four babies. – Nationalpic by ALISON ANIS

Vision City gets Bank South Pacific ATMs

By  BOSORINA ROBY

 

RUNNING out of cash while shopping at Vision City Megamall is now a thing of the past with the installation of two Bank South Pacific automatic teller machines at the shopping centre’s premises, The National reports.

This was in line with the bank’s roll-out programme to strengthen its position as a bank that “provides convenient, accessible and cost-effective banking solutions”.

RH Trading general manager Ang Cheng Chooi said the partnership between their companies would offer greater convenience to customers as they show their commitment to meeting the needs of today’s busy consumers.

BSP head of retail network Kili Tambua said the expansion of BSP’s ATM network allowed its customers to choose how they bank with BSP – at a time, place and location convenient to them.

“Using a BSP ATM, customers could check balances, withdraw cash, get phone credits, obtain mini-statements, transfer funds and change PIN,” he said.

Electronic banking transactions were cheaper than transactions performed by a teller in a branch, Tambua said.

These ATMs would also benefit international travellers who may use their MasterCard on the BSP network.

Tambua said BSP’s efforts to extend its ATM network would go a long way towards making ATMs more accessible to customers.

“No other PNG bank reaches out to customers like BSP and we are committed to making banking more convenient, simple and safe for our customers.”

 

 

Pray for Papua New Guinea, says acting Prime Minister

ACTING Prime Minister Sam Abal’s Christmas message was for all Christians to pray for the country as most Papua New Guineans celebrated the festive weekend in the peace and comfort of their homes and communities, The National reports.

Spreading the message in front of thousands at his home town, Wabag, on Christmas Eve, he said that Christmas was a time to get blessings from God as well as to give glory to God.

“I urge all people to put God first as everything comes from Him.”

Extra police patrols contributed to peaceful celebrations in the provinces.

However, there were many incidents in several urban centres, notably the National Capital District, where two ethnic clashes claimed the lives of three people on Christmas Day.

NCD Metropolitan Supt Joseph Tondop said city residents celebrated normally elsewhere.

In nearby Central, police reported a double murder at Brown River and a drowning of a picnicker at Kuriva.

In Western, more than 130 Papua New Guineans, who attempted to enter Australia by a flotilla of boats earlier last week to claim Australian citizenship, were returned to Daru Island, where their leader Jonathan Baure was arrested by police over immigration breaches. Australian authorities chartered five planes to return the group.

In the Eastern Highlands, two primary school students were among seven people arrested at a Goroka settlement following a Christmas Day break-in at the Chemica supermarket where thousands of kina in electronic and electrical items, among others, were stolen.

Eastern Highlands provincial police commander Chief Supt Augustine Wampe said that, generally, the people and community maintained peace and unity during the festive season.

Western Highlands provincial police commander Supt Kaiglo Ambane thanked Western Highlanders for their trouble-free behaviour, urging them to continue this during the coming New Year weekend.

He said Christmas Day was also special for his men who arrested two Baisu jail prisoners, one a suspected bank robber, who had been on the run for the past two months.

And, while celebrations in Port Moresby may have been dampened by light drizzles throughout the weekend, the weather office said more wet days were expected throughout the week.

 

 

Christmas bombshell: PNGDF caterer quits

AN unpleasant Christmas surprise awaited PNG Defence Force soldiers at the weekend – they were told that can expect to go hungry for the rest of the festive season, The National reports.

This was because after serving them their Christmas Day meals on Saturday, contracted caterer NCS announced yesterday in a media statement that it had withdrawn catering services to the PNG Defence Force.

“This action is the result of non-payment of accounts dating back to April totalling more than K7 million,” NCS financial controller Tony Green said on behalf of the company’s board of directors.

He said NCS regretted withdrawing its services but it was left with no choice after numerous demands for payment, both verbal and written, over a period of several months went unheeded.

Green said that notice to suspend the catering services was given more than one month ago but was lifted after a payment was promised

“Unfortunately, that payment never eventuated and, two weeks ago, a final notice was given to PNGDF that services would cease if payment was not forthcoming.”

He said that while the PNGDF had always been slow to pay for services, the current level of debt and the time waiting to be paid had never been as bad as it was now.

Green added that the board had met and resolved that the risk to NCS and its suppliers was too great to continue incurring expenses without any clear sign of payment.

“NCS is a 100% PNG-owned company that has, in partnership with other PNG landowner companies, been very successful in winning contracts against international competition.

“Allowing the PNGDF debt to continue to grow would pose an enormous risk to NCS and its other clients,” he said.

The withdrawal of services would affect PNGDF messing facilities at Murray Barracks, Taurama Barracks, Goldie River Barracks, Igam Barracks (Lae), Moem Barracks (Wewak) and Lombrum naval base (Manus).

 

Abal puts God first

By YVONNE HAIP

 

ACTING Prime Minister Sam Abal returned to his Wabag electorate in Enga to a chief’s welcome last Friday for the first time in his capacity as acting prime minister, The National reports.

He was accompanied by Public Service Minister Moses Maladina, Mining Minister and Kompian-Ambum MP John Pundari, Enga Governor Peter Ipatas, Western Highlands Governor Tom Olga, North Waghi MP Benjamin Mul and acting Police Commissioner Tony Wagambie.

Thousands of people throughout Enga turned up to welcome Abal and his delegation, including his wife.

As the people stood watch, church elders dedicated Abal to the Lord and urged him to be the “leader to lead the people, pastor to feed the people and shepherd to look after the people”.

They said Abal had been bestowed a huge responsibility and challenged him to serve the country with integrity and honesty as a God-fearing leader.

The acting prime minister said he was committed to do the best for the people and called for Christians throughout the country to pray for PNG and receive God’s blessings.

He also cleared the air that there was no vacancy in the office of the prime minister as he had be given the power to perform the responsibilities of the prime minister.

He said he would do his job in consultation with other senior ministers to carry on with the policies and programmes implemented under the leadership of sidelined prime minister and East Sepik MP Sir Michael Somare.

“I did not ask for or make a move for the post of acting PM nor the deputy prime minister’s seat but it was Sir Michael’s decision, through his own wisdom (to appoint Abal as deputy prime minister),” he said.

He also committed the office of the prime minister to God because, without God, the country would not progress and asked Christians to pray for guidance during these hard times.

Other parliamentarians who witnessed the occasion indicated their support for Abal and promised to work with him.

 

 

Boat people organiser charged

By JEFFREY ELAPA

 

JONATHAN Baure, the organiser of the 130 Papua New Guineans who last week crossed illegally into Australia, has been arrested and charged with impersonation, The National reports.

The group, who attempted the Torres Strait crossing by a flotilla of boats to claim Australian citizenship, was returned to Daru Island on Saturday and Sunday on five charter planes where Baure was taken into custody and flown to Port Moresby.

He was locked up at the Boroko police station cell where spent the night. He was questioned yesterday before being charged.

Police said last night that Baure, 44, of Guruguru in Northern, had been charged under section 97(1)(b) of the Criminal Code for impersonating a public service officer.

The charge meant that he was providing illegal travel documents to the group, mostly from the Papuan provinces, to travel across the Torres Strait into Australia to pursue their interest.

Police said Baure would appear in court this week when his files were completed.

According to sources in Daru, Baure was initially arrested by Australian police and custom officials and was handed over to PNG customs and police when he was returned to Daru on Saturday.

They said he was put up at a lodge on the island before he was flown the next day, about 3.30pm to Port Moresby.

Australian authorities had chartered the planes to repatriate the group, who had claimed their Australian citizenship was illegally taken from them when PNG became independent in 1975.

Papua covers the southern half of the PNG mainland and the group claimed they were still Australian citizens because there had never been a referendum to legally sever ties with Australia.

But Immigration Department spokesman Sandi Logan told Radio Australia that they needed to follow correct procedures and lodge citizenship applications at the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby.

He said the vessels they arrived in Australia in would not be returned to them.

Fishing lessons from Tahiti

By MALUM NALU

Bulolo MP Sam Basil has taken three weeks off his busy political schedule to take his wife and children to Papeete, French Polynesia (Tahiti), where his wife comes from.
Not one to waste time, he has contacted politicians and businesses in Papeete, about how this country and Papua New Guinea can strengthen their economic and political ties.
Just before Christmas, Basil has a chance to see logline fishing boats sailing in to offload their catches at the fish wharf.

Basil admiring a big moon fish at the French Polynesia fish market

“The reason why I am interested to visit this establishment is that in PNG we have a well-established National Fisheries Authority (NFA) which I believe is the best in the Pacific Islands nations of fisheries in terms of regulating and also monitoring fishing activities of the long line, purse seiner operators and other fishing activities,” he said from Papeete.
“Unlike PNG, the Tahitians do not allow many purse seiner operators into their waters because they reckon it is too destructive and unsustainable, as the kilometer-long destructive nets scoop up everything from the ocean with unnecessary by-catches.

Basil being shown around the waterfront fish market in Papeete

“The purse seiner nets scoops up turtles, sea birds, sharks, dolphins and many other sea creatures including endangered species like the big eye tuna and others.”
Basil said he also had the chance to meet Joseph Teanotoga, chairman of the government-owned SEML Tahiti Nui Rava’ai a, local company set up the French Polynesian government to help the local fishing industry.

Basil with Joseph Teanotoga, who is now in control of the French Polynesian government's investment in long line boats

“They took several boats and signed up small fishing businesses to own and operate under a loan programme which didn’t work out, so the government pooled the boats into a government business arm managed under the chairmanship of Teanotoga,” he said.
“Teanotoga boasts that about 80% of the loan has been retired and by end of 2011 they should break free from their liabilities.
“The lesson’s learnt here are that fishing business is a very hard business with needs huge capital investment, especially the purchasing of boat and the first few months of operational expenses with a well-facilitated and dedicated wharf.
“We all know NFA is efficiently operated in PNG with enough revenue and must now invest into establishing a local auction market to properly regulate and allow locals to participate in the long line businesses and also the purse seiner business.
“A dedicated wharf and facilities such as the ice-making machines, back-up generator and auction facilities will cost us millions of kina which will be hard to establish at first, but with commitment from NFA and proper management and control can make tuna business available for all citizens to participate.
“Currently in PNG, the system favours outside investors who knows the business well and have the cash to come and participate, but as a responsible country we must use NFA to teach our people how to participate and make funding and facilities as such available to facilitate this important industry.
“The fishing business must be driven by nationals from trawling, beche de mer, and long line and purse seiners.
“Some people think it is impossible because they do not believe in themselves but I reckon PNG needs a change.”