PNG cricketers show passion and skills

The Chronicle

( from left ) Charles Amini, Norman Vanua, Peter Anderson (coach), and Toua Tom from Papua New Guinea cricket team . Photo Nev Madsen / The Chronicle Nev Madsen

TOOWOOMBA cricketers got a special treat Sunday when Peter Anderson and his team of Papua New Guinean cricketers rolled into town for their first representative game in the Garden City.   

And according to Mr Anderson, we might well be seeing a bit more of them now they are playing as part of the Webb Shield series for the first time.  

 He said the entire team grew up in circumstances fairly unimaginable to most of us pampered Aussies and their enthusiasm was an inspiration.  

 And if local cricket enthusiasts get a chance to see the team in action, he recommends they take it.

"Nearly all of these players came from the same village in PNG, a third world country where 20 of them will live in a little hut," Mr Anderson said.
"They're a fantastic, well-mannered and humble group of people and they have so much passion.
"They just love the game and I don't over-coach them.
"There are three or four who are easily world-class."
He said the enthusiastic group has been following a gruelling schedule and in the past week have played two 50-over games, two T-20 matches, completed a two-hour fielding session with the International Cricket Council, a club game on Saturday and then on to Toowoomba Sunday.
Monday you'll find the team in Burleigh Heads playing yet another match, but Mr Anderson said they would be slotting in some time to relax in the surf.
To find out more about the fast-growing world of PNG cricket see cricketpng.com.

PNG takes PM's golf title in Fiji

ByRashneel Kumar

Fiji Times

PAPUA New Guinea (PNG) won the Pearl Prime Minister's Golf Challenge 2012 Four Men Team Progressive Ambrose event at the Pearl Resort Golf Course in Deuba on Saturday.

Led by their Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, the PNG side defeated their Fijian counterpart by five strokes.
Fiji skippered by the President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau had some top local golfers but they failed to overcome a strong 40 teams PNG side to win the inaugural tournament.
Tournament co-ordinator Iliasa Labaibure was thrilled with the level of competition between the teams from both countries.
He said good weather and perfect greens contributed to the success of the tournament.
"The competition was really good. We got to see some good golf today (yesterday) and the participants really enjoyed the day," Labaibure said.
Labaibure said the successful inaugural tournament had set a good platform for the event next year.
He said the challenge was on Fiji to snatch the title from PNG next year.
"This was the first year for this tournament and we expect and bigger and better event next year."
The Fijian team had the likes of former prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka, Minister for Foreign Affairs Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, Minister for Sport Viliame Naupoto, Sir Jim Ah Koy, Ratu Isoa Gavidi, Ratu Tu'uakitau Cokanauto and Sir Timoci Tuivaga, to name a few.

Papua New Guinea is here to help Fiji: O’Neill

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, looks out at Suva City from the roof top of the Grand Pacific Hotel on Saturday. Photo: NAVNEET NARAYAN

By ELLEN STOLZ of Fiji Sun

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has reassured current and potential investors that his Government will continue to support Fiji.
“We have no trouble stating that Fiji will return to a democratically elected Government and the assurances we are getting from the Prime Minister and the rest of the leaders from the Government shows us it is happening,” Mr O’Neill said.
The PNG head made these comments as he was given a tour of the Grand Pacifi c Hotel in Suva on Saturday.
He said: “We see no reason why our investors should not continue to invest in Fiji. We have every confidence that the economy will continue to do well in fact we know it will improve.”
He also applauded the efforts done to the ‘Grand Lady’ or the Grand Pacific Hotel and said: “At times we tend to forget about buildings that hold so much historical value. I know that by the time the work on the hotel is complete that it will once again become a historical landmark for Fiji.
We cannot wait to see the project completed in 2014.”
The Fiji National Provident Fund, the National Superannuation Fund of Papua New Guinea and the Lamana Group, also of PNG, have come together to collaborate on the project.
The collaboration also indicates growing ties between the two Melanesian Spearhead Group countries.
Mr O’Neill also reaffi rmed PNG’s position when it came to Fiji and encouraging investors to the region and the country.
“We have a lot of Fijian investment going into PNG also and we are encouraging that and we encourage more investment from PNG to Fiji.
“Trade between our two countries has increased every year and we look forward to that continuing because it provides a lot more opportunities for our services in terms of employment and also income earning opportunities,” Mr O’Neill said.
He added that countries like Australia, New Zealand and others in the region were starting to engage with Fiji more and that the sooner Fiji returns to more engagement with the Pacific the better.
Of closer Melanesian ties, Mr O’Neill said: “We will discuss about labour mobility within the region.
“I think that Fiji has a lot of skilled people who can find employment in our country and we are trying to relax some of our visa requirements so that many of them can enter the workforce easily and this is also vice versa from people from PNG to come to Fiji and work.”

2014 Elections
On the 2014 elections, he said: “The Papua New Guinea Government has offered to assist wherever we can both fi nancially and in terms of technical support if we are required to do so; we stand ready to assist Fiji in whatever capacity we can,” he said.
“The discussions that we have had with the Prime Minister indicate that the framework for the constitution is going well and the consultations with the stakeholders are going well and we are happy with the progress that has been made so far,” he said.

F$82m marina development project launch

ByAna Madigibuli

Fiji Times

Monday, October 22, 2012

THE Pearl South Pacific Resort and Spa launched its $82million marina development and apartment plan on Saturday.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill launched the project in the presence of Fiji and PNG government officers and business stakeholders.
He said the unveiling of the marina development plan for the Pearl Pacific Resort by Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC) was an example of capitalising on investment opportunities.
"I commend MRDC, Petroleum Resources Kutubu, and Mineral Resources OK Tedi for the strategic investment. I've been told that the Pearl Resort has a reputation as a popular destination for tourists," said Mr O'Neill.
Pearl Resort managing director Augustine Mano said they were happy with the investment.
"The new expansion will include 92 two and three-bedroom apartments which can be divided into a total of 126 rooms and sold as part of the inventory of the existing resort," he said.
"The Marina apartments will be centered around an exclusive pontoon marina development that will allow approximately 36 private mooring berths plus luxury superyachts berth on the river frontage."
He said it would be the first for Fiji and the South Pacific.
"Within the marina complex will be a bar and grill that will overlook the boats and marina boardwalk," he said.

PNG investments to impact Pacific

Report by: Mika Loga

Fiji Broadcasting Corporation

Investors in Papua New Guinea are taking the country’s business sector by storm, pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into the economy.
Their investments are significant in the Bank of South Pacific, Credit Corporation, Mineral Resources Development Corporation which own the Pearl Resort in Pacific Harbour, Naswan joint venture with the Fiji National Provident Fund and Lamana Development Company which are re-developing the old GPH site.
NASFUND Papua New Guinea Chairman Mel Tagolo says, they’d like to see their investment have a significant impact in the Pacific region.
“I like to see our investment in the pacific this is the region where we are and if we put in more investment in this region then that means we’d be providing employment, training, skills transfer and all that that can remain in this region and those sought of skills attract investment come to our region.”
Investors are injecting much of their cash in the financial and tourism sectors creating thousands of jobs for our locals.

PNG to boost ties wth Fiji

By Ana Madigibuli

Fiji Times

Monday, October 22, 2012

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter ONeill at the launch at the Pearl Hotel in Pacific Harbour. Picture: ATU RASEA

PAPUA New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill says PNG is looking to further strengthen its current trade arrangements, including areas of labour mobility.

Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said commercial investments by Fijian companies have also increased, likewise by PNG companies in Fiji. This, he said, continued to strengthen the economies of both countries.
Mr O'Neill also commended Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama for the progress made in the rewriting of the constitution and preparation for the election in 2014.
He said when he met Commodore Bainimarama in September last year, he had made it clear that issues confronting the people of Fiji are best left to the Fijian themselves to resolve.
"I am pleased with the progress made so far and I have assured the Prime Minister that the Papua New Guinea government stands ready to support in whatever capacity in this regard," Mr O'Neill said.
"Our two countries established formal diplomatic ties 37 years ago, but religious and people-to-people links were established long before that. Today, our relation has been enhanced further in the areas of commerce, trade and technical cooperation."
He said the two countries co-operate at the regional level and global front on issues such as climate change, food security, poverty alleviation, gender equality and education.

Officials reject PNG killer tuberculosis is a threat

Herald Sun

NO CURE: Catherina Abraham, from Papua New Guinea, has contracted a deadly variant of tuberculosis and is quarantined in Cairns Base Hospital for probably the next two years. Source: The Cairns Post

HEALTH officials have been accused of not doing enough to prevent an outbreak of a mutant strain of the killer lung disease tuberculosis spreading into north Queensland.

But health authorities claim there is little to worry about.
The Courier-Mail last Friday revealed one of Australia's first cases of mutated XDR-TB (Extensively Drug-Resistant TB) in a Papua New Guinean, Catherine Abraham, 20, being treated in isolation at Cairns Base Hospital.
Experts warn she is the first in a wave before the highly contagious, incurable, untreatable form of TB spreads.
But Queensland's chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young last Friday played down the immediate threat.

"Queensland is not at risk but certainly PNG is at risk, if we don't assist them as much as possible," she said.

Queensland taxpayers footed a $32 million bill for the treatment for tuberculosis of about 100 Papua New Guineans over the past two years, with 92 patients handed back by Queensland Health in June - 65 of them fully treated.
Health Minister Lawrence Springborg's office said that despite being an international matter, the Commonwealth did not fully fund health services to PNG nationals.
The disagreement means Queensland must accept a project agreement by June or risk losing $8.1 million in Commonwealth funding.
Senate Estimates heard on Thursday that of AusAID's $104 million allocation to the PNG health sector, only $5.8 million was for programs relating to tuberculosis, of which PNG has the world's highest infection rate.
Opposition Parliamentary Secretary Teresa Gambaro said: "PNG is our nearest neighbour we need to be doing more."