Post Courier, Wednesday February 11, 2015

Floods cause havoc

Highlands provinces bear bear brunt of wild wet season wet season

BY JOHNNY POIYA

HEAVY rain and flooding throughout the country in the past few days have caused total havoc in many communities, notably in the Highlands provinces of Western Highlands and Jiwaka. While there have been

no reports of loss of lives, destruction to properties and livelihood have been obvious and mounting.

The country’s third biggest city, Mt Hagen, bore the brunt of the seasonal deluge as the Kum (Wahgi) river broke its banks and destroyed homes, food gardens, bridges, roads

and livestock.

To add to the people’s woes, the flood waters destroyed the main sewerage tanks, sweeping away raw waste and threatening downstream communities.

CONTINUED PAGE 2

School funding shortfalls a looming problem

ITIS not easy running a secondary school charged with the responsibility of educating hundreds of students around Papua New Guinea.

It is a difficult and challenging task for the schools and their administrations and depending on their location in an urban or rural community, basic administrative chores can become laborious and expensive.

The O’Neill/Dion Government has in the last two-and-ahalf years allocated mammoth funding to the education sector under its Tuition Fee Free Policy. The policy basically subsidises the cost of providing education to each and every child in a local primary school or secondary school in PNG. It is a step in the right direction and came as a relief for hardworking parents upon its implementation.

However, the policy continues to have teething problems in selected parts of the country with Bougainvillean teacher Martin Takali yesterday giving us an insight into the challenges he faces as the principal of the Hutjena High School.

The subsidies that the Government currently distributes nationwide cannot pay for all the bills that the secondary school currently incurs, according to Hutjena High School principal. Consequently, he has appealed to the National Government to revisit the policy with a view to revising how it distributed school fee subsidies throughout the nation. The Hutjena High School cannot buy food for the students as well as pay for stationery, electricity, ancillary staff and other expenses.

“The cost of living is not the same in, say Port Moresby as it is in Vanimo or Telefomin or Bougainville, we have additional freight costs for goods we purchase. It is more expensive to run schools in the provinces,” he said in an interview with this paper.

We concur with Mr Takali in that overall cost varies from province to province, in this case the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB). The cost of educating a student in the AROB will exceed that charged in the National Capital District. In the same vein, it will cost more to educate a child attending a secondary school in the Telefomin area in West Sepik Province compared to one attending classes in Lae, Morobe Province.

The funding shortfall has now forced the Hutjena High School principal to consider alternative sources of funding (including the imposition of the controversial project fees). The school needs it if it is to continue classes for its students otherwise it would have no choice but to shut its doors to the 2015 academic year. The full closure of a school would be chaotic for the affected children and have a ripple effect on education in that particular province. It is a situation that should be avoided at all cost.

We see two solutions to address this funding dilemma and to avoid a school shutdown: the Government intervening and allocating more funding to fill the budget shortfall or parents voluntarily paying project fees to enable the school to continue classes and run its administrative functions. Mr Takali has appealed to the authorities to do the math to appreciate the seriousness of his funding shortfall, we have done ours and agree that there will be funding shortfalls that could impact on the smooth running of classes.

The

Index

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Buai worries expert

BY GRACE SALMANG

BETELNUT chewers must bear in mind that excessive chewing will increase the chances of getting mouth cancer, says University of PNG medical expert Professor Glen Mola, pictured right.

Dr Mola raised this concern in relation to the recent announcement by the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill of the sale of buai and chewing sections to help control littering and the spread of diseases like tuberculosis (TB).

“This is a health concern and chewers must con-

trol the intake of betelnut because there is a greater risk in developing cancer,” he said.

Dr Mola reminded the people that betelnut could be part of the culture in coastal areas but many people had taken the nut out of the cultural context where it was commercialised and even young school-aged children were chewing for pleasure without knowing the negative health effect it would have on them in the future.

Dr Mola, who was part of a panelist made this statement on World Cancer Day last week, said that there was no believable leader-

ship to prevent cancer in PNG.

“If our country is a resource-rich country, why can’t the Government, stakeholders and its partners treat the cancer issue seriously with more funding to cancer treatment facilities nationwide?

“Many cancer patients on the waiting list are dying because there is no proper cancer treatment facility in the country,” he said.

He said education and awareness on prevention is what PNG can do, and those policies made must be implemented.

Dr Rose Andrew of the

Health Department said there is a rise in the number of oral cancer cases and is said to be a killer cancer in the country with an average of two to three patients getting treatment in a week at the Port Moresby General hospital Oral health clinic.

“In the past two decades, the oral cancer rate was not high compared to date because during those times, the older people were vulnerable to mouth cancer, especially in the coastal areas, while today research has shown that ages between 25 to 40 years old are likely to develop oral cancer,” she said.

Floods cause havoc in Highlands region

FROM PAGE 1

HIGHLANDS regional police chief Teddy Tei yesterday appealed to people living along rivers and lowlying areas to move to higher ground.

In neighbouring Jiwaka Province, a section of the Kindeng-Kondopina Road, which was under repair by the Works Department, was swept away by the Tuman River on Monday. The sheer volume of water from the river which had burst its banks removed the stonewall which had been built

to separate river from the highway. Workmen went to the site yesterday and tried enforcing the wall with more stones.

In Western Highlands many food gardens and houses were underwater yesterday morning while several roads and bridges into villages in Kerkamb, Mopri, Ruma Koma and others behind Dobel were affected. Besides the Kum overflow, the smaller Rongon and Kim rivers also contributed to the havoc.

Along the Highlands Highway, the Waghi soared

and reach the bridge near the Panga Coffee factory.

Moge Komunka leader Andrew Ann, whose house in Mopri village was among those destroyed by the rising waters on Monday night, said it was the first big flood in some years.

Workers in the villages were cut off by the flooded waters, he said.

Kerkamb villager Daniel Tengen said his low lying village and food gardens were prone to flood this time of the year when there was heavy rain.

“We’re the first village

after the sewerage and when the flood recedes, you can smell all the foul air all over the area. It’s a major health threat,” Mr Tengen said.

Mr Tengen said the National Disaster and Emergency Services visited their village following a similar flood in 2013 and proposed flood prevention measures but nothing had come of them.

As of yesterday afternoon, Mt Hagen city was still under heavy downpour. The National Weather Office had warned that the wet season will last until May.

“Betelnut chewers must bear in mind that excessive chewing will increase the chances of getting mouth cancer.” - Professor Glen Mola

bottom line

Goilalas in mourning since MP’s death news

BY MAUREEN GERAWA,

A GROUP claiming to be constituents of Goilala MP Daniel Mona living in Port Moresby claim that the politician is dead in the Philippines where he has been receiving medical treatment.

About 30 of them fronted at the Post-Courier head office to demand why the Government and National Parliament had not made an official announcement as the people were already in mourning.

Parliament resumed yesterday afternoon for its first session of the year. Normally, the death of a sitting or a former MP would be the first announcement of business after prayers.

The bottom line

the drum

FIX IT

HALO Alotau town council.

You have a P&O cruise ship calling into port this Sunday. Not sure if that vandalised WWII memorial in a recent Drum will be fixed before Aussie war vets get off the vessel.

CLOSURE

CITY Hall has finally responded to the SOS from tenants at the Pacific MMI Building. They issued orders for the building to be closed until the landlord MRDC fixed the air condition system. Top marks NCDC.

PARKING

AND now that the CBD has come under the radar it’s time City Hall provided an alternative car-park solution. It might also want to partner with the Road Safety Council to crackdown on illegal carpark offenders.

NUISANCE

OVER 17 years ago police rounded up a group of UPNG students at Ela Beach one night. They were warned not to disturb the public and ordered to put on their shorts and return to campus or get arrested!

At a glance

CONSTITUENTS: A GROUP claiming to be constituents of Goilala MP Daniel Mona living in Port Moresby claim that the politician is dead in the Philippines where he has been receiving medical treatment. About 30 of them fronted at the Post-Courier Head office.

If Mr Mona is truly dead, then protocol dictates that the Speaker makes the announcement on the floor of Parliament.

The Goilala group from the MP’s Auga Dilava constituency in Woitape LLG maintained that they found out about their MP’s death on television news last

Wednesday and had been searching fruitlessly for confirmation. They said they were disappointed that the Prime Minister’s Office and the Goilala district administration had not confirmed the news report.

It is understood that Mr Mona had been a patient at Port Moresby General Hospital last year before he sought specialist treatment in the Philippines at the end of last year.

His constituents said despite the absence of an official death announcement they would set up a haus krai at Talai settlement in Badili, Moresby South, where Mr Mona’s colleagues and friends could attend as well and show their respect. They said there

may be another haus krai at Mr Mona’s home at Gerehu, Moresby Northwest.

“We are disappointed and aggrieved that being a national Member of Parliament and member of this Government, his passing on was never publicised by the Department of Prime Minister and office of the Member of Goilala district so that his people can know that their MP, their son and a tribesman has passed on,’’ said uncle Augustine Hala.

“We are very concerned. We are very unhappy.’’

“We’d like the Government to know we are there. We want the Government to know we are grieving. We want to know what funeral program they have so we can work with them.’’

COPS SEE RED

THE lads ended up at Port Moresby’s iconic beach to celebrate the end of the semester exams. Most of them played rugby without their clothes on, infuriating the coppers who were on patrol that night!

RARE TALE

THE rugby players are top shots in the government and private sectors today, professionals in their own right. It was a tale that is rarely told or repeated until one of them visited Port Vila recently.

LAND DEAL

HEARING reports of a deal between Waigani heavies over a state-owned hostel in the NCD’s Gordon area. It appears the land, which the dilapidated hostel is built on, is the parties’ primary target.

IPA WOES ENTER the Government School of Excellence. The PNG Institute of Public Administration, a training ground for kiaps, should now take its place after the court nullified attempts by the former boss to return to the helm.

CPL might need to rejig its Real Rewards scheme. An old chap kicked up a fuss recently when he realised the shop didn’t give him a

PENGEE: thedrum@spp.com.pg

Tomatoes are botanically a fruit, but legally named vegetable in the US following a court case way back in 1893.

“discount” after they scanned his card at a checkout counter. His kids told him he would get goods on discount if he used his card!

PEOPLE of Auga Dilava Constituency of Woitape local level government front up at the Post-Courier expressing their disappointment over Government’s delay in announcing the death of their tribesmen and MP Daniel Mona. Picture: MARK TALIA

Students praised over code of conduct

CONFIDENTIAL assistant to the Philippines Ambassador Biena Tejano has praised an agreement provided for PNG students studying in the Philippines.

Ms Tejano, who is also the daughter of the Philippines Ambassador Bien Tejano, commended the arrangement saying it sets the paradigm to strengthen discipline and respect for the students and both countries.

The memorandum of agreement was proposed specifically for students taking flight training with Aero Equipt Aviation in the Philippines.

This year as the institutes takes in the second batch for the pilot training 12 students comprising of school leavers took their time to sign the agreement as an oath to uphold discipline and good conduct.

Teachers’ leave fares will not be converted into cash

BY DONALD WILLIE

SECRETARY of the Department of Personnel Management, John Kali, during the parliamentary hearing on Teachers’ leave fares discouraged the conversion of fare to cash.

He said that cash payment of leave fares defeats the sole objective of reunification with family as there is no guarantee that this cash would be utilised for this purpose.

Internal Revenue Commissioner Betty Palaso said that leave fare automatically become taxable once the

fares are converted to cash payments.

Many of such cases have happened in the provinces and there have been reports that 10 percent of the fares are usually deducted by the

Provincial treasuries while only up to 50 pecent is paid in cash to the teachers.

Ms Palaso said that she was not aware of this situation and questioned this practice of the provincial

treasury offices deducting certain percentages or whether this money was forwarded to IRC as tax.

“Grant in exemption of tax to leave fares so long as they are used for the purpose of which they are given.

“If the fares are given by way of ticket were they can not transfare or earn cash and that they must take the leave then that will be exempted from the salary or wages tax.”

Mr Kali noted that pressure coming from staff to be paid in cash because many of them are prepared to pay tax and enable them

to utilise the cash for other purposes. “But this would then be unfair to other staff (local teachers) who have no entitlement to leave fare and therefore, no access to cash,” Mr Kali said. He proposed tho the Special Parliamentary Committee to ‘outsource’ the leave fare end of the process to the travel agents.

He discouraged the committee’s suggestion to pay the leave fares into the salaries throughout the course of the year by including it in the fortnightly salaries as it had no guarantee for it to be used for that purpose.

The agreement basically points to transparency, proper conduct, trust between the school, students and their parents or sponsors plus performing excellence in their study and training.

“The MOA is a significant understanding which you can do to set yourselves in the right path. It is unique because it gives assurance to your parents and sponsors and even the country that you are taken care of.

“You are also expected to do your best. With this agreement you must uphold and return a skilled and disciplined pilot; earn respect and trust to be the best pilot you can be,” she said.

PNG agent and international flight instructor Capt Bruce Paki also encouraged the students to uphold the code of conduct.

He said such guidelines can help bring success if one maintains or live by it.

In a humble farewell dinner on Sunday, parents and sponsors plus the media witnessed the signing.

The group is the second batch of students to be

PARLIAMENT HEARING: Secretary of Department of Personnel Management, John Kali, during the parliamentary hearing on Teachers’ leave fares discouraged the conversion of fare to cash. Mr Kali: Cash payment of leave fares defeats the sole objective of reunification with family as there is no guarantee this cash will be utilised wisely.

EASTERN Highlands provincial education chief Robert Kakao (right) mingling with Teaching Service Commission representative Samson Wangihome outside the provincial Yanepa House in Goroka during a protest march by teachers, students and parents last Wednesday.

Kuman: No need to charge extra fees

BY JACOB POK

EDUCATION Minister Nick Kuman has reaffirmed his stand that all schools should not charge project fees on individual students while the Government has assisted schools in meeting school fees of every school children.

“There is no reason for any schools in the country that the government subsidies school fees to charge any form of fees.

“This must be clear by now and all headmasters, principals and board of councils of schools should take note of this directive,” Mr Kuman said while responding to Lae MP Loujaya Kouza during Question Time yesterday.

Mr Kuman said the Government had so far outlaid more than K3 billion in school fees in all institutions starting from elementary to secondary schools including vocational and technical colleges.

“If you look at the GDP since the introduction of the Government’s tuition fee-free education policy, school fees alone account to about 22 per cent of GDP.

“So there is a lot of investment from the O’Neill Government going to the

Highlands teachers aggrieved by postings

BY PEARSON KOLO

POSTINGS and appointments of teachers in two provinces in the Highlands region are in chaos with many schools not starting classes yet.

This posting and appointments debacle has affected classes in schools in the Jiwaka and Hela provinces with many teachers not taking up their postings, claiming their postings were done against their will.

The Papua New Guinea Teachers Association Highlands regional office said the chaotic situation was created because there are no legal PNGTA representatives in the Provincial Education Board of these two provinces to represent the teachers during their postings and appointments.

school systems.

“This is all about giving accessibility to all our children and it is for the education institutions to ensure that every government policy that comes after that must be adhered to regardless of the education systems being decentralised to the provinces,” Mr Kuman said.

He said that the Education Department sets the school fees and the Government had taken the responsibility by paying school fees for all school children starting from elementary to secondary schools and some technical institutions.

“Therefore, there should not be any other form of fees to be collected by every institution where the government pays the school fees,” Mr Kuman added.

BIRD’S EYE VIEW

PNG man wins Japanese young entrepreneur award

BY MAUREEN GERAWA

A YOUNG Papua New Guinean man stood among six people from 16 countries in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday to receive a rare award.

The bottom line

Moses Kima, 29, originally from Hogave village in Lufa district, Eastern Highlands Province, would have made his village proud if he received it in the country.

The Takeda Young

Entrepreneur Award, given by a Japanese Takeda Foundation, recognised his achievements of setting up a hydro-electricity project in his village and an information technology company.

Kima graduated from the University of Technology in Lae with a degree in electrical communication engineering and information technology in 2010. Following that he worked for only seven weeks

with Oil Min Limited in Mt Hagen before heading back to his village where he set up a hydro-power project. The project now provides water and electricity to the village of 1000 people.

The PNGTA Highlands regional secretary John Melson, after receivin g reports from teachers in the two provinces on their situations, said the provincial education boards of the two provinces are not working with the PNGTA to allow proper procedures during posting of teachers.

“Jiwaka and Hela are two new provinces and they should be working closely with PNGTA or Western Highlands and Southern Highlands provinces’ education executives,” Mr Melson said.

“My office has received confirmed reports that many teachers in these two provinces are not taking up their postings and have not attended classes yet because they are not happy with the way they were appointed and posted.

“Many teachers were taken away without consultation from schools which they have been teaching for years and that is why they have refused to move.”

Mr Melson also claimed that the provincial education boards in the two provinces are not operating legally as there were no PNGTA representatives in them.

He called on the PEB of Hela and Jiwaka provinces to properly deal with their posting and appointments.

A VIEW of downtown Port Moresby central business district from the Grand Papua Hotel. This area is always abuzz with people either doing business or just passing time.

The ‘Takeda Young Entrepreneurship Award’ is to help cultivate entrepreneurship.

There should not be any form of fees to be collected by every institution where the govt pays the school fees ...

MINISTER NICK KUMAN Port Moresby

Government benches remain solid with O’Neill

BY ISAAC NICHOLAS

THE Parliament public gallery was filled to capacity yesterday afternoon but the anticipated move by the Opposition to challenge Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s leadership did not eventuate despite all the media hype.

The Government benches remained solid with more than 70 Members while the Opposition benches were half empty with about six Members sitting behind Opposition Leader Don Polye.

The Government also claimed a slight victory

Parkop’s party reaffirms support for PM

THE Social Democratic Party has announced yesterday to stand strong on its commitment to support Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and his PNC party in the no-confidence vote.

The national president of Social Democratic Party, Wesley Sanarup told the Post-Courier yesterday that the commitment of supporting Mr O’Neill was made during a national convention held last year in Morobe Province.

“The Social Democratic Party has assured to support the current coalition Government until 2017,” Mr Sanarup said.

He said the Social Democratic party has very good reasons to support the Prime Minister for it does not want to lose or ruin the preparation of its major programs such as the South Pacific games, APEC meetings and several other major projects, as the Government for today has been pushing the plans to their successes actively.

“It is our greatest fear to ruin the major programs that have been rolled out in NCD. Therefore, we want to make known to Prime Minister Peter O’Neill that we are at his back and will continue to support him and his party until 2017.

“We are doing this for the benefit of our people and the entire country because the South Pacific games and APEC meeting will bring greater pride and reputation to Papua New Guinea,” he said.

Mr Sanarup said the Social Democratic party members include the Minister for Sports and MP for Moresby South, Justin Tkatchenko and the NCD Governor, Powes Parkop.

The bottom line

revealing that it would announce the defection of a senior Opposition MP to the government ranks.

Leader of Government Business James Marape, who is Finance Minister, will make that announcement today.

East Sepik Governor Sir Michael Somare who had threatened to move to the Opposition did not do so yesterday. The only announcement was the sacking of Northern (Oro) Governor Garry Juffa from the Government. He had been told to find a place in the Opposition ranks following his barrage of criticisms and commentaries against government policies.

Parliament started at 2pm with the normal prayer and Question Time and ending with a Ministerial statement from Agriculture and Livestock Minister Tommy Tom-

scoll on the Government’s rice policy. Prime Minister Peter O’Neill was in his government caucus surrounded by more than 70 Members, including key coalition party leaders National Alliance’s Patrick Pruaitch, United Resource Party leader William Duma and People’s Progress Party leader Ben Micah.

The Opposition Leader despite his claims of having mustered 21 Members to submit a notice of the vote of no-confidence was surrounded by only a handful of THE Party members and his deputy, Pangu Party leader Sam

Minister explains resignation of pilots

BY GORETHY KENNETH

Basil. The Vanimo-Green MP Belden Namah was not in the chambers.

Mr O’Neill had welcomed the appointment of Mr Polye as the Opposition Leader during one of his interjections during Question Time.

“I know that the Leader of the Opposition is very eager in his new role and we welcome him but let us talk about facts and not mislead our people.”

The light showers after Parliament session further dampened the hopes of the public who had to walk out to find their way back home.

ONLY five national pilots at Air Niugini out of the total 40 have tendered their resignation to the airline management and board, Public Enterprises and State Investment Minister Ben Micah told Parliament yesterday.

Mr Micah also defended Air Niugini’s air safety record, saying there had been no major incidents in the past 40 years to place it among the best in the world.

He also said the Government’s initiative of a 100 per cent Air Niugini subsidiary, Link PNG, was ready to serve districts and remote Island and rural routes as soon as all formalities were in order.

He was responding to Chuave MP Wera Mori during Question Time on whether the resignation of 40 pilots would compromise the safety of passengers and if the partial privatisation of Air Niugini would affect the airline’s operations.

Mr Micah said that expatriate pilots, especially those based outside PNG, were quitting because under airline’s new rules of engagement that they clock in when they start flying and get paid, including the actual productivity of work from the point, when they are at work.

“Link PNG is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Air Niugini approved by Cabinet so we can get or acquire fleet of twin otters so that we can go beyond major centres where Air Niugini or Airlines cannot service,” he said.

Oil price fall beneficial

FINANE Minister James Marape wants the benefits of low fuel prices to be passed to consumers.

The global price of crude oil has dropped below $US50, raising concerns in some quarters about revenue for the National Budget.

“The Government has strategies to mitigate these price falls, including strict expenditure controls to ensure our budget remains on track.

“On the flip side, the good news is we are seeing the price of fuel coming down. This benefit must be passed to consumers.

Govt coaltion sacks Oro Governor

BY ISAAC NICHOLAS

NORTHERN Governor Gary Juffa has been sacked from government and asked to move to the Opposition Leader of Government Business and Finance Minister James Marape has written to Mr Juffa on the government decision for his removal.

Mr Marape also indicated

that a senior Opposition member will also be joining government ranks this week, a move that will cast further doubt on Opposition Leader Don Polye’s numerical claims.

Mr Marape has also advised Speaker Theo Zurenuoc and Sergeant at Arms of the change.

He said the governing Peo-

The world famous leaders are those who do odd things.

ples National Congress meeting totalling 58 members through party resolution unanimously agreed to move Governor Juffa to the opposition.

“I am sure your new location would allow you to continue in your debate on national issues the way you have been going on for some time.” Minister Marape wrote

in his letter.

The PNC Party held their meeting in Port Moresby on Monday night ahead of the Parliament session yesterday to consolidate its numbers and outline the government business for this session.

The threat by the Opposition Leader Don Polye to give notice for a vote of no-confidence was also discussed.

“Vehicle owners should be making a savings at the fuel pump. PMV owners should make savings as well. Where you (PMV owners) can, pass the benefit on to users.”

Mr Marape said he was pleased to note that Air Niugini has announced a reduction in air fares for both domestic and international routes, by reducing fuel surcharges.

“We should see a general reduction in the price of goods and services which factors in fuel costs.”

The leader of the Opposition is very eager in his new role.

PETER O’NEILL Port Moresby

ORO Governor Gary Juffa confers with East Sepik Governor Sir Michael Somare and former attorney general Kerenga Kua in Parliament yesterday, where he was sacked from the government.

Somare dares Micah

BY GORETHY KENNETH

FOUNDING prime minister

Sir Michael Somare has challenged Public Enterprises and State Investment Minister Ben Micah to table in Parliament full and comprehensive reports, audit and the financial positions of all State-owned enterprises.

Sir Michael, the East Sepik Governor, made the call in the wake of Air Niugini pilots walking off their jobs in protest over a 20 per cent salary cut.

He said Air Niugini was facing “very serious problems” and the pay cut was a slap in the face of professional people of the airline.

Sir Michael said rather than keeping quiet, the Government must inform the people about the financial status of Air Niugini and other SOEs, including Telikom PNG, PNG Power Limited and Post PNG.

“I made a promise in the 2002 elections that all professional Papua New Guineans in any positions must be earning the same salary as their expatriate colleagues,” Sir Michael said yesterday.

“The very first people to benefit from this promise were our national pilots

PNG will soon grow own rice

BY GORETHY KENNETH

PAPUA New Guinea is starting the process of growing its own rice commercially to feed its people, Agriculture Minister Tommy Tomscoll said yesterday.

At a glance

PROTEST: Air Niugini pilots walked off their jobs in protest over a 20 per cent salary cut.

CHALLENGE: Sir Michael Somare challenges Public Enterprises and State Investment Minister Ben Micah to table a full and comprehensive report of all State-owned enterprises (SOEs).

ISSUE: Sir Michael says Air Niugini is facing serious problems and the pay cut was a slap in the face.

getting the same salary as expatriate pilots and are paid like any other pilots of major airlines in the world,” he said.

Sir Michael said it has now come to a stage where all State-owned enterprises were facing the same problems they were facing under the government led by Sir Mekere Morauta. He added that Mr Micah was the public enterprises minister at that time.

Minister Ben Micah on Monday had assured the public to not worry.

He said he had been briefed by Air Niugini that the situation was part of its restructure.

Firm will supply extra power

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill has advised parliament that ExxonMobil will provide additional 75 megawatts of power to the nation’s capital.

He also told the House that the Government has signed a memorandum of understanding with ExxonMobil to supply adequate power during the Pacific Games.

“The Government has entered into a MoU with ExxonMobil, details of this is that ExxonMobil and the

Maipakai: Kavo abused K1.1m after conviction

KIKORI MP Mark Maipakai confirmed yesterday he has received reports from landowners that convicted leader Havila Kavo had abused a K1.1 million dividend funds from the Gulf Economic Development Authority.

Mr Maipakai said yesterday the funds were not supposed to be used, especially by Kavo because at the time of the transactions he was already convicted and released on bail

He told the Post-Courier yesterday that authorities and police have been alerted and

a report presented to them. And like the landowners, he too wants an explanation why Kavo is still allowed to carry out transactions while under conviction.

Mr Maipakai singled out that there are about six more trust accounts that Kavo had access to and authorities should be swift to stop him carrying out financial duties to that effect.

He has called on Kavo to explain and authorities to exert pressure on him to vacate the seat immediately so that no more funds could be used.

project will deliver close to 75 megawatts of power to the city of Port Moresby and further 40 megawatt to Hela Province.”

He was responding to questions from Western Province Governor Ato Wobiro and Deputy Opposition Leader Sam Basil.

Mr O’Neill said under the umbrella benefit sharing agreement, the domestic market obligation was not included in that agreement and as a result the project

But Kavo yesterday denied he misapplied and misappropriated such an amount and that he was not guilty of this offence.

An angry Kavo told the PostCourier that it was the members of the authority that used those funds under his authority as the chairman of the Gulf Economic Development Authority and that there was nothing wrong in those transactions.

The payments of that K1.1 million include advertisements in the two daily newspapers where Kavo defended his position as Governor for Gulf.

Dialogue vital in service delivery

LACK of dialogue between villagers and relevant government personnel on areas relating to government services often leads to misunderstanding and frustration, an NGO personnel says.

Social Impact managing director Meredith Tutumang revealed this at an interview with the Post-Courier yes-

terday. “There has been lack of attempts by individuals to explain to villagers what requirements, processes which personnel are responsible to go through in order to gain government services,” she said.

While making reference to the recent provincial government funding for Finschhafen roads, she said communication

between villagers and government representatives will minimise confusion and frustration. She cited the recent case of a measles outbreak in the Burum-Kuat LLG and she the provincial government’s efforts to emphasise how and why various government services are being provided to one particular area would ease confusion.

itself is exporting all the gas from this LNG project to customers overseas. He said as a result PNG does not have any gas available for domestic consumption.

“We know very well that PNG Power is running out of capacity to produce stable and consistent power supply to many residents and many parts of the country. We need to encourage the LNG project to provide the country with access gas that can provide power.”

Mr Tomscoll presented his ministerial statement on the PNG national rice policy 2015-2030 which he said the Government is seriously pursuing.

He said the policy sets clear the parameters for encouraging private sector investment but also wealth creation, poverty reduction and economic fulfilment.

“Rice is a staple food for PNG, so any policy decision and action by any government today or in the future must consider the political, social and economic impact rice will have on the livelihood of our people and the likely reaction of the people,” Mr Tomscoll said.

“Rice is a staple food for PNG but not grown commercially so any decision and action by foreign governments and foreign markets will affect the economy of PNG.

“Until now, the rice industry in PNG has not been regulated, allowing markets to play a greater role in resource allocation,” he said

“Under the new rice policy, PNG will shift away from heavy dependency on imported rice and begin a transformation towards growing rice commercially for domestic consumption.”

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill and Western Highlands Governor Paias Wingti enter the chamber for the Parliament session yesterday. Picture: MARK TALIA

MP, bureaucrat in court for misuse

BY SAMUEL RAITANO

WESTERN Province

Governor Ati Wobiro and acting administrator

Modowa Gumoi appeared at the Waigani District Court yesterday on charges relating to the alleged misappropriation of the provincial support improvement program funds (PSIP) totalling more than K7 million.

Both men have 12 charges each against them. The two made their first appearance when their charges were read to them by Magistrate Mekeo Gauli.

They have each been charged with four counts of conspiring to defraud, four counts of misappropriation and four counts of abuse of office.

The alleged crimes happened on November and December 2013.

Another co-accused, Norman Carl May, has been charged for the same offences and has his matter before the court as well.

According to court documents, the PSIP funds for 2013 were transferred bit by bit to an organisation called Fly Care Foundation, which is purportedly run by Mr May.

Investigations had found that the agreement to

At a glance

CHARGED: Western Province Governor Ati Wobiro and Acting Administrator Modowa Gumoi.

CHARGES: The alleged misappropriation of the provincial support improvement program funds totalling more than K7m.

FUNDS: Funds were transferred bit by bit to Fly Care Foundation, who functions in service delivery to the people of Western Province is not known or recognised.

engage Fly Care Foundation as a contractor by the Provincial Government was illegal as it was done without the authority and knowledge of other members of the Provincial Administration.

It was alleged that Mr Wobiro and Mr Gumoi were the ones who held talks with Mr May and had the money siphoned bit by bit to the Fly Care Foundation, which is a nonprofit organisation who functions in delivering service to the people of Western Province is not known or recognised.

The two will return to court on March 10 for further mention.

THE WHEEL OF JUSTICE

Man to stand trial for wilful murder

BY SAMUEL RAITANO

THE Committal Court at Waigani has sent a man to stand trial in the National Court for willful murder.

Andrew Tale from Hela Province was told that there was sufficient evidence to send him to the higher court. This follows an incident on October 2014.

Tale had allegedly stabbed another man, Robin Andrew, at Gerehu in Port Moresby. Magistrate Mekeo Gauli handed down the ruling after finding that the evidences and witness statements were clear.

Tale, when asked to give his final statement, admitted to the offence. However, he said he had not intended to kill, but had wanted to payback for a knife wound inflicted on him by the deceased but the blade had gone too far. Meanwhile, another man was also sentenced to stand trial at the National Court for armed robbery.

Farapo Maso from Gulf Province was alleged to have robbed two ANZ employees at the ANZ ATM lobby at Boroko on April 8, 2009.

Lawyer files complaint

BY SAMUEL RAITANO

THE lawyer who got assaulted at the Waigani Court House area on Monday by a group of people, has filed his complaint with the police.

McRonald Nale said the matter has been reported to police and the complaint is registered.

He added that he would not be intimidated or threatened by such actions to back down in representing his client in court and to deliver his service as a lawyer.

“We lawyers take an oath to act without fear or favour,” Mr Nale said. Meanwhile, MP for Sinasina Yongomugl and former Attorney General Kerenga Kua has strongly condemned the action.

“Mr Nale is a respected lawyer with a lot of integrity. Court users and members of the public need to understand that lawyers are merely facilitators of dispute resolution,” Mr Kua said.

At a glance

MEANWHILE: A source from the courthouse said the court registry has indicated to lay contempt charges as well against the perpetrators.

ATTACK: The assaulted lawyer has filed his complaint with the police.

LAWYER: McRonald Nale.

He said the action must be viewed seriously, and called for the police to look into the matter immediately. Mr Kua said lawyers are an integral part to the judicial system as officers of the court, and taking the law into one’s own hands after having submitted to the jurisdiction of the court is not an option available to anyone.

Meanwhile, a source from the courthouse said the court registry has indicated to lay contempt charges as well against the perpetrators.

Group sets sights on incest

BY ABRAHAM AVEDIBA

INCEST or act of having sexual relations with an immediate family member is a major social issue in communities throughout the country and abroad.

The Lae Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (LCCI) peer education team pointed this out during the last day of its three-day workshop yesterday. Peer educators executive Nelly McLay said it was important for chil-

dren to know their rights and report any family member who physically or sexual abuse them.

“Parents must know that when cases of incest or physical abuse occur, the welfare of the child is important as priority, rather than being fearful of breaking family ties and ignoring the issue,” she said.

Participants at the workshop were told that children were vulnerable to sexual perpetrators, especially close relatives, as they often regarded them as superior.

TWO policewomen share one umbrella as they take part in the opening of the legal year in Morobe Province this week. The ocassion was greeted by rain, just as it was in Port Moresby a week earlier.

YOUNG boys from Arawa enjoying a swim at the ramp of Loloho Games Fishing Club. This is where fishing boats bring in their catches to be weighed. Before the crisis, boats were anchored off here while members of the club, mostly expatriates working for BCL at the Panguna mine, have a few cold beers at their club house. The boys were having a time out over the weekend with their families. Picture: JACOB IENU

Malaysians help 19 charity organisations

THE PNG Malaysian Association has been annually assisting 19 selected charity organisations that have the compassion to care and give opportunities to needy communities in PNG.

Seeing the needs of those unfortunate people, especially youths and children, the association is working closely with charity organisations to give the unfortunate a change in life through education, health and others deprived areas in life.

Ever since the initiation of the PNG Malaysian Association in 2000, it has assisted 19 selected charity organisations by donating cash and other items to an estimated value of K5.6 million annually.

During the presentation of two cheques for K30,000 each to the

HIV/AIDS hits all corners of Morobe Province

BY HAIVETA KIVIA

A POWER point presentation by the Morobe provincial AIDS committee has revealed that HIV/ AIDS is now in the nine districts of the province.

The presentation, made by MPAC’s methods and evaluation officer Nige Birua, showed that the far-flung island of Siassi in the Tewae-Siassi district, the mountains and plains of Menyamya, Bulolo, Nawaeb, Finschhafen, Huon, Kabwum and Markham besides Lae have infected persons living among the communities.

The presentation revealed that at Siassi, a young mother presented herself at an ante natal clinic at one of the island’s two health centres and was found to be infected with the killer virus.

Menyamya district’s figures were not presented but health workers feared for the district because of its booming coffee industry.

Menyamya MP Benjamin Philip told the Post-Courier that he

At a glance

FINDINGS: A power point presentation by Morobe Provincial Aids Committee has revealed that HIV/AIDS is now in the nine districts of Morobe Province.

wanted an improvement in his health services in the district but he does not have a proactive workforce.

“My district health administrator has sleeping on the job and I have given up on the Morobe Provincial Administration asking for a replacement,” Mr Philip said.

He was very disappointed that his district was not present in the Morobe Province Data Concession Workshop.

The presentation indicated that Lae District, which is a metropolis, as the high burden district but the numbers in districts such as Bulolo, Huon, Markham and

Nawaeb were increasing at a rapid rate.

Lae’s response to the HIV/AIDS and other related programs have been very keen and diligent but the ratio of one health worker to 1000 plus patient is killing its health work force.

Lae District’s disease control coordinator Siling Awasa said all districts needed to respond to health like Lae District did when Bart Philemon was the member for Lae.

“Our public relations and advocacy was key to us setting up our programs with the funding from the district’s district services improvement program funds,” Sr Awasa said.

Sr Awasa said she feared for her district because there are signs and symptoms that it will be hit hard with the disease in the coming years unless the district lift its act. Provincial response coordinator for MPAC Joan Genoka said the overall clinical response has been good but the program needs political support.

Cannosian Sisters Charity and the Ginigoada Foundation last Friday, the executive director of Rimbunan Hijau (PNG) Group of companies and a committee to the PNGMA, Ivan Lu said the association comprises of Malaysian investors and expatriates who have ambitions to give back to the country through assisting selected charity organisations annually.

Mr Lu said there had been an increase in the total annual donations each year since 2000, and last year’s total amount of money donated was K950,300 and that was a huge achievement for the PNGMA.

He said with the sum raised last year, the association has believed that this year’s fundraising would reach more than K1 million.

Family of authors on the move

BY LAMECH JINIMBO

PAPUA New Guineans can now follow in the footsteps of the Yareki family, PNG’s first family of authors.

The family has introduced their first nine books at their first media conference themed “Write for the Children” at the PNG Bible Translation Association centre (PNGBTA) at Waigani yesterday.

Eddy 12, Helen 16, mother Morivei and father John are getting ready to launch their first nine books on March 12, 2015.

Eddy is the youngest author in the family, who is specialised in writing true stories for children aged 8-13. Helen, who started writing her poems at the age of five,

aims to write and encourage other teenage girls gain confidence in writing, Mother Morivei also wrote her book titled “ Leopard Stingray of Miaru” in five languages – English, Tok Pisin, Dobu, and Enga for elementary children ages 6-9 and father John , a former grade one teacher, published his 200-page book titled “The Gift of Tears”.

The young family of authors who own Esaesa PNG Ltd, a publishing company, have a special gift for families with children as young as six years old.

The family is now using their writing gift to work with mothers and fathers in homes and is helping other children become first time authors. They said they are getting help for the launching.

NO TO DEATH PENALTY

It will be a sad day for Papua New Guinea, should the Government through the Department of Justice go ahead with it's implementation of death penalty.

I am of the opinion that there is no degree of crime that would justify the death penalty. A person's life is from God and this sacredness, dignity and right to life should be respected and preserved.

The death penalty will add to the devaluing of human life as we continue to see and experience v iolence and avoidable deaths in society as a norm. PNG is experiencing more preventable deaths in motor vehicle accidents, domestic v iolences, tribal killings, abortions, lifestyle and preventable deceases, brutality by disciplinary forces, and to name a few. This country is already plagued by deaths that can be avoided should the Government and the people be committed to protecting the sacredness of a human life. This last thing Papua New Guinea wants is an other execution in the name of justice. Death penalty will not serve justice and therefore must not be implemented in Papua New Guinea. The judiciary must seek other penalties.

Pastor William Poiya

Data loss varies with phones

PAY SILVER, BRONZE

THE “Bonuses” of K20,000 for individuals who win gold and also for the team sports that win gold is a good initiative to help our athletes aim high in their sport. However, I want to know if the other athletes, those who do not win gold, but win silver and bronze. Are they going to receive some monetary prizes. It would only be fair if they were awarded apart from getting their medals. This is because every athlete is competing for the country and pride so the silver and bronze medalist must take home something for their efforts.

Gerehu I AM looking for Mr Greg Nigel Philemon of Alotau (Woodlark Island) who resides somewhere in Port Moresby. If anyone knows him or knows his where about, please call me on mobile phone: 739 21 259 or 714 83 395

Kwekweina Maiwori

Your opinions

WE would like to respond to the letter that appeared in the Yu Tok segment yesterday titled “Please Explain Cost”. Digicel appreciates customer feedback as we continue to aim to provide the best standards in telecommunications services. We invite Goremaita or anyone with similar queries to contact us directly on: pngcare@ digicelgroup.com so that we can look directly at the issues faced. Data loss from mobile phones can vary between the type of phone you own, its operating system and the types of applications used most frequently etc. There are a number of factors that can cause data loss, here's some data saving tips:

1. Beware of “free” apps Free

apps are increasing in popularity, but they can often use up more data than the premium (paid) version as they may have more ads which end up using your data/ credit.

2. Turn off “push notifications” Each notification you receive uses megabytes; such as emails, social media and GPS apps. To turn them off: Go to Settings > In the “device” section, tap “Apps” > Uncheck the box for each app that says “Show Notifications”.

3. Manually close certain apps Pressing the back button when exiting out of apps instead of the home button will close down your apps. But certain apps such as GPS, video and audio streaming

(YouTube) tend to use up a lot of data if not closed properly. To close them: Go to Settings > Application > Manage Applications > Running, then open the app you wish to close and force close.

4. Track your data usage Monitor your data usage. To see how much data you have used: Go to Settings > Wireless and Networks > Data Usage. You can also select “Set Mobile Data Limit” to be sure you don’t exceed your bundle limit. There are also applications such as ‘Task Killer’ on Android that can be downloaded to simplify closing applications. We thank you,

Digicel PNG

D. Mole, Waigani

WRITE TO US Text us on 208

Plan policies for 2017 polls

Letter of the day

FOR a change, I would like to suggest a method for the 2017 general election.

Intending candidates who want to stand for regional or open seats must start developing their own five-year rural/urban development policies addressing all issues and how best they are going to deliver services. This is regardless of which political party he/she is affiliated to.

Their policies, I suggest, should include how best they can use DSG, PSIP, DSIP, LLGSIP, and other PIP development funds to cater for priority sector areas. Look at the worst performing indicators in each of the sector areas, in the likes of expenditure priority areas, cross-cutting areas, major reform agendas, or Millennium Development Goals/Sustainable Development Goals.

The priority development issue that can touch rural/urban districts population should start with identifying the worst indicator and start coming up with activi-

ties/projects that can effectively address that indicator. Such indicators, for example, the percentage of households with access to electricity, safe water and sanitation, health and education services, by geographic sector and by census unit (CU), etc, are good to start with. Identify issues: baselines and bottlenecks. Form policies to solve them one at a time.

As an educated society, let’s not become observers and partakers of the same old habits. Instead of progressing, we are static or going backwards.

As an educated person you can’t just vote for someone who offers you cash, following family ties/ clans, school friends, business partners, wantoks, through corrupt means (free handouts). This strategy is not good for our democracy because in the long run it will impact negatively on development if a wrong person is voted in.

As intellects, assess the candidates by their policies and not their sweet talk and money.

This is the 21st century, civilisation and technologies are changing

Text us on 208

SCHOOL WOES

DO US PROUD, TATO

every day. Come 2017, intending candidates must market their policies at organised public forums or rallies. This will change mindsets eventually from the old ways to elect the right candidate with the best policy for the right job.

Do not make the same mistake. Because after 2017, I guess, you don’t want to complain for another five years for someone you have elected who is now under performing or is ineffective and cannot deliver.

To get the best person for the top job for the next five years rests solely on you – the educated ones to make the change.

Nowadays it’s becoming sickening, tiring, and suicidal complaining about development issues and corruption that harm our country at all levels of government.

Unless this one is taken heed of, the trend will continue beyond 2017.

What a circus buai ban is creating!

IT’S amazing to see what a circus the betelnut ban and it’s enforcement has become in NCD.

More so is the implementation of a regulated system through a contractor.

NCDC announced three phases of the ban:

1. Close down all betelnut trading at all locations;

2. Create temporary medium sized markets in approved locations, like Lareva market at Hohola; and

3. Shut down the medium sized markets and create a regulated system with licenced vendors being supplied by the NCDC’s appointed

10 years ago

contractor. It has been six months since NCDC engaged the contractor Askopina Limited in July 2014, yet no regulated system has been rolled out.

One can only assume this is because of the inability of the NCDC to stop the smuggling through the Laloki check point and the dinghies bringing in the buai by sea.

How could a contractor compete with the black market? How could a licensing system work when buai is available everywhere?

Now Governor Parkop is reverting to building another buai mar-

ket in the city at Koki? Didn’t we have bloodshed from the likes of Lareva market as well?

Why go back to phase 2 when you haven’t put any effort into phase 3?

Black markets would not exist if smuggling is stopped. Police would not have to destroy illegal buai markets and have confrontations with the public if the buai smuggling is stopped.

This is a wrong move and another waste of tax payers’ money.

Losing faith fast NCD

The UPNG Business School is not delivering because most lecturers are not taking their classes. They are engaged in consultancy work outside, neglecting their paid jobs.

It is also sad to note the unfriendly environment at the front admin desk of the school, not to mention the unprofessional handling of students’ grades, which has resulted in some strategic management students pulling out to take up other courses or skipping studies altogether. University professors should take ownership of the program and make it viable.

For PNG to move forward, we need good thinkers.

Orocash patriot

GOOD ONE PM

My father always told me to “think before you speak” and to stand up for what is right, the truth and what you believe in. I believe this defines a man and his character. Our learned Prime Minister has made an officially prepared and presumably well thought-out statement in public regarding West Papua. It has now gone viral internationally and made headlines.

As the head of the country, the PM speaks for the nation and we expect him and his minders to think before speaking. Having said that, we expect someone to stand up for what’s been said.

Doing backflips and trying to change what appeared to be a genuine, heartfelt and honest stand simply makes the South Pacific’s big brother appear indecisive, double minded and non-genuine. There’s nothing wrong with PNG taking a stand for what we believe in. It goes a long way in defining our character to the rest of the world. God Bless PNG.

Havini

Schools in NCD are turning away students because of the delay in education subsidies. February 3, 2005

Working for pride is not everyone’s ambition. Being a teacher myself, reading a letter to the editor by a former student of Steven Bapi (PC 9.02.15) makes me proud of my former student, Solomon Tato, who is now the administrator of EHP. Teaching is a noble profession, where a teacher strives for someone’s benefit and it is true to this day. Congratulations Solomon, prove to the Governor of EHP that Eastern Highlanders, particularly Okapians, can manage their own province like anybody else. I have trust in your capabilities, go forth and be a servant by example and revive all sectors of Eastern Highlands, starting with education services. If you need to sack people, do it at all cost to get the province back to its former glory.

Peter Akori – Kavieng

PLEASE BE FAIR

I support Goremaita (PC 10/2/015). Digicel is robbing its customers. On Monday I bought 60 Megabytes from K3 and got a day pass, then I got another K5 unit for normal calls. After using up my K5 I switched on my internet to find that I have no day pass credits left. Please be fair.

Johnson Apamumu – Kimbe

BASKETBALL SHAME

It was sad to note that PNG sent a junior squad of basketballers to Fiji to take part in a regional tournament just ended. The team was made up of only six young upcoming players. There were no reserves. It was more embarrassing when the team had to play without reserves. One match had to be forfeited because there were only four players fi t to play. And yet a squad of 18 senior players were sent also to Fiji, most of whom are about to retire. What is PNG basketball doing?

Frustrated Parent

This Government is opposed to our security

This Government is to our forces using excessive force in trying to forces using excessive force in trying to maintain law and order in our communities our

Prime Minister Peter O Neill when receiving a petition from the people Prime Minister Peter O’Neill when a from the of Hanuabada village, supported by other Motu and Koitabu villages of of Hanuabada other Motu and Koitabu of the NCD and Central Province on Monday the NCD and Central Province on Monday.

City hospital builds ward for TB patients

BY MAUREEN GERAWA

FOR many years patients suffering from tuberculosis were put in the same wards with other patients at the Port Moresby General Hospital, but that will be over soon.

At the hospital grounds now is a new building which will be occupied by TB patients.

Sources from the hospital have described the new ward as another “Gemo Island’’ – an island off the Port Moresby harbour where leprosy patients were kept and treated during the

At a glance

TREATMENT: Cases of multi-drug resistant and extreme TB have surfaced in Daru. It is expensive to treat and have a low cure rate.

EXCLUSIVE: There is a new building to cater for tuberculosis patients only.

EPIDEMIC: The Government has declared tuberculosis as an epidemic.

POSSIBLE: There was no sign or cases or MDR TB last years. There are reports that such cases have been seen at the hospital.

colonial days. Tuberculosis has been declared by the Government as an epidemic that cannot be ignored anymore because it is spreading fast in the country. There is now Multi-Drug

Resistant Tuberculosis and Extreme TB cases being seen in Daru, Western Province. These cases have a low cure rate and are expensive to treat. Mid last year, during a visit

by this reporter to PMGH children’s wards, long-time nursing sisters Cecilia Minjihau and Theresia Meae Mea said in one of the children’s wards, they were seeing 20 to 30 new cases of TB every month which they said was very high. They both worked at the ward 2CD which then had a bed capacity of 56. This was partitioned so that one side was used by children suffering from TB while the other side was for children suffering from gastroenteritis and malnutrition. The ward was usually full.

Mrs Mea, who was the

Cancer battle needs teamwork

BY GRACE AUKA SALMANG

ward’s TB manager, said when TB defaulters were admitted at the wards, nurses would ensure they completed their treatments so they were all getting better and going home.

These cases take longer to treat as opposed to the new cases which can be treated within six months.

At the time, they reported that they did not see any MDR TB cases. However, there are reports that MDR TB is already being seen at the hospital. This could not be confirmed with the hospital chief executive officer Grant Muddle.

CERVICVAL, breast and mouth cancer still remains a concern for the people and the Government, those involved in the fight against the disease were told last week.

The US Embassy health affairs attaché, Dr Carlos Williams, gave a talk on the science of cancer revealing that the disease was a major killer worldwide and the projected number of new cases was expected to rise by 70 per cent during the next 20 years.

“For a developing country like PNG, the Government and its partners and stakeholders must come up with effective dialogue on risk factors and solutions to completely destroy this disease from tormenting mankind,” he said.

The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) reports that cancer kills more people on a global scale than AIDS, malaria and TB combined. He said one third of cancer related deaths were due to preventable causes ranging from tobacco use, diet, sexually transmitted diseases, physical inactivity and alcoholism.

“Prevention includes proper screening techniques and educating people about the ways to detect symptoms,” Dr Williams said.

The World Health Organization estimates that 84 million people will die of cancer between 2005 and 2015 without intervention.

“It is essential to address this cancer burden and to work on effective control measures,” Dr Williams said.

TB PATIENTS TURNED BACK

Prevention includes proper screening techniques and...

DOCTOR CARLOS WILLIAMS US Embassy, Port Moresby

New medics dorm awaits city hall green light

BY MAUREEN GERAWA

STUDENTS at the University of Papua New Guinea school of medicine and health sciences begun registering for this year’s classes last week.

Executive dean of the school, Professor Nakapi Tefuarani, said he expected the year to go well, although the budget from the Government for the school has remained the

The bottom line

same as last year. He said Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has come to the aid of the school by giving the school funding for the next five years in areas where the Government is unable to fund.

Professor Tefuarani said there would be enough rooms in dormitories for students this year, but currently there is a hold-up because the new dormi-

tory cannot be occupied. He said the building was completed last year, however, the National Capital District Commission building board is not able to give the school and UPNG a certificate of occupancy.

This newspaper tried several times to get comments from the National Capital District Commission building board on the matter but was unsuccessful.

The building was built for

the nurses taking up the midwifery program.

“It has been a year and they still haven’t given us a Certificate Of Occupancy,’’ he said.

Currently, the school is graduating an average of 50 doctors each year.

He said the school of medicine and health sciences’ plan for the next five years is to increase the number of graduates in all fields of medicine.

“But this depends on Government funding for infrastructure and manpower,” Prof Tefuarani said.

The school also has plans to have clinical schools outside of Port Moresby so that seniors students can complete their training at outside centres.

“This will provide ample space for new intakes of second year students.

“By then we will antici-

pate to graduate 100 doctors each year,’’ he said.

Prof Tefuarani also said the School of Medicine and Health Sciences opened a clinical school in 2013 at the Goroka General Hospital with the support of the Eastern Highlands Provincial Health Authority.

“With this mechanism in place, we can increase the numbers in all cadres of health workers,’’ he said.

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

THE Milfordhaven Health Centre in Lae district’s ward three is said to be turning away tuberculosis patients seeking treatment. Since yesterday morning, patients who turned up as early as 8am could not be attended to by the nursing staff. They have been told again and again to come back the next day. Comment is being sought from the health centre. Picture: FRANKIY KAPIN

Hospital improves mess

BY ANDREW ALPHONSE

THE Tari General Hospital in Hela Province has opened a new place where patients can eat their meals.

Patients have not had such facilities since the 1990s.

Provincial health adviser Dr Hamiya Hewali said patients would now be fed decent meals, especially those who had been admitted and who had no relatives in Tari to look after them.

The hospital committed K300,000 to build the new dining facility to serve meals to in-patients and their guardians.

Dr Hewali, who is also the hospital’s acting chief executive officer, thanked Tari-based international assistance partner, Medecins Sans Frontieres, for partnering the hospital to provide the meals to the patients free of charge.

Dr Hewali said Tari is a level 5 status hospital with 110 bed spaces for patients and the new kitchen facilities has the capacity to feed 220 people, inclusive of the guardians at any one meal time.

For a start, patients would be served bread and eggs for breakfast while dinner would be chicken, vegetables and rice.

The hospital also plans to provide extra meals for malnourished children and a cafeteria for the staff within the same building.

Dr Hewali urged the local Tari population to raise chicken and grow vegetables, adding that the hospital would be buying up to 50 chickens a day for patients’ dinner.

The hospital would buy from the local community to boost the local economy and alleviate poverty.

Houses razed, soldier attacked in confrontation

BY DENYSE KALAU

A SOLDIER in Nipa, Hela Province, has been attacked with a bushknife and three village houses razed in a confrontation between the two groups at the weekend.

The Defence Force soldiers are stationed in the area, protecting PNG LNG Project properties and workers.

One of them, from Koroba-Lake Kopiago, was attacked with a bushknife by a Nipa villager at Nipa police station on Saturday. The man had claimed the soldier was having an affair with his wife, a claim denied by the soldier.

A village community representative, Benjamin Michael, whose house was among those torched by the soldiers, said his people were fed up with PNGDF soldiers destroying homes and properties of innocent people.

“This is the fourth time that this same unit has destroyed homes and properties worth thousands of kina belonging to the people,” Mr Michael said.

He said these soldiers had been accused in the past of harassing innocent men and women along the highway, assaulting the chairman of Nipa landowners group and smuggling alcohol into the province.

“The people have had enough of the continuous problems instigated by the soldiers along the highway and have now called on the PNG Defence Force hierarchy to immediately address the issue,” he said.

EXCITED Tari hospital and MSF staff with patients yesterday at the front of the new mess and kitchen facilities.

If you have a story to tell, call us on 309 1042, or email bwaluka@spp.com.pg

Family calls for quick probe

THE family of two young men who were killed in Popondetta, Northern Province, has raised concerns that an investigation into their deaths is slow and they want independent investigators to look into the case.

Apparently the cause of deaths of the two brothers, Robert and Dixon Sangara, on November 1 last year, was a hit and run, according to police reports, but the family said they are suspicious of the manner in which the two died.

A relative (name withheld) said two officers who were formerly policemen at Popondetta but had transferred to Port Moresby were sent by the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) to investigate the deaths but since then investigations have been really slow.

“We are raising our concern in the media as a family so that investigations can be sped up and we can know the outcome,” the relative said.

“The CID officer here in Popondetta has a lot of work to do and we’ve written letters, one in November and another one earlier in January this year to the office of the Police Commissioner requesting for independent investigators to assist and fast track our brothers case,” the relative said.

Milne Bay’s beauty continues to attract

MILNE Bay Province is the latest inclusion in the Trekking Adventures Papua New Guinea brochures.

Trekking, kayaking and standup boarding are luring tourists and trekking groups to enjoy a surreal experience in that part of the country.

The brochure states that Milne Bay expedition is raw and out there. There has been very few tourists walk or paddle in that part of the province with an exploratory of this area that was only carried out in October last year.

Dawadawa River, included in the brochure, is on the mainland of Milne Bay and has been described as a fantastic experience for trek, kayak and stand up paddle board.

The brochure explains the routes and cost taken by air to Alotau and to Samarai Island and than onto Kwato Island by sea.

To get to Dawadawa River, a sea route is taken back from Kwato Island to the mainland where three guest houses are passed to get to the river.

City hall to distribute litter bins

BY DENYSE KALAU

IN ITS efforts to keep the city clean, the National Capital District Commission has introduced new litter bins to manage and control waste in the city.

A total of 600 litter bins were purchased from China at a cost of K300,000 by NCD to address the issue of waste management in the city.

NCDC waste management manger

Joshua Sam, who was present for the demonstration of the litter bins at city hall yesterday, said the use of the litter bins is a good way of keeping the city clean before the Pacific Games in July.

The litter bins will be installed right throughout the city in all public places such as shops, bus stops, sporting venues, facilities and major streets.

“The 600 bins should be sufficient to cover the entire city that will provide much needed litter infrastructure for residents to use and hopefully help NCD to clean up the image of the city,” Mr Sam said.

He highlighted that once the bins are trialed at Boroko, it will then move to town, Gordon, Waigani, Gerehu, Hohola and Tokarara.

Over the years, NCD has been installing standard drums for residents to dispose all their rubbish

At a glance

NEW BINS: The National Capital District Commission has purchased 600 liter bins from China to place at locations around the city to help control the litering problem.

COST: The bins cost K300,000

in the same bin, however with the introduction of the customised litter bins, residents will have a chance to separate the type of waste they wish to dispose in the various components of the bins which includes a place to dispose cigarette butts, recyclable and non recyclable waste.

Mr Sam said a local contractor will be engaged by NCD to collect and dispose waste from the bins twice a week and that same contractor will also be responsible for maintaining the bins in the long run.

He said prior to installing the bins in public places, NCD is embarking on creating awareness programs to inform the public of the new litter bins which are specially designed to address the issue of waste management in the city.

City Hall is trying its best to keep the city clean in the face of challenges such as increasing population and betelnut trading.

ONE of the many attractions of Milne Bay – a beautiful island retreat. Post-Courier file picture

Henganofi students get school fee help

A TOTAL of K1.7 million has been dished out as tuition fee aid for Henganofi students attending recognised tertiary institutions around the country.

Henganofi MP and Police Minister Robert Atiyafa is making available the funding for the assistance. A cheque presentation ceremony was held at the Henganofi government station some 25km east of Goroka along the Highlands Highway.

Mr Atiyafa told a crowd of about 6000 people, especially parents and students, his development priorities for the electorate is human resource plus health and infrastructure.

Last week’s disbursement has benefitted 650 tertiary students who had their tuition fees paid in full by the MP and his Joint District Planning and Budget Priorities Committee.

He has also announced that the K1.7 million is derived from fiscal 2014 District Service Improvement Program (DSIP) allocation made available by the O’Neill/Dion government.

The tuition fee aid began in 2013 and has so far cost the district approximately K3 million. He said the funding will continue.

Govt takes over stalled market

THE national Government has announced that it will now take over the stalled-construction of the new Wabag town market project in Enga province.

The new market construction was abandoned some three years back due to a Court injunction.

However, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has now intervened, announcing his Government’s intention to take over when officiating at the inaugural graduation of the Institute of Business Studies (IBS) Irelya campus in Wabag last Friday.

“Your (Wabag) politics is your (Wabag) politics…as Prime Minister I am responsible for the good of everyone and am now taking over this market project,” Mr O’Neill said all to the amusement of the crowd with a round of applause.

Wabag MP Robert Ganim was among the first to welcome the news saying “it’s a great relief” and thanked the prime minister for his intervention.

Wabag town mayor Kennedy

Lamben Kiak said the people of Wabag have suffered enough and “it’s time to move on leaving selfcenteredness and greed behind”.

The injunctive orders were taken by Wabag District Rural Holdings

Schools get solar panels

SCHOOLS in all the rural districts in the Western Highlands Province have received solar panels.

The Western Highlands Provincial Government provided the solar panels to all teachers in these remote schools to help them provide light.

Schools in districts like Baiyer, Lumusa, Tambul, Nebilye, Mul and Dei have all received solar panels which are now a source of light for them.

Senior provincial education executives Martin Mar and William Oua, who distributed solar panels for Vetecan Two Primary School in Avi and the Aglimp South Waghi district on Monday, said the project is part of the provincial government’s education policy.

“The provincial government aims to provide a source of light to the teachers to assist them in their lesson preparations and other schools works before they teach our children,” Mr Mar said.

Limited (WDRHL) against Enga Provincial Government (EPG) and the Wabag District Services in 2012 soon after the national general election.

WDRHL was created by former Wabag Open MP Samuel Tei Abal as an off-spring company of the then Wabag Joint District Planning and Budget Priorities Committee (now District Development Authority or DDA) which comprised directors from the three local level government presidents (LLGs) of Wabag Urban, Wabag Rural and Maramuni and several members of the district public service and communities.

The injunctive orders were aimed at preventing Wabag Open MP, Robert Ganim and his JDP&BPC to sit in the WDRHL Board as well as preventing the EPG to intervene in anyways.

This resulted in the denial of proper market services for the people of Enga and sprouting the emergence of road side selling. Already three lives were lost as a result of speeding vehicles.

Last year, Enga police put a complete stop to roadside selling, branding it as “high risk traffic hazard” causing further problems and anxiety among the vendors and residents alike.

If you have a story to tell, call us on 542 2602, or email posthagen@spp.com.pg

MR Atiyafa addressing the crowd last week at Henganofi while delivering the school fee assistance.

If you have a story to tell, call us on 472 4166 or email postlae@spp.com.pg / or call 422 3120, email postmadang@spp.com.pg

Angau spreads wings

Private hospital to assist Angau

THE Tusa Private Hospital (TPH) will be assisting Angau Memorial Hospital to cater for additional sick patients needing further medical assistance as of this week, TUSA executives say.

TPH managing director Henry Aikebuse Jr said the management was excited to redeliver services to the people of Morobe Province as its feeder hospital because Angau had been experiencing stress over the number of patients.

“Our facilities and equipment are in very good conditions and we are pleased to advise that we’ve engaged a full-time general practitioner and a few nurses to get the hospital operating,” Mr Aikebuse said.

TUSA executive Wina Legi advised the hospital has engaged Dr John Pesh, a doctor who has had years of experience, to lead the medical team at the hospital.

“We had meetings with former TUSA board member Dr John Ropan on the outlook of the company and the key areas that we will be looking at and so far, negotiations have gone well,” Mr Legi added.

HEALTH centres which deliver babies are ones that the Angau Memorial Hospital should support wholeheartedly,” says acting CEO of Angau Dr Jim Abrahams.

As such the Salamua Health Centre in the Huon Gulf district of Morobe had a welcome visit at the weekend from Dr Abrahams and a team of health advocates.

The team donated a maternity delivery bed and sterile delivery packs from the Angau hospital and two wheelchairs by Chloe Grant from the Lae International

Rural clinics to get asistance

Hospital. Local contractor Hornibrook NGI has scoped the vicinity to build a bridge over the nearby river giving access to locals to cross over to the health centre and school without having to swim across or cross over by raft.

Dr Abrahams highlighted from his visit that the health centre has limited nurses, one HEO and very limited resources providing healthcare extensively

including maternity deliveries for Salamaua and all the villages up the Black Cat Trail.

While he didn’t seem surprised that the centre needed a lot of attention (as Angau does and many other centres around PNG), Dr Abrahams believed that a good opportunity exists to improve the center and its equipment, and get Angau to support it by maybe sending over a nurse and doctor

every fortnight to teach and run clinics, and to establish a hotline between Salamaua labor ward and Angau should they encounter any difficulties.

“Angau’s maternity unit has just acquired the services of another specialist and they are attracting more doctors and nurses.

In addition a plan exists to build a new maternity ward and birthing centre in stage two of emergency works,”

said Dr Abrahams. He said the next step is to look to equip other urban clinics to complement Angau’s maternity services to the city of Lae.

Dr Abrahams told the locals that he would also like to see the health centre educate people about healthy lifestyle choices and good nutrition, to immunise, do PAP smears, HIV and TB testing, and supervise the complex drug treatments for tuberculosis and HIV even if it meant going into people’s homes.

Meanwhile, construction of the x-ray and pathology sections of the building was nearing completion while all the other sections were fully functional.

Health moves worry Bulolo MP

BULOLO MP Sam Basil is concerned that national and provincial governments are shirking their responsibilities and passing it to the districts.

He raised concerns that ethnic clashes in Bulolo has put a lot of strain on scarce finance and logistics that is now affecting Bulolo District.

“The district through its JDBPPC did all it could during the first ethnic clash, to enable the safe passage of those affected, out of the district to their provinces of origin. However, we must appreciate that these people had settled in the district for long period of time and call Bulolo home,” Mr Basil said.

“Thus, many did not want to leave and others that left returned. They then sought refuge at the Bulolo police station and up to this day, they are

still living there without proper hygiene and sanitation.

“Just recently, another group of people from Bubu, Garaina Sub District and Watuts confronted each other, and another lot of people have sought refuge, yet again at the Bulolo police station.”

Mr Basil said the new increases has put a lot of pressure on the little amenities which has led to outbreak of diarrhea, and is proving quite serious due to the prevailing health situation.

“I have made it clear that we cannot convert the police station and the land on which it sits into a refugee camp. This will only add and contribute to more problems and anyone who has any conflict will run to this camp, thus setting a bad precedent,” he said.

“I have made it clear that we

cannot build all houses or supply food and other items as the district does not have the capacity nor the mandate in this operation. I am aware of the people living at the purported refugee camp and also people affected by the Kumalu River flooding, but when the district does not receive its DSIP or other funds on time, what can the district or LLG do? We are sitting ducks. We don’t want to be seen as taking sides or favoring certain group of people. You are all our people.

“There are dedicated national and provincial government agencies mandated with operational funds to handle such issues, provide relief and reaching out with solutions whilst other problems requiring local MPs and councillor inputs will be dealt with.”

THE Angau team offloading tins of paint from the boat donated by Dulux to repaint the Salamaua Health Centre.

The hospital is excited to redeliver services to the people as Angau has been experiencing stress

HENRY AIKEBUSE Lae

Oil palm growers thank company

BY NICOLE JOANNES

SCHOOL DILEMMA

Isolated communities cry out for services

BY GRACE TIDEN

VILLAGERS in remote communities of Pomio district in East New Britain Province continue to cry out for basic government services.

The people of Maranagi, Raigal and Kiligia in the Sinivit local level government area of Pomio district continue to walk for hours to sell their cash crops and garden produce and to access basic services in the urban areas.

These three isolated communities are located near

the Baining mountains. There is no road to link their communities to the urban centres of the province.

Community leaders

Charles Gerep and Julius Tepemes both say they walk for four to five hours to reach Arabam. There, the people have to cross a river before reaching Dadul to catch a PMV to town. The nearest town is Warangoi. However when it rains, the river overflows, which makes it hard and dangerous to cross.

Mr Tepemes said despite 40 years of independence, they continue to walk for long hours to reach Arabam just like their forefathers and grandfathers before them used to do.

He said it was time the government stepped in to assist them by providing basic services such as a road.

He said the people were engaged in agricultural activities and often had to walk long hours and carry their cash crops and garden produce to Arabam.

Mr Gerep said five years

ago, a road survey and scoping works were carried out by the local level government with plans to build a road from Arabam to Maranagi, Raigal, and Kiligia linking up with an existing road at Sanbam.

However, he said up until now, the people were still waiting for that road to be built.

He said the people continue to carry heavy loads such as cash crops and garden produce to Arabam and those who have purchased building materials in town have

Man dies in road accident

A TRAFFIC accident has claimed the life of a young father who died at the scene of the accident at Malapau on the Kokopo-Rabaul Road on Saturday night.

The driver of the vehicle was hospitalised and he is now fighting for his life at the Nonga General Hospital.

Information regarding the accident is still sketchy but eyewitness Joe Stanley said the incident occurred around 8pm on Saturday.

He said he was driving towards Kokopo while the vehicle involved in the incident was on the opposite lane when it went off the road and into a drain.

He said the victim was thrown off on impact and landed head first a few metres away on the

road. He said the driver and the another man sitting in front were forced out through the windscreen due to the impact and landed three to four metres in the nearby bush.

“I stopped when I saw the accident and at the same time a police vehicle which was

nearby was immediately at the scene,” he said.

He said the victim died on the spot while the driver was rushed to the hospital by police.

He said the third person did not receive any major injuries.

The victim has been identified as Esekia Pinapen from Ravat village.

His body is now at the Nonga General Hospital morgue for a post mortem to be carried out.

He leaves behind his wife and four young children. Attempts to get comments from police were unsuccessful.

It is believed the driver was heavily intoxicated but this could not be independently verified with police .

Mr Stanley said the vehicle involved was greatly damaged in the accident.

to go through the hard work of carrying these materials including bags of cement by foot from Arabam to their various wards.

The two leaders said all they wanted was for the government to look at implementing basic services such as a road in their communities which they said will make like easier for them.

Just recently, the communities of Arabam, Raigal and Maranagi with various stakeholders launched a conservation project to protect their natural forests.

THE Hoskins Oil Palm Growers Association (HOPGA) has praised Kulim Berhard for the good relationship it had with the association during its term as the parent company of New Britain Palm Oil. Association chairman Patrick Reu said HOPGA appreciates what Kulim has done for the many years of cordial working relations with the Hoskins oil palm project areas.

Mr Reu said the association welcomes new developer Sime Darby of Malaysia which will eventually own and operate NBPOL by next month.

He said while the association appreciates that the changes will not affect the normal efficient management and operations of NBPOL, it wants shares in the look setup.

Mr Reu is hopeful that the association, the landowners and the provincial government are all given five percent shares each.

He saidthis would increase the provincial government’s equity and bring the national equity to 49 percent.

Meanwhile, the provincial government will soon come out public on the decision it has taken whether to sell or retain its shares.

A majority of the shareholders, including the parent company Kulim and other NBPOL individual shareholders, have indicated selling their shares due to the high market price of K28.79 toes being offered by Sime Darby.

BABASE Primary School in remote Feni Island of Tanir LLG in New Ireland Province is in urgent need of repair as the school year gets into its second week. Seen here are concerned locals wondering how the classrooms will be rebuilt. Picture: PATRICK MINANA

The victim was thrown off on impact and landed head first a few meters away on the road....

JOE STANLEY Kokopo

Govt policy needs funding

THE Government’s freeeducation policy has again come under fire, this time from a senior educationist in Bougainville.

Martin Takali, Principal of Hutjena Secondary School in Buka, is appealing to the National Government to rethink the way it distributes school fee subsidies around the country.

He told this newspaper that his institution simply cannot run on the current subsidy levels.

“We are given K1500 per year for every student,” he said. “But if you do the math and break it down, you will see it equates to K6 a day for each student. Let’s look at meal costs for my students. Three meals a day means we have K2 to spend for a meal,” Mr Takali said.

He pointed out that this is clearly not enough to even pay for the food requirements of his students, let alone other overheads such as stationery, electricity, auxiliary staff and other running costs.

“There was no research done, as far as I can see,” said the principal, “they cannot put an across-theboard amount for schools around the country. The cost of living is not the same in, say Port Moresby as it is in Vanimo or Telefomin or Bougainville. We have additional freight costs

Electoral office to settle debts

BY WINTERFORD TOREAS

THE Bougainville Electoral Commission will still be paying its service providers during the 2010 Bougainville general elections and the 2013 Bougainville by-elections.

At a glance

APPEAL: Government must rethink the way it distributes school fee subsidies around the country.

DIFFERENCE: The cost of school supplies is not the same in all provinces, it is more expensive for outside centres

for goods we purchase. It is much more expensive to run schools in the provinces.”

Mr Takali is calling on the National Education Department to rethink the formula it uses to disburse the free-education subsidy.

For his school to survive, Mr Takali said he will need to seek funds elsewhere, including extra fees from the parents, a move which would need to be approved by the Education authorities.

He said he does not want parents to pay extra fees as the Government’s policy is about free-education.

“The Government should pay more so parents would not have to pay anything.” If additional funding is not made available to run the school then Mr Takali said the worst case scenario would be to close the school – an outcome which would be catastrophic for the people of Buka.

Gold

teeth

BY SEBASTIAN HAKALITS

TWO men from Tohatsi village in the Halia constituency of Buka have found human remains while on a fishing trip at night.

According to Luke Magum, who is now the caretaker of the bones, they were walking along the beach with their fishing nets when his mate saw a skeleton. Gold teeth on the jaw reflected from his flash light. It is believed the remains have

in skeleton find

Gold teeth on the jaw reflected from his flash light

LUKE MAGUM

Tohatsi Village in Buka, AROB

been buried a long time ago in the sand, but due to constant wave movements the remains were uncovered.

Mr Magun said they

waited until dawn beside the spot where they had found the jaw to dig the sand, and discovered the rest of the remains of an adult-size skeleton.

He said he wants concerned authorities such as the National Museum and Art Gallery or those that have been involved in World War II in Bougainville to come to his village to shed light on the remains. Mr. Magum can be contacted on his mobile number 72663554.

Bougainville’s acting Electoral Commissioner George Manu said he had already presented a request to the Autonomous Bougainville Government to release funding to pay off these outstanding bills.

“Yes I know we still owe some of our service providers,” Mr Manu said.

“I have presented a request to the Government on the release of funds to settle outstanding bills owed to the service providers.

“I am constantly negotiating with the Government to give me this money before the next general or by-election is due.”

When quizzed on the outstanding bill for the 2012 National General Election, Mr Manu distanced his local office, saying it was the responsibility of the national Electoral Commission to secure funds and settle the dues.

He said he has been constantly contacting the Papua New Guinea Electoral Commissioner, Andrew Trawen, to settle these dues owed to respecting service providers.

“Last week I met with Mr Trawen again and he said they are only waiting for the opening of the Government accounts in March this year.

“He said once they access their account then they will be able to pay off outstanding bills,” said Mr Manu.

The Bougainville elections are scheduled for the middle of this year.

Woman calls it a day after 40 years with Air Niugini

AFTER a remarkable career of 40 years of service to Air Niugini, she finally decided to call it a day.

From Pariro village in Buin, South Bougainville, Doris Naime started work with Air Niugini in September 1974 as a young reservations officer at the airline’s office in Lae. She was 19 at that time and had completed grade 10.

Doris said it was an interesting time as well as chal-

lenging because there was no computerised reservation system then.

“We did all reservations manually. When passengers turn up at the sales office, we would write down their details on cards and send a telex to staff at reservations in Port Moresby to confirm the availability of seats.

“If there was space, the POM staff would send the telex back to us, we then advice the passengers

accordingly,” she recalled. It was painstaking and laborious but Doris and her colleagues performed their duties diligently and with a lot of pride.

With the current computerised system, sending telex is a thing of the past. With just a click of a button, tickets are printed there and then at the sales office. Those who joined Air Niugini during its initial stages of operations learnt

and mastered a lot of things through hands on experience.

Doris recalled: “The airline industry was very new to us at that time. We had no experience at all. Though, there were expatriates who trained us, many things were learnt on the job. We sometime challenged ourselves to take risks and learn new things instead of waiting to be spoon-fed.”

Although, she was based

in Lae during her 38 years, Doris also worked at sales offices throughout the country.

From being a reservations officer, Doris made her way up to the position of a senior international travel advisor, a position she held until her retirement last week.

At age 59, her challenge to new staff of Air Niugini is for them to use their initiative and work hard.

takes six months to build a Rolls Royce...and

hours to build a Toyota. The bottom line

SEEN here is the skull of the remains with the gold teeth.

DORIS Naime

Market Snapshot

ExxonMobil praised for delivering gas project

EXXONMOBIL’S achievement in delivering Papua New Guinea’s first ever Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project ahead of schedule has set an excellent example of what ExxonMobil and Papua New Guinea are capable of doing.

These remarks were made by the Minister for Petroleum and Energy, Nixon Duban yesterday, when celebrating the achievement of the first PNG LNG delivery to Sinopec and China.

The minister congratulated ExxonMobil for achieving this as it is one of the only gas project’s in the Asia Pacific that has been completed ahead of schedule.

He also offered gratitude to Sinopec on behalf of the country on the successful and timely start-up of their newly built Shandong LNG terminal, through which PNG’s LNG was exported to China.

Minister Duban reiterated that PNG is a fast growing natural gas

ACHIEVEMENT: The completion of Papua New Guinea’s first ever Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project ahead of schedule and one of the only gas project’s in the Asia Pacific that had been completed ahead of schedule.

JOINT VENTURE PARTNERS: Minister Duban also thanked joint venture partners Oil Search, Santos, Nippon Oil and those who have had a part in bringing the project to where it is today.

BENEFITS: Not only the direct benefits associated with LNG revenues but also knowing PNG will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases.

region and the world now knows but he also warned that without building a strong bridge with solid foundation to link the resources to the market, the gas would just sit in the ground.

On that note, the minister thanked the joint venture partners namely Oil Search, Santos, Nippon Oil and those that have worked tirelessly and extraordinarily to build PNG’s foundation in the LNG project.

“They have built this strong bridge

and the Government of Papua New Guinea recognises their efforts and supports them,” Duban said.

He said LNG is a very important source of energy and it is also a very clean source of energy that the world wants, and PNG is supplying clean energy to China.

The minister added that apart from the significant direct benefits associated with the LNG revenues that PNG will enjoy, there is also another benefit, the joy of know-

ing that PNG will now contribute towards the global campaign to reduce greenhouse gases.

Minister Duban highlighted in his address that China was not only securing energy for its country to maintain and increase its economic progress and competitiveness but also helping to give more environmental benefits to its citizens.

The exportation of LNG to China further strengthens PNG and China’s continuous relationship established since 1979.

“I want to see Papua New Guinea and China grow their trading and bilateral relationships and get it to a more mature level in the coming years,” said Duban. He said that there are other gas development concepts currently looked at by various proponents and the potential opportunities are promising, larger and exciting on the part of the natural gas story in PNG that has yet to be revealed.

Marape: Benefits must pass on to consumers

FUEL price in the country is expected to come down and Finance

Minister James Marape wants this benefit to be passed on to all consumers in line.

Although the global price of crude oil dropping below US$50 (K131.31) has raised concerns in some quarters about revenue for the national budget, Minister Marape is assuring the government he has strategies in place to mitigate these price falls.

He says these strategies include strict expenditure controls to ensure the budget remains on track

The bottom line

and stresses that consumers fully receive this benefit in the mean time.

“On the flip side, the good news is we are seeing the price of fuel coming down. This benefit must be passed to consumers,” he said.

He expects the vehicle owners and PMV owners to be making a savings at the fuel pump and the benefit to be passed on to their users as well.

The minister was pleased to note that Air Niugini had announced a reduction in air fares for both domestic and international routes, by

$A gains on Chinese, Aust data

SYDNEY: The Australian dollar has pushed higher on the back of Chinese and Australian economic data which almost met expectations.

At 1700 AEDT on Tuesday, the local unit was trading at 78.22 US cents, up from 77.77 cents on Monday. China’s consumer price index rose 0.8 per cent in the 12 months to January, its lowest level for more than five years, but only slightly lower than market expectation of a one per cent rise.

Easy Forex currency dealer Liam Moon said the Australian dollar rose by almost half a US cent around the middle of the day after the release of the Chinese inflation figures, and a National Australia Bank business survey for January.

“Business conditions were the same and confidence had actually risen, so that was the first catalyst for the Aussie dollar to move, and then an hour later we had the Chinese CPI,” he said.

“So we saw a boost up to 78.30 US cents, it has hit some resistance there and it has moved slowly back down there now but the knee-jerk reaction was probably on the back of the CPI.”

reducing fuel surcharges.

“We should see a general reduction in the price of goods and services that factor in fuel costs.

“We don’t know how long the crude oil price will stay down. It might be short term. It might be long term. But while it is down, the benefits must be passed to our people,” the Finance Minister said.

Mr Marape urged the Independent Consumer & Competition Commission (ICCC) and other price monitors to ensure businesses and trading houses reflect this trend in their pricing.

The retail price for the iPad would be $1,140 if it were built by American workers instead of Chinese.built

At 1700 AEDT, the Australian dollar was at 92.73 Japanese yen, up from Tuesday’s close of 92.29 yen, and at 69.01 euro cents, up from 68.53 euro cents. It appears that after the Australian dollar’s weakness due to the Reserve Bank’s interest rate cut, any gains made on good economic news will be short lived, Mr Moon said.

On Wednesday, markets will be focused on consumer sentiment figures from Westpac, and then Thursday’s release of employment figures for January, which are expected to show a small rise in the unemployment rate to 6.2 per cent. Meanwhile, bond futures prices gave up some ground overnight but rebounded thanks to continuing overseas demand for triple-A rated Commonwealth government securities.

Nomura head of macro products Jon Linton said Australian bond futures have been tracking overseas bonds in recent overnight sessions only to gain ground during the local session.

A VIEW of PNG LNG Project plant site outside Port Moresby when under construction. File picture

Harmony suffers quarterly loss

HARMONY Gold Mining Co., South Africa’s third-largest producer of metal and operator of Hidden Valley Gold Mine in Morobe Province has reportedly made a second consecutive quarterly loss as stoppages at Kusasalethu, its biggest mine, caused output to fall.

According to Bloomberg newswire on Monday, the headline loss was US$44 million (K115.63 million) in the three months to December 31, compared with US$22.9 million (K115.65 million) loss the previous quarter, Randfontein, South Africa-based Harmony said at the weekend in a statement. Production fell 10% to 271,963 ounces while all-in sustaining costs climbed 1.4% to $1262 an ounce.

Harmony was forced to shut Kusasalethu, which straddles Gauteng and North West provinces, for two weeks beginning in October last year after the company arrested more than 100 illegal miners and imposed new safety measures.

Chief executive officer of Harmony Graham Briggs announced a plan to turn the operation around in December to mine higher-grade ore and return it to profit by the fiscal fourth quarter.

“It was quite a difficult quarter but it was a quarter of restructuring and setting us up for better days in the future,” Mr Briggs said on a call with analysts and reporters as Bloomberg quoted.

The company will close the seven highest levels at Kusasalethu and focus on mining the deepest five, Briggs said. That will reduce labor and

Cocoa pod borer can be eradicated, says expert

THE Cocoa Pod Borer can destroy up to 90% of a Cocoa crop. It can be controlled and in Queensland it was eradicated.

This was the news delivered to a growers meeting on February 5, in Wewak by Bob Wilson Sales and Marketing manager of Chemica.

Mr Wilson said, “you must start by identifying the pest and understanding its life cycle.”

A Cocoa Pod Borer moth is the size of a mosquito and lives for a month. It is not fond of travelling and lives on the underside of the branches during the day.

power costs while giving access to the mine’s best-grade ore. “It’s basically restructuring the whole mine into a different mode of working,” Briggs said.

“We need to make money at Kusasalethu. We cannot continue making losses like we have done in the last two years,” he said A fatality at Hidden Valley, a mine in Morobe Province, also contributed to Harmony’s lower output in the last three months of the year.

“Electricity shortages in South Africa, where industrial companies such as Harmony are required to cut usage by as much as 20%, caused the company to lose about 50 kilograms (1,764 ounces) of gold,” Briggs said.

“The outlook for power constraints is “even worse” in the current quarter, he said.

The company has secured a new revolving credit facility of as much as $250 million (K655.3 million), which matures in February 2018.

Harmony declined 3.3% to 31.71 rand by 9:16 a.m. in Johannesburg the worst performer in the five-member FTSE/JSE Africa Gold Mining Index today after Sibanye Gold Ltd., which dropped 3.8%.

KEEPING THE STREETS TIDY

THE downpour in Port Moresby has not only painted the city green but has also given the thirsty vegetation an abundance of water to thrive. For this reason youths have been contracted to clean the roadsides and make sure the green doesn’t grow into bushes off the major road ways.

Long service staffer leaves airline

AFTER serving the national flag carrier for almost 40 years, Doris Naime, a long serving staff of Air Niugini has finally decided to call it a day.

Doris, 59, formally retired last week after joining as a young reservationist officer in September 1974 at the age of 19 just after completing her grade 10.

Basing on her experience on working her way up and holding the position of a Senior International Travel Advisor until her retirement, Doris

has challenged the new staff of Air Niugini to use their initiative and work hard.

“Do not just sit down and expect the company to do things for you. Use your initiative; make it a habit to learn new things yourselves and Air Niugini will help.”

While thanking Air Niugini for grooming her to what she is today and for the many experiences during her 38 years, she also recalls it was never this easy. “The airline industry was very new to us at that time. We had no experience at

all. Though, there were expatriates who took us through training, many things were learnt on the job. We sometimes challenged ourselves to learn new things instead of waiting to be spoon fed,” said Doris.

Doris adds it was an interesting time but at the same time challenging as there were no computerised reservation system at that time. Furthermore, Air Niugini acknowledge Doris’ commitment and loyalty and wishes her well in her retirement.

“So where is the infestation coming from? From the old husks. Clean up, burn, bury and remove old husks. Orchard hygiene is the name of the game. Identifying where they will be allows targeted sprays. If you don’t know the life cycle you need a chemical with some residual activity. Only the underside of the branches need spraying therefore you are using less chemical and taking less time,” he said.

Insect traps were distributed and charts showing the life cycle and control measures were presented to the growers. Mr Wilson said when using chemicals precautions must be taken.

“Use the right equipment and wear protective clothing. Measure the chemical you use.”

In addition to insect and disease control the crops nutrition must be addressed. A doubling of production has been achieved with the right fertiliser.

He said for every 1000kg of beans taken from your orchard you have removed 4 x 40kg bags Urea, one and a half 40 bags of superphosphate, 3 x 40bags Potash, one 40 kg bag Magnesium sulphate and 15kg lime and the pest is is gone.

Mr Wilson said the Chemica branch in Wewak has the equipment and chemical the farmers need for controlling and ultimately eradicating Cocoa Pod Borer.

“Communities must act together to achieve success,” Mr Wilson added.

Miner awards business contract to Basamuk landowners

BASAMUK landowners in the Rai Coast District of Madang province have received a business contract at a value of K600,000 from Ramu NiCo Management (MCC) Ltd.

The contract was awarded to Prien Clan, from the Basamuk Refinery and its new accommodation area during a small signing ceremony held at Mindre village last month.

Ramu NiCo’s vice president Wang Baowen witnessed the ceremony with Community Affairs officers from Basamuk Refinery.

The K600,000 contract was

for a two year duration with the scope of work mainly including; housekeeping work covering the up-keep of 24 accommodation buildings at the new camp area, road clearance and gutter cleaning, fence maintenance and landscaping.

The contract would provide job opportunities for more than 12 local women and nine men who may not have any chance of getting employment opportunities elsewhere in Madang.

The same contract was previously awarded to Basamuk Enterprises Ltd, the Basamuk

landowner umbrella company but Ramu NiCo decided to withdraw and offer to the local clan after the contract was mismanaged and the outlined work scopes were not satisfactorily met.

The contract was developed and offered in line with the spirit of Ramu NiCo Project Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and 2015 Community Affairs Working Plan which promotes and encourages the provision of business opportunities to the Project impacted landowners.

Ramu NiCo previously awarded contracts to local

landowners. including labor and technical service contract to Raibus Engineering Ltd, Refinery Cleaning & Beautification contract to Ganglau Landowner Company Ltd, Refinery power facility grass cleaning contract to Haba Clan Group and old accommodation Cleaning & Beautification contract to Kusup Clan.

Ramu NiCo previously offered a bus commuting service contract to Prien Clan in 2007 for three consecutive years for transporting of local employees attached with Projects’ contractors.

VICE President, Mr. Wang Baowen, Jacky Wang from CA Basamuk Refinery and landowners who signed the contract at Mindre village, Rai Coast District.

We cannot continue making losses like we have done in the last two years ...

GRAHAM BRIGGS

Harmony CEO

TARO MEET

Vanuatu has hosted a regional meeting on taro, with scientists from the Pacific, Asia, Africa and Central America.

The meeting on Santo brought together 20 scientists from the International Network on Edible Aroids, who discussed threats to the crop, such as climate change. The chair of the meeting, Dr Vincent Lebot, from the French research centre, CIRAD, based in Port Vila, says the group is looking at developing hybrids and varieties of taro to help farmers cope with drought and other threats such as leaf blight.

TUVALU SEAFARERS

Nine local seafarers from Tuvalu have departed the country to work on container vessels operated by Swire Pacific Shipping Management under its Bali Hai service. Recruiting Agent Eti Esela of Alpha Pacific Navigation Limited (APNL) said two seafarers will join the lot from Fiji to make up the number recruited for the service. This is the first opportunity for local raiding/seafarers to be recruited by the company following negotiations between APNL, the Tuvalu Overseas Seaman Union and their counterparts from Swire.

FLIGHTS DELAYED

Tonga’s domestic MA60 aircraft operations have been suspended from February 8 and the aircraft has been returned to the government, Real Tonga announced, citing new legislation that took effect on Sunday. In a statement Real Tonga said that the Tonga Government had introduced new legislation that “formally adopts the New Zealand Civil Aviation Rules in their entirety as the standard to which airlines must operate.”

Fiji to assess money laundering, terrorist financing risk

FIJI’S money laundering and terrorist financing risks will be assessed, beginning this month, as a requirement under the international standards on anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT).

During the national risk assessment (NRA), countries are required to identify, assess and understand the money laundering and terrorist financing risks they face in their jurisdiction.

A statement from the Reserve Bank of Fiji states that the NRA will assist the Fijian Government to understand the sources and methods of money laundering in Fiji, identify vulnerabilities and risks for money laundering and terrorist financing across various sectors and evaluate weaknesses in the institutional systems for dealing with money laundering and terrorist financing.

The NRA project is led by officers from the Ministry of Justice and the Financial Intelligence Unit together with a NRA taskforce comprising officials of the National Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Council members. - Fijilive/Pacnews

UBS under investigation

UBS has confirmed it is being investigated by US authorities into whether it helped Americans evade taxes through investments banned in the US.

The Swiss bank said US regulators were investigating potential sales of so called “bearer bonds”.

These bonds can be transferred without registering ownership, enabling wealthy clients to potentially hide assets. “We are cooperating with the authorities in these investigations,” the bank said.

The fresh investigation by

Accused of aiding US tax evaders

the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and from the US Securities and Exchange Commission comes after UBS paid $780m (£512m) in 2009 to settle a separate Justice Department tax-evasion probe.

And it comes as authorities in a range of countries are considering examining HSBC’s actions in helping more than 100,000 wealthy individu-

als avoid paying tax.

UBS made the announcement as it revealed a betterthan-expected 13% rise in fourth quarter net profit to 963m Swiss francs (£683.9m). However, it warned the increased value of the Swiss franc relative to other currencies, following the Swiss National Bank’s decision to abandon the cap on the currency’s value against the

euro, would “put pressure” on its profitability.

“The increased value of the Swiss franc relative to other currencies, especially the US dollar and the euro, and negative interest rates in the eurozone and Switzerland will put pressure on our profitability and, if they persist, on some of our targeted performance levels,” it warned.

UBS results for the full

Rio set to buy back shares

MELBOURNE: Rio Tinto is expected to keep its promise to increase returns to shareholders this week.

Whether it should be doing so at a time of falling commodity prices and when investors will actually get that money is less clear.

Rio will post a fall in its annual earnings on Thursday - the question is by how much.

However chief executive Sam Walsh has committed on several occasions to “materially” increasing cash returns, since reporting a bumper $US5.1 billion first half underlying profit last August.

The market is predicting a 10 per cent lift in the final dividend to about $US1.16 a share, which is comparable to rises in recent years.

Analysts believe the promised cash return will be a share buyback over several years, increasing the value of investors’ holdings.

The predictions vary.

Deutsche Bank’s Paul Young thinks it will be a $US1-2 billion buyback this year but is unsure after that, RBC Capital Markets says it should be $US1-$US1.5 billion a year for several years while UBS’s Glyn Lawcock has tipped $US2-$US3 billion in year one.

impact that could have on its debt pile and credit rating.

Iron ore has represented as much as 90 per cent of Rio’s profits in recent years but the price has halved in the last year to near six-year lows.

Fat Prophets resource analyst David Lennox questioned the wisdom of giving extra cash back to shareholders in the current weak price environment.

“They may make an announcement but they probably won’t action it for some time,” he told AAP.

The returns are a strategic move against rival Glencore’s unwelcome $US190 billion

merger bid made last year.

The consensus forecast of analysts is for a 13 per cent fall in underlying net profit to $US8.9 billion, with cost cutting and extra volumes offsetting prices.

An expected headline net profit of $US7-$US7.5 billionwhich includes one-off impairments - would be higher than last year’s $US3.7 billion when large copper and aluminium asset write-downs were applied. Rio’s shares were 31 cents higher at $60.62 on Tuesday at 1450 AEDT but are down nine per cent in the last year. - AAP

year, were hit by more than $1bn to settle past scandals. In November, it was one of six banks fined by UK and US regulators over their traders’ attempted manipulation of foreign exchange rates, paying 774m Swiss francs in total. It also paid $300m in the second quarter to settle charges it helped wealthy German clients evade tax.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is continuing to investigate UBS over currency manipulation allegations. - BBC

UBS has confirmed it is being investigated by US authorities. - BBC

RIO Tinto in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. - AFP

Safe driving in wet weather

WET pavement contributes to millions of traffic accidents each year.

Here are some tips you’ll want to follow the next time you’re caught driving in the rain.

Safety starts before you drive, and your goal should be to see and be seen. Replace windshield wiper inserts that leave streaks or don’t clear the glass in a single swipe. Make sure all headlights, taillights, brake lights and turn signals are properly functioning so other drivers will see you during downpours. Turn on your headlights whenever you drive.

Proper tyre tread depth and inflation are imperative to maintaining good traction on wet roadways. Check tread depth with a quarter inserted upside down into the tire groove. If you can see above Washington’s head, start shopping for new tires. Check each tire’s pressure, including the spare, at least once a month and be sure to check

Get

the pressure when the tyres are

the accelerator, which cannot be accomplished when cruise control is engaged.

When driving in wet-weather conditions, it is important to concentrate fully on every aspect of driving. Avoiding cruise control will allow the driver more options to choose from when responding to a potential loss-of-traction situation, thus maximizing your safety.

Slow Down and Leave Room

Slowing down during wet weather

your new parts from Autoparts Online

driving can be critical to reducing a car’s chance of hydroplaning, lm of water. With as little as 1/12 inch of water on the road, tires have to ond to keep the rubber meeting the road. Drivers should reduce their speed to correspond to the amount of water on the roadway. At speeds as low as 35 mph, new tires can still lose some contact with the roadway.

To reduce chances of hydroplaning, drivers should slow down, avoid hard braking or turning sharply and drive in the tracks of the vehicle ahead of you. Also, it’s important for motorists to allow ample stopping distance between cars by increasing the following distance of the vehicle in front of them and beginning to slow down to stop for intersections, turns and other traffic early.

Responding to a Skid

Even careful drivers can experience skids. If a driver feels their car begin to skid, it’s important to not panic and follow these basic steps: Continue to look and steer in the direction in which the driver wants the car to go. Avoid slamming on the brakes as this will further upset the vehicle’s balance and make it harder to control.

If you feel the car begin to skid, continue to look and steer in the direction you want the car to go. Don’t panic, and avoid slamming on the brakes to maintain control. Overall you want to be extra cautious in wet weather. Slow down, avoid hard braking or turning sharply and allow ample stopping distance between you and the cars in front of you.

Also, do these things one-at-atime. Brake, then turn, then accelerate.

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Autoparts Online Ltd has in stock Radiators, fender, bonnets, bumpers, headlamps and tail gates for 5th Elements and Land Cruisers.

Located along Morota Street Gorgons, Autoparts Online Ltd houses a range of car body parts and car accessories for Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi and Ford at affordably low, low prices.

So come on down to Auto parts Online Ltd and the friendly staff will assist you with your queries.

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From wreck to new Trooper

THROUGHOUT Papua New Guinea more and more people who have undergone technical trades training and joined the industry in whatever their respective field, are starting their own businesses after having worked for companies or businesses for a number of years.

With the skills and vast experience gained through the years, this group of people have become professionals in their own right. It is amazing to see the end results of the work by some of these professionals or tradesman. And their numbers are growing which is very much contributing to the growth of the nation.

Take for instance, Vin Tata Lote from Vunamami Village in Kokopo, East New Britain province.

Mastering the mechanical trade was always a passion he had as a kid. That he achieved as he became a great tradesman and motor mechanic.

Mr Lote runs a car wreckers business just off Kokopo Town at Gumur. This is where his estate is. It is a humble business and steadily growing.

Being in this business involves collecting vehicles that have been wrecked during road accidents in town and the nearby area and towing them to the garage for mechanics to look at.

Just recently, Mr Lote and his boys did a complete overhaul and makeover to a Toyota Land Cruiser Trooper (Pictures above left). After new parts were added, panel beating, spray painting and all the works put together, it is now ready to hit the road.

Completely refurbished both inside and out, it is in satisfactory running condition in Kokopo at the Lote estate at Gumur next to Kokopo Police headquarters as you enter the town.

Getting more out of hiring a vehicle

EJAY Plant and Equipment Hire is a locally owned business that has branches in Port Moresby, Lae and Mt Hagen.

The company was established in January 2014 with an aim to be part of the growing industry and to provide the best service possible which is affordable for its clients both corporate and private.

The business also has a car hire arm that offers a fi xed rate daily charges on all its fleet. And what better offer is there than the fact that you get a car with a full tank in fuel.

Ejay Hire Cars have their vehicles fully prepared to ensure comfort and safety for the customer. They put servicing their fleet a priority so that customers and clients are satisfied.

Those on business or families on holidays that need to get about in style and comfort at one of these centres can call in prior to their arrival or even at the counter for a great deal on the car of their choice.

There are Toyota Landcruiser Troopers, Toyota Hilux Fifth Element and sedans like the Toyota Camry and Toyota Vista and more.

Call today to fi nd out about the car hire service and to get help on the right vehicle you need to get about your business or to take your family around sight seeing or when you just need a car for a day or two.

The staff will be too happy to help you out when you call in to enquire.

For more information, call 7369 2921, 73577102 or 72787903.

Defensive driving prevents road accidents

LEARNING how to drive is a lot easier than it looks. It looks intimidating from the passenger’s seat, or in the movies, but once you get behind the wheel and gently put your foot on the pedal, the process becomes very intuitive. If you’re a defensive driver and learn to take things slow in the beginning, you’ll be well on your way to mastering the basics. This article assumes you’ll be driving an automatic transmission vehicle. If you’re

not driving an automatic, click here to learn the basics of driving stick-shift (manual transmission), although the general process will still be the same.

Many accidents happen when vehicles unexpectedly fail while driving, putting you seriously at risk. The easiest way to prevent this is by practicing good vehicle maintenance tips every time you drive. Make sure your vehicle is fully operational? Check for any

Know your traffic rules

Accidents

When you are involved in an accident, you must fi rst of all stop your car and then give any help you can to any person who has been injured. When your car or the other car is damaged, or when some person has been injured, you must report the incident as soon as possible to the nearest Police station. You must give your name and address and the registration number of your car to any person who is in the other car or any injured person.

Remember: if a policeman asks to see your licence, you must let him see it and give him your name and address.

If there is any glass or parts of the motor car on the roadway after the accident, you or the person, who takes the damaged vehicles away, must make sure they take the broken glass or parts away too, because they could damage some other person’s car later, if you leave them on the road.

Serious Traffic Offences

If you are brought before a court and charged with a serious traffic offence, such as driving when you have been drinking beer or other liquor, or driving in a dangerous manner or dangerous speed or failing to stop after an accident, you may lose your licence for a very long time, or you may even be sent to prison. So always drive properly and safely and NEVER if you have been drinking beer or other intoxication liquor.

Passenger on Motorcycle

A person can carry a passenger on a motor cycle if: -

The motor cycle has the right foot rests for the passenger, only one passenger may be carried at one time and he or she must sit BEHIND the driver.

Both the passenger and the driver must wear safety helmets that are fastened on so that they will not fall off.

Heavy Trucks

When you drive a heavy vehicle that is over four tons in weight, you must carry in the vehicle small warning signs consisting of three red reflective triangles. If your vehicle breaks down, you put these warning signals on the road, one in front of the vehicle one at the back of the vehicle and one beside the vehicle nearest the middle of the road. You do this to tell other drivers that your vehicle is broken down.

warning lights or irregular smells, inspect the tread and inflation of your tires, and be sure your mirrors and windows are clean and positioned properly. Maintaining your vehicle this way can also cut down on expensive, larger repairs later. But keeping your car in good condition isn’t just about saving you money? it could save your life. The most important safety feature in any car is the driver. Always make sure the person getting

behind the wheel is fit to operate a vehicle. Don’t drive if you are sleepy, emotional, angry or anxious, as all of these can affect your judgment and decision-making skills. Be sure you’re fully aware of your surroundings and give yourself plenty of time to get where you need to go in order to cut down on tense or stressful situations. And of course? Never, ever drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol!

Even perfect drivers are unable to control every aspect of the open road? Especially when confronted with unexpected hazards or unpredictable or aggressive motorists. It’s important to watch for irregular behavior from other drivers, like frequent lane changes, speeding and swerving. If you do come across an unsafe driver, remain calm and keep your distance.

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office & ICT

For advertising, call 309 1103 or email lotej@spp.com.pg

For editorial, call 309 1025 or email dwaketsi@spp.com.pg

New Horizons training in ICT

NEW HORIZONS is the world’s largest independent IT training company Global network with over 300 locations in 70 countries

In our 30 year history, New Horizons has trained over 30 million people. Clients entrust their training investment to us because we have the:

Highest quality instructors

Most comprehensive content

Ability to continually expand and adapt our offerings to meet their needs – across technologies, geographies and industries

What we do:

Deliver a full range of technical, application, and business skills training solutions such as: Desktop Applications (e.g. Word, Excel, Access, Project) Advanced Technical Solutions (e.g. Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, CompTIA, Citrix, Novell, ITIL, and Information Security)

Blend cutting-edge approaches to fit individual learning styles while meeting the broader knowledge objectives of the organization

Offer more courses, at more times, in more locations than any other computer and busi-

ness training company

Provide multiple learning methods including Instructor-Led classroom, Mentored Learning, Online LIVE (virtual instructor led classroom), and Online ANYTIME® (self paced eLearning)

Have instructors that are equal parts IT trainer and IT practitioner

Knowledge transfer enhanced with real-work, real-life examples

Reinforcement tools to directly impact employee performance

Provide a measurable ROI for your training dollars

Assess employee competencies against job requirements, identify gaps and create development plans to enable effectiveness and growth

Provide tailored content to the objectives of your business

Enable successful outcomes impacting your business results

Tie your learning needs to your organizational objectives

and develop your core competencies

Improve business processes by fully utilizing powerful capabilities in the latest technologies

Provide enhanced employee productivity, reduced costs and increased customer satisfaction

Utilize deep industry alliances provide you access to best-ofbreed content and accelerated releases

New Horizons is ranked in the top 5 percent of the industry for training quality and customer satisfaction. Our training yields a 4:1 benefit-to-cost ratio through improved performance and productivity. Over 98 percent of our clients utilize knowledge and skills gained in the classroom on the job.

Over 70 percent of the new knowledge and skills learned is applied on the job within the fi rst eight weeks.

Over 60 percent of the students surveyed say that New Horizons training had a significant impact on increasing quality.

Largest global network of Microsoft Partners Gold and Silver Learning, delivering more than

40 percent of all authorized Microsoft training worldwide.

Largest Cisco-authorized training partner with courses available at more than 200 centers worldwide. Largest authorized provider of CompTIA training and certification in the world.

New Horizons is a fully-authorized VMware training partner. Cisco Worldwide Learning Partner Award of Excellence for Collaboration – 2011

KnowledgeAdvisors’ Best Performance Award – 2011. Cisco Excellence in Acceleration Award – 2010. Cisco Learning Partner of the Year Award (United States and Canada) – 2009. World’s Top 20 IT Training Companies - 2008 – 2011. Microsoft Partner of the Year for Technology Innovation - 2006

New Horizons has trained employees at all 100 companies listed in Fortune Magazine’s ranking of America’s 100 largest corporations and over half of the Global 100. Learning measurement is a key component of all our solutions. We can provide Key Performance Indicators for Kirkpatrick’s four levels of evaluation.

Satisfaction

Learning effectiveness

Job impact

Business Results

New Horizons offers the largest Guaranteed-to-Run class schedule in the world. There are over

3100 courses are Guaranteed-toRun. Guaranteed-to-Run classes will never be cancelled due to low enrollment. Be certain that your course will run on the scheduled date. Classroom Learning includes instructor lecture and demonstration, followed by student practice through hands-on exercises enhanced by Web-based resources. Mentored Learning is a Microsoft Innovation Award–winning training methodology that allows students to learn at their own pace with a certified instructor. New Horizons Online LIVE removes geographical boundaries from learning by bringing students and instructors together synchronously in a live, virtual classroom. Labs on Demand are real-time cloud-based labs that allow students hands-on access to the systems and applications taught in our classrooms, anytime and anywhere.

Multiple delivery methods:

Classroom Learning

Mentored Learning

Online LIVE - Virtual Instructor-Led Online ANYTIME – SelfPaced eLearning Custom programs

Tailored to match your exact need eCourseware Virtual Labs

Telco reassures of vital Apps services

TELECOMMUNICATIONS serv-

ice provider Digicel takes pride in providing effective service to its customers and is happy to respond to queries by its users. With complains of data loss from its users, Digicel is now giving tips on how to avoid loss of data unexpectedly. There are a number of factors that can attribute to data loss, thus Digicel cannot provide one universal solution but can attempt to provide some tips to help customers understand data usage. Anyone with similar queries can contact them directly on: pngcare@digicelgroup. com so that Digicel staff can look directly at the issue they are facing. Data loss from mobile phones can vary between the type of phone you own, its operating system and the types of applications used most frequently.

Here are some additional tips:

Beware of “free” apps Free apps are increasing in popularity, however they can often use up more data than the premium (paid) version as they generally have more advertisements that end up using your data/credit.

Turn off “push notifications” Each notification you receive uses megabytes; such as emails, social media and GPS apps. To turn off push notifica-

tions: Go to Settings > In the “device” section, tap “Apps” > Uncheck the box for each app that says “Show Notifications”. Manually close certain apps Pressing the back button when exiting out of apps instead of the home button will close down your apps. But certain apps such as GPS or video and audio streaming (YouTube) tend to use up a lot of data if not closed properly. To close apps properly: Go to Settings > Application > Manage Applications > Running, then open the app you wish to close and force close.

Track your data usage Monitor your data usage. To see how much data you have used: Go to Settings > Wireless and Networks > Data Usage. In this same section you can select “Set Mobile Data Limit” to be sure you don’t exceed your bundle limit.

There are also applications such as ‘Task Killer’ on Android that can be downloaded to simplify closing applications. For further queries, do feel free to contact us on our Facebook page or call Customer Care on 123. We would be happy to address your case individually.

It’s hastle-free with Global

GLOBAL Technologies Ltd is the leading provider of innovative and state-of-the art Information Technology solutions in Papua New Guinea.

With offices in Port Moresby and Lae, Global Technologies employs over 35 permanent staff plus specialist contractors, including industry experts, technicians and support personnel to ensure they deliver outstanding and innovative results.

The company formed in 1997 and is a 100 percent privately owned Papua New Guinean registered company.

Currently, Global Technologies has distributor relationships with DELL, CISCO, NCR, and Microsoft, and are the authorised distributor for Dell Asia Pacific effective June 1998.

Global Technologies’ service department boasts the highest qualified staff in PNG. Some have the most advanced level of networking certification available from Cisco, renowned for its difficulty:

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)

Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)

Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Global Technologies - The company IT specialists choose.

For more than ten years we’ve been providing innovative and state-of-the-art ICT solutions and support in PNG.

We’re also the only authorised distributor and warranty agent of Dell products in PNG including Dell desktops, laptops, servers and storage.

Additional products available include NCR ATM Banking Solutions, VoIP and leading brands for hardware, software, consumables and antivirus solutions.

We also offer consultation, design, supply, implementation and maintenance for network and communications solutions.

By understanding your techni-

cal and business requirements we design LAN/WAN data network, IP telephony, Wireless networks, VPNs, Security solutions, Storage Area Networks and Structured Cabling systems. We get the right balance between what you need now, and what you’ll need when your business grows. Plus, we work seamlessly with Global Internet to deliver a holistic business solution.

Global Internet

Global Internet Ltd is Papua New

Guinea’s premier Internet Service Provider.

A subsidiary company of Global Technologies, Global Internet was awarded the status of Internet Service Distributor in PNG in early 1997 by Pacific Mobile Communications and has since established a significant presence as a leading Internet Service Provider.

Arguably the largest ISP in PNG with around 45 percent of the total market share, Global Internet

boasts over 10,000 pop email accounts and hosts over half of all .pg domains. Our shared and dedicated servers are located throughout the country to ensure fast, reliable internet connections, even in remote communities. Overseas hosting is also provided to compliment hosting for existing users, and flexibility for non-Global Internet users requiring independent and or separation of ISP Services.

Business Advantage PNG gives economic outlook for 2015

AS PAPUA New Guinea enters 2015, changes in the global economy are likely to present major challenges, while local investment in infrastructure continues. Business Advantage PNG looks ahead to consider what 2015 may bring business.

In his comments about the September 2014 Quarterly Economic Bulletin over a fortnight ago, Loi Banaki, Governor of the country’s central bank, warned of inflationary pressures due to a depreciating kina (which has depreciated by 20.4 percent from its high of US$0.4845 in 2012).

The Bank of PNG stepped in to support the weakening kina in June 2014, and impose trading band limits. While increased revenues from LNG exports is expected to reduce the need for such intervention this year, lower global commodity prices suggest that mineral exports may deliver lower revenues to PNG than ex-

pected in 2015.

It remains to be seen if these lower prices translate into lower tax revenues for the PNG Government. If they do, the Government may need to choose between cutting back on its expenditure plans or wearing a higher budget deficit.

Mining and petroleum

With the ExxonMobil-led PNG LNG project launching exports in May 2014, eyes will be focused on the next phase of growth in PNG’s petroleum sector in 2015. The ElkAntelope fields, which are being explored by Total SA and InterOil, are the obvious answer and remain the major hope for PNG’s second LNG project, while Talisman Energy’s gas aggregation project in Western Province continues to progress.

However, concerns remain elsewhere, with Oil Search’s Gera Aopi warning in December that the mining sector was ‘facing one of the worst years in recent times’, with

many exploration tenements ‘in the process of being abandoned’.

The concerns for the petroleum industry now also include navigating much lower commodity prices than in previous years, with oil starting 2015 languishing at around US$50 a barrel (the 2015 National Budget assumes a price of US$89 a barrel). Expect to see lower exploration and development activity as companies opt for reducing operating costs and productivity improvements instead.

On a positive note, the first stage of Morobe Mining Joint Venture’s Wafi-Golpu gold-copper project will move into feasibility this year. Nautilus Minerals has completed negotiations with the PNG Government to put development of the deep-sea Solwara 1 coppergold project back on track. Both projects shape as much-needed additions to the sector, as the Ok Tedi mine—for years the major source of export revenue for the country—

works to overcome operational issues and a reduced ore body. The PNG Government also continues to review fiscal frameworks for the resources sector, with 2015 also being the year where final amendments to the Mining Act could surface.

Agriculture

After low prices in 2013, export prices for PNG’s agricultural commodities, notably palm oil, coffee and cocoa, rallied somewhat in 2014, although there was still some volatility. A weaker kina is making exports internationally competitive, but can PNG produce enough to maintain revenues?

There are encouraging signs that the cocoa pod borer, which had severely affected cocoa production in some provinces, is now starting to come under control.

State-owned assets

Later than expected, this year should be the year we see the muchanticipated Sovereign Wealth Fund

created (after relevant laws were passed before Christmas), and the reorganisation of state-owned assets. The government plans a restructuring of its interests in oil, gas and mining resources into two separate mining and petroleum companies, Kumul Petroleum Holdings and Kumul Mining Holdings. All other state-owned enterprises are to be absorbed into a third company, Kumul Corporations Holdings.

Infrastructure

The PNG Government has gone into deficit to fund record infrastructure expenditure and, after a slow start, projects are starting to emerge.

With Phase One of the Lae port development complete, the focus will be on the next phase, which is expected to further increase capacity at PNG’s busiest port.

www.bapng.com

NDB focuses on operational efficiency

THE NATIONAL Development Bank and its subsidiaries; Peoples Micro Bank Limited and NDB Investment Limited will be focusing on Operational Efficiency in the year 2015 as a means to better their service delivery to the people of Papua New Guinea.

NDB has already been working on several key projects to improve its business process, to cater for its growing number of clients which include improving efficiency on the loan approval turnaround time.

This year, NDB will expand its Branch network operations to include Gulf (Kerema), Central (Kupiano) and Manus (Lorengau) province and will bring the total representation of NDB Branches to all 22 provinces in the country to provide essential banking and fi nancial services to 85 percent of the population who are unbanked in the rural communities.

NDB Managing Director Moses Liu said that the Bank will continue to lend at its interest rate of only 6.5 percent and provide specially tailored loan products to assist Papua New

Guineans to engage in small to medium enterprise or SME’s, thus contribute towards their community, province and the country’s economic growth.

“NDB is passionate about growing the SME sector in the country and providing the fi nancial resources for people who want to start up and or grow their business and assist them to create wealth for fi nancial success. NDB must be an agent of change for the improvement of the quality of life for our people, particularly in the rural areas,” Mr Liu said.

He added that work will also commence on building new Peoples Micro Bank Limited (PMBL) buildings in Hagen, Goroka, Kundiawa, Mendi and Tari.

“Once these new PMBL Branches are complete, it will provide savings accounts and micro credit facilities for the small people in these provinces,” Mr. Liu said.

NDB’s subsidiary, NDB Investment Limited will also roll out the Stret Pasin Incubation Scheme to other provinces this year.

NDB Managing Director, Moses Liu during the Dedication Service held at the NDB Head of fi ce at Waigani.

BSP expands within Pacific

A COMMITMENT to growth throughout the Pacific region has continued for Papua New Guinea-based Bank of South Pacific, with the acquisition of new Pacific operations from Westpac and launch of a new subsidiary.

Bank of South Pacific’s (BSP) regional expansion has taken a significant step forward with the acquisition of several Westpac operations in the Pacific, and the launch of a new asset finance subsidiary, BSP Finance.

Retailer announces car promo winners

BY MARILYN PAUL

TWO year old Cecily Manape was the lucky winner of a Brand new Toyota Hilux single cab last week at Harbour City Port Moresby. SVS with the support of its supplier Trukai Industries and Homestate ran a three month joint promotion.

For the Manape family this is not their fi rst lucky draw win since the big brother Dairy Manape was the K10, 000 winner for a draw ran by Post Courier in 2007.

Mother Igo Mali said she forgot all about the draw as she

entered the completion once and did not think she’d have a chance.

“I was surprised when contacted by SVS about my daughter’s name being picked and am pleased with the win. For me it’s a blessing from God. When you faithful in giving your onetenth back to God you will be blessed. It doesn’t mean that you have to have a formal income to give” she said. Igo and husband Mali Manape are unemployed and sell at the markets to make ends meet and the win is a bonus for the family. She said blessing come through

the power of giving and this was evident for her and family.

The other two winners are Patrick Hekere of Goroka for the Momase/Highland draw and David Baluai for the Islands.

The condition for entry was purchase of 10kg Roots rice, Supa-A-One rice or Star rice to enter. The competition ran through all the SVS stores nationwide.

Three brand new Toyota Hilux

2.5 Turbo Cabs with four Rim bumpers, power steering with air conditioning was given away to the three lucky winners.

PNG-based BSP has agreed to buy Westpac’s banking operations in Samoa, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Tonga for A$125 million in a deal that continues a strategy to expand throughout the Pacific.

BSP already operates in Solomon Islands and Fiji, in addition to its main PNG business. It has a history of growing through acquisition, having bought Habib Bank’s Fiji assets in 2006, the National Bank of Solomon Islands in 2007, and National Bank of Fiji and Colonial Fiji Life Insurance Limited in 2009.

“It is a regional strategy. We have and will continue to have a strong presence in the region for a very long time,” BSP Chairman, Kostas Constantinou, said.

New fi nance arm

At the same time, BSP has launched BSP Finance, an asset finance business aimed at offering finance deals of

between K20,000 and K3 million. The move will enable the bank to compete in this space with not only ANZ and Westpac, but also Credit Corporation, which BSP tried unsuccessfully to acquire in late 2013.

PNG Country Manager for the newly-formed subsidiary, Jodi Herbert, explained that BSP had identified opportunities to provide both new and existing clients with asset finance services.

“It’s now about going back to our clients and saying that we can do this business for you as and we are keen to do it,” Herbert told Business Advantage PNG ‘There’s a big part of the market where this is the case.”

After launching BSP Finance in Fiji in late 2014, Herbert added that BSP Finance would also investigate introducing the subsidiary in additional Pacific countries, including those territories acquired from Westpac. Westpac future Westpac says its commitment to PNG remains unchanged despite the agreement to offload several of its Pacific operations.

PNG’s fi rst bank, Westpac also plans to maintain operations in Fiji where for 113 years it has been the country’s longest-serving institution.

www.bapng.com

CECILY Manape (carrying child) with her parents surrounded by Trukai industries and SVS employees during the presentation as the key is handed over to her Angelyn Famudi Baker SVS Marketing manageress.

Father blames abuse on daughter

THE father of an Australian toddler who died from untreated stomach and head injuries has denied ever hitting the child, instead claiming it was the boy’s four-year-old sister who regularly abused him.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said his daughter had been violent towards her younger brother since his birth, often kicking, biting, and punching him and jumping on his stomach.

“It happened all the time,” the man told a Supreme Court jury on Monday at the start of the second week of a manslaughter trial against his former partner - the boy’s mother.

The woman is accused of perpetuating her son’s death by failing to get him medical treatment for acute head and stomach injuries.

He died in Wollongong Hospital on August 3, 2012.

A post-mortem examination showed the boy had bleeding on the brain and a perforated gut at the time of his death, as well as evidence of widespread bruising on his body.

The autopsy also revealed older injuries including multiple bone fractures and a traumatic lump at the back of the abdominal cavity.

The boy’s father told the court he never hit his son in the weeks and days before he died, but said his daughter tormented her brother non-stop by kicking, punching, pushing and biting him, as well as jumping on his stomach.

The man said he smacked his daughter for the behaviour when he could, but often couldn’t catch her to administer the punishment because she “ran too fast” around the lounge room.

He denied suggestions that he couldn’t catch the girl because he was intoxicated and unsteady on his feet, despite admitting he drank seven or eight beers daily.

At a glance

STATEMENT: The father of an Australian toddler who died from untreated stomach and head injuries has denied ever hitting the child, instead claiming it was the boy’s 4-year-old sister who regularly abused him.

CHARGE: Woman is accused of perpertrating her son’s death by failing to get him medical treatment for acute head and stomach injuries.

VICTIM: Boy died in Wollongong Hospital on August 3 2012

Meantime, the man recalled on one occasion seeing teeth marks on his son’s cheek after he was bitten by the daughter.

“They lasted all day, then there was a bruise,” he said.

“One time she pushed him into the TV stand. He had a bruise on the left side of his head.”

Despite the apparently regular incidences of violence perpetrated on the boy, the man said he could only recall seeing his daughter kick his son in the stomach and chest “a couple of times” each.

He also said he couldn’t remember seeing bruises or evidence of injuries on any other occasion other than the biting incident and the TV stand incident.

When asked if the girl had attacked her brother the day before his death, the man said she had not because of the boy’s illness.

The man said he was concerned about the boy because he looked very sick when the mother had dropped him and his sister off at their father’s house for babysitting for a few hours on the morning of August 2.

“His lips were blue, he was pale and he was shivering,” the man said.

“He wasn’t looking normal when he was walking around.” –stuff news

Sharks kill one more

THE death of a surfer off Ballina in New South Wales on Monday brings the number of people killed by sharks in Australian waters to five in the past 12 months.

Of those five fatalities, three have been in New South Wales.

Experts have warned the risk of death by shark attack was still low.

Of the more than 530 unprovoked attacks in Australia over the past century, most

Police shut beaches to locate that shark

victims escaped with just injury while just over one quarter of those died. The deaths have shocked the often tight-knit coastal communities where they occur. Here are

Quick news

FIJI MINIMUM WAGE TO DOUBLE

A CONSULTANT for the People’s Community Network in Fiji, says the increase of the national minimum wage is a good step but nowhere near enough, Radio New Zealand reports.

The Fiji government announced it will increase the rate from $2.00 Fijian per hour to $2.32 from July 1st, RNZ says. Father Kevin Barr says if the government is really serious about taking people out of poverty, the rate needs to be at least $4.20 per hour.

The fact that the government has increased from $2 to $2.32, or brought it back to the original proposal, is good. It’s a step in the right direction. But I think we would need to say that more steps need to be taken progressively to bring that national minimum wage up to above the poverty line.

MARSHALLS ‘IN TO WIN’

THE Marshall Islands is to lodge an appeal in a case against the United States over nuclear disarmament. Radio New Zealand reports that the islands were the scene of massive US nuclear tests in the 1950s and it is suing the US and eight other nuclear-armed countries for failing in their obligation to negotiate nuclear disarmament. A lawyer for the Marshall Islands, Laurie Ashton, says the team is disappointed in last week’s dismissal of its case by the US District Court which found the breach of the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the subsequent harm claimed by the Marshall Islands was speculative. She says the Marshall Islands also disagrees with Judge Jeffrey White’s findings that the court could not order the US to comply with the treaty and could not provide redress from the harm that’s claimed. “We will go as far as legally, possibly we can go. We are in it to win it and we are in it to the end and we appreciate the bravery of the Marshall Islands and we’re not going anywhere.”

PALAU GETS EROSION LESSONS

A TEAM from Palau is in Tonga to study a government project constructing foreshores in eastern Tongatapu to combat erosion, reports Radio New Zealand. Xavier Matsutaro from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community told Radio Tonga they are happy to become Tonga’s partner after learning from their projects how to reduce the impacts of climate change. It is hoped a similar building programme will be implemented in Palau, RNZ reports. Tonga’s Climate Change National Coordinator Manu Manuofetoa says the project includes the building up of foreshores in the area and placing rocks and cement along coastal areas. Mr Manuofetoa says there will also be collaboration in forming programmes to help prepare for any natural disasters.

VANUATU CHIEF PRAISED

the most recent:

Japanese man

Tadashi Nakahara was attacked while he was surfing with four men at Shelly Beach near Ballina on the NSW north coast. He sustained severe injuries to his legs and was helped from the water but died at the scene from massive blood loss. Locals said from the description given of the attack, it sounded like he was attacked by a great white. -ABC news

Woman shot dead by police in Sydney

A WOMAN has been shot dead following an altercation with police outside a Sydney fast food restaurant.

It is believed the woman, aged in her 20s, was shot by police after she lunged at them with a butcher’s knife in the carpark of Hungry Jack’s at Hoxton Park.

Channel Seven tweeted an image of the woman standing in

a carpark, holding a large knife in one hand and sipping a drink from the other.

A woman posted on Facebook that her friend witnessed most of the incident and said the woman lunged at police with the knife and was tasered and then shot.

Police said they were called to the intersection of Cowpasture

Road and Hoxton Park Road at 11:45 am on Tuesday and were confronted by the woman, who had a knife in her possession.

“A critical incident has been launched following the death of a woman during a confrontation with police,” a police statement said.

Earlier reports said the woman was in her teens however police

said on Tuesday afternoon that she is believed to be in her 20s.

A NSW Ambulance spokeswoman said she died at the scene.

“NSW Ambulance responded to reports of a gunshot wound the patient has since died at the scene,” the spokeswoman said. Critical incident usually refers to a death or serious injury involving police. –stuff news

A CHIEF in Vanuatu’s main island of Efate has been praised for opening up his traditional lands to people moving from the capital, Port Vila. Radio New Zealand reports that the President of Shefa Province, Edward George, says the paramount chief Kalpoilep has agreed to allow custom land to be used by families from other provinces to live and work on, so the population of Port Vila can be properly fed. Mr George says the alternative would have been a severe shortage of vegetables at the market in Port Vila. Chief Kalpoilep is the only landowner who uses Efate Island’s traditional land lease system called ‘nasautonga’ to allocate land to newcomers to Port Vila, reports RNZ. The system allows occupants of the land to offer fresh produce and meats once a year to thank him for his generosity.

SAMOA EYES OFU FLIGHTS

AMERICAN Samoa is urging Polynesian Airlines to operate another domestic flight from Tutuila to Ofu island, according to Radio New Zealand. Under a current cabotage exemption, the carrier flies between Tutuila, the territory’s main island, and Ta’u island in the Manu’a group, RNZ reports. Although Ofa airport was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration last year, there has been no US carrier servicing the domestic flights. Polynesian Airlines have run a test flight to Ofu, and were able to transport two critical patients back to Tutuila to the LBJ hospital. The Polynesian Airlines CEO, Seiuli Alvin Tuala, says he will discuss the matter with governor Lolo Moliga.

MONEY LAUNDERING RISK

Fiji is to undertake a national assessment of its money laundering and terrorist financing risks from this month, reports Radio New Zealand. RNZ reports that the risk assessment is an international requirement to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Countries are required to identify, assess and understand the money laundering and terrorist financing risks that they face in their jurisdiction. The assessment, done with help from the Asian Development Bank, will help the Fijian government to understand the sources and methods of money laundering in Fiji and to identify any vulnerabilities and weaknesses in their systems.

TADASHI Nakahara was a keen surfer who sold boards in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. Picture: ABC

WE’RE ON A MISSION

LIBERAL MPs have been given a guarantee by the Prime Minister he will sack any staff member caught backgrounding against them, in the first party room meeting since yesterday’s “near-death” leadership vote. Picture: ABC

Aust slow to register deported criminals

AUSTRALIAN authorities are dragging their feet over plans to create a register of criminals deported to New Zealand.

Justice Minister Amy Adams today responded to recent public outcry over Rebecca Papalii, returned to Kaikohe, Northland after serving a sentence for the 1999 kidnap, torture and killing of a 14-year old boy.

A campaign against lax restrictions has previously been launched by the family of 13-year-old Jade Bayliss, murdered in 2011 by Jeremy George McLaughlin, 37, who had spent time in an Australian prison for bludgeoning another teen to death there.

Adams said she was “very interested” in work on an index, which began in 2013.

Police are working on information-sharing protocols with counterparts across the Tasman which will lead to a register and monitoring conditions. The Department of Corrections are also examining how they can keep tabs on

AUTHORITIES: Australian authorities are dragging their feet over plans to create a register of criminals deported to New Zealand.

MINISTER: Amy Adams today responded to recent public outcry over Rebecca Papalii, returned to Kaikohe, Northland after serving a sentence for the 1999 kidnap, torture and killing of a 14-year old boy.

CAMPAIGN: A campaign against lax restrictions has previously been launched by the family of 13-year-old Jade Bayliss, murdered in 2011 by Jeremy George McLaughlin, 37, who had spent time in an Australian prison for bludgeoning another teen to death there.

INVESTIGATION: Police are working on information-sharing protocols with counterparts across the Tasman which will lead to a register and monitoring conditions.

the deported criminals.

But Adams said she couldn’t say how long the register will take, admitting: “[It] doesn’t seem to have been the highest of priorities for Australians.”

Privacy issues were also placing constraints on the policy work, she said.

“I think we do need to see a register of deported criminals back in New Zealand so that we can keep tabs on what is going on,” she said.

“The vast majority of them

have come from Australia, the vast majority of them have reasonably minor offences that they were convicted for. Nonetheless there are a handful that are serious criminals that we need to be able to monitor, so we have got a sort of informal relationship with Australia at the moment where information comes through, but it is not enough.

“We need something more robust and more comprehensive.”

Adams wants authorities in both countries to be able to access convictions, Parole Board conditions, security classifications and prison records.

“My intention is that criminals being [deported] should be subject to the same sort of conditions that they would likely to be subject to if they came out of a New Zealand prison,” the minister said.

“None of this is a sliver bullet but it still doesn’t make sense to me that a criminal on a murder charge or a life sentence in New Zealand is subject to reasonably consistent oversight and monitoring, whereas someone deported from Australia for the same offence might not be. So that is the gap that we need to address.”

Papalii was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison after the death of Cleon Jackman in Perth, but this was later reduced on appeal.

The Australian Prisoners Review Board decided her rehabilitation could continue

Stolen flying fox a health risk

AUTHORITIES have warned of a potential health risk following the theft of a young grey-headed flying fox from an aviary in Adelaide.

in her home country. She says she poses no threat.

McLaughlin was deported in 2001, and police here learned of his manslaughter conviction, but the law prevented them passing details to the public.

Tina Bayliss had approached police with fears about McLaughlin four days before her daughter was strangled in November 2011.

At the time then-Justice Minister Judith Collins announced plans for the register and said she was weighing up if the public should have access to it.

In May 2013, she said she would present the proposal to Cabinet “in the near future” but warned it could take some time to get through Parliament.

Adams said public protection orders and extended supervision orders allowed authorities to place monitoring conditions on “the most serious offenders” returned from Australia.

-Stuff news

Police said someone took the juvenile bat from a rear yard in Virginia Road, Salisbury, between 9:15am and 5:00pm (ACDT) on Monday.

Grey-headed flying foxes are a threatened species, and SA Health and the Environment Department warned of a health risk if someone was scratched or bitten by the animal.

Environment Department animal welfare manager Deb Kelly said anyone bitten or scratched would need urgent medical help.

“Some flying foxes carry diseases, including Australian bat lyssavirus and the Hendra virus,” she said. “It is important that people do not handle flying foxes unless they have been vaccinated. “Anyone bitten or scratched should wash the site immediately and seek immediate medical attention.”

Dr Kelly said flying foxes had strict dietary requirements and could suffer if they did not get specialised care. – ABC

Murder rate in Australia falls to record lows

AUSTRALIA’S murder rate has hit its lowest level since the National Homicide Monitoring Program began compiling records in 198990.

Figures released by the programme show that the rate reached an all-time low of 1.1 victims per 100,000 people in the two years to

June 2012. The 272 homicides in 2011-2012 were 18% lower than in 1989.

The figures show that the most common relationship between offender and victim throughout 2010-12 was domestic.

This was closely followed by friends/acquaintance homicide. The figures also

show that males continue to be the main victims and offenders.

“Overall, the number of homicides generally continues to decline over time,” the executive summary of the report says.

It says that in general the more densely populated states have higher murder

rates, which is why the largest number of incidents were in New South Wales, followed by Victoria and Queensland. Key findings from this report include:

From 1 July 2010 to 30

June 2012, there were a total of 479 homicide incidents involving 511 victims and

532 offenders. Since 2001-02, there has been a downward trend in the homicide rate, decreasing from 1.8 per 100,000 to 1.1 in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 financial years

Female victimisation reached a record low and remained stable across 201011 and 2011-12 with a rate of 0.8 per 100,000

Females however remain over-represented as victims of intimate partner homicide Knives continue to be the most commonly used weapon.

Stranger homicides –including persons known for less than 24 hours – comprised 11 percent of homicides. –BBC

Malaysia upholds Anwar conviction

PUTRAJAYA:Malaysia’s highest court has upheld a sodomy conviction and fiveyear jail term for Anwar Ibrahim, throwing the opposition leader’s political future into peril with a decision that he angrily denounced as a conspiracy.

Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria on Tuesday dismissed Anwar’s challenge against last year’s conviction for sodomising a young male former aide, saying the court found “overwhelming evidence” of the crime.

Sodomy is punishable by up to 20 years in prison in Muslim-majority Malaysia and Anwar was expected to begin his sentence immediately.

Arifin read his judgments out to a stunned courtroom packed with journalists, opposition figures, and Anwar’s family and supporters, many of whom wept quietly.

Anwar later took to the dock and attacked the Federal Court panel of justices for taking part in a “political conspiracy” by Malaysia’s ruling regime.

“In bowing to the dictates of your political masters, you have become partners to the crime,” he said.

“You have chosen to be on the dark side.”

Angered, the judges abruptly got up to leave, with Anwar shouting at them as they exited.

“I will not be silenced! I will never surrender!”

Government critics say the case is part of a long-running campaign to destroy Anwar, a former deputy premier who was ousted from the ruling party in the late 1990s and later helped unite a previously divided and hapless opposition into a formidable force.

“It’s a day of infamy. It’s a shocking decision,” senior opposition parliamentarian Lim Kit Siang said.

Appeal begins for South Korea ferry sentences

SEOUL: A South Korean court Tuesday began hearing appeals from the prosecution and defence related to the 15 Sewol ferry crew members jailed over the sinking that claimed more than 300 lives.

At a glance

PITFALLS AWARENESS:

Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim is well aware of the perils and pitfalls of political life.

DEMISE: Mr Anwar, 67, once belonged to the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN, National Front) coalition, but a falling out with top leaders resulted in him being beaten, jailed and disgraced.

RETURN: Then came a political comeback, with him leading the opposition Pakatan Rakyat alliance into general elections in 2013. -BBC

The decision is a heavy blow to both Anwar and the opposition.

Now 67, Anwar might not emerge from prison until the age of 72 if he serves the full term.

The decision strips Anwar of his parliamentary seat and disqualifies him from running in the next elections due by 2018.

Several prominent legal observers had said they felt that Anwar’s defence had successfully raised sufficient reasonable doubt over the charge that he sodomised Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan in 2008.

Human Rights Watch condemned the case as “politically motivated” persecution.

“Allowing this travesty of justice to stand will further undermine respect for rights and democracy in Malaysia,” the group’s Asia director Phil Robertson said.

Hundreds of Anwar supporters had gathered outside the court since before the ruling, chanting “Reformasi!”, the longtime clarion call of the movement to unseat the country’s 58-year-old government, and “Free Anwar!”.

-AAP news

Modi admits defeat in Delhi vote

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conceded defeat in Delhi state elections as early results show anti-corruption campaigner Arvind Kejriwal’s party is set for a landslide victory.

Modi assured Kejriwal of the national government’s “complete support” on Tuesday following the right-wing premier’s first election loss since storming to power at general polls last May.

“Spoke to @ArvindKejriwal & congratulated him on the win. Assured him Centre’s complete support in

Congratulate him (Kejriwal) on the win

the development of Delhi,” Modi said in a tweet. Early tallies showed Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leading in just three seats in the 70-seat state assembly, with former Delhi

chief minister Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead in 66.

Kejriwal’s victory marks a stunning comeback for the anti-graft champion and self-styled anarchist, who resigned following a chaotic 49-day spell in charge of the Delhi state government a year ago.

After apologising for leaving voters without an elected government for a year, Kejriwal was the star of the campaign, outshining former policewoman Kiran Bedi who was the BJP’s pick for chief minister. -AAP

The prosecution wants the higher court to reconsider the dismissed homicide charges against Captain Lee Jun-Seok and some of the 14 surviving crew members, while the defendants are appealing the convictions and the severity of the sentences handed down in November.

The Sewol was carrying 476 people on board when it capsized off South Korea’s southern coast on April. Of the 304 who died, 250 were students from the same high school.

The tragedy shocked and enraged the country as it became clear that it was almost entirely man-made - the result of an illegal redesign, an overloaded cargo bay, an inexperienced crew and an unhealthy nexus between operators and state regulators.

Lee and his crew were publicly vilified - especially after video footage emerged showing them escaping the vessel while hundreds remained trapped on board.

Lee was convicted of gross negligence and dereliction of duty and jailed for 36 years, but he was acquitted of a more serious homicide charge along with two crew members.

The core of the argument to be heard during the appeal is whether the captain and crew intentionally abandoned the passengers in the knowledge that they would die as a result. The lower court ruled the prosecution had only proved such an intention in the case of the chief engineer, who was convicted of murder for failing to help two injured crew members.

The engineer, and the other defendants, argue that they were paralysed by blind panic that prevented them considering the full consequences of their actions.

The appeal hearings will be attended by relatives of the victims who were outraged by the homicide acquittals.

-AAP news

Afghanistan drone strike kills top IS commander

A DRONE strike in Afghanistan has killed a militant commander who recently swore allegiance to Islamic State (IS), officials say.

The police chief of Helmand said that former Taliban commander Mullah Abdul Rauf had died in the Nato strike.

It emerged last month that Rauf had sworn allegiance to IS after falling out with the Taliban.

Tribal elders in northern Helmand say a car carry-

ing up to six people was destroyed while crossing the desert.

The car was loaded with ammunition and exploded, reports said.

Analysts are divided over whether those flying black flags in Afghanistan are opportunists or are directed by the IS leadership in Syria and Iraq.

The commander killed in Helmand, Mullah Abdul Rauf, was appointed deputy commander in the region

some weeks after he first declared his allegiance when he split from the Taliban.

The air strike that killed him was one of the first reported under Nato’s new mandate.

There have been increasing reports of people supporting IS from across the country. Afghan government spokesmen continue to insist that they are disaffected Taliban, and not a significant new development.

One disturbing aspect is that the name used by IS in Syria to describe the offshoot here is the Khorasan group, using an old name for Afghanistan. And there is an ancient myth that black flags will fly again in Khorasan shortly before the end of the world.

The Afghan Intelligence Agency also said Rauf had been killed. Nato confirmed the air strike, but not the intended target. -BBC news

SUPPORTERS of India’s Aam Aadmi Party have been celebrating outside the party office. Picture: BBC

THIS group of former Taliban fighters pledged allegiance to IS in Pakistan last month. Picture: BBC

Chinese actress to marry after drone proposal

CHINESE actress Zhang

Ziyi has accepted a marriage proposal from a romantic rock star who delivered a diamond ring to her by drone, local media reports.

Musician Wang Feng sent a white drone carrying the ring flying into Zhang’s 36th birthday party, Chinese web portal NetEase reported.

Pictures posted online showed a smiling Wang reaching into a basket attached to the hovering drone, as Zhang - standing beside a large cake - covered her face.

Zhang, who starred in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Memoirs of a Geisha, accepted Wang’s proposal at the party on Saturday amid tears and applause from a crowd of onlookers, including other celebrities.

On Sunday morning a Weibo microblog account widely believed to be Zhang’s posted a picture of fireworks with the words “I do”, attracting thousands of comments.

Wang, 43, a popular musician and rock singer in China, was reportedly married twice before his relationship with Zhang, divorcing his second wife in 2013.

-ABC news

Japan girl band attacker gets six years jail term

TOKYO: A man who attacked two members of Japanese girl band AKB48 with a saw during a “meet the fans” event has been sentenced to six years in jail.

Unemployed Satoru Umeta used a 50-centimetre saw, onto which he had fastened box cutter blades, to injure Rina Kawaei and Anna Iriyama, now both 19 years old,

No pause for Bali Nine executions

JAKARTA: Indonesian officials are making secret preparations for the executions of Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, even as the federal government urges them daily to reconsider.

Lawyers for the men had hoped a challenge of their clemency denial would at least put a pause on the executions.

But Indonesia’s AttorneyGeneral HM Prasetyo on Tuesday confirmed plans to execute the men are going ahead.

“It will proceed,” he told reporters.

“We haven’t determined the time yet.”

Denpasar District Chief Prosecutor Imanuel Zebua says officials in Bali, where the two are jailed, are pressing ahead with plans.

They had requested instructions from the attorney-general on the transfer of the pair from Kerobokan to Nusakambangan, a prison island off central Java, where five drug offenders were executed last month.

Mr Imanuel said the move would be secret, kept even from their families.

“It could be on the day before the execution and we don’t have to tell the family first,” he told reporters.

“We also don’t want to tell you (media) either. You could be waiting for us at the airport.”

Chan, 31, and Sukumaran, 33, would be allowed to make a last request, the prosecutor said, and that could be done at Bali’s Kerobokan jail rather than on Nusakambangan.

in May last year. Both singers suffered broken bones in their right hands, and cuts on their arms and heads during the incident in Iwate, northern Japan.

The presiding judge at the Morioka District Court on Tuesday said Umenta, 24, had done something “cruel and very hazardous, which could have taken people’s lives”.

“The fear the victims had during the event, where they were meeting with fans, and the mental damage were significant,” judge Takehiko Okada said.

Umeta’s lawyers said their client has shown signs of schizophrenia and was suffering from frustration because of his poor communication skills.

AKB48 - an abbreviation of the Tokyo district of Akihabara - is one of the most successful acts of all time in monetary terms.

Part pop act and part talent show, its more than 100strong pool of girls and young women compete for a spot in the limelight with each new catchy but formulaic hit. Their success is built on

their accessibility to legions of fans, many of whom are older, single men. Members appear at regular events to shake hands and pose for pictures, as well as on social networking sites.

The group has spawned dozens of offshoots, all using the same three-letter naming formula, including in places as far away as Jakarta. -AAP

President Joko Widodo denied the men clemency despite their rehabilitation, which is supported by a flurry of testimonies in recent days from present and former inmates.

Lawyers for the Sydney men will challenge the presidential decree that denied them clemency without looking at their circumstances in an administrative court. -AAP

finds HK woman abused Indonesian maid

A HONG Kong woman has been found guilty of abusing an Indonesian maid in a high-profile case of mistreatment.

Law Wan-tung was accused of causing grievous bodily harm, criminal intimidation and failure to pay wages.

The maid, Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, drew global attention last year when she returned to Indonesia and needed hospital treatment.

She testified in court in December that she was abused by Law for several months before she was sent home.

The case drew intense scrutiny in Hong Kong, where a significant number of families rely on domestic helpers.

The city’s residents employ about 300,000 maids from other parts of Asia. Law was found guilty of 18 out of 20 charges laid against her. The two charges she was not found guilty of related to her treatment of another maid. She is due to be sentenced later this month.

Ms Erwiana told AFP news agency after the verdict that she was “very happy”. She also got down on her knees and said a prayer of gratitude outside the court room.

During the trial the court heard that Law beat Ms Erwiana with various objects including a mop and a hanger - at one point knocking her unconscious - and

deprived her of proper food.

At one point Law shoved a vacuum cleaner tube into Ms Erwiana’s mouth and twisted it, injuring her lips; on another occasion Law punched the maid so hard that her incisor teeth fractured.

Ms Erwiana and her father told the South China Morning Post that when she returned home in January 2014, Ms Erwiana only weighed 25kg, half her usual weight. She had bruises all over her body.

Law’s defence lawyers had accused Ms Erwiana of being “opportunistic” and argued she sustained her injuries because of her clumsiness.

Law denied all the abuse charges laid against her, but

admitted to a separate charge of not buying insurance for Ms Erwiana.

The BBC’s Alice Budisatrijo in Jakarta says the case has drawn attention in Indonesia because Hong Kong, which has laws to protect maids, is seen as relatively safe for Indonesian domestic workers compared to other countries.

Photographs of Ms Erwiana looking emaciated and sickly in an Indonesian hospital last year caused outrage in her home country, while the case also triggered protests by migrant workers in Hong Kong. Ms Erwiana was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people last year.

-ABC news

LAW (pictured) abused Ms Erwiana over the course of eight months in 2013. Picture: ABC

ZHANG starred in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Memoirs of a Geisha.

Picture: ABC/REUTERS

Brain damage may be reversed

PARIS: Damage to the brain’s outer layer caused by smoking may be reversible after quitting, but it could take years, a study says.

Brain scans of 500 Scottish septuagenarians confirmed a link between smoking and an acceleration of age-related thinning of the cortex - the outer layer of grey matter, researchers reported on Tuesday.

But they also pointed, for the first time, to potential for recovery after quitting.

The cortex of ex-smokers in the group “seems to have partially recovered for each year without smoking,” the multinational research team wrote in the Nature journal Molecular Psychiatry.

But they warned that: “Although partial recovery seems possible, it can be a long process.”

Many studies have linked cigarette smoking with cognitive decline and dementia, and some also with brain degeneration.

“Evidence suggests that smokers have, on average, slightly poorer global cognitive functioning in later life, as well as lower mean scores on several cognitive domains such as cognitive flexibility and memory,” said the study authors.

But it has never been shown whether the effects may be reversible.

For the new study, the team used people who had participated in the Scottish Mental Survey as school children in 1947, when their cognitive function was tested.

The survivors underwent MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans again in

At a glance

GOOD NEWS: Study says damage caused to the outer layer of the brain from smoking may be reversed but it could take years.

RECOVERY: The study also pointed out the potential for recovery after quitting smoking

CHANCES: Evidence suggests that smokers have, on average, slightly poorer global cognitive functioning in later life, as well as lower mean scores on several cognitive domains

2007, and the results of 504 of them were analysed. There were 36 current smokers, 223 ex-smokers and 245 who had never smoked in the group, which had an average age of 73, said the study paper.

There was no significant difference between their ages or childhood IQ, and the group was split just almost equally between men and women.

Analysis of the scans showed that current smokers “had a generally thinner cortex than those who had never smoked,” said the study.

As for the quitters, who had on average smoked about a pack a day for 30 years, “it took roughly 25 years without smoking for differences in cortical thickness to no longer be observed between ex-smokers and those that never smoked,” the authors wrote.

And they warned: “Heavy ex-smokers remained with a thinner cortex at age 73 years even after more than 25 years without smoking.”

Climbers find wreck

CLIMBERS in Chile’s Andes Mountains say they have found the wreckage of a missing plane that disappeared more than 50 years ago with a team of football stars on board.

Images of the twisted wreck of the LAN Chile Douglas DC-3 that went down April 3, 1961 were shown on Chilean television, released by the climbers who said the find was in Maule, about 300 kilometres south of Santiago.

“The plane is more than 3,200 meters up the moun-

US considers arming Ukrainians

UNITED States president

Barack Obama says he is considering sending weapons to the Ukrainian army to help it defend itself against Russian tanks and artillery.

After talks with German chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington, Mr Obama said Russia had violated almost every agreement it had made to end the fighting in Ukraine and had instead sent in more tanks and heavy artillery, captured more territory and destroyed villages.

France and Germany had agreed to pursue new diplomatic efforts for a negotiated ceasefire this week, but Mr Obama admitted he was looking at alternatives.

“If in fact diplomacy fails, I have asked my team to look at all options,” he said.

That included sending lethal defensive weapons to the Ukrainian forces, a plan the German chancellor op-

The Post-Courier has been heartbeat of PNG since 1969

posed. “I understand the debate but I believe that more weapons will not lead to the progress Ukraine needs,” Ms Merkel said.

“I really doubt that.”

Mr Obama and Ms Merkel agreed sanctions would stay in place for now and Moscow’s isolation would worsen if it continued on its current course.

Both leaders had been criticised by members of the Republican-controlled US Congress who wanted weapons sent to the Ukraine army.

The US unanimously

passed legislation in December authorising weapons for Kiev, but Mr Obama retained leeway over whether or when to implement it.

“The Ukrainians are being slaughtered and we’re sending them blankets and meals,” Senator John McCain said at a security conference in Munich.

“Blankets don’t do well against Russian tanks.”

Sixteen Ukrainian troops and civilians were killed in a 24-hour period over the weekend, with intense fighting around the town of Debaltseve, north-east of the city of Donetsk.

Ms Merkel was due to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko tomorrow with French president Francois Hollande.

A Russian speaker who grew up in East Germany, Ms Merkel had taken the lead in pursuing a diplomat-

tain,” one of the mountaineers, Leonardo Albornoz, said. “Quite a bit of the fuselage is still there, a lot of things scattered over the area including human bones. So this story is getting a rewrite since this is not where original accounts said.”

The plane was carrying 24 people when it crashed, with all presumed dead. They included eight members of the Green Cross football squad, team coach Arnaldo Vasquez, and other team staff and friends.

ic solution, speaking with Mr Putin by phone dozens of times over the past year and meeting him in Russia, Australia and Italy in recent months.

Last week, Ms Merkel and Mr Hollande met Mr Putin in Moscow and followed this up with a conference call on Sunday also including Mr Poroshenko.

However, no breakthrough had emerged in the nearly year-long conflict that had claimed over 5,000 lives.

On Monday, European Union foreign ministers approved visa bans and asset freezes on more Ukrainian separatists and Russians.

“The principle of these sanctions remains but the implementation will depend on results on the ground,” French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said.

“We will see by Monday and see how the meeting in Minsk went.”

Robots to replace workers, reduce costs

WASHINGTON: Cheaper, better robots will replace human workers in the world’s factories at a faster pace over the next decade, pushing labour costs down 16 per cent, a report says.

The Boston Consulting Group predicts that investment in industrial robots will grow 10 per cent a year in the

world’s 25-biggest export nations through 2025, up from two per cent to three per cent a year now. The investment will pay off in lower costs and increased efficiency.

Robots will cut labour costs by 33 per cent in South Korea, 25 per cent in Japan, 24 per cent in Canada and 22 per cent in the United States and

Taiwan. Only 10 per cent of jobs that can be automated have already been taken by robots. By 2025, the machines will have more than 23 per cent, Boston Consulting forecasts.

Robots are getting cheaper.

The cost of owning and operating a robotic spot welder, for instance, has tumbled

from $US182,000 ($A232,930) in 2005 to $US133,000 last year, and will drop to $US103,000 by 2025, Boston Consulting says.

And the new machines can do more things. Old robots could only operate in predictable environments. The newer ones use improved sensors to react to the unexpected.

UKRAINIAN troops launch a rocket towards pro-Russian separatist forces outside Debaltseve in eastern Ukraine

Militants hijack bus with 20 hostages

SUSPECTED militants from Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram have hijacked a bus in northern Cameroon, abducting at least 20 people, residents say.

Militants reportedly seized a bus carrying market-goers and drove it toward the border with Nigeria.

Some reports put the total number kidnapped in Cameroon as high as 30.

Boko Haram has escalated its attacks outside Nigeria in recent weeks, targeting neighbouring Cameroon and Niger.

The insurgency has forced a postponement of Nigeria’s presidential and parliamentary elections from 14 February to 28 March.

The bus was seized near

Syria ‘gets IS messages’

SYRIA’S President Bashar al-Assad says his government is receiving messages from the US-led coalition battling the jihadist group, Islamic State.

Mr Assad told the BBC that there had been no direct co-operation since air strikes began in Syria in September.

But third parties, among them Iraq were conveying ‘information’.

He also denied that Syrian government forces had been dropping barrel bombs indiscriminately on rebelheld areas, killing thousands of civilians.

Mr Assad dismissed the allegation as a “childish story”, in a wide-ranging interview with BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen in Damascus.

“We have bombs, missiles and bullets. There is [are] no barrel bombs, we don’t have barrels.” Our correspondent says that his denial is highly controversial as the deaths of civilians in barrel bomb attacks are welldocumented.

Retrial of two journos

THE retrial of two alJazeera journalists detained in Egypt will begin on 12 February, judicial sources say.

Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were sentenced to seven and 10 years respectively last June. A court ordered a retrial last month.

They were arrested in 2013 along with Australian colleague Peter Greste after being accused of collaborating with the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

At a glance

HIJACKING: Suspected militants from Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram have hijacked a bus in northern Cameroon, abducting at least 20 people, residents say.

REPORTS Some reports put the total number kidnapped in Cameroon as high as 30.

INCIDENT:In an apparently related incident, several Boko Haram fighters were killed and around 10 Cameroonian soldiers injured as the militants attacked Kerawa, a local journalist told the BBC.

the border area of Koza and driven towards the Nigerian border 18km (11 miles) away, a resident told

the Associated Press news agency.

In an apparently related incident, several Boko Haram fighters were killed and around 10 Cameroonian soldiers injured as the militants attacked Kerawa, a local journalist told the BBC.

A separate group of fighters reportedly attacked the nearby town of Kolofata, looting food and livestock.

The attacks in Cameroon follow a series of assaults on the border towns of Bosso and Diffa in Niger.

Boko Haram militants targeted a prison in Diffa on Monday but were repelled by soldiers from Niger and Chad. Diffa was also targeted by

a car bomb which exploded near a market, news agencies reported, citing residents and military sources.

A local journalist in Diffa told AFP he counted one dead and 15 injured.

Niger’s parliament is due to vote on Monday on contributing 700 troops to a regional force battling to regain territory from Boko Haram ahead of Nigeria’s rescheduled elections.

Abbo Moro, Nigeria’s interior minister, told the BBC he believes the fight against the militant group will be successful enough for the elections to go ahead.

Elections for state governors and assemblies slated for 28 February have also been moved to 11 April.

BBC Nigeria correspondent Will Ross says many observers in the country see the delay as a political move aimed at helping the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.

Uncertainty over the election is also having economic repercussions, our reporter says, with Nigeria’s currency the naira falling to a record low on Monday.

The Boko Haram insurgency has caused more than 1.5 million people to flee their homes.

On Saturday, Nigeria and the governments of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin agreed to establish a force of 8,700 troops, police and civilians to fight the group. -BBC news

Mr Greste was freed a week ago.

A decree issued by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi last November allows the deportation of foreign prisoners. Mr Fahmy, who held dual Canadian and Egyptian citizenship, renounced his Egyptian nationality this week in an attempt to secure his release.

Egyptian and Canadian officials had indicated that he would be deported to Canada. Mr Mohamed is an Egyptian who holds no dual nationality.

His wife said that the three journalists were tried together and therefore should have been released together, and that she was astonished that the retrial should go ahead.

Obama sees no reason to extend Iran nuke talks

WASHINGTON: US

President Barack Obama says there is no reason to extend nuclear talks with Iran once again, stressing the question now is whether Tehran truly wants an agreement.

“I don’t see a further extension being useful if they have not agreed to the

basic formulation and the bottom line that the world requires to have confidence that they’re not pursuing a nuclear weapon,” Obama said at a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday.

Obama said the issues standing in the way of a

comprehensive agreement were no longer technical.

“The issues now are - does Iran have the political will and the desire to get a deal done?” he said.

His comments followed a White House meeting with Merkel, whose country along with the United States is a member of the

P5+1 group negotiating with Tehran. Two deadlines for reaching a permanent agreement on Iran’s nuclear program have passed, and scepticism about Tehran’s intentions have been growing.

Under an interim agreement, Iran has diluted its stock of fissile materials

from 20 percent enriched uranium to five per cent in exchange for limited sanctions relief. But negotiators now must reach a political consensus by March 31 and then a final deal setting out the agreement in technical detail by June 30.

Meanwhile, pressure is growing in the US Congress

for spelling out ahead of time the sanctions Iran would face if there is no deal, which the US administration vehemently opposes. Republicans have further angered the administration by inviting Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress.

NIGERIA, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin have agreed to establish a joint force to combat Boko Haram. Picture: BBC

Solution to puzzle SL0849

stars

March 20 - April 19

You’ve a clear understanding of the difference between what needs to be clear before a plan can proceed and future details. At the moment, however, you’ve been tangling with somebody who doesn’t acknowledge that and so is making unrealistic demands. Say you’ll get those facts to them. Just don’t say when.

April 20 - May 19

Relaxing with close friends and loved ones isn’t just important, it’s both calming and gives your spirits a lift. Yet recent demanding situations have meant you’ve been deprived of their company. Bear that in mind and when you organise your schedule, you’ll ensure there’s plenty of time for them.

May 21 - June 20

Despite the confusion triggered by your ruler Mercury’s retrograde cycle, which is just ending, you’ve learned a lot. And since it remains in the most inquisitive portion of your chart, you’ll continue to. While you might seek out some information what’s most worthwhile could appear from out of the blue.

June 21 - July 21

After a period that’s focused more on what needs to change or, perhaps, should go you’ve some serious questions about long term plans. Last year there was discussion of new ideas but now these seem stalled. They were. But once Jupiter brilliantly aspects Uranus, in early Mars, they’ll resurface, possibly overnight.

July 22 - August 22

Being a fire sign, you’re rarely upset by sudden twists or turns, mostly because you make frequent changes yourself. Yet with the retrograde Mercury having triggered a series of often frustrating situations, you’re exasperated. Take a deep breath. Better yet, it’s just resumed forward motion, and life will be a lot less complicated.

August 23 - September 22

Obviously, giving up on plans you’ve invested time and, perhaps, heart in organising isn’t easy. Yet each day you’re confronted with another good reason. Once you actually do so, your perspective will change immediately and you’ll be thankful you didn’t waste any more time struggling to keep them afloat.

September 23 - October 22

Don’t make the mistake of assuming arrangements made with others will be kept as first agreed. This is, of course, in part because Mercury’s retrograde cycle is just ending. But, equally, not everybody has the same attitude about what’s planned as you do and, in fact, many are far more casual.

October 23 - November 22

During much of January there’s been discussion about potential changes in elements of your domestic setup or activities out in the world but, happily, it’s died down. Not only is it likely to arise again, next week’s New Moon could introduce ideas that would make those changes seem appealing.

November 23 - December 22

The last thing you want to do is waste time trying to discern whether somebody has been dishonest. While ordinarily you’d regard truthfulness as each individual’s responsibility, in this case your plans will be influenced by their reliability. Although asking won’t necessarily get you an honest answer, it will be revealing.

December 21 - January 19

Now that you’re no longer wrestling with the confusion triggered by the retrograde Mercury, life will be far less complicated. While you’ve already spotted most of these errors and will others over the coming days, some will take weeks to surface. Be patient and alert and you’ll deal with them all.

January 20 - February

You can’t plan for the unexpected. But you can make day to day decisions conscious that sudden and, mostly, welcome events could change everything. These are appearing now but climax with the potent Aquarius New Moon, in a week’s time. Knowing that, youÕll ensure any arrangements you make are flexible.

February 18 - March

Although Mercury’s retrograde cycle has already ended, the confusion for which it’s known won’t vanish overnight. Annoying as that is, untangling even minor errors could be unexpectedly informative. So much, in fact, that it’s worth tackling them slowly and attentively enough you’re able to spot those jewels as they appear.

Eating Healthy

Doria makes a come back

VOLLEYBALL BY

KILA NAO

IT took three years for Doria to make a comeback and make a grand final appearance in the Nick and Bonnie Alan volleyball tournament and win the trophy in front of a capacity crowd regardless of the heavy down pour in Port Moresby yesterday afternoon.

Doria actually added life into their favour when they dethroned Hillside 3 to 0 set to win the Open men’s trophy.

The Tatana island boys met Hillside two times in their previous meet (2010 and 2011 grand finals) already and have won twice.

Doria proved their supremacy with a hard fought battle that saw both sides exchange power spikes and put up good blocks.

Veteran power hitter, Garry Udia showed the crowd that he was still the best throughout the entire clash with clocking aces with his jump services and spikes.

Udia was well backed up by another star player, Ake Walo and Bobby Rarua, John Lusi, Igo Rai Bobby Gaigo and the

sharp fingers of setter, Bobby Batari. Hillside, despite having players like Ogo Lelesi, Damien Robson, John Hasu and Michael Aitsi tried all avenues to secure a set but that was not the case for them as they neatly shut out.

Doria ended match with the score line at 25-21, 25-23 and 2522 points to claim the trophy.

In the Open women’s battle Kauka from Kira Kira village retained the trophy for the consecutive third time with a 3-1 set upset against Hebamo Frenz.

There was no wasting time for the Koita girls led by Grace Doriga, Oska Itoro, Sebea Rabura, Elizabeth Lausi and Julie Itoro (setter) who fired from the start to the finish.

Their combination was well executed which made it difficult for Frenz to detect both in the front and back court and were able to win 25-12, 23-25, 25-11 and 25-13 points. Players who tried their best Frenz were Frankie Dutton (setter), Agnes Thomas and Alice Udia.

The tournament organizers were unable to make the presentation due to rain and will be held today.

Games team attend Canada Winter Games

PACIFIC GAMES

A TWO member team of the Games Organsing Committee left yesterday for Canada to observe the Canada Winter Games held from February 15 –March 1 2015.

The purpose of this trip is to give the two staff the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the implementation and operation of the Games Enabling Management (GEM) system and accreditation process. Being at the Canada Games will provide them the opportunity to see the system and the process being implemented at an actual game.

This is so they understand how it all works and it will enable them to perform their role effectively during the July Games.

GOC Executive General Manager for Operations,

PNG Consul attends grand final

CRICKET

INFINITY cricket is one of Australia’s leading cricket organisations hosted its 5th Annual Melbourne T20 tournament grand final played on February 8 at PEGS Sporting Fields in Keilor Park.

THE 2015 Melbourne Summer Infi nity cricket tournament featured 15 teams, over 300 players and a total of 38 matches spread across three regions in the city. The match started off with an ‘All-Star’ exhibition match featuring three leading international players from Papua New Guinea Lega Siaka, Tony Ura and Norman Vanua as well as players who have represented Sri Lanka (Tyrone Gamage), UAE (Shorye Chopra) and Denmark (Ajay Chawla) in First class and list A cricket.

The PNG international players led by superstar Lega Siaka all made an impact on the match.

Clint Flood said, “the operations systems for many of the functions of the Pacific Games are very similar in nature to the Canada Games thus it’s a chance for our staff to see this working in real time.”

The team is made up of Junelyn Lolo and Villiwalaka Roalakona. Both women are attached to the Information Technology unit of GOC.

Junelyn’s role is to coordinate the Games Management System and ensure that all the processes required are in place for it to work smoothly during the Games. Meanwhile Villiwalaka is responsible for coordination and management of the accreditation cards which will be used to access various Games venues during the Games. Junelyn said, “I am truly honoured to represent PNG

at the Canada Games as an observer.

This will be an opportunity to see firsthand their Games Management System which is similar to ours. I am confident that having this exposure will help me to contribute towards the success of the Pacific Games in July.” Villiwalaka said, the trip will help her immensely to understand the Accreditation processes and procedures.

“The training will assist me greatly to execute accreditation more successfully during the Games. Being the first Papua New Guinean, specialised in the area of Games Accreditation is an achievement for me given that technology is rapidly changing,” she said

The 2015 Canada Winter Games will be held in Prince George and Northern British Columbia.

Lega Siaka was recently called up to represent Cricket Australia’s Prime Minister XI match against England and was also part of the Melbourne Renegades squad in the Big Bash League.

Siaka, playing for Infi nity Orange scored a brisk 37 ball 40 comprising seven fours.

Tony Ura entertained while batting for Infi nity Yellow as he hit 32 off just 20 deliveries also with seven boundaries, and fast-bowler Norman Vanua picked up 3/28 off his four overs to impress with the ball.

Infi nity Yellow defeated Infi nity Orange chasing down a target of 148 with 7 wickets in hand in the 19th over.

PNG Consul General, Sumasy Singin, India’s Vice Consul, Anjan Bhaumik and his wife and Brimbank councillor, Jane Nathan attended the event.

Singin said “Cricket is like music which brings communities and people together and I commend Infi nity Cricket for their efforts with this event,”

Father claims son hijacked by AFL reps

AFL

THE father of Bougainville

AFL prodigy Brandon Beno says he is unhappy with the way his son was received by AFL representatives at Buka airport on Monday.

Joe Beno of Sokela, West Coast Bougainville, said he felt his son had been “hijacked” by the AFL representatives when he came home for a short break.

Brandon, 20, is in Bougainville to visit his family before he leaves again to the Gold Coast in Australia for his scholarship AFL season.

He was welcomed on at the airport by AFL PNG Development officer in Bougainville Salvato Giobun and former coordinator Franklyn Lacey. Also present were three AFL players from local schools who have been selected to attend the AFL Academy at De La Salle Secondary school in Port Moresby.

This did not sit well with Mr Beno.

“I was told by these people that they would be meeting him but I said these people did not bring (Brandon) from Moresby to here,” he said. “I brought my son home because

he’s been away, I paid for his airfare over. I spent money for a family visit. I wanted him to come home so we could discuss these things, how are you doing? You’ve been away from us, I want to find out how you are doing.

“I sent my daughter to meet him at the airport because I didn’t want to make too much (fuss) about it.”

Mr Beno feels his son is being used to make the AFL officials look good but says they are not doing enough to develop the code in Bougainville.

“They should involve the

whole region in developing the code but they are concentrating on one area. They have only conducted clinics previously at schools here in Buka, whereas I am doing it on the northside. It should be a combination of all of us in the region so we develop the code – there are a lot of kids who want to play this game.”

Brandon plays for Koboni when he is in the city and down in Australia he plays for the Coolangatta Development club on the Gold Coast and this year will be his third year down south.

changed into a brighter color; that is orange.

DORIA captain and former International Garry Udia make an attempt to spike the ball across the net. Picture: KENNEDY BANI.

BRANDON Beno shaking hands with fans.

JUNELYN Lolo and Villiwalaka Roalakona.

Rural sports need support

MAMALO Sports Association in Rigo, Coast, of Central Province is appealing to local business houses in Central Province and NCDC to assist the association.

With the women playing netball and men have their soccer competition which started late January the association needs support from kind hearted business houses run their six month long competition.

V’ball selection camp ends

BY KILA NAO VOLLEYBALL

THE Papua New Guinea Amoa women’s indoor volleyball training squad ended a three day selection camp in Port Moresby on Sunday.

The camp was a last chance for the players to impress coaches, who will now make their recommendations on players and submit names to the PNG Olympic Committee (PNGOC) Justification Com-

mittee. This is working in line with the JC’s deadline which falls on February 27 for all the sports to submit their list of athletes, said coach Michael Unatah.

The squad has a good blend of youth and experience with young guns such as Emily Bae and Wari Pala competing with 1991 Pacific Games veteran Enny Naleng for a spot.

The camp was run by the PNG Volleyball Federation

(PNGVF) national coaching director Marty Collins and Unatah.

The squad members were put through various skills and physical tests.

“The ladies were made to jump and reach up to three meters as they play on a net that is 224cm high,” Collins said. “Competition for spots is fierce and the coaching staff will exhaust all options to have the best possible team on the volleyball court come

July,” he said.

“In the past, the women’s team has not always achieved its full potential, but I believe the current playing group has the ability to far succeed any previous Pacific Games results,” he said.

The members of the training are: Eileen Gima, Bibianna Paloa, Clara Kila, Dulcie Banker, Emily ae, Helai Oala, Hitolo Raka, Isa Hicks, Jayna Bernard, Jelix Nehi, Josephine Dick, Kemmie Manoni,

Lois Garena, Madia Hairai, Michelle Walo, Nelly Lavare, Ruth Adams, Ruth Miro, Tina Ono, Patricia Hani, Perpetua Awadu, Philo Ameaisa, Wari Pala, Zoe Awadu. Assisting Unatah is team manageress Bala Babaga. The women’s and men’s Amoa Indoor teams will be competing in the Australian Club championships in April on the Gold Coast, as part of their lead-up preparation for the Pacific Games.

It was a surprise visit for the Mamalo Sports Association, when a new cigarette company, Goldensborough Ltd, entered the sports arena over the weekend and presented t-shirts for the officials and referees and other promotional gifts. Company Sales Manager Kore Kila, and his sales team were on hand to donate the shirts, gift packs and other promotional items to the association.

Mr Kila, said as a newly established company and in its infant stages they are trying their best to support community oriented activities whether in a big or small way.

He added sports is one of the key activities in which it keeps the youths away from illegal activities and do not engage in criminal acts or consume homebrew and drugs.

Mr Kila is also appealing to local businessman man and woman in Rigo to come onboard and support the local rural sports woman and man.

PMMI backs snooker events with K15,000

SNOOKER

BY KILA NAO

THE Port MORESBY

Snooker and Billiards Association has received a K15,000 backing from Pacific MM Insurance for its events this year.

This is the eight consecutive year for PMMI to give its support PMSBA which has grown from strength to strength over the years.

PMMI managing director, Wayne Dorgan said this is the

seventh year of our sponsorship of this event, which is growing through strong participation and the strength of the playing field.

Dorgan said, the work done by the people behind the scenes to have a tournament of this statute up and running is quite laborious.

“The players involved in this professionally run tournament appreciate the competition at this level and the strengthening it provides them to compete at higher lev-

els for PNG, The Pacific MMI Corporate Snooker team competition will further promote a healthy competition and the strong sporting values within the PNG snooker community in Port Moresby,”

“The way we compete in sport says a lot about ourselves, our nation, our people, and our direction and we wish all players and teams in the Pacific MMI Corporate snooker team competition” said Dorgan.

PMSBA president, Roger

Wilson thanked Pacific MMI for their continued support to t his premier snooker competition in the country and urged teams to start organising themselves.

Wilson said “It is imperative that teams start organising themselves now especially in A Grade with more players handicaps reduced which qualifies them into the A grade,”

The player registration fee has increased to KI00 per player while the rest remain

the same but the K5O increase was to make identification cards for proof of registration and access to playing venues while K20 is for affiliation to the PNGBSA and K30 to POMBSA.

Registration forms are available at t he Dragons Den, Aviat Club, Lamana Hotel or Jonathan Cavanagh on email: jcavanagh16@gmail.com and further information can also be sought from Roger Wilson on 76861212, or Joey Chan on 72203837. JOE Chan.

Sumkar district into cricket

CRICKET

SUMKAR District are entering a team in the Madang Cricket Association competition this year. This is one of those rare developments where a district team is taking part in the town competition.

Madang regional cricket manager Paul Sibeth said it was through the BSP School Kriket Program, that interest has gained momentum. Sibeth said enthusiastic raw talents at district primary and elementary schools have decided to form a district team to be part of the town competition.

Madang Cricket Association president David Lloyd welcomed the interest from Sumkar, as this is in line with Cricket PNG’s vision to popularise the code to the rural areas. “For some years now Cricket PNG has been running a schools development program (BSP School Kriket Program) around the Madang area with much success,” he said.

“Paul (Sibeth) now believes that some of the students in this program are now ready to take on ‘hard-ball’ cricket, and with that in mind he is forming an under 17 team to play in the senior compe-

tition,” Lloyd said. Lloyd said the team will have two adults as player/coach and captain, to provide on-field leadership. Madang cricket official Leo Berka said the players will wear full protective gear. “In this way we hope to provide a pathway from schools cricket to senior cricket, and potentially to the Barramundi’s,” he said.

The BSP School Kriket Programe, Cricket PNG’s entry-level program hit 162,483 participants in 2014, with 278 schools across 10 regions participating in this global award winning junior development program.

THE PNG Amoa women’s indoor volleyball training squad during the training camp last week.

PNG runners set records

ATHLETICS

PNG’S squad of long distance runners have made a great start to their competition programme in Adelaide, setting numerous personal bests and two national junior records.

Top performances to date are a sensational 18min 30 seconds run in the 5000m last Saturday by 15 year old Ongan Awa, taking 15 seconds off the national junior record set by team mate Mary Kua at the PNG Games.

Kua herself was in great form three days earlier when she totally smashed her own national junior record in the 10000m by almost a full minute and became only the second woman in PNG Athletic history to run the distance in under 40minutes.

Her time of 39min 57 seconds would have ranked Kua second in the Pacific last year behind Sharon Firisua from Solomon Islands who headed the rankings with a time of 39min 06 seconds run at the Commonwealth Games.

With Ongan Awa and Miriam Goiye both also running under 40min 30 seconds in Adelaide the PNG squad will be optimistic of closing the gap that has existed at the Pacific Games for many years between athletes from the French Territories and

the PNG girls.

On the mens side Simbai Kaspar has continued the great form that he showed in Goroka prior to departure with a string of personal bests in the 3000m (9min 07 secs); 5000m (15min 49); and 10000m (33min 03 secs).

Skene Kiage also had a good result in his first race in the 3000m steeplechase, clocking 9min 57 secs. Several other members of the squad are expected to join the group in Adelaide as soon as their travel documentation is in order.

These include middle distance runners George Yamak, Martin Orovo , Tuna Tine , Bala Nicholas and others, together with young distance runners Abel Siune and Rama Kumilgo.

Karate names squad for Games

KARATE

BY JOE GURINA

THREE finds from the 2014 PNG Games in Lae, Beverly Wasawa, Phyllis Bibuai and Donald Samuel are among 42 selected athletes in the PNG Karate-Do Federation team.

The 42 athletes were selected to makeup the target team following a training camp last month in Port Moresby.

Also included in the team is Braden McMahon of Sydney, Australia who is a formidable competitor and considered in the Kumite division.

PNGKF president Carl Mari cautioned his executives not to put pressure on its athletes with predicting windfall of gold medals during the Games in Port Moresby. His warning is being tabled after numerous media publications by the executives with predicting number of gold during the Games.

“We do not want to add any more pressure on them, they don’t need it!

What we can assure PNG is that these Karatekas will bring home medals, of this we are certain; but what is not certain at this stage is the colours and number of medals, Carl said. He said since the Games

The eagle has landed

RUGBY LEAGUE BY JOHN PANGKATANA

PAPUA NEW GUINEA Kumul winger Garry Lo is going back to his roots to resurrect his career with the Wamp Nga Mount Hagen Eagles in the Digicel Cup competition.

The 22 year old has adhered to the PNG Rugby Football League to ‘wait in line’ and go back to the nationwide competition to re-establish himself again.

Despite offers from glamour clubs including the Stop N Shop Port Moresby Vipers, Mendi Muruks and the Agmark Gurias, the 2014 Queensland Cup top try-scorer is playing for pride more than anything else.

“If I can share my experiences with my countrymen and give them that extra boost so that the pride of the Eagles can fly high again with respect…then I have done my job,” he said. Lo did not expect to go this low this year, but he admits he was wrong and is willing to pay the price for it. Lo said he doesn’t want to dwell on what has happened and wants to move on.

He said a lot of people don’t understand why he made the decision and it is unfortunate that a lot of people are affected by it.

“I am back with the Eagles and hope I can impart what I have gained so far,” he said.

At a glance

SQUAD: 42 selected athletes in the PNG Karate-Do Federation.

PRESIDENT : Carl Mari

FINAL TEAM: The proposed final team is thirty one (14 females, 17 male).

FUND: PNGKF Carl conveyed his sincere appreciation to individual athletes, sponsors, the national government and the PNG Olympic committee for funding through the Go for Gold program.

BRADEN MCMAHON: Also included in the team is Braden McMahon.

would be staged on home soil, there was already high expectation on the athletics.

He said the proposed final team is thirty one (14 females, 17 male) however that number would be trimmed upon scrutiny from the Karate Athlete Selection Policy with consultation from the PNG Olympic Committee Justification Panel.

On behalf of the PNG-

KF Carl conveyed his sincere appreciation to individual athletes, sponsors, the national government and the PNG Olympic committee for funding through the Go for Gold

program. The PNGKF fully endorsed team; Gladyskaren Wallace, Beverly Wasawa, Francillia Kokin, Quentin Bougen, (Bougainville); Lera Kose, Gewa Rupa, Miriam Stanley, Catherine Wilson, Naorei Joseph, Jason Kilangit, Ishmael Stanley, John Kajona, Billy Billy Jnr, Dennis Kopman, Dominic Sipapi, Francis Oa Jnr, Buruka Chapau Jnr (Central); Joan Abala, Francis Virgil, (East New Britain); Maryanne Porika, Phyllis Bibuai, Siwari Matus, Donald Samuel, Eddie Martin, (Morobe); Crystal Mari, Doris Karomo, Joancherry Revui, Gantianna Joseph, Sarah Ande, Julius Piku, Nigel Bana, Leonard Gariadi, Cosmas Saliawali, Andrew Molen, Owen Gigiro (National Capital District); Sailas Piskaut, Atomu Amani (New Ireland); Braden McMahon (Sydney, NSW); Basil Oriri (Northern); Peace Kaiwa, Romana Asiange and Ernest Nuli (West New Britain Meanwhile athletes are requested to contact team managers Mr. Francis Mairi (76125508) and Mrs. Gorettie Mari (73148260) to collect information regarding their selection and training.

SAPOLAI Yao infront and Skene Kiage over the steeple in Adelaide.

THE prodigal son returns: Garry Lo (left) reunites with Mt Hagen Eagles franchise board chairman Bob Pakindi. Left: Garry Lo in SP Hunters colours last year.