Post Courier, Tuesday January 6, 2015

DROUGHT WARNING FOR SOUTHERN REGION

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WARNS: PAGE 2

Shameful street violence

THIS man was caught on camera unashamedly punching and kicking a woman in full public view at Waigani in the nation’s capital yesterday. Her fate was not known. Meanwhile, across town at Six-Mile, two women, pictured bottom right, were trading punches much to the chagrin of the public while another tries to stop them. It is obvious that a lot more needs to be done to stamp out violence against women and children, sexual violence and violence in general.

MADANG POLICE DENY SOCIAL MEDIA CLAIMS

DETAINEE’S DEATH SPARKS DEBATE: PAGE 6 EDUCATION GETS BLAME FOR LEAVE FARE BLUNDER

MARAPE EXPLAINS: PAGE 7

Tribunal challenge

Decision today on whether PM’s Leadership Tribunal will go ahead

BY ADRIAN MATHIAS

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill will know today whether the leadership tribunal set up to investigate alleged misconduct in office against him will proceed later this month.

Justice David Cannings is set to make a ruling in the

Waigani National Court.

It followed an application yesterday in the National Court by Mr O’Neill, raising concerns on constitutional issues on his referral, saying they should be heard and determined first by the Supreme Court.

His lawyer Mal Varitimos, QC, argued that if the tri-

bunal went ahead with prosecution of his client without first determining constitutional issues by the Supreme Court, the findings of the tribunal and the prosecution would be unconstitutional.

Mr Varitimos said the tribunal could not deal with constitutional questions

because it has no jurisdiction.

He made these submissions before Justice Cannings in an application for leave to amend his last November’s court proceedings challenging the decision of the Public Prosecutor Pondros Kaluwin to refer Mr O’Neill to the tribunal.

The amendment the Prime Minister was seeking was to have the Ombudsman Commission join the Public Prosecutor as party in that proceeding.

Mr Varitimos said the Ombudsman should be a party in the proceeding, bound by any orders of the court.

A similar request was also made on the Tribunal to be a party in the proceedings but Justice Cannings pointed out that the members of the tribunal had not done anything wrong to be a party in the proceedings, adding that they had just been appointed.

CONTINUED PAGE 2

Leave health information to experts

SOCIAL media has the potential to impact on government policy – negatively or positively – and the reaction by doctors to a Facebook posting by a former health minister confirms this.

Former MP and health minster Jamie Maxtone-Graham has come under fire for making a posting on Facebook which discouraged parents from getting their children vaccinated. “Make it your new years resolution, STOP! Vaccinating your babies, if you truly love them......! more scientific research confirms toxic side effects from vaccinations causing permanent damage to children’s brain,” he posted on his Facebook wall on December 30, 2014. Local doctors condemned the posting in today’s edition of the Post-Courier and urged the former MP and ex-health minister not to misinform the public. But Mr Maxtone-Graham, in response, said doctors should have open minds and acknowledge that “there is a major shift now taking place in medicine, conventional health care is being integrated with alternate, nutritional, social, environment and emotional balance with great success’’. We cannot overlook the growth of social media in PNG and the impact it is having on the lives of ordinary Papua New Guineans. There are hundreds of Papua New Guineans opening Facebook accounts every day and hundreds more going online to look for solutions to their problems – including answers to medical issues. If there are suggestions posted publicly by an authority, such as a former health minister, on alternative medicine then it is likely to be believed. And therein lays the problem and the fact that rumours spread through social media often adds to the problem rather than become a solution.

Last year a vaccination program at selected schools in the National Capital District became the centre of controversy when parents and guardians fronted up at the institutions to demand that their children not be part of the program. It was later revealed that false rumours were spread of the vaccinators using the program as a cover to implant computer chips into local school-aged children. Last year US authorities grappled with false information on the Ebola virus which continued to be spread on Facebook and Twitter, compelling state health authorities to issue statements dispelling the rumours (most of which were not true). The Time magazine, in an article on the issue in its October 8, 2014 edition, made reference to a 2011 University of Michigan study of five rumours on Twitter which showed that 43 per cent of the users who were in the sample population believed the false information they were posting. The Time magazine article also focused on the role of the US government’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and how it combat the misinformation by sending out constant updates on its social media accounts and website.

There are lessons there in the US case which those in authority and positions of influence in PNG should immediately take on board. Firstly, leave important government policies to the experts and those who have the professional background to comment.

It is important that this is done especially if there are PNG lives at stake. Secondly, increasing public commentaries on PNG’s various health challenges confirms the growing demand for information – those in authority including doctors should start getting on their keyboards and informing and educating Papua New Guineans. TUESDAY,

Asia news ........................36-37

Bougainville Today ..............18

Business ..........................20-22

Classifieds .......................42-43

Comics..................................41

Highlands Post.....................15

Home news.............2,4-9,12-13

Islands Post .........................17

Mamose Post .......................16

Pacfic news .....................33-35

Southern Post ......................14

Sport ................................45-47

Stars ......................................39

Sudoku .................................39

The drum 3 Turf Guide .............................44

World news......................38-40 Yu tok ...............................10-11

EDITOR

Alexander Rheeney

Ph: 309 1021

Email:rheeneya@spp.com.pg

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Paula Speakman

Ph: 309 1044

Email: pspeakman@spp.com.pg

CIRCULATION MANAGER

Bala Babaga

Ph: 309 1013 Fax: 321 3284

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DELIVERY INQUIRIES

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REGIONAL OFFICES

Lae: Franco Nebas

Ph/fax: 472 4683. Email: fnebas.spp@global.net.pg

Kokopo: Grace Tiden

Ph: 982 9186. Fax: 982 9147.

Email: gracetiden@gmail.com

Mt Hagen: Johnny Poiya. Ph: 542 2602. Fax: 542 3039. Email: posthagen.spp@global.net.pg

Buka: David Lornie

Ph: 973 9188 Fax: 973 9170

Email: davelornie@ digicelpacific.blackberry.com

Southern region faces dry spell

SEVERE drought, similar to the 1997 El Nino, is likely to hit southern Papua New Guinea this year.

PNG National Weather Service assistant director Jimmy Gomoga said yesterday that severe droughts occur every 13 to 16 years. He said the last time a major El Nino hit Papua New Guinea was 16 years ago – in 1997 and 1998 – so a similar one may be expected this year.

“Most likely, parts of the country will be experiencing drought this year,” Mr Gomoga said.

He said the region expected

A lion in the wild usually makes no more than 20 kills a year.

to be hit hard was the southern Papua provinces where rainfall had already been lower than normal throughout 2014.

Although droughts in PNG were not officially declared in the recent past, the National Whether Service said drought conditions had been prevalent since August last year.

“The below average rainfall last year indicates that PNG is most likely to have a much dryer season than usual.

“Climate indicators have been on the border of El Nino threshold for some

time which means these conditions remain very close to the threshold when El Nino is declared.

“Regardless of whether El Nino is declared, there have already been El Nino-like effects in progress across Papua New Guinea, over Australia and rest of the Pacific Island countries,” Mr Gomoga said.

Average rainfall may be experienced by the Momase, New Guinea Islands and the Highlands regions whilst the Southern region is expected to see very low rainfall levels this year, he said.

FROM PAGE 1

MR O’Neill would be seeking to stay the tribunal hearing and obtain an interim injunction against the Public Prosecutor if the court rules in his favour today by granting him leave to make amendments.

“My client is insisting that the Public Prosecutor did not properly exercise his constitutional powers,” Mr Varitimos said. But lawyers for the Public Prosecutor objected to these contentions by Varitimos, saying this was to frustrate the tribunal of going ahead with the scheduled hearing on January 26. The referral of Mr O’Neill stems from an allegation that he had bypassed set procedures and processes of overseas loan borrowing in relation to K3 billion UBS loan.

Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia announced the appointment of the leadership tribunal which will inquire into his alleged misconduct in office headed by a retired New Zealand judge Sir Peter Blanchard and members made up of retired Australian Federal Court judge John von Boussa and Justice Salatiel Lenalia.

PNG National Weather Service assistant director Jimmy Gomoga checking the weather patterns at the weather office in Port Moresby. Picture: TARAMI LEGEI

Economy in good shape, says Marape

THE Government has assured the people, the business community and the nation that the economy is strong and there is no need for panic despite the global effect of commodity and mineral prices.

Finance Minister James Marape said yesterday that there was sufficient foreign exchange reserves of more than K6 billion to cover at least eight months of nonmineral import and overall 4.6 months cover.

nonsensical claims by Opposition Leader Don Polye that the Government had run out of cash with no money in the system.

classified as deferred expenditures.

IT’S SIAKA

A HB lad has done it again by excelling in the international sporting arena. The big village of Hanuabada in the NCD is celebrating after one of its sons – cricketer Lega Siaka – was picked by Australian selectors in the Prime Minister’s XI side.

HISTORY CAN PNG cricket historians advise if he’s the first Papua New Guinean to get into an Australian Prime Minister’s XI side? It would be good to know. Nevertheless, top marks to the cricketer for starting the New Year with a bang.

LEAVE WOES

WONDER who is at fault over the delay in paying teachers’ leave entitlements after the Finance Minister James Marape said the paperwork should be submitted before December. Is it the Department of Education or Teaching Services Commission?

CORRUPTION

YOU want to report corruption? You now do it in the privacy of your own home without worrying about prying eyes,

intimidation and threats. Look for the icon “Do you have a complaint to make” when you log onto www. ombudsman.gov.pg

FACEBOOK

THE state-funded corruption watchdog might also want to set up a Facebook page and upload a PDF of the complaints document to the social media platform. Papua New Guineans, who are more into Facebook then other online platforms, can download it there.

K40M BOOK

IS THERE any truth in reports of Waigani heavies promoting a book authored by an African? The lobby group which includes a minister is trying to sell the publication to the Government for a cool K40 million.

MP TOPS INMATES at the Correctional Service facility outside Lorengau had a surprise visitor on Christmas Day. Local MP Ronny Knight paid them a visit, gave out presents and talked about the importance of reforming themselves. We hear the prisoners appreciated the gesture.

Mr Marape said.

He said there was no need for a budget review in response to what he called

“The economy of the country is strong, there is sufficient liquidity in the financial sector, the Government has funds for commitments, we have paid all our development funds and bills as detailed in the 2014 budget and the supplementary budget,”

“We have met our contractual obligations, we have fully paid our educational and health commitments, we have honoured our provincial, district and LLG commitments, our domestic and foreign debts have been serviced as budgeted for and our public service wage bill of K85 million every fortnight continues to be paid on time,” he said.

He said the 2014 Budget had been expanded by 96 per cent as per the money plan and the remaining 4 per cent was

“These are clear facts that Mr Polye does not want people to know as it discounts all of his lies. The Leader of the Opposition is mandated to tell the truth and he should honour this obligation.”

He said despite the global effect of commodity and mineral price, the nation’s strong reserve in the central bank continued to provide confidence to businesses and investors in the country.

“The foreign reserve figures are not much different now from when Mr Polye presided over the economy as Treasury Minister.”

HOPE the Gulf Province signed up to the services that the newly purchased MV YWAM PNG will be offering to isolated communities in the Southern Region. But having a permanent doctor in Kerema is equally important.

YWAM HOPE

At

BY ISAAC NICHOLAS PENGEE:

FINANCE Minister James Marape stressing a point yesterday in the presence of acting Finance secretary Ken Ngangan.

Lae police chief: Do not fabricate facts

LAE Metropolitan Commander Iven Lakatani is adamant that police did not shoot dead speeding female driver Moana Pesimi in Lae on January 1 despite newspaper and social media reports claiming so.

Chief Superintendent Lakatani said yesterday it was premature to conclude that police fired the fatal shot until all investigations were completed.

Moana Pesimi, wife of R & Sons Construction managing director Thomas Pesimi, drove past two police stations at high speed and failed to

We must be mindful of fabricating facts because what has been written.....was factually incorrect.

IVEN LAKATANI Lae Metropolitan Commander

stop when police tried to stop her on Busu Road, heading towards Bumayong.

“She also had all the win-

dows and doors of the vehicle closed and did not appear to heed all the warnings from the police,” Chief Supt Lakatani said.

He refuted the claim that she was shot at point blank range, adding that if she was shot at point blank range, her head and face would have been smashed on impact of the bullets or cartridges.

The Lae police chief also refuted claims made by the husband in the newspaper that his wife was driving home when she was chased and shot, leading to her death.

“We must be mindful of fabricating facts because what has been written in The National newspaper was factually incorrect,” Mr Lakatani said.

“It is a fact that she died due to a gunshot wound to the back of her head.”

Police witnesses at the scene said she sustained a gunshot wound to the back of her head to the right and died from heavy loss of blood.

Mr Lakatani said police gave chase after she passed Lae Central station and tried to stop the vehicle along Busu

Road as it headed towards Malahang but the driver did not heed the warnings to stop.

“After speeding past two police stations and not stopping when police warned her, all thoughts were it was a stolen motor vehicle because it was driven at a very high speed and did not stop when warned to stop,” he said.

He said police would be investigating the shooting as normal police procedure and if any policemen or women are found to be at fault, they would be dealt with.

Vendors claim buai sold in barracks

BY TUMBE SAM JNR

YOUTHS and women who have been banned from selling betelnut say it is unfair when police barracks’ residents continue selling in the city.

They expressed concern that because of the buai ban they are struggling to sustain their living but have noticed these residential areas are continuing to sell betelnut despite the ban.

Joe Patrick, a student from St Peter’s Primary School, said his parents have been depending on the betelnut sales but due to the ban, they are only selling cold water, which generates less income and can’t cater for their family’s daily needs.

“We have respected the buai ban but now we are realising increase of betelnut sales in the police barracks and it is really unfair,” Joe said.

“This shows that the buai ban only applies to people apart from those living in the police barracks.

“The betelnut enforcers who chase after the betelnut traders have several times destroyed our markets and we want it to be addressed by the authorities.”

He said the city comprises of both employed and unemployed people and they deserved equal respect and have equal rights.

Gr 12 student among deaths

A GRADE 12 student was among three deaths reported in Lae during the festive season, Lae Metropolitan Superintendent Iven Lakatani said yesterday.

Mr Lakatani said the student was involved in an argument when looking for home-brew liquor when he was stabbed. He said the young man was under the influence of alcohol when he met his fate.

The victim was stabbed with a knife resulting in death at Kamkumung’s 15 Block on January 1.

Foreign policy crucial in nation building, says Temu

BY LEONNIE WAYANG

FOREIGN policy in nationbuilding and the need for effective and efficient diplomacy is vital in making a difference to the prospect of realising Papua New Guinea’s ambitions as a nation.

Minister for Public Service

Sir Puka Temu made this point when he spoke at the welcoming and introduction ceremony of the 2015 foreign service training program (FSTP) class yesterday at the Department of Foreign Affairs office.

Sir Puka challenged the secretary, senior management team

and officers of the department as well as the foreign service class of 2015 to “build a strong and vibrant foreign service that will make a real difference for Papua New Guinea”.

“I strongly endorse the initiative of the Secretary and the senior management team to restart the Foreign Service training as a regular part of the essential services the department needs to deliver each year,” Sir Puka said.

“For my part, I have initiated a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Australian Government to provide a capacity building precinct in

which the Institute of Public Administration and a proposed school of business and public policy at the University of Papua New Guinea will each offer improved courses and programs to improve public service training.”

The Public Service Minister stressed that in order to make a real difference, not for its own sake but for the sake of the country, he recommended the class to focus on three critical areas in the international front – our image, our reputation and our priorities for securing resources from abroad.

May 1948, Mt Ruapehu and Mt Ngauruhoe,

“My vision is for Papua New Guinea to conduct a truly independent foreign policy, and in doing so, do more to broaden, deepen and diversify relations with other countries, international organisations, as well as business, non-government organisations and communities with whom we can interact more to a mutual benefit,” Sir Puka said.

“I have taken the opportunity of today’s gathering to share some of my thoughts on three priorities that can, I believe, make a real difference to members of the Foreign Service and the Government.”

SOME members of the foreign training service class of 2015 during their introduction meet yesterday.

AS is the usual custom in Papua New Guinea when one enters another’s home, the visitor is served a snack, before he/she departs. These folks are handed sandwiches at a gathering at a Motuan village this week. Picture: TARAMI LEGEI

Govt ready to open accounts

BY

THE Government accounts for the 2015 financial year will open by Monday, Finance Minister James Marape said yesterday.

He said the big ticket commitment by the O’Neill Government was the free education policy which would be rolled out with the first warrants signed off next week for money to reach schools on time before school starts next month.

The Minister said the other major priority areas of Government including free healthcare, infrastructure, law and order and growing the economy would also be rolled out.

He also sounded a warning to public servants that the “PNG time” mentality must stop.

“Our PNG time nonsense must stop. I make the appeal to Treasury and Finance staff especially in provinces and districts where continual focus and shift of government resources go to province and districts are expeditiously dispensed of their duties are very important and at Finance we will take no excuse for complacency and disregard for duty because of lack of respect for time management.”

Minister Marape said Finance would be dispensing more than K2 billion development funds under its custody designated for DSIP, PSIP and LLGSIP as well as normal recurrent expenditures remitted to the district and provincial treasuries.

He said the Government would be opening accounts in January 12. “Opening of accounts normally takes

ACCOUNTS: THE Government accounts for the 2015 financial year will open by Monday, Finance Minister James Marape said yesterday.

BIG TICKET: The big ticket commitment by the O’Neill Government was the free education policy which would be rolled out with the first warrants signed off next week for money to reach schools on time before school starts.

JAMES MARAPE: The Finance Minister for Papua New Guinea.

place in February or March in the years by-gone, but last year and this year we brought the close of account quicker and efficiently.”

Mr Marape said the Government was in the final week of tidying books and called on department heads and secretaries that by March 31 this year he expected all financial reports to come in.

“But we will be opening accounts of government business by next week Monday, meaning that the government is at work.”

“As we honour our commitments last year, we will honour our big ticket commitments on free education, we have not defaulted in free education since the O’Neil government announced this policy in 2011, we have not defaulted in our basic healthcare since we announce in 2011, we have not defaulted in honouring all our contracts out there doing massive work for this nation, for 2015 Games, NCD roads, Lae roads, highlands highway, Lae port and Aropa Airport,” Marape said.

I CAN STILL DANCE!

Private hospital to sue clients over debts

BY ABRAHAM AVEDIBA

TUSA Private Hospital’s audit consultant Wina Legi told the Post-Courier yesterday that from 2008 to 2014, over K900,000 was reported to have been outstanding in payments from clients.

“During that period of the six years, prior to Tusa Hospital’s closure, credit customers failed to keep up with their payments. Despite the proper medical services that were provided to over a thousand of these clients, many failed to keep up with their payments and this contributed to the temporary closure of the hospital,” Mr Legi said. According to recent reports, about K200,000 in debts was collected from credit clients while payments of K680,000 are yet to be collected.

A number of prominent businessmen and politicians were also among those who were listed to make repayments to the services that were provided to them.

“We’ve made numerous attempts to have our clients pay up their dues, but many have neglected our notices, so we are currently looking towards having summons being raised against them,”

Mr Legi added.

He said the hospital’s former accounts staff also failed to perform their duty in collecting debts on a monthly basis and this in turn resulted in the accumulation of the funds.

“These staff neglected their tasks in recouping these funds because daily cash flow plays a significant role in a business’ continuous operation,” he said.

“Credit customers, as many businesses would agree, are often expected to make payments of their outstanding fees before the end of each month.

“However, the account staff failed to follow up on these payments and as such, many of the clients got away with their non-payments.”

The hospital is appealing to all the debtors to pay up.

B’ville MP urges diplomats to be more diplomatic

MINISTER for

Bougainville Affairs

Steven Kama has called on the heads of overseas missions to be careful when making comments regarding Bougainville and the region’s affairs.

Mr Kama was responding to recent media comments made by the United Nations resident coordinator at UNDP Roy Trivedy.

It is understood that Mr Trivedy’s statement urged the PNG Government to

cautiously handle negotiations between the Autonomous Bougainville Government carefully.

Although acknowledging Mr Trivedy’s comments, Mr Kama issued a strong warning to all donors and missions that any public comment could be seen as an outright interference into the process of implementing the Bougainville Peace Agreement.

Mr Kama maintained that the implementa-

tion of the Bougainville Peace Agreement is the prerogative and solely remains in the custodial ownership between the National Government of Papua New Guinea, the Autonomous Bougainville Government, and the people of Bougainville.

Mr Kama has urged all donors to refrain from making public comments, especially through the media, regarding issues sur-

rounding Bougainville’s political undertakings.

He is strongly advising all donors and any interested parties that any comments that they wish to air must be through normal diplomatic channels.

The United Nations Development Program has had a long history in PNG, working in all areas of development over the last 30 years since its first office opened in PNG in 1981.

UNITED Nations resident coordinator Roy Trivedy.

LUCY Daure takes on sand to do the famous Papua dance, the hulahula at Tatana village in Port Moresby. She sways away just in time for the camera man to take a quick photograph of her moves. Picture: TARAMI LEGEI

ISAAC NICHOLAS At a glance

in such

Madang cops blast social media claims

BY ROSALYN ALBANIEL

POLICE are not responsible for the death of the remandee at the Jomba Police Cells in Madang, provincial police commander

Chief Superintendent Sylvester Kalaut said yesterday.

The police chief was referring to the detainee who had died allegedly through strangulation on New Year’s Eve as he attempted to join others in escaping by squeezing through the cell window’s iron bars.

Chief Supt Kalaut said he was not an avid follower of Facebook but had been made aware that

quite a number of people had taken to this social media network and were claiming that police were responsible for the detainee’s death.

He said a post-mortem would be carried out this week at Modilon General Hospital and will confirm the cause of death.

He said he has been requested to meet with relatives of the victim, who is said to be from Henganofi in the Eastern Highlands Province, and would be informing them of the police’ position on the death.

Meanwhile, Chief Supt Kalaut said police were still searching

for the nine detainees who broke out from the police cells.

“We have not been able to recapture any of the escapees yet.

“We are appealing to members of the public who have any information leading to the whereabouts of the escapees to please get in touch with us,” he said.

He said the incident might as well serve as a lesson to other detainees that the risks of escaping are high.

He said it is much easier and better to do the right thing and to work with the rule of law instead of against it.

Hela’s most wanted escapes

ONE of Hela Province’s most notorious criminals is among the 33 prisoners who escaped last Wednesday from the Baisu Jail in Western Highlands Province.

Hela police has now called on his relatives and members of the public to help return him behind bars.

Hela police commander Superintendent Mark Yangen named the escapee as Kulumba Yabe from Pujureka village, Tari, who had been doing time for a series of serious crimes including rape, murder and damaging power pylons.

Supt Yangen said Yabe was a repeated offender and escapee who was initially jailed for crimes at Bomana, NCD. However, he escaped to Enga Province. He was apprehended by police in September last year and transferred to Baisu and on Christmas Eve he escaped again.

Yangen: Compensation for crimes intolerable

BY ROSALYN ALBANIEL

HELA’S provincial police commander Superintendant Mark Yangen is adamant compensation for serious crimes will not be tolerated during his term in the province.

At a glance

PPC: Hela’s Provincial Police Commander is Superintendent Mark Yangen. HIS STAND: compensation for serious crimes will not be tolerated, instead the perpetrators will be put behind bars.

INCIDENT: A 20-year-old man from the Benari area in the KomoMargarima electorate who was gunned down by a group of armed men on New Year’s Eve.

GRIEVING RELETIVES: They said they would not settle for anything less than seeing the perpetrators locked behind bars as an innocent life was taken away.

Supt Yangen was responding to concerns raised by grieving relatives of the 20year-old man from the Benari area in the Komo-Margarima electorate who was gunned down by a group of armed men on New Year’s Eve.The incident had happened

at Kikita-Two village during celebrations. Concerns raised were that payment of compensation continued to be the norm of resolving issues, including serious crimes such as murder and rape.

The grieving relatives had insisted this practice be done away with. They stated that they would not settle for anything less than seeing the perpetrators locked behind bars as an innocent life had been lost.

Supt Yangen confirmed receiving the reports stating he and several of his officers had personally gone to the scene of the killing and transported the body to the morgue.

Supt Yangen said the identity of the suspects are known, adding that they are from the neighbouring village of Waralo. He said his men are working hard to apprehend them.

“The crime committed is very serious and those involved will be made to feel

the full brunt of the law.

“While compensation may have been a norm in the province, police will not entertain it.

“If the relatives wish to pursue this payment for the life lost, that is their business but we will make sure the perpetrators are put behind bars.

“I would like to assure the relatives of the victim that the norm of compensation will not be entertained during my time. We will do our job,” he said.

CITY authorities cleaning up a drainage in downtown Port Moresby. This area accommodates the city’scentral business district. It would not be wise to let drains overflow

busy parts, especially following the rainy days. Picture: KENNEDY BANI

NCD CITY AUTHORITY TO THE RESCUE

Marape blames Education

BY BENJAMIN KUMAN

THE Education Department should process teachers leave entitlements before the end of an academic year and allow for them to go for holidays on time.

This should be done before December, but when Government books are closed Education department cheques are not recognised by the banks.

Finance Minister James Marape raised this concern in a media conference at his Vulupindi office in Port Moresby yesterday.

“We are a Government and we have money all the time to run this country. The delay in teachers leave entitlements is not the Government’s fault nor is it a cash-flow problem in the system as claimed by the Opposition.

“It is caused by the Education Department, which failed to workout teachers entitlements prior to the close of accounts.”

He says what happens is when Government accounts are closed in mid December all funds of Government held by state agencies and departments are pulled back into the Department of Finance for the accounts to be tied up therefore obviously there was no money in the education department when the cheques were drawn.

He says, instructions were issued to all agencies and departments to go to finance if they needed to make some emergency payments based on the main 2014 budget and the 2014 supplementary budget as it was the only department in operation during the close of business but the education department failed to follow the instructions.

“It has been a problem for a long time so the education department and other concerned departments and agencies should put their heads together and come up with a system which will work better,” he stressed.

“As the former education minister I sympathise with all the teachers out there for the delay and I’m sure the current Education Minister Nick Kuman will get his staff to liaise with concerned agencies and come up with a solution,” he said

“We have a whole year to work on the teachers entitlements, you don’t come on December 25 crying for leave pay, teachers should be already in their villages celebrating holidays by then,” he said Meanwhile, Mr Marape says he will issue the first warrant for 2015 next week Monday to officially open government business for the year.

ALL HANDS ON DECK

Fifty selected for foreign service training program

THIRTY participants are set to undergo the 2015 foreign service training program (FSTP) which is offered by the Department of Foreign Affairs after a competitive selection process involving over 400 applicants.

Department of Foreign Affairs Acting Secretary William Dihm told the participants in a welcome and introduction ceremony yesterday that it was a privilege for them to serve in a much sought-after area of government. “You are not only members of the public service, which is itself a particular privilege, but those of you who will serve overseas will represent our country.

“This is both an additional privilege and a very particular responsibility – demanding both knowledge of the rich diversity, the history and the democratic government of our country, as well as the highest standards of professional and personal conduct.

“Your behaviour will influence how many people in other countries may regard Papua New Guinea,” Mr Dihm said.

In making reference to the foreign policy statement presented in the National Parliament in July 2013 titled “Papua New Guinea Connect: Growing Papua New Guinea’s Connec-

MP urges journos to report facts

BY BENJAMIN KUMAN

JOURNALISTS must abide by their ethics and disseminate facts without malice because it can make or break reputations of individuals, says Anglimp-South Wahgi MP Komun Joe Koim.

Mr Koim made this statement after an article ran in this newspaper alluding that his recent attack at Aviamp school was allegedly for noncompliance of election commitments.

“It is true that thugs attacked me on Christmas Eve at Aviamp when I was inspecting the Anglimp to Aviamp road, which is one of the road projects I’m funding under the DSIP, but I did not make any election commitment to the Rungai people of Aviamp and I don’t know where the reporter got that bit of information from,” he said.

“I don’t believe in commitments and I don’t commit but I believe in delivering the much-needed services like roads and bridges and I believe in helping people realise their own potential and be self-reliant, that’s why I have launched the microfinance scheme so the livelihood of my small people back home can change.”

Mr Koim says he is satisfied with what he has done so far in the last two-and-ahalf-years and what has just happened on Christmas will not stop him from continuing his work. He is currently in the electorate to broker peace and mediation talks started yesterday.

Reporters attend health reporting training

tion in a Globalising World” Mr Dihm says “it points us all in a new direction” when it comes to foreign policy.

“I, therefore, call on all staff at all levels of the Department, including our diplomatic missions and consular posts overseas to sustain momentum and keep meeting the challenges and opportunities before Papua New Guinea before Papua New Guinea in a globalising world throughout 2015,” Mr Dihm stated.

He also highlighted upcoming big events such as the Pacific Games, the Pacific Islands Fo-

rum as well as PNG’s 40th Independence anniversary which will attract regional and global attention.

“With the architecture of regional cooperation currently under active consideration by governments and organisations in and around the Pacific, these meetings can be expected to involve active discussion and attract widespread attention, both in the region and globally,” Mr Dihm said.

Mr Dihm stated that 2015 was a year of opportunity and promise for the country with a “busy and challenging year ahead”.

BY SEBASTIAN HAKALITS

THE World Health Organisation in partnership with the Department of Health ended 2014 by organising a health journalism training program in Port Moresby for journalists from different media organisations throughout Papua New Guinea.

The training was conducted to alert journalists to the basics of health reporting in the delivery of health services and other issues such as maternal child health, malaria, HIV/AIDS and the Public Health Authority reform.

As health is a concern in many areas of Papua New Guinea, many remote health facilities lack the proper equipment to carry out the right diagnosis on patients and many die because of the lack of proper equipment, shortage of drugs and staff also add to the hardship and burden of a remote rural health centre.

Even access to some of the facilities is difficult and takes hours and even days for patients to reach the nearest health centre. Sometimes during the journey, death overcomes the desperation to reach medical attention.

SIR Puka Temu speaking to participants during the introduction ceremony yesterday. Picture: TARAMI LEGEI

THE New Year has ushered in the rainy season. With the recent downpour in the city, NCDC authorities have been cleaning up drains in downtown Port Moresby making sure debris from the drains do not wash up onto the main road. Picture: KENNEDY BANI

Union wants TFF audits

BY NELLIE SETEPANO

THE Education Department has been tasked to produce audits for the government’s 2014 tuition fee free for all schools in the country.

The Papua New Guinea Teachers Association general secretary Ugwalubu Mowana wants the department to publically come out in the media and tell the country the names

of schools that have received their fees, including those schools that have dormant accounts in the previous year. He told Post-Courier over the weekend that this list should complement the 2015 list of audit for tuition fees and should be ready for the academic year that begins in the first week of February.

Mr Mowana says although these funds are safe in the

banks, schools need to know if they are receiving fees and those that have issues with bank accounts also need to be notified for the purposes of fixing their accounts.

Towards the end of last year, the Education Department released a media statement stating that more than 3000 schools throughout the country have not received their tuition fees due to lack of action

from the provinces.

The department has also asked all provincial education boards to supply all tuition fee free data to the department by end of this month (January).

Also over the weekend, the general secretary also raised concerns on 2014-2016 teachers’ salary fixation agreement between the PNGTA and the Education Department Teach-

ing Services Commission.

Mr Mowana wants the government to honour its commitment and award its teachers the 10 per cent awards promised under the agreement by paying teachers on the first pay day of 2015.

This agreement has been breached by paying authorities in 2014 and teachers have cried foul over this outstanding issue.

Teachers to undergo training on reforms

THE training of teacher trainers in the standardsbased curriculum will begin on January 12 for six initial provinces, the Education Department says.

The training was scheduled to be rolled out across the country from December 15 last year but a hold up in government funds to the department has led to the delay in the training. The six initial provinces are West New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Central, Gulf and National Capital District.

Elementary training in other provinces will follow later this year.

A brief statement from the Education Department stated that selected teachers and provincial officers are required to attend the provincial workshops. Those officers will be informed of their selection by their divisions of education, after their release has been granted by the Teaching Service Commission and their provincial sdministrators.

The Education Department has advised that all provincial education advisors and provincial in-service coordinators for the initial six provinces must contact one of the following immediately for more information about the workshops; Mordecai Baine, assistant secretary, curriculum development and assessment division on 325 7555, Steven Tandale, director, curriculum and assessment branch on 325 7555, Dominica Phillips, assistant secretary, teacher education on 301 3457 or Michael Mera, teacher development officer on 301 3455.

K8m to develop Kokoda infrastructure, boost growth

THE people of Kokoda in Northern Province will expect to see proper markets, administration buildings and a possible museum in the coming months thanks to a K8 million boost.

Last Friday, Northern Governor Gary Juffa disclosed that about K8 million has been allocated to build infrastructure and boost economic activity in Kokoda.

Mr Juffa said the money would be controlled by a committee that would liaise with the people to agree on how the funds are to be used for their mutual benefit.

He said although rich in resources, the Kokoda area was declared a non-extractive area (no mining) by the PNG and Australian governments due to its shared significance in the history of both countries. This decision means there will be no exploration work for minerals, gas and oil in the district.

Mr Juffa explained how the people have been frustrated for the past decade being given little in the way of tangible development.

“We took away mining from them and there is nothing wrong

with preserving an important part of the country’s history.

“What is wrong is the fact that we have taken away an economically boosting, societal changing venture (mining), and left them with no alternatives to still realising societal growth,” the Governor said. He said the allocated K8 million would ensure that the people of Kokoda were given education, better economically conducive infrastructure and administrative buildings.

K8M BOOST: Kokoda will be allocated this funding to build infrastructure and boost economic activity in the area. The money will be controlled by a committee which, will liaise with the people as to how the funds will be used to their benefit.

NON-EXTRACTIVE AREA: The area has been declared a no mining zone so the funds will ensure that the people see tangible development.

The Governor also mentioned that apart from building proper markets where people could sell their produce and administrative buildings, he planned to build a museum dedicated to showcasing the many iconic relics that can be found along the Kokoda Track. The Kokoda Trail or Track is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs 96km (60mi) overland – 60km (37mi) in a straight line – through the Owen Stanley Range. It is famous for being the location of the World War II battle between Japanese and Australian forces in 1942.

KEREMA women having a party during the New Year celebrations recently at Gulf Province. These women sure know how to entertain. If this picture isn’t proof enough for you then “yu yet go na lukim”. Picture: ROSALYN ALBANIEL NEW YEAR IN KEREMA

GARY Juffa

BY FRANKLIN KOLMA

BACK TO WORK!

YES, it was a week-long break for employees of government departments and a few days off work for private sector employees after the Christmas and New Year festivities. But it was back to work as this TARAMI LEGEI picture shows. Here, workmen are setting up cones, adding to Port Moresby’s ever distressing traffic congestions. Such are the marvels of a normal working day.

Ex-MP angers doctors over vaccination claim

BY MAUREEN GERAWA

PARENTS must be educated on self-health so they take more responsibility away from government health-care as they apply preventative health and maintain healthy lifestyle practices.

This is the stand of former health minister Jamie Maxtone-Graham when asked to comment on angry criticisms from doctors on his New Year call for Papua New Guineans not to have their children vaccinated, which was posted on social media.

One doctor had raised concern as to why a man of Mr Maxtone-Graham’s standing could make such a public statement.

“It is one thing to be an ignorant member of the public and get sucked in by anti-vaccination lunatics, but for someone who held the honoured position of health minister and who has no excuse for not being properly informed. I feel is unforgiveable.’’

He urged that the medical community to speak out against what

Kerema police facilities in dire need for upgrade

BY ROSALYN ALBANIEL

POLICE in Gulf Province need more money to complete projects as well as upgrade existing facilities in the capital, Kerema.

The incomplete projects includes the police office complex and the police barracks.

Facilities which need maintenance includes the police cell block which are small and overcrowded, and if that’s not enough, the married officers’ houses are about to be condemned by health authorities.

Funds are also needed to buy parts for two of the command’s three vehicles which are parked in front of the rundown police station in Kerema.

Gulf police commander Lincoln Gerari said about K1.8 million has been allocated by the Depart-

ment of National Planning for these projects during his time.

He said the projects remained incomplete because the funds have been exhausted.

While the main office structure had been completed, a lot of the interior works, including the floorings to the top floor, were incomplete.

Claims are that while the plans had been given to the contractor, the office was not built according to the designs provided and were rather sub-standard.

Mr Gerari said at least K400,000 would be needed to complete the office, K690,000 to build a new cell block and K89,000 to upgrade the married officers’ quarters.

The provincial police chief revealed that he would be requesting an inspection to be carried out by health authorities with

the view to condemn the houses as they had not been maintained for years.

“The province is growing and all these upgrades are vital.

“I need the single quarters completed so that I can bring in more police officers, the married officers’ houses needs to be done up because they are just unhygienic.

“The cell block is supposed to hold 20 people, but as we speak, it is overcrowded with more than 30 people. There are health risks and I will be held accountable should anything happen to those remanded.

“As for our office complex, we are currently all cramped in a small building.”

“The environment is not conducive for us to do our work effectively,” he said.

At a glance

JAMIE MAXTONE-GRAHAM:

Former health minister says parents should be educated on self-health.

EVIDENCE: New research raising serious questions about the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

he described as a potentially “very harmful misinformation”.

One of the articles which Mr Maxtone-Graham’s post was linked to stated that not every parent understands the true risks involved, risks that could leave a child debilitated for life, or even killed.

In response to doctors’ criticisms against him, Mr Maxtone-Graham said the problem was that not many knowledgeable individuals, including doctors, had open minds, who could read reports and understand the whole issues as “there is a major shift now taking place in medicine, conventional health care is being integrated with alternate, nutritional,

social, environment and emotional balance with great success’’.

He said it took 50 years for governments to acknowledge that smoking caused cancer.

“Doctors even advocated smoking was good for health in advertisements by cigarette companies in the 1960s. Vaccines are also being put under the microscope, which is good for science, there’s more questions being raised now than before as more evidence are emerging from new research raising serious questions about the safety and efficacy of vaccines,” he said. He said advocates of vaccines used the old argument of reduction in infant mortality from 50 million deaths annually to five million in over 60 years of vaccination, but the light did not shine on child morbidity, chronic ill-health, and new crippling diseases, that have been increasing.

“What’s the cause? Why the sudden increase in all sorts of health issues with children?’’ Mr MaxtoneGraham said.

Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas Project Independent Issues Commi ee

NOTICE TO ALL STAKEHOLDERS ON FORMAL HEARINGS BY INDEPENDENT ISSUES COMMITTEE, ESTABLISHED IN RELATION TO PNG LNG PROJECT

This No ce serves to inform that the Independent Issues Commi ee (IIC), which was established under various License Based Benefits Sharing Agreements (LBBSAs) rela ng to the PNGLNG Project, will be conduc ng formal Hearings with all Stakeholders from 20th November 2014. The Commi ee‘s func on is to deliberate on all issues iden fied during nego a ons on the LBBSAs.

Since the announcement of the recons tu on of the Commi ee by the Minister for Petroleum & Energy, Honorable Nixon Duban in October 2014, Members of the Commi ee have developed a comprehensive Work Program to meet all Stakeholders to deliberate on the issues rela ng to the LNG Project.

The Commi ee has commenced Hearings with Government Department and Poli cal Leaders in Port Moresby in November 2014. The Commi ee will meet with Landowners of the LNG Project areas at the Project Site from February/March 2015. This no ce to Stakeholders is to give them sufficient me to prepare and make submissions to the Commi ee. The Submissions should be based on the posi ons of each Block in the License Areas.

The Commi ee prefers that Stakeholders provide wri en submissions prior to the Hearings to enable Commi ee Members to be er appraise themselves on the various views/posi ons on the issues before commencement of formal Hearings. Stakeholders should register their Submissions with IIC Office at 2nd Floor, ADF House, Ela Beach or at Tari District Court House.

The Commi ee will use the media to inform Stakeholders about the Hearings, which will provide specific informa on on the dates and venues.

We look forward to the coopera on of all stakeholders on this important ma er regarding the LNG Project.

Joseph Gabut, OBE Chairman Independent Issues Commi ee

VALUATION BASELESS

THE land valuation exercise by 13 valuers are baseless, unrealistic and unprofessional. Where are the facts and figures to show why three major real estate giants are bleeding the PNG cities and towns of property price markups, far exceeding the standards and qualities as compared in Cooktown, Auckland, Jayapura, Chebu, Fiji and Cook Islands. By whose orders do they revalue the land. NCDC or the Provincial Governments do not own any land. It is the National Government and the customary landowners. Working class nationals everywhere in PNG are in dire need of affordable, decent and quality homes or office spaces or even space for their children to play. It seems the assessment are the works of outsiders. We need further open dialogue on this issue.

I. Hivi via email

MAKE PROCESS EASY

I APPLAUD Charles Abel on announcing 2000 free land titles to PNG workers to build homes. But it seems priority is given to public servants, and not private sector staff. Meanwhile, the current government policies are on housing and free land title to help working citizens but the processes and procedures are complex. A lso, private sector workers must be included. When we closely look at the involvement of the work force, both parties play an equal role in the development of this nation. A s the minister responsible he should revise procedures set out by BSP to access the K200 million to build and help first time home owners of Papua New Guinea. He must set up a simple process which will enable the majority to participate rather than only 2000 workers in each centre.

Manga Mon Port Moresby

No to K10m for Karimui

MY NAME is Albert Joshua from New Ireland and I am searching for my daughter. Her name is Francisca. Her mother's name is Regina Bugava from Sheba village Rigo District in Central Province. I last met my daughter in 2008 at Port Moresby, where l was attending my apprenticeship. Francisca will be doing her grade 10 this year 2015. Here is my number: 72421627 or email: baiaujoshua@gmail.com

I WISH to air my concern on behalf of my people in the remote Karimui District, Chimbu Province in regards to the Gumine – Karimui road project.

The Gumine – Karimui road is legendary with so much money gone down the drain without any form of physical development or progress on the road.

We have been misled and abused by so called opportunists group of people in the Chimbu Province and this is not acceptable.

The national government gave millions of kina to build this vital road project but nothing tangible has happened.

Those monies allocated to build the road were not a free gift but

were to save and bring the remote people of Karimui to the outside world.

In an article in the Post-Courier, page 8 dated January 5, 2015, two Chimbu leaders appealed for K10 million to be released from the National Government to construct the bridge.

The bridge is the final link to roads from Apa (Karimui) and Gumine meet at the Wahgi or Tua river.

Currently, we see that the road is still far and in progress.

Our main concern is that, the road has not reach Talpakul, which is in another council ward area closer to the Tua or Wahgi River.

The construction of both roads from Gumine and Apa (Karimui side) have to meet at the Tua or Wahgi River then it’s better to work on the final stage which is bridge construction.

We strongly appeal to the government not to release the K10 million when the road is still far away.

Someone has to inspect the progress of the road and do proper assessment before the money can be released because we have learned enough from past experiences.

The views expressed on these pages are the opinions of our readers. They do not necessarily represent the views of the Post-Courier –

Jerry Tobe via email

IT has no money in the system to look at small in-house issues like the payment of airfares, let alone the commitments the government is going to make in the new year.

OPPOSITION Leader Don Polye calling on Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to admit that the Government has run out of money.

Gulf MPs be realistic please

Letter of the day

ON FRIDAY January 2, 2015, the Governor of Gulf Province, Mr Havila Kavo put out a media release to address two issues, firstly, the position of the Governor of Gulf Province and secondly, update development issues to the people of Gulf.

Firstly, on the issue of the position of the governor of Gulf, Mr Kavo was quite right in saying that he is duly elected and legitimate Governor of Gulf Province until such time as his appeal in the Supreme Court determines otherwise. And in fact, there is no vacancy in the office of the Governor of Gulf Province. This is understandable by most people.

The only misunderstanding is that in most sub districts in Gulf our people do not have access to print and electronic media. So they tend to circulate second or third hand information twisted from the truths rather than reading, seeing and hearing it themselves. That is a communication services gap and it must be improved.

Secondly, I disagree on governor’s comments on project development updates for the province. The governor only mentioned Malalaua to Kerema highway sealing works in progress. The new administrative office complex in

Kerema is yet to be built. If our good governor has time and space for our people, could we ask that he and other colleague MPs put out other developments that are taking place throughout the province so that there is ownership, accountability and responsibility from the office of the governor and the MPs to the people of Gulf?

I’m sure their specialist advisors who are working on the concept of a new township and other projects would assist them greatly to put out a 6-8 pages on Gulf Province supplement – an update on development and services delivery in review for 2014.

Thirdly, the governor’s comments on five developmental issues such as the Elk/Antelope (Gulf) LNG Project, Elk/Antelope Gas Field (PRL 15) landowner position, Gulf Gas Master Plan Concept, Vailala oil palm project and development of a multi-storey complex on section 278, allotment 35, Hohola, NCD are development projects yet to eventuate. These are projects at intangible or conceptual stages and that have brought no real impact to the people of Gulf at this point in time as yet. Whether these projects eventuate or not, only time will tell.

There is little or no development and services delivery at districts and sub district levels despite Gulf Province receiving K200 million

development grants from the PM Peter O’Neill in Kikori in March 2013. A simple advice to the good governor, there are 30 rural airstrips in Gulf Province, 10 are privately owned and 20 are owned by the provincial and local level governments. By year 2020, all of these airstrips should be sealed including one international airport built as per the Gulf Vision 2020 targets. How many airstrips have we sealed in the past three years?

Baimuru, Ihu and Kikori need all weather condition airstrips and are yet to be sealed. Our people are drowning and dying each year on high seas because of bad weather while travelling to Kerema. Is air transport critical to services delivery and development?

How far have we addressed infrastructure issues such as wharves, jetties, district administration offices, police outposts, health centres, schools, roads and vocational centres?

Our leaders must be realistic. Get to the root of the problems that are affecting the lives of our people at sub district levels. Let’s spend the money where our mouth is; improve services that hurts our people frequently.

BK. Dara Baimuru

Involve Nakanai people in environment talks

THE conservation of Nakanai Ranges in Pomio District was approved by the East New Britain provincial executive council as a pilot project under the community -based Forest and Coastal conversation and Resources Management in PNG ((The National 3/12/14). It was noted that the project will

be managed by the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with assistance from the ENB Province administration.

While we appreciate DEC for facilitating this important project and with funding support

from the UNDP, our concern is for Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) that must be done in collaboration and in consultation to capture the landowners interests.

Elias Kapavore Landowners rep.

Text us on 208

CLEAN UP BARRACKS

IT IS ASTOUNDING to find that serious crimes are also rampant inside government owned barracks used by our military and law enforcement agencies. One does not have to go far inside any of these places to find evidence of drug abuse, underage drinking, illegal gambling, sexual violence and even violent crimes like robberies and breakins. It’s shocking! the RPNGC, PNGDF and Corrections Services need to be kicked in the backside for being hypocrites.

Disgusted Officer

DANGEROUS TREND

I AM compelled to comment on the conduct of law enforcement officers. On one occasion police officer bashed a few officers at a road block over frustration. The enforcement program is a total nuisance and distraction to road users.

On another occasion, I was in an unregistered taxi and the driver was a real gentleman who presented himself well to a road safety officer. The safety officer detected the infringement; however the offender explained his situation in English making the officer become a listener.

I learned from the driver the officer was illiterate.

This situation is witnessed every day. This is promoting a lot of unroadworthy vehicles on our roads in Port Moresby. This is unsafe for pedestrians and other road users.

I call on the minister responsible to take action and bring the roads of Port Moresby to safe levels. The roads are not safe because they are compromising safety standards.

True or False Road User

US CAUSING SLUMP

THE current slump in international oil prices (to six-year low) has raised the alarm of yet another economic crisis - recession. While excess supply from the USA and the OPEC member countries were deemed to be the cause of the problem, it is worth rationalising the fundamentals behind the fall in oil prices.

Why would the US in particular (with the exception of the OPEC member countries - whose costs of production are reasonably low) continue to increase supply when oil prices are trending below the break-even point of around $US60 per barrel?

This is ridiculous. There’s something more to it. I believe, the cause of the problem is political and US is responsible. We have observed that US is blaming Russia for the crisis in Ukraine and Crimea, which the Russian President strongly denies. This has led to US, European Union and other countries implementing a series of economic sanctions against Russia. And as we have now experienced, the US in another attempt to destabilise the Russian economy have increased their (US) oil supply. This strategy seems to work well in favour of the US putting the Russian economy into crisis. The Russian currency has since lost half its value against the dollar and the economy has begun to contract.

Sadly, the economic tussle between US and Russia will lead to recession in most of the economies if both countries do not resolve their issues amicably. The question now is how long will this tussle last? The world is watching and US has the answers.

Tears Van Waigani

FOREIGN Affairs and Immigration Minister Sir Rabbie Namaliu has blamed inexperience in PNG affairs as the reason behind comments by an Australian politician. - Dec 20, 2004

PM: Upgrade Highlands Highway immediately

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill says immediate action is needed to repair sections of the Highlands Highway and to have a proper design and construction approach for the length of the highway.

He said the National Executive Council will discuss declaring an emergency and giving the calling-out for the Papua New Guinea Defence Force Engineering Battalion to make urgent road repairs and upgrades.

PM O’Neill made the announcement during an unannounced personal inspection of the highway from Mendi to Lae over the first weekend of the New Year.

He has further issued a stern warning to contractors to do their job properly or face legal consequences.

“The time for talk is over, we have had enough consultation and negotiation and people who use the highway expect action,” Mr O’Neill said after the inspection.

“I have seen with my own eyes the problems that continue to undermine the movement of people and goods along the Highlands Highway.

“I am extremely disappointed that critical sections of the road are not maintained and this needs to be addressed immediately. “We have now

identified a series of problems and contractors are being ordered to get repairs done immediately.

“Where contractors cannot or will not take action the Government will deal with them through legal channels.

“In some areas we will look to our fine engineers and soldiers in the Defence Force to get this highway up to standard.”

PM O’Neill said it was important for him to have a firsthand view and experience of the highway, and his visit took many people by surprise as he moved along the road without ceremony or fanfare.

Selfie

Flood victims send SOS

BY OGIA MIAMEL and SIBA MESA

At a glance

MORE than 7000 people of Kinabilk tribe and others residing along the Kimil and Kondopinda road in Jiwaka Province have suffered from flood devastation for more than five years.

They have lost homes, food gardens, cash crops and livestock from the raging Wahgi River.

DISASTER: The disaster stricken people of Kinabilk are suffering from constant flooding for five years.

LOSS: They have sustained big losses to properties.

Former councillor Jacob Bulda said three men drowned in the floods and is calling on their local member and other leaders and especially the Prime Minister to help them.

SOS: They are now calling on the Government to look into their situation and provide assistance.

SINCE: The Wahgi River has been flooding every rainy season since 2009.

Mr Bulda said since 2009 the Wahgi River had caused losses to their properties. He said it was normal for the river to flood every rainy season but this year was the worst as it has washed away the main highway blocking traffic and restricting people’s movement.

He said the flooding river destroyed many houses near the road, coffee trees, gardens and a family’s burial ground.

He said it was normal for the people to experience flooding but it got worse when the river diverted its course which has destroyed houses.

Chimbu block representative Rengi Wak said it was a huge impact on their

lives and he appealed to the National Government to look into the matter and assign a disaster investigation team to investigate the problems associated with the continuous flooding in this section of the province. Engan block resident Soti Migin said the recent flooding started during the night and he did not have enough time to save his belongings. Mr Migin a father of three said he lost everything to the flood and now lives with a friend. He said he has no formal income and sells betelnut and cigarettes to support his family. “It would be better if the Government can at least see to our needs,” Mr Migin said.

THIS cheeky youngster who goes by the name of Benford Vincent was having fun clinging to tree branches atJacksons Airport when the Post-Courier caught up with him.

CHEEKY TREE CLIMBER

PM Peter O’Neill

your heartbeat

Kikori flood review still pending

BY LEONNIE WAYANG

A FULL review on the Kikori flood in Gulf Province will be made by the provincial disaster management committee once disaster officers complete their assessment.

Emmanuel Xavier, Gulf deputy provincial administrator for policy and advisory services, said relief operations had ended last month and officers were yet to carry out a second survey.

“The Government had allocated K3 million while the provincial government gave K2 million to manage relief operations during the flood,” he said.

“A second survey is yet to be carried out on the restoration part of disaster management and a full report will be made by the provincial disaster office.

“Officers from the provincial disaster office are doing the assessment and then we will have a provincial disaster committee meeting and go through the second assessment report.”

Mr Xavier said that since the last flood in Kikori, they have not experienced any more flooding.

“I would like to thank the National Disaster Office and the national government for their financial response where we managed to get relief supplies over to the flood-affected areas.”

In an estimation made by a different source during the time of the disaster, around 40, 000 people and 20 villages were affected by the monthlong flood in the last quarter of last year.

However, when the full report is produced, the full extent on the impact of the disaster would be assessed and made known.

A second survey is yet to be carried out on restoration part...

INTERESTED IN ME?

MEET the handsome Aki. He is 16-weeks-old and currently weighs 7.7kg. He loves to play, loves children and is intelligent. Aki was abandoned as a pup and a good Samaritan surrendered him to the care of the RSPCA. He was then fostered by their kennel hand, Uda Vani, and today is a lovable and playful dog. He is looking for his furry tail life and hopes that his compatible human companion will soon adopt him. If interested, contact the RSPCA on 325 2363, 7196 0436, 7198 2200 or email rspca@rspca.org.pg

Health officers fasten up on Ebola checks

HEALTH quarantine officers are meeting every international flight to check declaration forms to identify passengers who have travelled from West Africa, according to World Health Organisation’s Ebola expert Dr Boris Pavlin.

He told Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat program that nurses were also posted at the airport to assess people for any possible cases of Ebola.

“Their role is to actually do medical assessments should such a person arise,” he said.

“Indeed if the person has been to West Africa and only then they would be additionally screened with a temperature check and a proper medical evaluation.”

Dr Pavlin said the airport had the capacity to temporarily accommodate passengers if they were identified as needing to be isolated by health officials for tests.

The Ebola virus has killed about 8,000 people, mostly in the West African countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, and is extremely infectious.

Health officials said the chance of it arriving in Papua New Guinea was very remote.

EMMANUEL XAVIER GULF

Central Province okays K173 million budget

THE Central Provincial Government in its final assembly meeting on December 23 passed a K173 million budget for the 2015 financial year compared to K161 million in 2014.

Under the governorship of Kila Haoda, this is the third budget for the Central Provincial Government presented to the provincial assembly.

When presenting the budget, Mr Hoada said the national Government appropriated a total of K151,654,200

as grants to the Central Provincial Government for 2015.

He said this amount comprises of recurrent function grants of K89,654,200 and development grant of K62,000,000 and a total grant appropriation of K151,654,200 an increase of 11 percent increase from K140,497,800 appropriated in 2014.

In addition to the total grants appropriation, the 2015 budget for Central Province projects an inter-

nal revenue budget of K19, 660,000 and a roll-over of funds from 2014 totalling K2,358,976.

Governor Haoda announced that the total budget for the provincial government for the 2015 financial year stands at K173,673,176 compared to K160,108,870 in the previous year.

A total of K32,983,600 is for service delivery in the province and according to Governor Haoda these funds will be strictly expended

within the framework of the Central Provincial administrations established annual activity plans for 2015.

He said at least 37 per cent or K32,983,600 of the service delivery grants will be appropriated directly to all districts and local level government administrations, the expenditure of which will likewise be driven by annual activity plans.

The provincial government challenged the public service in the province as the implementation agency

of the budget to increase its performance to maximum productivity levels.

The government will not tolerate non-performance in the light of the challenges to expend the huge development funding under the Haoda/Baira government, Mr Hoada said.

He said the provincial government is riding on the crest of the overarching vision 2050, the development strategic plan 2010-2030 and the enabling medium term development plan 2011-2015.

Kairuku-Hiri turns from buai, focus on agriculture

BY MEROLYN TEN

AFTER a long financial suffering caused by the betelnut ban in Port Moresby, the Kairuku-Hiri people have finally agreed to start fresh this year with agriculture and livestock.

Leaders and people of Kiriku-Hiri have made up their mind to leave betelnut

and focus on much bigger projects to generate income and bring in bigger, tangible developments for the benefit of everyone.

“More money will be pumped into agriculture and economic sector this year to ensure all projects get off the ground,” said Peter Isoaimo, the MP for Kiriku-Hiri.

He said a good sum of the DSIP funds for 2015 will be put into agriculture and livestock projects so that the Kairuku-Hiri people can venture into rice, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, spice crops farming, and inland fisheries. For the high altitude areas of Mekeo and Kuni LLGs, they will look into farming

cattle and other livestock, Mr Isoaimo said.

“Everyone in the electorate will work in conjunction with the provincial and district agricultural staff to ensure agriculture and economic projects are identified in all four wards and village levels.

“However, we will also ensure that there is no out-

break of diseases so that people can live in healthier environment to make right decision for their betterment.

Mr Isoaimo said he respects the NCD Governor Mr Powes Parkop for the initiative as it is the interest of the city to seriously put up a fight on the sale of betelnut.

BY LEONNIE WAYANG

PEOPLE who have the assumption that the Gulf Provincial administration is operating out of the province should refrain from making unfair comments about the public servants.

“An unfair comment like that does not go down well with us. Port Moresby is still the main centre of business, for Kerema and even Daru,” Emmanuel Xavier, the Deputy Provincial administrator for policy and advisory services said.

Mr Xavier said Kerema, the capital of Gulf, still resembles a small town in the colonial era which is why the public servants have to travel to Port Moresby purposely for the running of business and managing the province.

“We travel to Port Moresby to do banking, collect cheques to administer services to the people, collect stationary supplies and so forth from there. For the private and government sector in Kerema, Port Moresby is the place to go and do business there.

“That is why you see us driving up and down but we the public servants at the provincial administration are still down in Kerema town,” Mr Xavier said.

Gulf leader clarifies judgements Local village ends celebrations peacefully

THE festive celebrations for Matairuka village in the Central Province peacefully ended on January 4 on a good note of much fun and laughter.

The church leaders of the Salvation Army in the village prepared a two week program that included praise and worship and testimony segments. This was followed by other fun activities such as Bible quiz, dramas, jokes, singing and creative dances.

The two weeks program prepared for the village people was to know and be reminded that there is a God who gave us His one and only son to save the world from sin. It was also to help young people that there is fun in the church than going after illegal activities during festive seasons and of course most young people were there to provide music during the sing along and actively participated each night.

THE driveway to the National Court house at Waigani in Port Moresby which once had potholes is now being sealed by contractors. Motor vehicles can now pass through smoothly to the National Court House.

SMOOTH RIDE TO COURTHOUSE

District uses sports to foster peace

BY ANDERSON KOPONO

THE newly-established Nebliyer Rugby Football League (NRL) competition, affiliated with PNG Rugby League, is providing hope for many uneducated youths of the once notorious fighting zone in the Western Highlands.

“The fighting is now a thing of the past as sports, particularly rugby league, has become the tool for maintaining law and order in the once notorious area,” said the president and initiator of tournament, Michael Lakati.

“Peace had been fostered with the conflicting tribes, the Ulgas and the Kulgas in 2006, but the concept of the league completion is to maintain peace and foster unity among the youths and people of the area,” he said.

He said the concept had been neglected for so long but he took the initiative to educate the young people through sports.

Duma: liquor ban to curb crime rate

BY ANDERSON KOPONO

MINISTER for Transport and Hagen

MP William Duma has explained the rationale behind the liquor ban imposed by the liquor governing body of WHP during the Christmas Eve last year.

He argued that the ban would benefit the province given the current trend in alcohol related problems, the recent one being the killing of a policemen in the city.

The existing laws on people drinking in public and disorderly behaviour are colonial in nature which only allow for a person to be locked up for the night and released the next day, Mr Duma said.

In this case, according to the provincial police commander Martin Lakari, “the laws are very lenient and it demoralises the officers effort in enforcing them”.

Mr Duma said even if tougher laws are imposed with tougher penalties, that wouldn’t change a person but motivate him/her to continue to create more problems because the attitudes of people couldn’t change overnight,

“Thus a total liquor ban is imminent,” said Mr Duma.

It is hoped the liquor ban would help limit law and order problems and also help law enforcement agencies focus on other areas like Correctional Services, he said.

At a glance

BAN: Mt Hagen will face a three month liquor ban beginning on January 17.

DUMA: The Hagen Open MP explained the ban is a response to increased law and order problems, especially those related to alcohol consumption.

Most of the funds allocated to law enforcements in the Mt Hagen urban electorate had gone solely towards dealing with the rising law and order problems in the city, he said.

Meanwhile, various community leaders and NGOs publicly supported the implementation of the liquor ban.

A leader from the Jika Milekamb tribe in the heart of Mt Hagen, Willie Noki, said the move is time ly given the current law and order situation in Mt Hagen.

He further suggested that if the ban were to be reviewed than alcohol should be restricted to only hotels where alcohol consumption can be controlled.

The liquor ban will be effective as of January 17 this year and will last for three months.

It will be reviewed after the three months period where a decision will be made on whether a total ban should be imposed or not.

Simbu womens group gets funds

BY JOHNNY POIYA

THE Simbu Women in Business (SWB) group

received a Christmas gift of K150,000 from Chuave MP Wera Mori a week ago.

While handing over the cheque to the group’s chairlady Christina Tambalge at the Mt Wilhelm Hotel, Mr Mori said though women were capable of playing a big part in development and business activities, they had no direct dialogue with government ministers and those in higher offices.

He said the Government, MPs and ministers only looked at a few women who were politically associated who in turn used mothers and women as political gimmicks and rhetoric even though they worked hard every day.

He said the country’s GDP growth rate this year would be at 15 percent and it was important to prepare the people for any negative

consequences. Mr Mori said while the Government talked about SMEs, it was unfortunate that the sort of opportunities available in other provinces was not readily available in Chimbu.

He urged the women to “create something out of nothing or be left behind.”

The MP said things were more difficult when financial institutions set stringent conditions which made it impossible for women and villages to access funds to start small business.

To combat this Mr Mori said his electorate would start a rural bank to trigger off the SMEs.

Kerowagi MP Camillus Dangma, who was also present, committed a further K200,000 to SWB. He said an abattoir which he was embarking on in the district would also enable women to produce poultry and pigs.

The Chimbu Provincial Government also committed K400,000 to SWB.

VETERAN Mendi Muruks player Benny Pamunda (front) leading the Nebliyer Titans against the Mul Norths in one of their trial matches in the lead up to the Ipatas Cup. All the Nebliyer Titans players are selected from the NRL competition.

Illegal activities rife in city suburb

BY LISA HEBEI

ILLEGAL activities includ-

ing the production of illegal liquor known as steam, marijuana and viewing of porn materials are some of the many illegal activities rife in ward five of the Lae Urban LLG, according to the chairman for ward five law and order committee Sam Oyaya.

Mr Oyaya said despite efforts to curb lawlessness, especially during peak periods such as the festive season, their efforts are being marred as funds allocated have been allegedly misused.

Mr Oyaya has expressed his disappointment that funds allocated towards the community operations to maintain security during the festive period have been misused.

He said Lae police have been notified and will conduct investigations into the allegations within the week.

Mr Oyaya said the person allegedly involved in the use of the money has admitted fault after being questioned by other committee members, who presented the copy of the requisition check.

“The Lae fraud squad will carry out proper investigation on Wednesday (tomorrow),”Mr Oyaya said.

He reported that suspicion occurred during the festive season and New Year’s period when he expected a funding of K5000 towards the community operations to maintain security was not received by the organising committee.

He said however Metropolitan Superintendent Iven Lakatani was able to assist with the shortfall faced by the community with his police officers.

Mr Oyaya said illegal activities are on the rise in his community, bringing disappointment and painting a bad name on the leaders of ward five.

He said with the government rendering trust down to the LLG leaders to be transparent and bring practical changes to the community; it is frustrating to see corruption continued at the grassroots level.

“I appeal to other community leaders to uphold transparency and as far as the grassroots people are concerned, we will not tolerate corruption,” said Mr Oyaya.

He said he believes law and order needs to be first priority before development can take place for the ward five and surrounding communities.

Mr Oyaya also called on leaders at all levels of government to work together to ensure development.

FISHERMEN HEADING HOME

Sexual violence unit had positive year

By ROSALYN ALBANIEL

THE year 2014 proved both a busy but very successful year for Madang’s family sexual violence unit, says Madang’s provincial police commander Chief Sylvester Kalaut.

Since the establishment of the unit at Jomba police station, Supt Kalaut said the office has received a total of 679 complaints, made 30 arrests and issued 27 interim protection orders. He

said the FSV team headed by Senior Constable Bill Mohe has reffered 27 people for counseling and successfully mediated a total of 99 cases. There are 494 cases pending, he said.

Supt Kalaut said the figures are indicative of the growing confidence that the people of Madang have to report these issues, which prior to the establishment of the office, were rarely being reported.

Supt Kalaut said all these efforts would not have been

possible without the hard work and commitment of Snr Const Mohe and his two female colleagues and he praised them for their work.

Supt Kalaut said the good work being done by the unit had not gone unnoticed as former police minister and current Minister for Petroleum and Energy Nixon Duban had during a visit made a commitment to assist the unit with a vehicle.

“During the visit these

statistics were presented to the minister and he was impressed had made the commitment on behalf of his joint district planning and budget priorities committee to purchase a vehicle to assist the police officers. “I would like to extend my sincere thanks for his continued commitment to police,” he said. Meanwhile Mr Duban had last month said would be working with the business community to reopen the cop shop at the Madang airport.

City school to build new classroom

This Week’s Question.

Do you think alcohol be banned in PNG during this Christmas period?

Last Week’s Poll Question & Results as of Friday 12.12.2014.

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A MILLION kina classroom will be built by the Regional Engineering construction at the Lae Secondary School.

The old grade nine classroom will be demolished and rebuilt at a cost of K1.9 million with the surplus left behind by the school.

School chairman Stephen Mesa said schools are like any other organisations including the government or private company.

He said to run a school in a professional way, the administration and the board must work hard to meet expectations and ensure accountability and transparency.

Mr Mesa, when handing over the signed document to the contractor, said the school has followed the selections cateria down to the governing council and up to the tenders board to

select a contractor.

The contractor will start demolishing the old grade nine building to make way for the million kina new classroom building starting today.

The terms and conditions have been agreed on and this build will cost round K1.9 million which will be from surplus funds which have been left behind in last five years.

Mr Mesa confirmed that there were always surplus funds of K1.2 and K1.3 million so that at the beginning of the school year they never struggle and that is why the school has decided to build the new classroom.

He said construction is expected to be completed around the latter part of the year to allow the students some time to use it before the year ends.

He said the building will be named after a former teacher,

late Mary Koneba, and will be assigned to grade nines.

Mr Mesa said late Koneba was disciplined woman and the school referred to her as an iron lady of the school to build and name the classroom in her honour is the right thing to do for her.

He said Lae Secondary is the biggest school in the province apart from Bugandi Secondary and would require about seven classrooms in the higher grades and the same number for the lower grades of the school.

The contractor’s project manager Sensik Nimbis thanked the school staff and the board of management for awarding the contract to the company and assured the school of delivering a the classroom according to the agreement.

YOUNG fishermen fishing near the Tami lighthouse at the border of Nawaeb and Finschhafen Districts of Morobe Province. Pictures: FRANCO NEBAS

District supplies building materials for church

BY MICHAEL WARTOVO

THE Birar Catholic Church in the Bitapaka local level government area was the proud recipient of new building materials that were delivered recently by Kokopo MP and Governor of East New Britain Ereman ToBaining Jr.

The building materials cost K50,000 and were funded under Kokopo’s District Services Improvement Program funding.

Mr ToBaining said his

At a glance

MATERIALS: The building materials cost of K50, 000 and were funded under Kokopo’s District Services Improvement Program funding.

LEAST DEVELOPED: Birar was one of the least developed areas in the Bitapaka LLG.

leadership as the chairman of the JDP&BPC and MP for Kokopo include working in partnership with various church denominations in the district.

He said he has pledged to assist the community during his election campaign in 2012.

He also said Birar was one of the least developed

areas in the Bitapaka LLG and was now seeing development taking place like major road infrastructure as well as the extension of power supply.

Mr ToBaining said the people of Birar area had been neglected from receiving basic vital government services in the past and commended his Kokopo JDP& BPC committee for seeing the importance of service delivery in the area.

Meanwhile, Mr ToBaining had time to visit the Birar

Locals’ support essential

THE support and assistance of people in the rural areas is essential for the success of any rural electrification project says PNG Power New Guinea Islands rural electrification program manager Jeremiah Jerrifia.

Speaking during the recent commissioning of the Vunagogo ward rural electrification project in the Gazelle District of East New Britain, Mr Jerrifia said it was good to know that in recent times, there has been fewer cases of projects being delayed because of compensation demands and that when this cooperation exists, PNG Power Limited will make every effort to work with the local communities to efficiently provide electricity services and educate the people on its safe use.

PNG Power is proud as the electricity agency to play a part ...

“At present a very small percentage of rural people have access to electricity. Therefore in future rural electrification programs, we would like to see many rural areas of this nation have access to electricity services,” he said.

He said PNG Power is proud as the electricity agency of the national Government to play a part in changing the lives of the rural communities of PNG. He said being part of the occa-

sion showed PPLs commitment to extending and expanding its rural distribution network throughout the province to provide electricity services to the people.

“This commitment is in line with the national Governments Medium Term Development Strategy and the Vision 2050,” he said, adding this was evident by the engagement of skilled man power and fleet resources towards the implementing of the national rural electrification program initiated by the Government. He said the future initiative by PNG Power was to increase the momentum of the rural electricfication program and that will involve locally-based private contractors as well as the community and that this will enable more projects.

Pomio not seeing changes

BY MICHAEL WARTOVO

LEADERS in the Pomio

District of East New Britain

continue to raise concerns on the lack of development taking place in the electorate.

Pomio is one of the least developed districts in the country and followin g the jailing of its MP Paul Tiensten, the people have since been highlighting the lack of service delivery in the remote communities of Pomio.

Ward member of Kalakuru ward in the Central Inland Pomio LLG, Ben Ramong said basic services such as road infrastructures and other developments were yet to be implemented in the district.

He said the ordinary people at large are feeling the pinch of the lack of government service where projects such as fisheries, piggery, poultry and agriculture are vital services which will improve their standard of living.

Primary School and committed K180,000 for a new double classroom to be built this year.

He said the funding of the building will be made available under the education infrastructure program.

He also said Bitapaka LLG will benefit from certain major impact projects such as the new Bitapaka high school, a new ring road for the LLG as well as the upgrading of existing roads in the area.

He said the importance of implementing vital government services is very demanding at all times since Pomio district is still behind the other three districts of the province.

However Mr Ramon g commended Kokopo MP and Governor Ereman ToBaining Jr for his continued support to the people of Pomio.

He also called on the people in the four LLGs of Pomio to be mindful of professional conmen who are luring people who were living in and around Kokopo and Rabaul town.

Should the Government come out and explain the real status of the UBS loan? Last Week’s Poll Question & Results as of Friday 12.12.2014.

Should Don Polye respect Belden Namah as the Opposition leader?

EAST New Britain Governor and Kokopo MP Ereman ToBaining Jr (second from right) handing over some of the building materials to the Birar building board chairman Marcus Waninara witnessed by president of Bitapaka LLG Cosmas Bauk and electoral project officer Oscar Karaek (right).

JEREMIAH JERRIFIA East New Britain

B’ville passes budget

BY VERONICA HANNETTE

THE Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) passed its 2015 budget at last week at the House of Representative last week.

ABG Finance and Treasury Minister Albert Punghau highlighted to the ABG members that there are four main priority areas of the budget including processes and key issues.

The priority areas included improve service delivery through a strong focus at the district level, promote economic growth and sustainability, significantly increase revenue volumes and the collection of revenues and strengthen key interventions and functions of the government.

Mr Punghau stated during the sitting that there will also be a new planning approach that will started in July with the Bougainville Executive Council approving Bougainville’s Integrated Planning and Budgeting framework.

He said the framework will reflect a new way of preparing Bougainville’s Budget in co-operating a bottom up-top

down planning process.

“This process driven by the strategic priorities of the Bougainville government will link to express needs and aspirations of local communities,” said the Finance and Treasury Minister.

Mr Punghau said the 2015 budget will also look at transparency of all sources funds especially on ABGs funded plans, National MPs’ plans and development partners’ plans in the region.

He also outlined that the 2015 recurrent grants has increased from 2013.

The figures stands at 2013 was K86,976 300, 2014 was K92,747,300 and for this year is K127,977,000.

“The recurrent budget has increased by 38 percent which is a good result,” said the Minister.

In addition, the government will make effort to increase our internal revenue by 2015 from tax and registration fees, he said. There is a project in place within the administration already to improve the collection and payment of group tax and GST by the Internal Revenue Commission.

ABG allocates K70m for intervention fund

THE Autonomous Bougainville Government has allocated K70 million for the Special Intervention Fund (SIF).

This was after the Joint Supervisory Board meeting where the National Government offered to pay K30 million to the restoration development grant arrears and cut down the K100 million from the SIF to K70 million for 2015.

Finance and Treasury Minister Albert Punghau said this has put the ABG in a very difficult position, especially in terms of funding projects and supporting districts.

However, the breakout of the K70 million has been allocated to the program management unit, 2015 ABG elections, community government/Council of Elders, 2015 ABG elections secu-

POSSUM HUNTER

rity, peace and reconciliation, weapons disposal, and administrative service centre infrastructure under the governance and administration has been allocated K13 million.

The distributions are as follows: Health infrastructure K2 million, law and justice infrastructure K2 million, education infrastructure K2 million.

Panguna mine negotiations, economic sector and the Manetai limestone project under the economic sector have been allocated K3 million.

In addition, the infrastructure sector has been allocated K48 million, bringint the total for the SIF this year to K70 million.

Meanwhile, ABG members have were urged to ensure transparency in all major projects in the region.

House okays separate elections bid

AUTONOMOUS Bougainville Government President John Momis has asked the Bougainville House of Representatives to change the timing of the Council of Elders (COE) elections. The elections are currently held at the same time as the ABG general elections. Mr Momis asked it the Bougainville Constitution the be amended to remove the requirement of COE election under the Section 107(5) of the constitution. He said during the budget

sitting that the repeal of the constitution will not prevent elections being held simultaneously in the future, but will no longer be mandatory.

The President also clarified to the ABG MPs that from the previous elections, the government has seen that holding both the House of Representatives and the Council of Elders elections is too complex for the voters.

“Considering the places and the unnecessary

strains on the capacity and the resources of the Bougainville Electoral Commissioner and the voters as well,” he said.

In addition, reforms will be introduced to the region’s system of local level governments by this year.

He said the next elections of all Council of Elders are planned for the second quarter of 2016 and will not be with the ABG general election as was the case in the past. Other leaders also agreed with Mr Momis.

BY VERONICA HANNETTE

NEW Bougainville Public Service operational costs for goods and services have had a substantial increase to their budget for 2015.

This was after the Autonomous Bougainville Government requested to the national Government and received an allocation of K20.8 million for crucial parts of its government’s machinery.

ABG Finance and Treasury Minister Albert Punghau said with the allocation given, new departments have been provided with an increase from headquarters down to the districts.

“This will give secretaries opportunity to control and manage their departments,” he said.

Mr Punghau outlined to ABG members that these allocation are provided to assist the region’s new departments in improving the delivery of goods and services to the people.

He said these allocations are not to fund projects as that is catered for under the development budget which was added to their districts and constituencies.

“Health department, educational department, departments of primary industries, community development and community government, to name a few, have substantial increases to their budgets for 2015,” said the Finance and Treasury Minister.

Mr Punghau clarified to the ABG Members that departmental operational or recurrent budgets are for the departmental heads or secretaries to manage and not for politicians.

Meanwhile, there has not been any increase in the budget allocation for developments grants since 2013, according to the 2015 budget allocations break out.

The restoration and development grant under development grants remains at K15 million whilst K30 million has been appropriated to pay areas of the restoration development grants arrears. The special intervention fund has been reduced.

According to ABG President John Momis, the ABG was not happy that the national Government had not fulfilled its obligations to Bougainville in the 2015 budget.

The House of Representative passed the 2015 Budget last week, focused on key growth areas.

VINCENT Kanepo is one of many young hunters in Buin district, South Bougainville.

Kanepo with the village boys have the know how to hunt down possums and wild pigs. He is pictured here with his catch of the day, two possums that didn’t get away at the weekend. Words & Picture by ROMULUS MASIU

Kerema lodge still strives against all odds

RUNNING a lodge in a province

like Gulf is challenging. Only a few would dare to venture into this hospitality and tourism sector.

The provincial capital lacks essential services including water supply, no regular air services thus making road transport the only mode of transport into and out of the province where power supply is unreliable.

However, Fred Airi and his wife Lauari are among the determined entrepreneurs who have taken on this challenge and invested their life savings into what many now know as the Kerema Lodge.

Mr Airi who is a retired police officer says the lodge was built solely from the couple’s life savings.

He says they opted not to obtain a bank loan knowing repayment would be a challenge with the number of visitors to the province projected to be low.

Against the odds, the couple built the lodge taking the risks.

“For the love of my province and my people; I wanted to give them a service with all the modern amenities that are available in such establishments outside of the province,”

Mr Airi said.

An extension was recently carried out to the lodge bringing the total number of rooms to 24. All of them are self contained and furnished with a double bed, a jug and home cooked meals.

While the town is without a water supply, guests to the lodge are able to enjoy running water that is pumped by the owner and his family members daily to the shower and toilet facilities.

Mr Airi said because of the poor visitor numbers, the business has been kept strictly within family.

“When there is money we are able to pay ourselves. We don’t have to worry about paying workers because we have not been able to employ any.

“Our customers continue to be the public servants and council members but even then, there is still a challenge because they are not able to pay on time.

“We are owed about K100,000 in outstanding bills which we intend on seeking legal redress to recoup the bills for the services rendered. The only time also when we have a lot of guests is during major events,” he stated.

The couple lamented that with the country about to celebrate 40 years of Independence, business continues to be a struggle for many small people like themselves.

They said their problem is compounded by the fact that help from

government seems to also be lacking.

“We would like to see our government officers doing more so that together we can develop and grow our local economy,” he said.

Opposition urges govt to review 2015 budget

DEPUTY Opposition Leader Sam Basil is concerned that the country is heading into a difficult year.

Speaking on behalf of the Opposition and as leader of Pangu Pati, Mr Basil said he believes Papua New Guinea will go through a hard time in 2015.

“I believe if a new government comes into play in 2015, they will have to undo what

O’Neill has done and switch to damage control mode in terms of mitigating the losses to the liquefied natural gas (LNG) market that PNG will face in 2015,” he said.

The deputy opposition leader said the opposition still maintains that the 2015 budget will be hard considering effects of an oversupplied market with Australia recently opening the taps from its LNG project thereby affecting the less income

generated from the PNG LNG Project that has been factored into the 2015 budget.

Basil reiterated the call by Opposition leader Don Polye towards the year’s end asking the government to revisit and restructure the budget to mitigate the shortfalls from the effect of the decline in the overseas LNG market in 2015.

He said instead of addressing the issue the Prime Minister and senior cabinet mem-

bers attacked Mr Polye on a personal level and avoiding the real issue, which is unbecoming of leaders.

Mr Basil pointed out that there were many issues that came up towards the end of last year and into the New Year in terms of holding the key ministers, including the Prime Minister.

He also said Mr Polye’s assumption of the Opposition Leader’s role is qualified on grounds recognised by the

speaker and to his content. Mr Basil said many MPs have expressed discontent on the current government with the latest being Sir Michael Somare, who announced his movement to the middle bench and probably the Opposition.

He said with the latest leadership tribunals coming up, PNG expects a new scenario or new dynamics to come into play in the formation of the next government.

SAM Basil

The creator of the NIKE Swoosh symbol was paid only $35 for the design.

The bottom line

BY ROSALYN ALBANIEL

BY FRANKIY KAPIN

MR and Mrs Airi in front of Kerema Lodge. Picture: ROSALYN ALBANIEL

MINI YET ECONOMICAL

measures

Skytrans airlines yields to tough economic condition

EMBATTLED regional

Queensland airline Skytrans has succumbed to tough economic conditions and ceased trading after carrying its last passengers last week.

In what has been described as “a blow to the aviation sector as”, the demise of the family-owned Cairns business is expected to catch customers unaware and make travel to Cape York more difficult.

The Courier Mail reported earlier which the airline company confirmed in a press statement dated January 2, 2015, that the airline, which celebrated its 25th anniver-

This is not only a sad day for the business, but more importantly, our staff and indeed the passengers and communities ...

sary on New Year’s Day, laid off 121 staff in November after losing a key govern-

ment contract to service two routes.

The Wild family owned airlines, who recently sold off its majority shares in Airlines PNG had cited the exchange rate of the Australian dollar also played havoc with its business model since the majority of its costs are in US dollars.

Managing director Simon Wild said he would seek legal and financial advice over the next few days but a resumption of flights in the short to medium term was unlikely.

Talks with potential investors proved fruitless and the

State Government has been informed, he said.

“This is not only a sad day for the business, but more importantly, for our staff and indeed the passengers and communities of North Queensland,’’ Mr Wild said.

The remaining 67 staff have been made redundant and all staff entitlements, worth more than $4 million (K8.4million), have been paid.

Mr Wild declined to say how much cash on hand the airline had or how much was owed to unsecured creditors but vowed that all debts would be

paid. “We have a healthy bank balance and can meet all our lawful current obligations,’’ he said.

“Skytrans is fortunate to be in a position that it can conduct an orderly wind down of the business.’’

The airline owned or leased eight Bombardier Dash 8 aircrafts, a twin-engine plane that carries 36 passengers.

Mr Wild said other airlines entering the market, rising costs, cutbacks in government spending and the state of the broader economy had also played a part in the decision to stop trading.

Venezuelan leader seeks economic help on tour

VENEZUELAN President Nicolas Maduro is beginning an international tour to try to stem the impact of falling oil prices and a deepening recession.

Mr Maduro goes first to China - a major source of loans for Venezuela - for talks with the Chinese President, Xi Jinping.

He will then travel to various Opec member countries to press for cuts in oil output that would boost prices.

Venezuelan oil prices have dropped by half since June.

The country gets most of

its foreign currency from oil exports and is estimated to have the largest oil reserves in the world.

Before he left Venezuela Mr Maduro announced a number of new mechanisms aimed at addressing the country’s economic crisis.

He said he would create a strategic reserve, appoint a new board to run the organisation that manages currency exchange controls, and create new agencies to manage the distribution of commodities.

President Maduro has said

his country is suffering the consequences of an economic war launched by US President Barack Obama “to destroy” the oil producers’ cartel, Opec.

He has also accused the US of flooding the markets with oil as part of an economic war against Russia.

The Venezuelan opposition blames the country’s economic crisis and shortages of many staples, such as corn oil and milk, on the socialist policies of Mr Maduro and his late predecessor, Hugo Chavez. - BBC

Quick news

COMMODITIES FALL

Commodity prices suffered their greatest fall in six years in 2014 and dealt a hit to the Australian economy, but there is scope for optimism. Multinational bank HSBC has calculated that commodity prices fell 30 per cent in 2014, with oil’s plunge the biggest driver. The price falls are reducing Australia’s export earnings by tens of billions of dollars. The news is not all bad, with HSBC predicting a slight recovery this year for iron ore, the nation’s most valuable export, and extra income from the ramp up in natural gas exports.

PETROL PRICE LOW

Australian petrol prices have fallen to their lowest level in more than four years, but analysts warn they are unlikely to go much lower. CommSec quotes figures from the Australian Institute of Petroleum which show the national average price of unleaded petrol fell by 4.2 cents per litre in the week of Christmas and another 2.3 cents in the seven days to January 4. That has left the national average price at 121.9 cents per litre, the lowest since September 12 2010.

FARMERS SAY NO

Farmers and Labor are on the same side when it comes to broadening the GST to fresh food. They’re both against it. The rare political alliance has been prompted by renewed Abbott government talk about changes to the 10 per cent impost on most goods and services. Fresh food and health and education services are exempt from the GST as are overseas online purchases of less than $1000. Liberal backbencher Dan Tehan is leading the charge for minimal exemptions, arguing broadening the tax base would deliver up to $21.6 billion in extra revenue annually.

EURO DOWN

The euro slid to a nine-year low against the dollar as investors predicted the European Central Bank (ECB) may act to stimulate the economy. The euro fell by 1.2% against the dollar to $1.1864, marking its weakest level since March 2006, before recovering slightly to $1.19370. The drop follows ECB president Mario Draghi’s comments indicating the bank could soon start quantitative easing. Greek political turmoil also weighed on the currency. But on Friday, Mr Draghi hinted in a newspaper interview that the bank might soon start a policy of QE by buying government bonds, thus copying its counterparts in the UK and US.

REVENUE DOUBLES

Chinese handset maker Xiaomi said it more than doubled its revenue in 2014, just a week after it was named the world’s most valuable tech start-up. The firm said it made 74.3bn yuan (£7.8bn; $11.97bn) in pre-tax sales last year, up 135% from 2013. Now the world’s third largest smartphone maker behind Samsung and Apple, it sold over 61 million phones last year, up 227% from a year earlier. Last week, Xiaomi received $1.1bn in funding that valued the firm at $45bn. That figure surpasses the $40bn value of taxi booking app Uber.

President Maduro (in green shirt) announced an economic recovery programme before heading to China. - BBC

XU ZHIYUN sits on the mini-car he assembled over two years in his community in Shanghai, China,on December 24. The car

60cm long, 35cm wide, 40cm high and travels at 20 km/h. It cost 1500 yuan ($300). Picture: AFP

Highlights for PNG Ports in 2014

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill officially launched the Lae overseas wharf extension project on October 29, 2014, bringing to an end a good but challenging year for PNG Polts Corporation Limited, the country’s biggest port services provider.

The company’s effort to up its efficiency at its major ports continue with the official launching of the 100 metre berth space to the existing wharf structure, thus increasing the capacity of Lae Port to handle four vessels – three of the over 100 metres long, at any given time.

The company invested over K100 million to extend the overseas wharf and another K10 million was spent to rebuild the Oro Bay wharf, which is now facilitating the restoration exercise underway in Oro,

which was devastated by Cyclone Guba several years ago. Port Moresby Port has also played host to several important visitors in the year. One was the floating hospital – the Chinese medical ship Ark Peace –which docked at the Fairfax Harbour for at least a week and Papua New Guineas with all sorts of ailments were given first-class treatment onboard the ship.

“PNGPCL is aware of the need to take advantage of the current strong operational and financial performance of the country through strategic investments in core infrastructure across its network. We will continue to rebuild and expand the existing port infrastructure across the country,” Chief Executive Officer, Stanley Alphonse said. He added: “Total capital projects worth K815.5

million has been planned for 2013 to 2015 across the network, driven by long term growth expectations at these ports, short term infrastructure repair and upgrade requirements, 20 Year Port Master Plan for Port Moresby and Lae”. All capital projects are consistent with the company’s corporate strategic objectives as well as meet expectation of Government in the maritime industry to improve living standards and promote economic growth.

Other highlights are listed below.

Operations

PNGPCL entered into a site surveillance and boat service contract with ExxonMobll to provide these services at the LNG Processing Plant site. By the third quarter of the

year, the PNGPCL team on engagement handled 34 LNG tankers. PNGPCL has a Memorandum of Understanding with ExxonMobil to provide pilotage service.

Governance and risk

Successfully investigated three cases of unauthorised removal of cargo from the Port of Port Moresby and recommended appropriate measures to the management.

Finance and administration

Successfully carried out the Asset verification exercise

Successfully commence the upgrade of the accounting software. Madang Port has gone live with Klein and Technology one, work has

commenced in Wewak Port.

Finally getting qualified audit going for the 2012 financial accounts.

Human Capital

Successful implementation of the restructure of PNGPCL top management structure.

PNGPCL pays 4.7 per cent Consumer Price Index adjustment across the board to staff.

Successfully completed the annual medical checks for all staff

Maritime Compliance

Successfully carried out several investigations into near collusions of vessels at some ports and warnings have been served.

Developing a Ballast Water Management Policy

Project Management Unit Concept layout

design of Lae Industrial/ Business Park completed.

Several nonbinding MoUs were signed between PNGPCL and companies

Infrastructure

Completion of the Lae overseas wharf extension project. The new facility was officially launched by the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill on October 29, 2014.

Commencement of the Kimbe coastal wharf extension project.

Successfully completed the assessment of all wharf condition at all ports.

Oro Bay Trestle rehabilitation competed Kavieng new container storage area and associated works

Lae Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes tracks and other civil works completed Lae Berth One approach trestle repairs

PM O’Niell, Minister Micah, and delegates were happy with the progress of

ed phase one ceremony.

Budget carriers will still fly

Indonesia AirAsia Flight QZ8501 that crashed into the Java Sea on Sunday was the third fatal incident last year involving airlines from South-east Asia. Coming only months after the devastating loss of Malaysia Airlines’ Flight MH370 over the Indian Ocean and Flight MH17 over Ukraine, the latest incident would have raised concerns among some travellers about flying on South-east Asian airlines, particularly Malaysian carriers.

To begin with, we should note that Indonesia AirAsia is not a Malaysian carrier. It is an Indonesian airline that is majority-owned by Indonesian interests. On paper, the AirAsia group from Malaysia owns only a minority stake. The group has similar minority holdings in joint-venture subsidiaries in Thailand, the Philippines, India and, soon, Japan. But since all these subsidiaries use the common AirAsia brand, the association with Malaysia is naturally very strong.

While some travellers could be rattled, AirAsia will likely weather the storm. After all, it is the market leader in Asia for low-cost airlines and has built a strong following for affordable and safe flying. Until QZ8501, AirAsia had flown more than 200 million passengers on its network, including on its long-haul arm AirAsia X, without losing a plane.

Helmed by its charismatic founder and chief executive Tony Fernandes, the

airline has gained a reputation for being the common person’s carrier against the more expensive full-service airlines. In the process, Mr Fernandes and his staff have gained the loyalty of millions of middle-class Asians for whom flying has become an affordable reality. It is unlikely that one unfortunate incident will change this.

That said, the challenge must be for AirAsia to disprove any notion that the crash had anything to do with the low-cost model. The maintenance regimes and safety records of AirAsia and other reputable lowcost carriers suggest that they are as safe as any other airline. What is worrying, though, is the exponential growth in flights that has led to congestion over Asian skies. When Flight QZ8501 asked to climb to a higher altitude, air traffic controllers advised that there were already other planes there. This illustrates not only the crowded airspace, but also the critical role of air traffic control.

In recent years, more than 1,000 aircraft have been ordered by South-east Asian airlines alone, particularly the low-cost leaders AirAsia and Lion Air. The shortage of trained pilots and personnel to fly and maintain these planes is a major concern, as is the adequacy of air traffic control facilities.

The crunch can only become more acute as the South-east Asian region prepares for greater liberal-

isation that will allow even more airlines to fly more routes. Following the crash, could AirAsia lose its pole position to other low-cost rivals? While the business is brutally competitive, the reality is that there are few pan-Asian low-cost airlines with the scale, penetration and popularity of AirAsia. Due to its small home market in Malaysia, AirAsia had recognised early on that it had to expand its base. Because of restrictive rules in most countries that prohibit foreigners from holding majority stakes in local airlines, AirAsia inno-

vated by setting up minority-owned joint-venture subsidiaries all over Asia. Even though these are technically separate airlines, their common branding and single Internet booking platform ensure that they are indistinguishable in the passengers’ minds. While other low-cost carriers have since copied AirAsia’s pioneering jointventure model, few have achieved such deep crossborder penetration and brand loyalty. The Jetstar group, linked to Australia’s Qantas, comes close, with its subsidiaries in Singapore, Vietnam and Japan. Lion

Air, a huge Indonesian lowcost carrier with largely domestic operations, has only recently started subsidiaries in Malaysia and Thailand. Vietnam’s VietJet Air has a small Thai subsidiary, while Singapore’s Tigerair has had to give up its loss-making units in Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia. AirAsia’s early-mover advantage and network scale will, thus, allow it to retain an edge.

Of course, how it manages the ongoing crisis is critical. So far, Mr Fernandes has done well with his highly personal Twitter updates and characteristic openness

with the families and media. Much depends on the cause of the crash, as will hopefully be revealed by the aircraft’s black boxes. If it is determined to be weatherrelated, as has been widely speculated, or even engine failure, the travelling public is likely to see this as a one-off event.

Ultimately, airlines and governments must ensure that the explosive growth of aviation in Southeast Asia, particularly in the low-cost sector, is accompanied by stringent maintenance programmes, highly trained pilots and personnel, and adequate air traffic and airport infrastructure.

At the same time, the growing number of lowcost subsidiaries raises the question of consistency of standards across the different units’ fleets.

If operations are run using a common brand, the public will rightly want reassurance that airlines and governments are applying the same high safety standards across fleets.

In the meantime, incidents like the AirAsia crash are unlikely to affect the longterm appetite for low-cost air travel. For one thing, the public has simply got used to everyday low fares. Low-cost carriers will continue to benefit ordinary people, stimulate local economies and bring the region closer.

They will simply have to carry on proving that flying can be both affordable and safe.

Source: STRAIT TIMES

1/24-25 1/27-28 2/17 1/31-2/2 2/18 2/19 *2/20 2/21

AN AIRASIA jet flying high in skies.

Villagers build own road

BY PEARSON KOLO

THE proposed Madang to Mt Hagen highway via Baiyer River is nearing completion and will enable isolated villagers to see and ride on vehicles of all shapes and sizes to their doorsteps.

The road construction has now gone past Ramu Valley and has reached the mighty Jimi River, which borders the Ramu Valley on the Madang side and Ruti Valley of Western Highlands.

Construction of a bridge on Jimi River will link Madang with Mt Hagen through Baiyer as the PNG Defense Force engineering battalion is also cutting the road from Baiyer through Ruti Valley all the way to Jimi River. This optional Highlands Highway will benefit many people in Simbai, Jimi, Ruti, Ukuni and Baiyer who live along the corridors of the road.

More than 6000 people in a community are happy that a road will pass through their community and are prepared to benefit from spinoffs.

These people are seeing the

road construction reaching the mighty Jimi River and are preparing themselves before the bridge is built.

The Ukuni people who live behind a mountain range from Ruti Valley are building a road into Ruti where their vast resources are located.

The Ukuni people in a small but significant gathering last week said they envisage of numerous benefits that will flow into their remote locality with the road connection.

“We live on the other side of the Mt Kombka range but all our resources like timber, land and livestock like cattle , pigs and food gardens are all in Ruti valley,”

Councilors Solomon Mati and Pintiki Pana said during the gathering.

“Now we are seeing that the road is nearing our area so we are building our own road into our resources which we can benefit from when the highway goes through.”

Cr Mati said the people of Ukuni are constructing the road with their own hands using spades, crow bars and knives. They have

reached the top of the range into Ruti Valley.

Community leaders Dennis Wak, Kar Konge and magistrate Buldung said they are building the road through their customary land with the help of the entire community.

“This is our own doing and we will reach our destination as what we are doing is for the benefit of the entire Ukuni people,” the leaders said. They particularly thanked an elite from their area identified as John Paraka who is assisting them financially and technically during the construction phase.

Mr Paraka who is a civil engineer involved in constructing many major roads in the country said his people are building their road which will benefit them when the highway passes through Ruti Valley.

According to the people of Ukuni, the road they are building is much closer from Ruti Valley to Baiyer station than the existing one being very slowly maintained by the PNGDF engineering battalion.

UKUNI people building the road up towards Mt Kombka from where they will see the vast Ruti Valley meeting Ramu Valley.

Lae wharf to be handed over to PNG Ports

THE Lae Tidal Basin wharf, currently undergoing developmental phases, will be operated by PNG Ports Corporation Limited (PNGPCL) after an official handover, says Minister for Public Enterprises and State Investments, Ben Micah.

Mr Micah announced this during the Commissioning of the Completion of phase one of the Tidal Basin Project in Lae on December 17, 2014.

“I congratulate PNG Ports for owning a brand new very large facility which will soon, after completion of several processes, be handed over to PNG Ports,” he said.

Mr Micah was happy that the work carried out was impressive and was the fi rst time in the country’s history where a development of such magnitude had been completed on time and on budget.

“As the minister responsible, I am proud and speechless with the work done,” Mr Micah said.

The Independent Public Business Corporation (IPBC) is the implementing agency for the Lae Port Tidal Basin Project.

PNGPCL Board Chairman, Nathaniel Poya, assured Mr Micah, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, IPBC, stakeholders and development partners that PNGPCL was ready to take on the huge role that would be brought on by the new facility.

Mr Poya said PNGPCL was looking forward to working with IPBC towards a formal handover.

This new facility, worth more than K700 million, will serve as the central port for big ships travelling to the country and the Asia/Pacific region.

The Lae port is PNGPCL’s largest port and upon completion of this new project, the port’s cargo handling capacity will be increased.

Phase one has been completed, with the second phase progressing.

Mr Micah said: “Lae is host to this magnificent facility because it is the window into the Highlands, Madang, Sepik and the New Guinea Islands”. He said the business community in these provinces had already expressed interest to make use of the port facility.

Mr Micah thanked all stakeholders, state agencies, development partners and traditional landowners who once inhabited the land for their input in allowing the project to eventuate.

Mr Micah also thanked the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for funding the project, and contractor, China Harbour Engineering Company, for successfully carrying out the work, and other partners in making the project happen.

The project is the largest ever undertaken by ADB in the Pacific.

The fi rst phase upgrade boasts modern facilities including a tidal basin, a multipurpose berth, and terminal works including buildings, storage areas, roads, drainage, water, electricity and sewerage services.

PNG PORTS chairman Nataniel Poya and IPBC chairman Paul Nerau chatting at the Lae Tidal Bassin

Shipping market report

THE 2014 is a great end for tanker sector, where we see VLCC is earning over $50,000/day. Following a recovery Christmas shopping in most of western countries, container sector has shown positive signals. Bulk carrier still is suffering China’s economical stabilization, where demand has not been able to catch up fleet supply growth.

Shipyard

Sixty white listed of over 1000 shipyards has not been able to protect them from bankruptcy. After China just announced its second version of White listed Shipyards, at least two of major shipyards are in bankruptcy processes. In next few years, there will be huge numbers of Chinese shipyards out of business.

Finance

Cautious with shipping recovery, most of traditional Europe banks are starting to open their finance taps for their long related clients. But in general, Asia banks are main players in the market. To support its own ship building industry, they offered lower price and attractive terms.

Offshore

Oil price has dropped to less than $60 per barrel, which is break-even level for most offshore field.

In short term, as USA has become third largest oil and gas producer, the price will be kept in this level for the moment. It has benefited for world economic recovery.

Bulk Carrier

As Chinese iron ore imports are stabilized from its internal finance reform, bulk demand will have limited growth in short term. As fleet still is growing from its heavy order book, plus exiting over supply, dry sector will be under pressure for the time being.

LNG

With positive demand after 2016, there are huge numbers of LNG new buildings being ordered in end of 2014 at $205-215mill per ship for delivery after 2017. South Korea is the biggest winner of these orders and China and Japan are followers.

Tanker

Average VLCC crude tanker spot earnings are high due to north winter seasonal demand. Earnings are now averaging $55,000 per day. It costs an owner around $10,000-$13,000 per day to run a modern VLCC. The current earnings are offering great rewards for owners with ships on the spot market.

Container

Black Friday, Christmas shopping, and new year’s promotion in western countries has driven most of stores to accelerate their re-stock after New Year, it will push the container demand growing. As economic in USA and other Europe countries are showing quick growth, container sector will benefit from this trend.

Source: UK CHINA SHIPPING

The Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST) would like to inform the following successful applicants for TVETSSP that they have been SELECTED for training in 2015. All selected candidates are advised that your scholarships are be subject to the Autsralian Visa Medical Examination Clerance through a certified Panel Doctor.

Please take note of the following:

1. All selected Students must confirm acceptance of their scholarship in writng to DHERST by 9th January 2015;

2. All selected students must provide clear certified copies of valid PNG passport to DHERST by 9th January 2015;

3. Australian Student Visa Application forms can be collected at DHERST, TTServices Port Moresby or downloaded from the Australian Immigration website. This form must be completed with all necessary certfied documents attached and returned to DHERST no later than 9th January 2015;

4. A pre-departure Orientation Program will be held in Port Moresby from 9th - 21st February 2015. All selected students must attend this important two (2) weeks program;

5. Selected students living outside of Port Moresby are urged to make contact with the TVETSS Project Team through the contact details provided below. You are also advised that DHERST will meet your airfares to attend the Pre-departure Orientation program in Port Moresby.

Telephone: 301 2090/ 301 2088 /301 2037/301 2008/301 2017

Email: TVETSSP@ohe.gov.pg

Fax: 325 8386 /323 0163

Postal Address: Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology Technical and Vocational Education Skills Scholarship Program P O Box 5117, BOROKO, National Capital District

Location: 2nd Floor Mutual Rumana, Waigani Drive , Port Moresby

6. Semester one will commence on 23rd February 2015 and Semester two will commence in July 2015.

7. All Selected Applicants must submit Certified Copies of Birth Certificates, Certified Copies of Passports , Certified Copies of Grade 12 and 10 Certificates and other Certficates to DHERST by 9th January. Those who fail to do so will have their scholarships forfeited by DHERST.

8. Those students who had their scholarships deferred from 2014 are also urged to contact the TVETSS Project Team immediately inorder to be re-enrolled.

9. Students on the Reserve List will be contacted if spaces become available.

Below is the list of Students who have met the refined selection criteria and have passed interviews and preliminary health checks which were conducted between 27th October and 8th December 2014. Due to limited number of places available the Government of Papua New Guinea (GoPNG) through DHERST has awarded 126 scholarships for 2015. Recipients of the TVETS Scholarship Award will be taking up technical skills training through TAFE Queensland North (TQN) in Cairns and Townsville, Australia.If your name does not appear on this list please note that your application is unsuccessful.

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Festive mania at Keapara village

THE Vanugaraka clan of Hood Lagoon has hostsed its usual annual Christmas breakfast for its clan members.

It’s an annual event. The clan is made up of four subclans of Kwara Olo, Kea Walana, Pau Uolo and Nanao. The 2014 annual breakfast was hosted by the Nanao subclan.

The breakfast started off at 6am with the beautiful singing of peroveta which was followed by a presentation of a dance item. The opening speech and prayer was led by William Kwara. Mr Kwara in his opening remarks challenged the young generation to value the true meaning of Christmas.

After breakfast the gentleman were also issued a challenge to bake scones. The females were asked to taste the baked scones to come up with a winner. Of course they were all winners with each gentleman rewarded with garden tools.

Thumps up to the gentle-

men who took part in this event which also raised some eyebrows among the public who were stunned to see their baking skills.

The community made a special acknowledgement to the spouses and daughters of Nanao who prepared the wonderful breakfast and to the hardworking husbands and sons who provided the wallabies and pork meat for the main menu.

The community aims for another bumper Christmas this year.

The Nanao clan also hosted the game fishing tournament on the eve of Boxing Day. The tournament saw all villages take part in the event namely the Keapara, Amoa and Oneraka clans which saw 14 dinghies and a mammoth double hull canoe owned by prominent Keapara villager Friend Kini with his team. Deadline was set at 9am the next day.

The women in the village welcomed back the fishermen with a number of dance

items on the beach front of the Nanao clan as they sailed back.

The catch was counted and weighed up to declare the winner with breakfast provided for the fisherman.

The tournament was won by the team led by Alewa Leka for most catches and the largest fish caught.

Individual winner of biggest catch was grabbed by Vakona Iga and runner up went to Mark Walo. In thanking the fishermen Mr Kwara said it was a blessing to have a beautiful lagoon named Raiowai.

The tournament was exciting and he thanked the prominent fathers and sons who took part in this event namely; Friend Kini, Professor Api Maha, Kana Wamala and Ai Pala.

As the Christmas festivities were coming to an end with new year approaching the much-talked about crocodile which has been roaming the Raiowai lagoon and scarring the locals had been killed.

The crocodile had scared men from fishing and women from collecting shells for a month. The beast was finally shot by locals Colin Maha and Api

Olema at the beach front of the Vanugaraka Clan on Sunday, December 29.

WELCOME reception for the fisherman on their return.

BAKED Scon Tasting THE Winning Team

Rousing finale for quiz show

THINK Tank Quiz (TTQ), the popular television quiz show in the country has wrapped up its year with a grandfinal show last week at the Adventure Park outside Port Moresby.

The show featured all top winners around the country from the four regions where TTQ went this year.

The grandfinal show had a live audience packed with fans from Port Moresby and a few from other centres.

They were entertained by a soulful singing couple in Henry and Sentanya complimented by a traditional dancing group from Central Province.

The show began with an opening ceremony where Mining Minister Byron Chan was the special guest of honour.

Other guests present were Big Rooster boss Salim Chamadia, Deputy Secretary of Education Dr Eliakim

Apelis and NBC managing director Memafu Kapera. They all make special mention of TTQ’s contribution to the nation not only in terms of its educational content and but an attractive new TV content that meets local viewers appetite.

Mr Chan said this is the first time he discovered this exciting educational and entertaining show and would like to take it to New Ireland Province one day

for schools in his electorate to participate. He made a pledge of K10,000 to support TTQ in 2015.

The Namatanai MP remarked that for a long time PNG has been watching foreign TV shows and now it’s about time our Government, MPs and business houses should support such an exciting educational local show.

The show got off to a rousing start beginning with the

primary category where Mr Chan and other guests in the crowd were cheering. A total of four shows featuring primary, secondary, tertiary and open categories were conducted.

The winners and runner ups were: primary winner – Elisha Nama (Morobe – Momase Region), runner up – Isaac Nindil (Enga – Highlands Region). Secondary winner – Jaybestian Kekeya

(Madang – Momase Region), runner up – Bronko Dilili (Port Moresby – Southern Region). Tertiary winner –Jeremiah Kanawi (Madang – Momase Region), runner up – Joseph Iyeho (Rabaul – NGI), Open winner –Elly Baisi (Rabaul – NGI) and runner up –Salkimut Kilangit

All winners received K2,000 while the runner ups picked up K750.

SNAPSHOTS ... SNAPSHOTS

Derrick Nagul, Peter the Huli Wigman and Clem Leahy of OM Holdings Limited based in Mt Hagen on the final day of 2014.

CATCHING Waves… @ Home base Barike.

Scouts WA brings Manila street kids hope

FROLICKING with friends on Perth’s Swan River is a long way from the streets of Manila where 19-year-old Queenie Morales, pictured right, grew up with her mother.

She is among 25 street kids from a scout group formed in the Malate district of the Philippines capital who have spent the past week in Western Australia, hosted by Scouts WA.

“I lived in the street with my mum,” Queenie said.

“My mother sells cigarettes and sweets in the street. I studied and did my assignments under the streetlights.”

Queenie and her friends have seen all the regular tourist sites of Perth: the zoo, Swan River, Cottesloe Beach but said she could not choose a highlight. “It was so nice,” she said.

“The food, the housing, the weather, so different from the Philippines.

“I cannot say [what is my favourite] because everything that’s happened is unforgettable.”

Philippines scout leader Sophie Castillo said the scout group was formed to engage some of Manila’s estimated 1.7 million children who lived on the streets.

“In Malate there is a red light district,” she said.

“In Malate they are not street children, they are street families. The families live in the street.”

Ms Castillo said the children who attended the scouts group were taught basic hygiene and life skills, as well as self respect.

Education was emphasised and the Scouts worked in association with a local church group who provided meals for the children, only when they attended school.

Deputy chief commissioner of Scouts WA Shane Earnshaw has had a close association with the Philippines program since its induc-

tion and launched the plan to bring the children to Perth.

He said a fundraising drive, where many members and supporters had put forward their own money, had helped raise $35,000 to finance the trip.

“We only sponsored the scouts on condition that they went to school, and they are good students and they pass their grades,” he said.

Mr Earnshaw described the children as “magical” and said they had all grown markedly since joining the group. “The program is from squalor to pride and these kids all have self respect,” he said.

“A lot of them weren’t going to school, now they religiously go to school, they have things to look forward to, some of them are still living on the street, we can’t do too much about everybody but we’re slowly, each individual we’re looking at how we can help them, whether it be with medication, with schooling with scholarships and they are just wonderful kids.”

Mr Earnshaw sponsors Queenie so she can attend university, where she is studying a Bachelor of Education in media and religious education. As part of that sponsorship she now lives in a college dormitory.

Woman claims she was forced into royal sex

SYDNEY: An American woman, who lived for a time in NSW with her Australian husband, is continuing to claim she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew, despite vehement denials from Britain’s royal family.

Virginia Roberts, 31, says she was trained by billionaire and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein to be an underage sex slave to him and his powerful friendsincluding the prince.

Her accusations are laid out in a US lawsuit, which has been making headlines around the world, leading to the royal family breaking with its usual protocol to issue two strongly-worded statements denying the claims.

Andrew has flown back to the UK from a skiing holiday in the ritzy Swiss resort of Verbier after the reports emerged that he had been

named in the lawsuit filed last week in Florida.

Ms Roberts now lives in the US state of Colorado but at one stage had settled on the NSW Central Coast where she had three children with her Australian husband.

She originally waived her right to anonymity in an interview she gave to Britain’s Mail on Sunday in 2011. At the time, the paper reported that Ms Roberts was 17 and above when she met the prince and there was no suggestion of any sexual relations between the pair.

But in newly-filed court documents, she says she was paid $US15,000 ($18,500) to have sex with the prince in London, New York and on Mr Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean.

In a second statement released over the weekend, a

Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts.

“The allegations made are false and without any foundation.”

Ms Roberts’ father, Sky Roberts, also claimed his daughter had met the Queen in London.

Buckingham Palace said there is “no record” of a meeting between them.

The accusations against Andrew are part of a lawsuit over how US federal prosecutors handled the case of Epstein, who was jailed for 18 months in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution.

Ms Roberts claims Epstein kept her as a sex slave between 1999 and 2002, when she was aged between 15 and 17.

THE street kid scouts from Manila enjoying a swim at Rottnest Island. Picture: Shane Earnshaw/ABC

Australia PM in surprise Iraq visit

AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister

Tony Abbott has reaffirmed

Australia’s commitment to the military campaign against Islamic State (IS) during a surprise visit to Iraq on Monday.

He met his Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad as part of his first visit to the country. Australia is part of a US-led coalition targeting IS in the country. IS controls a broad swathe of territory, spanning a borderless stretch of Syria and Iraq.

Australia has deployed around 200 special forces advisers and aircraft including six F/A 18 Super Hornets, along with support personnel.

“We are determined to deepen our cooperation with the government and the people of Iraq in the weeks and months to come, not because we are a country which goes forward, seeking foreign fights, but because where our vital national interests are threatened, where universal values are at stake, Australia should be a strong partner,” Mr Abbott said.

South Australia fire leaves 29 people dead

ADELAIDE: At least 13 homes have been destroyed and 29 people injured as more than 500 firefighters from three states work desperately to contain a bushfire in the Adelaide Hills.

A watch and act alert is active for the Sampson Flat bushfire, in the Mount Lofty ranges, which has been burning since Friday and has claimed almost 13,000 hectares of scrub and farmland.

Police Commissioner Gary Burns says the fire has claimed at least 13 homes. There are fears the property toll could top 30. The fire front continues to pose a risk to residents in

towns including One Tree Hill, Humbug Scrub, Mount Crawford, Kersbrook, Birdwood, Gumeracha, Kenton Valley, Cudlee Creek and Inglewood.

More than 500 firefighters from SA, NSW and Victoria are battling to contain the blaze to within its general perimeter before the temperature in Adelaide surges to a forecast 38C on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“This is by no means over,”

Premier Jay Weatherill told ABC TV on Monday.

“We’re really racing against time to try to make sure that we get as much of this contained before the hotter weather and the

stronger winds are expected later in the week.”

Police Commissioner Gary Burns says the fire has now claimed at least 13 homes, with fears for a further 20 properties.

Authorities are expected to be in a position to confirm the number of losses later on Monday.

At least 29 people, mostly firefighters, have been injured in the blaze, though none seriously.

Two elderly people feared missing were found safe on Sunday.

Widespread road closures remain in place around the Sampson Flat bushfire, preventing evacuees from

returning to their homes. Kersbrook Road between One Tree Hill and Kersbrook was re-opened to residents with valid identification on Sunday but fallen trees and power lines are blocking access to many other roads.

“The aim is to get a few more open today if we can,” Mr Burns told ABC radio on Monday.

The commissioner says there is no evidence to substantiate reports of looting at properties in the Adelaide Hills.

The Country Fire Service has warned that people in Adelaide’s north eastern suburbs may experience heavy smoke drift as crews

start aggressive mopping up and back burning procedures.

Westpac and BankSA have offered disaster relief packages to bushfire-affected customers, including deferred home loan repayments, loan restructuring and emergency credit increases.

Insurance claims arising from the bushfire will be given priority after the Insurance Council of Australia declared the event a catastrophe.

The conditions have been described as the worst in the state since the Ash Wednesday blaze in 1983, in which 28 people died in South Australia.

Darwin prison riot leads to massive damage

A PRISON riot by teenagers in Darwin has left a guard injured and caused $50,000 worth of damage to the Don Dale Juvenile Detention Centre.

NT Police were called to the prison about 6:00pm on Sunday after the teenagers armed themselves with broken glass and poles.

The teenagers smashed windows and doors in the prison’s G-block before setting it on fire in the 40-minute rampage.

The ABC understands a toaster was used to set fire to a mattress.

One of the teenagers man-

aged to get onto the roof of the prison, but all of the group eventually surrendered after a prison unit responded.

NT Police Duty

Superintendent Del Jones said no-one managed to escape in the riot.

“Shortly after they set the fire they came out and surrendered,” she said.

“I’d say the fire had a lot to do with it. They set a fire and it was shortly after, probably 10 minutes after the fire had been set they came out and they were apprehended.”

Superintendent Jones said

the Serious Crimes Unit was investigating and the teenagers were expected to be charged. Both Minister for Corrections Robyn Lambley and Acting Commissioner Rosanne Lague have refused interview requests from the ABC.

Ms Lague said four teenagers were involved, while police said eight took part.

Ms Lague also did not describe the incident as a riot, labelling the incident a “disturbance”.

“Of the six detainees in the block, only four were involved in the disturbance during which some windows

and other fittings were damaged,” she said.

“An attempt was made to set fire to a mattress that was quickly doused with water and a detainee managed to get into a roof space, however the security of the block was not compromised. Today we are assessing the cost of the damage at Don Dale and we will be working with police to lay charges against those involved.”

The riot happened in the old Berrimah prison, which was renamed the Don Dale Juvenile Detention Centre after Darwin’s new prison opened in September.

Shortly after they set the fire they came out and surrendered

G-block had been used for medium-security adult prisoners.

Darwin’s old youth prison, which was also called Don Dale Juvenile Detention Centre, was shut down in 2014 after an escape attempt.–ABC

Pope appoints Pacific cardinals

WELLINGTON: A New Zealand archbishop has been named among 20 new cardinals appointed by Pope Francis.

The archbishop of Wellington, John Atcherley Dew, 66, is among several appointments seen to reflect the Roman Catholic Church’s changing demographics and efforts to recognise increasingly key areas of support outside its traditional European stronghold.

Of the new cardinals, 15 are considered “princes of the church” and under the age of 80, reports AFP.

This means they are eligible to join the conclave which will elect the pope’s successor.

The list of newly named cardinals includes five from Asia and the Pacific, three from Africa, and five from Latin America.

Bishop Soane Patita Paini Mafi of Tonga has become the first cardinal from the Polynesian archipelago. He is also the youngest at 53. No American or Canadian cardinals were selected, and the pope named only one cardinal from within the Curia, the Vatican’s administrative body undergoing reform - Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, a Frenchman.

The new members of the College of Cardinals will be officially installed on February 14, bringing the total to 228 members, including 125 who can vote in conclaves.

AUSTRALIA has contributed six war planes and hundreds of military personnel to the ani-IS effort. Picture: GETTY IMAGES/BBC

as

Search for AirAsia flight data recorders resumes

THE search mission to find the flight data recorders from the crashed AirAsia passenger plane has resumed, as weather conditions improve over the Java Sea.

Flight QZ8501 was flying from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore on 28 December when it disappeared from radar.

Search teams have recovered 34 bodies but the remains of most victims are thought to still be in the plane.

Bad weather has hampered attempts to reach large objects thought to be the body of the plane.

Officials told the BBC’s In-

donesian service on Monday that sonar equipment had been deployed underwater, but that the weather meant no divers were yet back in the water.

Dozens of ships and aircraft are involved in the operation.

The four large objects thought to be debris from the plane were spotted on Saturday, with the largest measuring 18m (59ft) by 5.4m, at a depth of 30m.

A fifth object, measuring 9.8m by 1.1m, was located on the seabed on Sunday but teams could not reach them to confirm they came from the

AirAsia flight. Divers from Indonesia and Russia have been deployed to the search area, which has been enlarged to allow for tides sweeping bodies and debris further afield.

They attempted to survey more of the seabed on Sunday but “visibility at the sea bottom was zero”, search and rescue chief Bambang Soelistyo said.

Remotely operated cameras were being used to try to photograph the objects, but waves up to 5m (16ft) high and strong currents made their use difficult. National Search and Rescue deputy chief Tatang Zainudin said: “We are rac-

ing with time and weather in running this mission.”

Officials have said the plane was travelling at 32,000ft when the pilot’s last communication was a request to climb to 38,000ft to avoid bad weather.

On Saturday, Indonesian weather agency BMKG said initial analysis suggested icy conditions in the air had caused the engine to stall.

It has emerged that AirAsia did not have official permission to fly the Surabaya-Singapore route on the day of the crash, but was licensed on four other days of the week.

However, a statement from the civil aviation authority

in Singapore said that on the Singaporean end, AirAsia did have permission to operate the Surabaya-Singapore flight daily.

The Indonesian authorities suspended the company’s flights on this route pending an investigation. AirAsiawhich previously had an excellent safety record with no fatal accidents involving its aircraft - said it would “fully co-operate”.

There were 137 adult passengers, 17 children and one infant, along with two pilots and five crew, on the planethe majority Indonesian.

-BBC news

‘Known devil’ urges Tamils to back him

SRI Lanka’s embattled president Mahinda Rajapakse has urged minority Tamils to back him in next week’s election, calling himself the “known devil”.

He made the call at a rally in Jaffna, making a final push for votes in the country’s former warzone.

While he remains popular among ethnic majority Sinhalese voters, Mr Rajapakse is widely detested by members of the country’s biggest minority, after he oversaw the brutal crushing of a 37-yearlong Tamil rebellion.

The main Tamil party has already endorsed the president’s chief rival, Maithripala Sirisena, in the January 8 election.

However, the incumbent told voters in the northern Jaffna region that he was committed to improving their livelihoods, pointing to improvements in infrastructure.

“This is my 11th visit to Jaffna as president,” said Mr Rajapakse, who has been in power for nearly a decade, making him the longest-serving leader in South Asia.

“The devil you know is better than the unknown angel,” he said in Sinhala, speaking through a translator.

“I am the known devil, so please vote for me.”

He then listed a series of infrastructure projects that had been completed since the end of the Tamil separatist conflict in 2009.

“We gave you electricity, we gave you new schools and now we want to give you proper water supplies,” he said, in a region which was devastated by the separatist conflict.

The president had been due to inaugurate the latest stretch of a reopened rail link from the capital Colombo to Jaffna, but he cancelled his plans at the last minute, leaving his transport minister to do the honours.

Afghan leader queries US troops exit deadline

AFGHAN President Ashraf Ghani has said America’s two-year deadline for pulling out the last of its troops may need to be “re-examined”.

US President Barack Obama is committed to withdrawing all US soldiers by the end of 2016, as Afghanistan looks after its own security.

But Taliban militants stepped up attacks dramatically last year and have declared victory over the US.

Mr Ghani told US broadcaster CBS that “deadlines should not be dogmas”.

Disagreements over the timetable for the US-led coalition’s withdrawal dogged

Mr Obama’s relations with the new Afghan president’s predecessor, Hamid Karzai. Since the coalition formally ended its peacekeeping mission last month, some 13,000 mainly American soldiers remain in a training and support role, together with a few thousand US soldiers whose focus will be on counter-terrorist operations.

The Taliban declared that the US and its allies had been “defeated” and pledged to pursue a “pure Islamic system by expelling the remaining invading forces”.

At the peak of its 13-year mission, the coalition involved more than 130,000 per-

sonnel from 50 countries.

“If both parties, or, in this case, multiple partners, have done their best to achieve the objectives and progress is very real, then there should be willingness to re-examine a deadline,” Mr Ghani told the 60 Minutes programme, in an interview to be screened by CBS on Sunday evening.

Asked if Mr Obama had been told, he replied: “President Obama knows me. We don’t need to tell each other.”

Gen John Campbell, who commands the coalition’s remaining forces in Afghanistan, told 60 Minutes

separately he was confident Afghan security forces could prevent the country falling into the hands of militant groups like Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

“With the military they have here... this is not Iraq,” he said. “I don’t see [IS] coming into Afghanistan like they did into Iraq.

The Afghan security forces would not allow that.” The Afghan military, he argued, was now the “number one respected institution in Afghanistan”.

“Couple years ago, I probably wouldn’t have said that but today it is,” he said, speaking in Kabul.

On Sunday divers found “zero visibility”

they went down to investigate debris. Picture: BBC

AFGHAN security forces on an operation near the Pakistani border on Saturday. Picture: BBC

Church loses 41 members in AirAsia crash

EVEN in the worst of times, the Mawar Sharon evangelical church in Surabaya puts on a show for its Sunday service.

Six singers swayed on stage as they belted hymns. Cameras stationed around the church caught their every move at every angle.

Behind the choir a massive screen showed close-ups of the singers.

It felt more like a rock concert than a church service. But despite appearances this was a congregation in mourning.

Missing from the pews, 41 people who were on board the AirAsia flight.

Most were families with young children travelling to Singapore

for a new year’s holiday. They apparently made a block booking on the budget airline, as it made their tickets cheaper.

A week after the crash, the church offered prayers for those who will not sit among them again.

“I actually knew one couple who had two young children,” said Caleb Natanielliem, the church’s executive pastor.

“I met them before Christmas. But right now I cannot say hello to them again.”

Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country. But the Christian community in the city of Surabaya has been particularly hard hit by this accident.

The fact that a single church

could have suffered such a loss - a quarter of the passengers on board - is incomprehensible to many here.

“I was very shocked when I first heard the news,” said Paulus Angka Wijaya, a member of the congregation.

“Hopefully all the bodies will be found soon so their families can bury them and give them proper funerals.

“We will always support the families so that they can stay strong and know that they are not alone.”

Hundreds of kilometres away the search operation continues in the Java Sea.

-BBC news

Taiwan’s former president granted parole

FORMER Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian is to be released from prison after being granted one month of medical parole, officials say.

Taiwan’s justice ministry said it had granted Chen parole due to various ailments including brain degeneration.

Chen, president from 2000-2008, was six years into a 20-year sentence for money laundering and accepting bribes.

The justice ministry said it would decide whether to extend his parole at the end of each month.

The BBC’s Cindy Sui reports from Taipei that as president, Chen angered China by pushing for Taiwan’s formal independence.

He has accused the current government of political persecution in order to appease Beijing, as it pursues closer ties with China.

Chen, a former lawyer, was put on trial shortly after stepping down from his second four-year term in 2008.

He has been suffering from a series of medical conditions, including depression and Parkinson’s disease, and has for some time been asking to be released on medical grounds. Authorities said that last year he attempted suicide.

Chen’s former vice-president, Annette Lu, has been on hunger strike in an effort to draw attention to his situation.

She was admitted to hospital on New Year’s Day suffering from symptoms related to her fast.

Chen’s expected release was delayed last week after a courier carrying documents relating to his case got stuck in traffic. -BBC news

PEOPLE in the church offered prayers for the victims on Sunday.Picture: BBC

CHEN Shui-bian was convicted shortly leaving the presidency in 2008. Picture: BBC

WELL WISHING FESTIVAL

Fukushima rice passes Japan radiation test

FUKUSHIMA rice has passed Japan’s radiation checks for the first time since the 2011 nuclear disaster that prompted international alarm over the region’s produce, a prefecture official says.

Fukushima official

Tsuneaki Oonami said about 360,000 tonnes of rice, nearly all of last year’s harvest, had

been checked and none had tested above the 100 becquerels per kilogram limit set by the government.

“The fact that the amount of rice that does not pass our checks has steadily reduced in the last three years indicates that we’re taking the right steps,” said Mr Oonami, who heads the department

that oversees Fukushima rice farming.

Miniscule amounts of rice produced in 2012 and 2013 failed to pass radiation checks and had to be destroyed.

Farmers and fishermen in Fukushima were hit hardest by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that set off meltdowns at Tokyo Electric

Power Co’s nuclear plant and forced Japan to suspend some agricultural and fisheries exports. Japan has since lifted export restrictions, although repeated contaminated water leaks at the Fukushima Daiichi plant prompted South Korea to ban imports from eight regions including Fukushima prefecture in 2013.

South Korean experts visited the Fukushima nuclear plant and Japan’s radiation testing facilities last month as Seoul considers resuming imports. Japan’s fisheries agency said on Monday the South Korean experts were planning to return this month for additional inspections.

-ABC news

China’s leader seeks Shanghai answers

OFFICIAL New Year cel-

ebrations had already been cancelled at the Bund due to fears of overcrowding, staterun news agency Xinhua said, citing local officials.

However, despite the cancellation, there were “far more” people in the area on Wednesday evening than predicted, with a crowd size similar to the countdown in 2013, it added.

Close to 300,000 people reportedly turned up for New Year’s Eve celebrations in the area a year ago.

Shanghai police said that about 700 police officers were located in the area, and 500 were deployed after overcrowding was seen near Chenyi Square, Xinhua reported.

The police expressed regret that they had not managed to “effectively intervene” when the flow of tourists in the area “increased irregularly” at 23:30 (15:30 GMT), the news agency added.

Cai Lixin, a deputy police commander, said in quotes carried by Chinese media that there had been fewer police deployed than for some other events.

“There were no formal events planned yesterday, so we did not arrange for as many police officers as last year’s national day,” he said. The crush centred on a stairway leading to a viewing platform near the waterfront, as people tried to get up and down the steps, state broadcaster CCTV said.

A local resident, identified as Sarah, told AFP news agency “people were screaming... and people [started] jumping off the staircase to get clear.”

She added: “There was a quiet, and then people on the stairs fell in a wave.”

-BBC news

Authorities: Chinese food can be addictive

CHINESE food can be addictive, and Chinese authorities are concerned that restaurants across the country are exacerbating the problem by adding opium to their dishes. Alex McClintock takes a look at the lengths to which Chinese chefs will go to leave their diners feeling satisfied. China’s official information agency has recently reported that restaurants across the country are regularly spiking their dishes with poppy shells and other opiate-rich derivatives. Lobster, noodle dishes and hot pot are the most common targets. The aim, according to experts, is to ensure repeat custom in a crowded hospitality

market. Fuchsia Dunlop, a food writer, chef and the first westerner to train as a chef in the Szechuan Institute of High Cuisine in Chengdu, has had firsthand experience of the practice.

‘About 10 or 20 years ago I was in Szechuan and I went out with some friends to a town to visit some other people,’ says Dunlop. ‘They made hotpot for lunch, so we sat around in the kitchen around this bubbling cauldron of chillies and Szechuan pepper and we used our chopsticks to cook our own food.’

‘As the afternoon went on we just got more and more relaxed until everyone just felt drowsy. We all went and

fell asleep on beds and sofas and I can still remember having this absolutely blissful sleep. When I woke up I went back into the kitchen and I noticed that there were poppy heads bobbing around in the broth.’

According to Dunlop, adding opium to food was banned in China in 2008, and a crackdown has all but ended the practice in large commercial restaurants. It’s still possible at small, family run restaurants, though, thanks to a lack of health and safety oversight.

‘A few months ago there was the tale of one man who failed a police drugs test,’ says Dunlop. ‘He hadn’t taken any

drugs and was completely mystified, and suddenly had this idea that it was the noodles he’d had at a small noodle shop for lunch.’

‘He persuaded some of his relatives to go back there and try some of the noodles too, and they then failed drug tests. It’s definitely going on.’

There’s only one question left for the foodies out there: What does it taste like?

‘Under the assault of Szechuan pepper and chillies and black beans and all the other ingredients you wouldn’t notice it,’ says Dunlop.

‘It’s just another spice, but with a rather interesting effect.’ -ABC news

China’s official information agency has warned that restaurants across the country are spiking their food with opium.

MEN ride on a mikoshi, or portable shrine, as local people carry it into the sea during a festival to wish for calm waters in the ocean and good fortune in the New Year in Oiso, west of Tokyo, Japan. Picture: BBC

Syrians entering Lebanon face new restrictions

NEW restrictions on Syrians entering Lebanon come into force on Monday, further tightening the flow of asylum seekers trying to escape the war.

Previously, travel between the two countries was largely unrestricted, but now Syrians will have to obtain a visa.

It is the latest in a series of steps to stop the influx of refugees. Lebanon already hosts more than a million.

It is unclear what the rule will mean for the many Syrians already in the country and not registered as refugees.

Before now, Syrians could stay in Lebanon for up to six months automatically. Under the new measure, Syrians wanting to enter Lebanon will have to fulfil certain criteria in order to be granted a visa at the border.

The figures are astonishing. There are some 1.1 million

officially registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon, perhaps another half a million Syrians who are not registered. So one in three of the population of this tiny, fragile country is a Syrian. It’s as if more than 20 million refugees arrived in Britain.

In Lebanon, rents are up, wages are down, and refugee families are living 10 or 15 people to a room, or in makeshift camps in the mud and snow.

Resentment against Syrians is increasing. Some towns and villages have imposed curfews on the new arrivals, enforced by vigilante groups.

Above all, many Lebanese fear the country’s religious and sectarian balance is being altered in a way that will eventually trigger a renewed civil war here.

Every Syrian wanting to enter the country will need to state a clear purpose for their

visit, and, if approved, a visa will be issued for a certain duration.

Syrians coming to work in Lebanon will also have to be sponsored by a Lebanese individual or company.

A spokesman for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in Lebanon, Ron Redmond, said that over the past six to eight months a number of measures had already reduced the number of people seeking registration as refugees. But the UN had worked out a system with the government to enable the most vulnerable to still gain access.

However, Mr Redmond expressed concern about the latest measures in an interview with the BBC’s Newsday.

“The government says that it will allow those extreme humanitarian cases access but it is not covered in these announcements that have come out the last few days,” he said.

“We just want something official from the government that outlines how the system works now... so that we can continue to ensure that the most vulnerable refugees can get through. The government says that will be forthcoming so we are just waiting for that - hoping we get it soon.”

Lebanon has long been struggling to cope with the number of refugees fleeing the war in Syria.

There are currently more than 1.1 million registered refugees in Lebanon putting a huge strain on the country’s infrastructure and resources.

The Lebanese government says the actual number of refugees in the country is about 1.6 million - equivalent to more than a third of the population.

Clearly the Lebanese government wants to reduce the flow, says Rami Khouri, Sen-

ior Fellow at the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut.

“The Lebanese are trying to figure out how to really remain helpful to Syrians in real need without destroying their own country,” he told the BBC

The influx of Syrian refugees was putting strain on water, sanitation, health, and the environment and giving rise to political concerns, he said.

In October, Lebanon’s social affairs minister announced that the country would stop accepting all refugees except emergency cases, but would still allow Syrians to enter for other purposes, such as work and tourism.

The latest UNHCR figures show a total of 3.2m Syrians registered as refugees in Lebanon and elsewhere.

-BBC news

Brothers vow to push for reporter’s release

The two brothers of jailed al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste have said that they will push for the Egyptian president to release him by decree.

They will be urging the president to use a decree he issued last year that allows him to deport foreigners in prison or on trial.

The brothers were disappointed that Mr Greste and two co-defendants were not freed at a court hearing on Thursday.

The trio were appealing against their convictions for spreading false news.

Instead, the court ordered a retrial, but said the three must remain in custody pending the start of that new trial within a month.

Mr Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed have spent a year in jail after being arrested in December 2013 and later sentenced to between seven and 10 years in prison on charges of collaborating with the banned Muslim Brotherhood after the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi by the military in 2013.

The three insist that they are innocent and that they were simply reporting the news.

Mr Greste’s brother Andrew said that the court ruling meant that the journalist was an innocent man in prison and that it was time for President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi to “step in and honour what he has said in the past”.

The president has said previously that he wished the journalists had been deported rather than being put on trial.

“The best option to get Peter home is for the president to issue a decree and get [our brother] repatriated,” Andrew Greste said.

He pointed out that the coming days - until the start of the retrial - provided the president with an important window of opportunity to do this. -BBC news

Egypt archaeologists find unknown queen’s tomb

ARCHAEOLOGISTS in Egypt have unearthed the tomb of a previously unknown queen, Egyptian officials say.

The tomb was found in Abu-Sir, south-west of Cairo, and is thought to belong to the wife or mother of Pharaoh Neferefre who ruled 4,500 years ago.

Egypt antiquities minister, Mamdouh el-Damaty, said that her name, Khentakawess, had been found inscribed on a wall in the necropolis.

Mr el-Damaty added that this would make her Khentakawess III.

The tomb was discovered in Pharaoh Neferefre’s funeral complex.

Miroslav Barta, head of the Czech

Institute of Egyptology mission who made the discovery, said that the location of the queen’s tomb made them believe that she was the wife of the pharaoh.

The Czech archaeologists also found about 30 utensils made of limestone and copper.

Mr el-Damaty explained that the discovery would “help us shed light on certain unknown aspects of the Fifth Dynasty, which along with the Fourth Dynasty, witnessed the construction of the first pyramids.”

Abu-Sir was used as an Old Kingdom cemetery for the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis.

-BBC news

There is no winner in wars, and so

MORE than a million Syrians have registered as refugees in Lebanon. Picture: BBC

ABU-Sir was used as a cemetery for the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis. Picture: BBC

Traffickers made $3m on migrant ship to Italy

POLICE in Italy believe traffickers made some $3m (£1.9m; €2.5m) from 359 illegal migrants found abandoned on a cargo ship in the Mediterranean.

The Ezadeen was towed into the Italian port of Corigliano Calabro after being found by coast guards on Friday.

Most of those aboard appear to be Syrians, in the second such case involving a freighter this week.

Both ships reportedly started in Turkey, in a change from the Libyan route usually favoured by gangs.

The police chief of Cosenza province, Luigi Liguori, said each migrant had paid between $4,000 and $8,000 to board the ship.

Officers say that the smug-

glers wore hoods and locked the migrants in the ship’s hold before apparently abandoning ship on a lifeboat.

In the earlier case, Italian coastguards boarded a ship, the Blue Sky M, carrying 796 migrants on Tuesday. Finding it without a crew, they steered it into the south Italian port of Gallipoli.

The smugglers’ new tactic appears to be simple and effective: point a cargo ship towards Italy and let the coastguard pick it up, the BBC’s James Reynolds reports from Corigliano Calabro.

Illegal migration to the EU has been fuelled by the civil war in Syria, which has driven people to seek asylum in Europe, along with economic migrants.

Last year it is estimated that nearly 3,500 refugees died trying to cross the Mediterranean while another 200,000 were rescued. The Ezadeen, an ageing Sierra Leone-flagged ship originally used to transport cattle, was spotted on Thursday evening and arrived in port in Italy on Friday night.

Passengers are said to be in good condition and are being transferred to immigration centres and foster homes across Italy, according to coastguard and police officials.

Mr Liguori says the new tactic used by the criminal gangs is attracting better-off migrants.

“We’ve noticed a change in the make-up of the Syrian refugees on board,” he said.

“They are socially well off. They wear better clothes and are also better organised and, if you allow me to, they are less desperate than the migrants we normally see.”

Dimitris Avramopoulos, the EU’s commissioner for migration, called for “decisive and coordinated EU-wide action” against the people traffickers.

“Smugglers are finding new routes to Europe and are employing new methods in order to exploit desperate people,” he said, promising to present a “comprehensive approach on migration”.

Illegal migrants arriving in the EU are assessed to see if they have a valid claim for asylum. They must satisfy the authorities they are fleeing

persecution and would face harm or even death if sent back to their country of origin. Passengers from the Blue Sky M have also reportedly been dispersed to reception centres around Italy.

Tommaso Tomaiuolo, a local resident in the Gallipoli area, saw the ship when it docked in the early hours of New Year’s Eve and later talked to some of the migrants through the gate of a local school where they were taken.

Mr Tomaiuolo told BBC News that one Syrian migrant, who asked for his name not to be given, told him he had paid “Turkish mafia” 7,000 euros for himself and 7,000 euros for his pregnant wife to make the journey.

-BBC news

Pope Francis appoints 20 new cardinals

of the

cardinals

are

80 years old, making them eligible to vote for a future pontiff. Picture: ABC/REUTERS

POPE Francis has announced the appointment of 20 new cardinals to the elite group of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, with many of the new churchmen coming from developing nations.

Fifteen of the new cardinals are also under the age of 80, meaning they are eligible to join the conclave which elects the next pontiff. The list includes Bishop Soane Patita Paini Mafi of Tonga and Archbishop

Charles Maung Bo of Myanmar. Bishop Mafi said it was a humbling and joyful achievement to be picked from a small church in the Pacific.

“In a way, it’s not just for Tonga, it’s for Oceania,” he told the ABC.

“It’s good to see that development from the Vatican.

“There were two of usthere was John Dew from the archdiocese of Wellington who was also appointed - so the two of us will be a fairly

balanced way of representing the churches here in this part of the world.”

Thailand’s Archbishop Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij and Vietnam’s Bishop Pierre Nguyen Van Nhon were also among the new cardinals the Pope named. Cardinals were also selected from Ethiopia, Cape Verde, Mexico, Panama, Uruguay, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Colombia and Portugal. Only one of the new electors

Roma baby burial sparks French probe

A ROMA baby is to be buried in a French cemetery later amid a row over the reported refusal by the mayor of a nearby town to grant her a grave.

The baby will be buried in Wissous, south of Paris, after the town of Champlan reportedly refused her burial.

On Sunday Champlan’s mayor denied this, but the case has sparked outrage.

The prime minister called it an “insult to France” and the French official in charge of defending human rights announced an inquiry.

The girl was born in mid-October and died on 26 December of sudden infant death syndrome.

The conservative mayor of Champlan, Christian Leclerc, was reported to have refused to bury her. He was quoted by Le Parisien newspaper as justifying the decision by saying that his town was running out of burial space and that “priority is given to those who pay local taxes”.

On Sunday he said his words had been “taken out of context”.

“At no stage was I opposed to this burial. It’s been blown out of proportion,” he told Agence France-Presse.

But Jacques Toubon, France’s Defender of Human Rights, said he was “shocked and stunned” and announced an inquiry.

Centre-left Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Twitter: “Refusing a child a burial because of its roots is an insult to its memory, an insult to France.”

Nurse fights for life

LONDON: A British nurse with Ebola is fighting for her life as two health workers, who also spent time in Sierra Leone, were placed under observation in the US and Germany.

“The condition of Pauline Cafferkey has gradually deteriorated over the past two days and is now critical,” the Royal Free Hospital said on Saturday.

British Prime Minister David Cameron told BBC television Ebola was “uppermost” in his mind given Cafferkey’s condition and said he was “thinking of her and her family”.

is from the Curia, the Vatican’s central administration, which Francis has pledged to overhaul. Last month, the pope said the Curia was infected with careerism, scheming, greed and “spiritual Alzheimer’s”.

Observers said the new cardinals, who will be formally installed next month, better reflect the diversity and spread of the Church and add to the Pope’s commitment to the poor. -ABC news

Cafferkey’s doctors said she had agreed to be treated with blood plasma from an Ebola survivor containing virusfighting antibodies as well as an experimental anti-viral drug.

Cafferkey was volunteering at a British-built treatment centre in Kerry Town, not far from Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown, when she contracted the deadly virus.

She was diagnosed in Glasgow on December 29, a day after flying home, and was transferred to the Royal Free, which has the only isolation ward in Britain equipped for Ebola patients.

Fifteen

new

chosen by Pope Francis

under

The Ezadeen moored in Corigliano Calabro on Saturday

Police snub NY mayor

HUNDREDS of police officers have turned their backs on the mayor of New York at the funeral of the second of two officers shot dead last month.

Wenjian Liu, a son of Chinese migrants, was killed with his partner Rafael Ramos on 20 December by a gunman with a grievance against the police.

Speakers lined up to pay tribute at the service in a Brooklyn funeral home.

In the street outside, hundreds turned their backs to a video screen when Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke.

Many rank-and-file members of the New York Police Department (NYPD) resent Mr de Blasio’s expressions of sympathy for anti-police protesters in recent months.

The double murder by an African American gunman who claimed to be avenging black men killed by white police

stunned the city.

New York police commissioner Bill Bratton had urged officers to refrain from any further “act of disrespect”, saying in a memo, “A hero’s funeral is about grieving, not grievance.”

Mayor de Blasio told the funeral service: “All of our city is heartbroken today.”

Liu, 32, had lost his life while fighting for “all that is decent and good”, he said. He paid tribute to a “young man who came here from China at the age of 12 in search of the American dream”.

Outside the funeral home, many uniformed officers could be seen turning their backs as the speech was relayed.

Shortly after the policemen were shot, the head of the city’s largest police union, Patrick Lynch, had lashed out at the liberal mayor, saying there was “blood on many

hands”. More than 20,000 officers attended Ramos’ funeral on 27 December, and the sight of lines of police turning their backs marred the event for some.

“The mayor has no respect for us,” retired NYPD detective Camille Sanfilippo told the Associated Press news agency at Liu’s funeral. “Why should we have respect for him?’’

Patrick Yoes, a national secretary with the 328,000-member Fraternal Order of Police, said before the new funeral: “Across this country, we seem to be under attack in the law enforcement profession, and the message to take away from this is: We are public servants. We are not public enemies.”

The two policemen were shot following a wave of demonstrations over killings of unarmed black men by white police officers, beginning in

the Missouri town of Ferguson last summer.

There was anger in New York after a grand jury decided not to press charges against a white police officer over the death of unarmed black man Eric Garner, who was placed in a chokehold while being restrained by police officers.

Mayor de Blasio had expressed solidarity with the protesters and had publicly wondered if his son, who is mixed-race, was safe from police.

Some argue that such rhetoric helped to create an environment that encouraged violence against police.

Funeral arrangements had been delayed so relatives from China could travel to New York.

Liu’s widow, Pei Xia Chen, said she had lost her “soul mate” and a “wonderful husband”.

His father broke down at the funeral as he described how his only child would telephone after every shift during his seven years in the force to reassure his parents he was safe.

“You are the best son, you are the best husband,” he said. “We are very proud of you, we love you forever.”

A vigil was held on Saturday in Chinatown where community members gathered to burn pieces of paper in honour of Liu, in keeping with Chinese tradition.

The man who shot Ramos and Liu, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, killed himself in a subway station as police were closing in.

Brinsley, 28, had a history of violence and mental instability. On the day of the shooting, he went on social media to say he was planning to kill police officers.

-BBC news

Brave girl survivor praised

A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD girl who survived a plane crash in the US state of Kentucky and walked barefoot to find help has been praised for her courage.

Larry Wilkins, 71, told the BBC that he answered the door to the “brave girl” on Friday and that she told him her parents were dead. The plane was later found along with the bodies of the girl’s parents, her sister and a cousin.

The girl has been named as Sailor Gutzler of Nashville, Illinois.

Kentucky State Police said those killed were Marty Gutzler, 49, and Kimberly Gutzler, 45, their 9-year-old daughter, Piper Gutzler, and Piper’s 14-year-old cousin, Sierra Walder.

Mr Wilkins said Sailor had walked almost a mile (1.6km) through a dark, dense wood in temperatures of about 40F (4C) to reach his house in Lyon County on Friday evening.

“I don’t walk in that wood during the day time,” he said. “It’s a mess.”

He added that she had been crying and bleeding when she arrived and had obviously “been through hell”.

“She had a bloody nose, her legs were scratched terribly bad,” he said.

Mr Wilkins thought that she had followed the light from his house to get to safety.

“Can you imagine a sevenyear-old losing her mother and sister and cousin in an aeroplane crash and then having to walk like she did from there to here?”

The girl is reported to have been released from hospital on Saturday after receiving treatment for minor injuries.

Kentucky State Police Lt Brent White said: “I’ve got an 8-year-old child myself. And when I saw this - what appeared to be a seven-yearold child that walked through this dense forest through some really tough terrain. Awful poor weather conditions - and survive this, it’s just really a miracle.”

The plane was found on Friday, about 30 miles (50km) east of Paducah city.

-BBC news

Venezuelan leader seeks help over falling oil price

VENEZUELAN President

Nicolas Maduro is beginning an international tour to try to stem the impact of falling oil prices and a deepening recession.

Mr Maduro goes first to China - a major source of loans for Venezuela - for talks with the Chinese President, Xi Jinping.

He will then travel to various Opec member countries to press for cuts in oil output that would boost prices.

Venezuelan oil prices have dropped by half since June.

The country gets most of its

foreign currency from oil exports and is estimated to have the largest oil reserves in the world.

Before he left Venezuela Mr Maduro announced a number of new mechanisms aimed at addressing the country’s economic crisis.

He said he would create a strategic reserve, appoint a new board to run the organisation that manages currency exchange controls, and create new agencies to manage the distribution of commodities.

President Maduro has said his country is suffering the

consequences of an economic war launched by US President Barack Obama “to destroy” the oil producers’ cartel, Opec. He has also accused the US of flooding the markets with oil as part of an economic war against Russia.

The Venezuelan opposition blames the country’s economic crisis and shortages of many staples, such as corn oil and milk, on the socialist policies of Mr Maduro and his late predecessor, Hugo Chavez.

-BBC news

Commodity prices are determined by supply and demand

A LONE police officer could be seen facing forward as colleagues turned their backs on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s speech in one section of the crowd.

Picture: BBC

PRESIDENT Maduro (in green shirt) announced an economic recovery programme before heading to China. Picture: BBC

factors.

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 2x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 6 inclusive

The Full Moon may have already taken place. However, because it accented long overdue changes in your work or lifestyle, you’ll be dealing with the process of making the necessary decisions and putting them into action for some time to come. If any decisions are urgent, make them. Just ensure they’re flexible

Although you may not have thought of it in these terms, some of the ideas or offers you’re consistently avoiding could prove far more rewarding than you conceive possible. This is the issue. Not until you learn more will you recognise their promise. Knowing that, the sooner you begin exploring them, the better.

Since mid-December you’ve accomplished a lot. This is the influence of both your ruler Mercury and Venus having been in the hyper-practical Capricorn. You need a break. You’ll get it. In fact, now that they’re both in the most inquisitive portion of your chart, you’ll make up for lost time.

For ages you’ve known a serious discussion about certain increasingly important practical, financial or business matters was necessary, but not everybody agreed. Now events force those who’ve pretended these could be ignored to acknowledge not only the need to talk these over in depth, but that it should be done soon.

There’s a fine line between fighting for what you believe in and refusing to recognise when it’s time to let go. That’s exactly the dilemma you’re facing, and possibly in several very different situations. Simply considering the possibility that you could bring these to an end is a vital first step.

Disagreements with others are no problem. In fact, if they’ve thought things through, you’re always interested to hear what they have to say. But those who object for no reason are another matter. This is exactly what you’re facing. Forget about logical discussion. It’s a battle of your will versus theirs, nothing more.

Long ago you learned that while a tactful approach to difficult situations isn’t swift, it doesn’t ruffle as many feathers as being more direct. The problem is, one particular individual is simply refusing to face facts. This gives you no choice but to be forthright, if not just plain blunt.

It’s not that you dislike talking about your feelings, as certain individuals suggest. Because you’re sensitive, you prefer to do it when there’s plenty of time and the mood is right. Still, sudden as recent discussions were, they cleared up confusion and, better yet, led to a touching exchange of ideas.

Few things annoy you more than those who’re unable to forget minor misunderstandings. Yet in one particular case, their concerns are merited. Actually, they’re trying to warn you about arrangements that were organised in haste. They were fine at the time, but minor errors could soon turn into major problems.

Understanding what was behind recent complex situations could take time. Triggered by the encounter between the Sun and secretive Pluto, in Capricorn, everybody’s unspoken concerns were highlighted, including yours. Much as you dislike the idea, be the first to tell all. It will force others to do the same.

Over the past week or so there’ve been power struggles over certain crucial decisions. While you have no choice but to go along with others, this week the

will be considerably more easygoing. So much so that, as long as you’re tactful, the individuals in question will consider your suggestions.

Although

the

and you’re still feeling

FUNERAL SERVICE NOTICE

Funeral service will be held on Wednesday 7th January, 2015 Venue: Anglican Church. Holy Family Parish, Hohola

Time: 1:00PM - Funeral Service

3:00PM – Casket departs the Church for family residence to overnight.

Thursday – 8th January, 2015 – Casket departs for Alotau For further information, please contact Mrs. Kathy Guise – 712 07540

DEATH NOTICE

Death Notice

Budget Real Estate

ASSISTANT CREDIT CONTROLLER

A Self-starter is required to continue with the management of Property Rental Billing and collections along with the control of the Trust account. The person must be well versed in Console Real Estate Software, understand the Real Estate Industry. Previous experience is a must for this Position. Terms and conditions will be discussed with the right candidate.

If you are interested and feel that you are the candidate, forward your full Curriculum Vitae in a sealed envelope - covering your experience, qualifications and References “by mail or hand deliver ” to:

Human Resource Manager

Budget Real Estate

Box 678 Port Moresby [Position : Rental Management Officer ]

Office Location: Section 34 Lot 19 – Lawes Road Terrace - Konedobu NO PHONE CALLS WILL BE ENTERTAINED

“Only short listed Applicants will be contacted & interviewed”

Late John Gordon Jeffery, CBE

On behalf of the Executive, staff and members of the Employers’ Federation of PNG, we convey our sincere condolences to wife Lucy and children Jane, Lissa, Therese and Jason of late John ‘JJ’ Jeffery who passed away on Thursday 1st January 2015 at Robina Hospital in Australia.

John’s 26-year association with the Federation began in 1986 when he arrived in PNG as the General Manager of James Barnes PNG in Madang. In 1989 John was elected to the Executive Committee and served as the Federations’ President from 1999 – 2010.

John’s service to PNG also included co-founding the Manufactures Council of PNG, Chairman of Nasfund and Board Directorships with Bank South Pacific, City Pharmacy and Airlines PNG.

In recognition of his contribution to the development of Papua New Guinea business and community, John was invested as a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2013.

John will be fondly remembered and sadly missed by friends and associates throughout PNG but especially in Madang and Port Moresby where he was an active member of a number of social clubs.

John’s life will be celebrated on Thursday 8th January at 12:30pm at Somerville Chapel, Nerang, Queensland.

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” Psalms 23:4

NOTICE INVESTMENT PROMOTION

the committee of the association know as AGAFINTUGU DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION INCORPORATED. 5- 100478

Give notice that I intend to apply for the incorporation of the association under the Associations Incorporation Act: The following are the details of the prescribed qualifications for incorporation as

UPLOADED FOR

Notice has been

by the

of Companies Dated 11/07/2014. The validation code for this Notice is ASSOCIATION –78272117. To check the validity of this Notice enter http://www.ipa.gov.pg/pngassociations/verify /5 - 100478/ASSOCIATION-78272117.html in your browser. Notice generated 11 July 2014 03:46 PM PGT Note: A person may within one month after the publication of this notice, lodge with the registrar an objection to the incorporation of the proposed association in accordance with Section 4 of the Act.

Birthdays! Obituaries! In Memoriams!

If you want to wish good health and happiness to someone dear on his or her birthday or if you're honoring recently lost life, or commemorating a past loss, the Post-Courier Classifieds will publish your wishes and thoughts in full colour.

Please contact:

309 1048 or email athobby@spp.com.pg or 309 1172 or email aarua@spp.com.pg for bookings.

Responsibilities

Screaming to the top of our lungs, wishing you our lil angel happy third birthday! May God bless you on this special day and every day and may you continue to be the wonderful person you are. We love you and thank God that He brought you into my life. Love from Mum & Dad. And all your Fambam; esp Tanabi’s@ Korobosea & Lae, Pabia’s at Kvg, Wau & Doy Island.

St. Peter Chanel Catholic College of Secondary

P. O. Box 121

Phone: 9825227 Mobile: 70509996

Email: stpeterchanelkokopo@gmail.com Website: www.stpeterchanelcollege.com

ACCEPTANCE LIST - ACADEMIC YEAR 2015

1. ENROLMENT/REGISTRATION SCHEDULE

a. Registration for 2015 Academic Year begins on Monday 23rd February and ends on Friday 26th February (one week) for both New Intakes and continuing students. This will only be from 8:00am to 4:00pm.

b. Students on Reserve List will be considered for enrolment if accepted students do not turn up on registration week. This will be from 2nd March to 6th March.

2. ORIENTATION WEEK

The Orientation Week begins on 2nd of March and ends on 6th March (one week). All registered students are expected to be present for the orientation week.

3. CLASSES BEGIN ON 9TH OF MARCH.

The following students have been accepted to do Foundation Year Studies at St. Peter Chanel Catholic College of Secondary Teacher Education in 2015.

Please contact the Catholic Education Secretary (CES) in your province to collect your acceptance letters and other information to prepare you for 2015 academic year.

ACCEPTANCE LIST - ACADEMIC YEAR 2015

All information regarding your accommodation, school fees and travel to the campus in February, 2015 are in your acceptance letters, however if you seek further information, please contact: The Registrar on Phone: 9825227 Mobile: 70509996

Authorised by Mr. John Maidang Chief Executive Officer

DEATH NOTICE

ELIZABETH PAKORE KAI (NEE SARUFA)

13TH JUNE 1947 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2014

Family, friends and former colleagues are advised of the death of the late Elizabeth Pakore Kai (Nee Sarufa) who passed quietly after a long illness on the 31st of December, 2014 at age 67.

Formerly a nursing sister at Angau Memorial Hospital in Lae, Dr Jacobi’s clinic, Paradise Private Clinic and Cheshire Homes, as well as an International air stewardess for Trans Australian Airways (TAA), and a pioneer air stewardess for Air Niugini.

The beloved wife of the late Samuel Ape Kai is survived by her son Simion Kai and grandchildren, Mary Vanessa, Joshua & Daniel Panap. Elizabeth will be grieved by her sisters Serah Sarufa Oruari and Mary Sarufa Paulisbo & their children to whom she was both beloved aunt and guardian, Patrick Paulisbo Jnr & Madeline Paulisbo.

Haus Krai is at Section 295 Allotment 14, Dogodo Street – Gerehu Stage 3. Contact Persons for more information are;

• Serah Sarufa Oruari - 73393096

• Madeline Paulisbo - 73099604- mpaulisbo.nhel@gmail.com

• Patrick Paulisbo - 72258996- patrickpaulisbo@gmail.com

• Mary Vanessa Panap - 73644625

Isoaimo launches boxing association

Tabar backs sports

GAZELLE MP and Minister for Higher Education Malakai Tabar has pledged to give more support to sports in his electorate this year.

This was revealed by First Secretary to the Minister, Michael Kuki during the presentation of trophies to winning teams at a local sports competition on New Year’s Day. Tabar was to have presented the trophies himself, but flew back to Port Moresby to attend to his ministerial duties. He donated trophies to a number of other sporting activities which were held over the festive period. During presentation of trophies to winning teams at Malmaluan Ward, Kuki said Tabar plans to increase his support for sports in the district from this year onwards in order to promote up and coming sportsmen and women

BOXING

BY SOLOMON MEJAURAI

KAIRUKU Hiri MP Peter Isoaimo launched the new Maba Boxing Association at Inauwaisa village in East Mekeo during his first electoral visit for 2015.

The clubs that make up the association are Oni One, Oni Two, Oni Three, Roster One, Roster Two, Roster Country, Inaui, Inauabui, YCT, Anga-

baga and Aipeana from East and West Mekeo.

All clubs have both male and female pugilists. The divisions that they will be competing in are between 51kg and 56kg.

During the launch the local MP said that Mekeo has produced world class fighters including Martin Beni.

“Martin Beni is a hero among young up and coming fighters,” he added.

“A lot of them took part during the PNG Games but didn’t do we’ll,” he said.

“As we now have a new boxing club I’m looking to our fighters showing some improvement as I will put my full support to this boxing association,” Isoaimo said.

He said he is keen to back the sport as most of the unemployed youths from the villagers are keen boxers, but don’t have the support to push

them further.

To back his support Isoaimo donated K5, 000 and made a commitment of K20,000 to the new association.

Maba Boxing club president Mathew Aisa thanked Isoaimo for the commitment and support and pledged to use the funding wisely as they have several activities on their calendar of events for this year as well.

Tournament organisers commended

RUGBY LEAGUE

BY GRACE TIDEN

ORGANISERS of the first Niugini Soft Loan (NSL) Tomadir Rugby 9s Cup Tournament in the Gazelle District of East New Britain have been commended for supporting youths and exposing raw talents. Representative from the ENB Regional Members Office Albert Buanga said this is the way to go. He was speaking during the tournament that was held at the Taulil Primary School

grounds on Saturday. Buanga was present to hand over a K3600 sponsorship from the Deputy Prime Minister and ENB Regional Member Grand Chief Leo Dion to the Tomadir Rugby Nines Cup tournament organisers.

The money will go towards registering six teams under Tomadir to take part in the Agmark 9s competition in Kokopo which starts this weekend. Getting together the teams from Wards within the Toma/Vunadidir LLG

was a daunting task for the organizers. With financial assistance from NSL Managing Director Michaeline Laa, coordinators Lawrencia Pirpir, Reynold Sorari, Wesley Tukar, Hubert Kinakap and Tio Kapia were able to fast track and prepare for the recent cup tournament which brought together youths from wards in the LLG. Invitations were sent out to most wards in the LLG but only six teams were able to participate in the recent tournament. PNG Hunters

The 2008 Summer Olympics was the final

coach Michael Marum was also present to conduct a one-hour coaching clinic before matches were held.

Lions Crews won the cup and K500 in cash after defeating Wairex Piggies who received K400 in cash for their effort.s

The other teams Taulil Mativons, Tagi 3 Ways, Gryn House Tribes and Left Overs also received cash prizes sponsored by NSL.

The teams will now prepare for the Agmark Nines competition in Kokopo.

He said community sports associations provided an avenue for young people to showcase their talents to be selected to represent the district, province and PNG.

He said many prominent sports men and women who were now representing the province and the country in various sports started playing in communities organised sporting activities.

He said Papua New Guinea was now being exposed to the international sporting arena and urged young men and women to expose their talents so that they would be considered for selection.

Kuki said the interest for sports in the district was very high, as shown by the high number of community sports organisations which have been set up. He called on the young men and women to emulate the achievements of past and present sporting icons, many of whom were selected from village competitions.

He singled out several rugby league players from the district who started playing in village competitions and went on to play for the Rabaul Gurias. He said these players have now gone on to play for the PNG Kumuls and the PNG Hunters.

Kuki said apart from showcasing talents, sports is an activity which promotes discipline and enables young men and women to become future leaders in their communities.

JOAN Kele (right) of Inaui village in East Mekeo landing a punch on Philo Eko of Epoepo during the launch of the Maba Boxing Association at Inauwaisa village on Saturday. Picture courtesy of Kairuku Hiri Media Unit.

WAIREX Piggies and champions Lions Crews take a group shot after the grand final. Picture: LAWRENCIA PIRPIR

PNG star Siaka named in PM’s XI

CRICKET

PAPUA NEW GUINEA crick-

eter Lega Siaka has been named in the Australian Prime Minister’s XI for the annual one-day match next week.

Siaka, 22, will become just the fifth overseas player to represent the PM’s XI when he takes the field against England at Canberra’s Manuka Oval on January 14. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Cricket Australia’s national selection panel announced the side yes-

terday. The squad contains past and present Australian international representatives and a number of the country’s rising stars.

Former Australian international Mike Hussey will captain the side, which also includes New South Wales speedster Pat Cummins and Victorian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell.

Siaka’s selection is an exciting opportunity for the emerging talent and highlights the continuing development of cricket in PNG.

A right-handed top-order

batsman and leg-spin bowler, Siaka is rookie-listed at the Melbourne Renegades for this season and is playing for Victorian Premier Cricket club Essendon.

In PNG’s inaugural ODI series against Hong Kong in Townsville in November last year, he scored 109 in the second match of the two-game series. CA National Selection Panel chairman Rod Marsh said Siaka’s selection for the Prime Minister’s XI match was exciting.

“This match is a special fixture on the Australian crick-

eting calendar and a magnificent tradition,” he said.

“We are also excited about 22 year old batsman Lega Siaka, contracted to the Melbourne Renegades in the KFC T20 Big Bash League.

“Lega scored a century for Papua New Guinea in their first ever one-day international series in November when they defeated Hong Kong, and he is a confident young batsman who will excite the fans.

“His selection highlights PNG’s growth as a cricketing nation.” Cricket PNG Gener-

al Manager Greg Campbell, himself a former Australian international, was equally thrilled with Siaka’s selection. “2014 was a big year for PNG cricket,” he said.

“We just missed out on qualification for the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, jumped to 16th in the world rankings and won our first ever ODI series. Lega was a critical part of that success with big runs at the top of the order, he is dynamite in the field and his inclusion in the Prime Minister’s XI is just reward for a fantastic 12 months.”

Batsman raises PNG flag

CRICKET

GLENN Maxwell and Pat Cummins will join captain Michael Hussey in the Prime Minister’s XI to take on England in Canberra on Wednesday next week.

The side will also include Papua New Guinea batsman Lega Siaka, who scored a century in his country’s debut ODI series against Hong Kong in November, and has been signed by the Melbourne Renegades.

Canberra-raised Jason Behrendorff will also have a chance to impress against an international side as he continues his strong season, as will his Western Australia team-mate Cameron Bancroft, who is third on the Sheffield Shield run tally this summer.

Western Australia fast bowler Simon Mackin and Victoria batsman Peter Handscomb have also been named.

The side also features some younger players still on the fringes of the domestic scene, including Western Australia rookie fast bowler David Moody, the nephew of former Test allrounder Tom Moody.

Eighteen-year-old Jake Doran, who first faced England at age 16 on their last tour when he played for a Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI, will keep wicket.

“This match is a special fixture on the Australian cricketing calendar and a magnificent tradition,” Australia’s chairman of selectors Rod Marsh said.

“Mike Hussey will lead the team well and is a great drawcard, as is local boy Jason Behrendorff, who has been in fantastic form this summer across all three formats.

“Fans will also be looking forward to seeing Pat Cummins and Glenn Maxwell in action.

Pat has been in excellent form bowling fast for the Sydney Thunder this summer, while Glenn can electrify the crowd with his daring and aggressive stroke play.

“Eighteen-year-old batsman Jake Doran is in the team, and he will also take the gloves.

I think we all realise what a great talent Jake is, and his selection will provide another opportunity for him to continue his development and we are also excited for him.

Young cricketer makes history in call up

CRICKET

PAPUA NEW GUINEA’S young top order batsman

Lega Siaka has broken new ground in Cricket PNG’s history after being selected in the Australian Prime Minister’s XI Team.

The Prime Minister’s XI Team, which will play the touring England side on Wednesday January 14, at the Manuka Oval in Canberra in a 50 Over encounter.

This was announced yesterday by the Prime Minister of Australia, Tony Abbot.

Siaka is currently playing for Essendon Cricket Club in the Victorian District Cricket Competition as a part of the Brian Bell Scholarship Program and recently received a rookie contract with the Big Bash Franchise, Melbourne Renegades.

The 22-year-old little maestro, has being involved in the Brian Bell Scholarship Program since 2010 and has played in various clubs in Australia and Scotland ever since.

The shy champion batsman said, he was humbled by the

news and said will be looking forward to the challenge.

“I know it is going to be a tough challenge to be involved in a high class team but one thing for sure is that I will be giving my best to perform for my team.

This is also a good opportunity to show the people of Australia that PNG is a strong cricket nation,” said Siaka.

“Cricket PNG is so excited about the opportunity Lega has being presented to showcase his talent on another level,” said Cricket PNG’s

High Performance Manager, Rarua Dikana.

“The little maestro has been turning heads in the international cricket arena with his outstanding performances with the bat over the last 12 months for the PNG Barramundis,” said Dikana.

“These include three centuries against Kenya, Netherlands and Hong Kong (in PNG’s first ever ODI Series). The news is a positive way to commence an exciting year for Cricket PNG,” concluded Dikana. — ABC

LEGA Siaka will turn out for Australia’s Prime Minister’s Xl

LEGA Siaka

Makeshift venues will be used for Pacific Games

PACIFIC GAMES

BY KILA NAO

GAMES Organising Committee chief executive officer

Peter Stewart put the matter to rest for the concerned public.

Stewart said: “I want to assure the public that everything is under control as far as the contractors are concerned and once completed it will be handed over to the GOC at the end of May this year.

“Some of the venues like the Rita Flynn netball courts and the Sir Hubert Murray stadium may not be completed in time for the Games,” he said “However, if the netball

court is not ready on time, then surely there will be makeshift courts that will be erected to accommodate as these venues will be of a big benefit to the sports that will be using them after the games is over,” he added.

In a nutshell, the completion of the 2015 Pacific Games venues and road infrastructure development phase will be completed in time for the biggest event held in Papua New Guinea come July this year. Stewart clarified this yesterday.

Stewart made this undertaken amidst the general perception of doubts whether the construction work was too late for the Games.

“We are 100 percent confident that most of the venues will be ready for PNG to deliver the best ever games in the Pacific region,” he said.

“The National government is using the Games as a catalyst to develop sports in the country and that’s a way forward for many of our sportsman and women to get motivated at using these venues,” he added.

“The most important venues are the Taurama Aquatic centre which will be the home for swimming, indoor volleyball and weightlifting and the synthetic track at the Sir John Guise stadium,” Stewart said. “Apart from the lawn bowls greens and the

beach volleyball facilities, other venues for soccer, rugby, cricket (turf) and softball are all grass fields and it will take only couple of months for the natural grass to grow and will be ready for use,” he said.

The Games village is at its final stages of construction which will accommodate over 3000 athletes and officials, he said.

The road infrastructure is nearing completion and we will be using many of the road routes to ferry thousands of athletes, team officials and visitors alike to ensure there is a free flow of traffic for the duration of the games, he said. “Communications is another important aspect

United wins Punjas-Wawen’s Cup

SOCCER

BY JOSEPH DAWAI

LFA heavy weights City United had no sympathy over Saints in their 4-1 semi finals win in the Punjas-Wawen’s Cup soccer off season tournament in Lae on Sunday.

City United opened their scoring 10 minutes into play through midfielder Eliude Fugre from a penalty after referee Wembi Paul found Saints left midfielder Mesach Kapari handling the ball from a deflection from United right flanker Alex Kamen.

Puara Jnr, Tete start training

RUGBY LEAGUE

THE South Sydney Rabbitohs returned to training yesterday following the Christmas and New Year’s break, with a brace of new faces blending in with familiar ones.

After a hard-fought Four Nations tournament, Kangaroo representatives, Dylan Walker and Alex Johnston returned to Redfern today to train alongside England reps George and Thomas Burgess and Kiwi hooker Issac Luke for the fi rst time since winning the 2014 Premiership. Meanwhile, the new faces came courtesy of the addition of ‘train and trial’ contracted players, Wartovo Puara Jnr and Thompson Teteh – both from the PNG Hunters – as well as Fijian international Daryl Millard – formerly of the Bulldogs, Dragons, Wakefield Trinity and Catalans. Puara, 24, is a hooker who has also represented the PNG Kumuls against the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII, and was part of the Kumuls’ World Cup train on squad in 2013, while Teteh, 25, is a centre who also played with the PNG Hunters Queensland Cup side in 2014, and was also part of the Kumuls’ World Cup train on squad in 2013.

“We’ve had a number of people come in for an opportunity in the form of the two boys from PNG as well as Darryl, and a number of great juniors who are working their way up,” said Rabbitohs Head Coach, Michael Maguire.

of the Games which will provide comprehensive coverage through live telecast, print media and broadcast networks throughout PNG and the Pacific” said Stewart.

Eurest catering company have been contracted to provide thousands of meals per day while the appointment for all the corporate caterers and the transport provider will be made next month.

All the athletes and team officials and others officials will be transported to and from the Games Village to their respective venues while the public transport (PMV) will also be available for the general public.

Fugre made mistake to score the opening goal past goal-keeper Stanley Bogari for the 1-0 lead. Things went from bad to worse soon after when Saints defender Chris Kiak scored an own goal while attempting to clear the ball in front of the goal mouth.

Saints strikers had every opportunity to score goals but their chances were waved away.

Saints pacey Murray Songan threatened at times when he had the ball in possession but was closely marked by Cooper Ipako who didn’t allow him to play his normal game.

Finally at the 19th minute Songan finally managed to hit back to bring them back into contention with the score at 2-1.

The goal give Saints a bit of momentum but a handball to defender Mathew Bokari inside the penalty box proved to be the last straw for them. Fugre made mistake with the penalty to take them to a 3-1 half-time lead. Saints came back strongly in the second half and looked threatening but their lack of communication amongst themselves to complete their breaks let them down.

GOC CEO Peter Stewart (right) speaking with Minister for Sports Justin Tkatchenko at a recent press conference

WARTOVO Puara Jnr

THOMPSON Teteh

Chung’s bid Chung’s

SOCCER

BY JOHN PANGKATANA

KOREAN Football Association president Chung Mong-Gyu will be a special guest during the 23rd Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) elective congress.

The congress will be staged at the Grand Papua Hotel with the election of the president and executive committee member’s on-top

of the agenda tomorrow.

The congress will determine if Papua New Guinea Football Association (PNGFA) president David Chung retains his OFC president’s seat for a second-term. Chung who has taken the PNGFA to new heights since his election in 2004, has opened the door to vast progress since his elevation from OFC senior vice-president in 2007 to the OFC and FIFA vice- OFC

president’s position in 2011. At the OFC level as well, Chung has worked tirelessly to bridge the gap of the smaller member associations to be on par with regional heavies Australia and New Zealand.

Mong-Gyu, who is also the chairman of Hyundai Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Hyundai Corporation in car and heavy industries, has been a regu-

lar guest at OFC Congresses and extraordinary congresses since 2004.

Chung has a close relationship with the Korean mogul, in developing ongoing close ties with Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The tour of the PNG Under 23 team to Jakarta, Indonesia last Indonesia year forged those new ties with more for the beckoning.

Representatives from each of the

11 OFC Member Associations and football’s international governing body FIFA will be present.

The Congress will be followed by a tour by the delegation of the 2015 Pacific Games venues and and facilities in Port Moresby in the in afternoon.

Chung arrives this morning at 5am, while Mong-Ghu later today. Chung is currently serving his his third term as PNGFA president.

OFC and PNGFA president David Chung (left) and Korea FA president Chung Mong Gyu at a meeting last year.