Links
http://www.calibercreations.com/pisin/
-- English - Tok Pisin - English online dictionary
Bilas is the PNG word for traditional dress that is often made from such
materials as Tapa Cloth. Find out more about Tapa Cloth at -- http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/X/X-tapaclot.asp
The Effects of Economic Growth on Gender Roles in Papua New Guinea and the
Tolai People --- http://www.calibercreations.com/pisin/PNGstudy.htm
Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce -- http://www.pomcci.org.pg
PNG Institute of Directors -- http://www.icd.org.pg
Rotary Club of Boroko -- http://www.rotary.org.pg
Friends of Disabled Association -- http://www.foda.org.pg
PNG Recipes
Learn to make dishes from Papua New Guinea featuring coconut, fruit, vegetables,
and fish. --
Strange Meals
Thanks to Rick for the following link -- http://www.familyhaven.com/travel/melanesianman.html
-- Make sure you are not eating when you read the contents of this page!
News Items
Coconuts and Tearooms
If anyone is interested in Rabaul then I recommend an excellent book by Pat
Boys that covers some of the history of coconuts, tearooms and Rabaul. The
book covers the eruption of the volcanoes around Rabaul in 1937 and the preface
covers the reason why Pat's book is of extreme historical value. In 1942 the
Japanese invaded Rabaul and destroyed irreplaceable records. I recommend that
you somehow get to a library and grab a copy of the book titled Coconuts and
Tearooms by Pat Boys. National Library of New Zealand ISBN 0-473-01724-5</p>
It is copyrighted in 1993 but covers a six-year period in the 1930's. The
book started out as ten foolscap, single-spaced pages that Pat's mother had
written about her experiences in PNG. With this meagre beginning and a keen
interest to preserve a little bit of the history of the Rabaul area and helped
by over 200 photographs taken by her father Pat has been able to produce a
wonderful 140 plus page book. The only complaint I could find about the book
was that I wish the photos were in colour! Now if I could only buy a plantation
for the price mentioned in Pat's book but using the money I earn today without
subtracting anything for inflation!
Common Sense Tips
Here are some common sense tips for people visiting or living in PNG put
out by the New Zealand Government. New Zealand has recently upgraded its travel
advisory for PNG from "some risk" to "high risk".
- Exercise a high degree of caution at all times especially in public places
and areas frequented by foreigners.
- Take security precautions and do not walk alone, especially at night
- Be aware that isolated places such as golf courses, beaches and parks
can be dangerous
- Avoid the settlement areas especially in Port Moresby at all times
- Avoid using the local taxi service or buses and rely on the hotel; or
a friend for transport
- If you are driving yourself take extreme caution at all times when driving
- If you have an accident in your car do not stop at the scene but drive
immediately to the nearest police station.
Most of the above is probably fairly relevant for any visitor to any city
in the world although leaving the scene of an accident in some countries would
get you into more trouble than you might expect. I don't think you could claim
that you came from PNG and it was the done thing!
Governor General
The new Governor General elect is former foreign affairs secretary, Sir Paulias
Matane. The saga is not yet over because runner up Sir Pato Kakaraya still
has a pending National Court challenge over his previous ousting. In this
round of the saga Sir Pato only lost by four votes against Sir Paulias in
the final round of the ballot. I think the whole country hopes that the nomination
is not rushed off to Buckingham Palace until the whole mess is sorted out.
Opposition Leader
The acting Speaker of parliament has refused to recognise Peter O'Neill as
the leader of the opposition. The Speaker however recognised Peter Yama as
the leader until such time that all members of the opposition get together
and sort the mess and formally advise the Speaker of the leadership.
Bill Skate
Mr. Skate, who was the acting Governor General because he is the Speaker
of parliament, stood down from the Governor General's position so he could
resume his position as Speaker only to find out that it was not allowed under
the Constitution. The general opinion is that if he is fit to be the Speaker
then he is also fit to be the Governor General and must therefore be the acting
Governor General. So he has now said that he is on leave from both positions
neatly sidestepping the original issue. I wonder what pay packet he will be
claiming whilst he is on leave?
Illegal Border
West Sepik villagers on the border with Indonesia have erected two huge signboards
about 12 kilometres into Indonesian territory. Provincial officials believe
the signboards may have been erected with help from a non-government organisation.
The signs were earlier confiscated by Provincial Affairs officials but were
reported stolen. The signs were discovered by an Indonesian patrol and reported
to PNG officials. The PNG villagers believe they traditionally own the land.
The villages are able to cross over the border without a passport because
the 700-kilometre border is largely unguarded and the villagers have border
passes.
Moresby Shootings
Following on from police warnings that they will shoot to kill in Port Moresby
three suspected criminals have been shot dead near Bautama after firing at
policemen manning a roadblock. Six others are reported to be in a critical
condition in hospital. The NCD/Central Police Commander has said that criminals
are already dead even in the preplanning stages of committing a crime. "Police
will only confirm your death sentence when they get to you".
Misima Gold Mine
After a long history of gold production spanning 115 years the Misima Gold
Mine has closed on Misima Island. Since 1989 the Misima Gold Mine has processed
more than a million truckloads of ore and paid over K3.7 million in wages
to the PNG workforce. Misima started the same year that the Bougainville Copper
mine ceased operations dramatically .
Healthy School
Wardstrip Community School in the National Capital has opened a cafeteria
for staff and students with a view of combating health problems by providing
healthy food. The new cafeteria is aimed at discouraging staff and students
from buying items from the many street sellers selling junk food of a questionable
standard. The school has also pledged to deal with the chewing of betel nut,
smoking, consumption of alcohol and graffiti on the school premises.
PNG Politics
No sooner was Moses Maladina ousted, as the Deputy Prime Minister and thrown
aside, than was given the position of National Planning Minister. Michael
Somare is still attempting to juggle the political numbers in his favour.
It is amazing how political alliances can change in a matter of seconds when
it comes to PNG politics.
Eda Ranu
An insider has said that former Peoples National Congress president Mary
Karo has been terminated as Managing Director of Eda Ranu effective as of
last week. Meanwhile Billy Imar is still the General Manager of Eda Ranu.
The board of Eda Ranu have not met yet to appoint a new MD.
Another person seen as not a supporter of the present government has been
replaced at City Hall. Michael Malabag has been replaced by Sir Mekere Moruata
as the Chairman of the National Capital District Commission.
Port Moresby Hospital
The Port Moresby General Hospital has received a donation of K85,000 from
the Malaysian Association of PNG. This is part of the amount raised by the
association at the association's charity golf day recently. The remainder
of the money was distributed to the Port Moresby City Mission, Sir Buri Kidu
Heart Foundation, HOPE PNG, Cheshire homes, Missionary of Charity and Canossa
School of Life.
East Timor
Two soldiers from the Engineering Battalion of the PNG Defence Force are
on their way to East Timor to help with the peacekeeping duties there. The
two soldiers were farewelled by the commanding officer of Igam Barracks and
other unit members in Lae. The soldiers will undertake a three-week pre-deployment
course in Darwin before leaving for East Timor.
Tourist Rip-off
The Tourism Promotion Authority has blacklisted a tourist operator who has
been reported as ripping off two elderly tourists from USA. The two tourists
who were to have travelled along the Sepik River and visited the Southern
Highlands Province for a moth found the operator did not pay for their trip
along the Sepik. The two ladies were fortunate in being able to tell the PNG
Prime Minister about their troubles as he was a passenger on the same plane
back from the Sepik to Port Moresby.
SP Sports Awards
Ryan Pini and Dika Toua have won the main prizes in the PNG SP Sports awards.
Ryan Pini represents PNG in swimming and he took out the Sportsman of the
year award and Dika, who represents her country in weightlifting, took out
sportswomen of the year award. This makes the second year in a row the pair
have won the major prize at the annual event. -- http://www.michie.net/pnginfo/spawrds.html
-- for previous winners.
FAQ's Sports
One of the questions I get asked from time to time is - "What sports
are played in PNG?"
The answer is many and varied. Some sports have been played for ever it seems
and other sports come and go. The more common sports played are -
Football -- soccer, rugby union, rugby league, touch rugby and Aussie Rules.
Other ball sports are cricket, hockey, tennis, squash, softball, lawn bowls,
golf, netball and basketball. Indoor cricket and indoor hockey have been played
on occasions.
Shooting has been heavily sidelined due to restrictions on the supply of
ammunition and equipment but archery has taken a step forward and is gaining
in popularity.
Once rallying and speedway were at the front in motor sports but rallying
seems to have died a slow agonising death due to security issues and speedway
meets occasionally. Go Karts once the domain of Moitaka speedway track was
resurrected not so long ago at the PNG Defence Force Air Squadron hanger but
can now be found roaring around the Gordon's industrial estate in Port Moresby.
Triathlon had a following for a while but the bikes have disappeared off the
streets. (See Iron Man article below)
Swimming is ever active with PNG weather making this an ideal way to exercise
and cool off at the same time.
People can still be found playing polo, darts, snooker, and eight ball.
Weightlifting has had some interest shown in it after Dika Toua's golden
efforts in recent times. Boxing and martial arts, especially kickboxing also
has a following in PNG. Kickboxer, Stanley Nandex will be fighting at the
"showdown at the Crowne" event later this month.
Windsurfing was once popular and many sails could be seen off Ela Beach but
I think the sport has died completely. Surfing occasionally has an interest
with people coming from overseas to surf on the north coast of the mainland.
Canoe racing and yachting holds particular interest in Port Moresby. Although
the World Sea Kayaking titles were held in Manus a while ago kayaking dies
not seem to have any following in the country.
Road running holds regular meets but nothing can beat the effort by Tau John
Tokwepota, the Trobriand Iron man, in the 1980 Port Moresby Marathon. Tau
John was ready to set off for the start of the marathon by car when his car
would not start so the only thing was to do a 5 kilometre warm up jog to get
to the start passing his rivals already running the marathon on his way to
the official start. He eventually started five minutes and 18 seconds behind
the leaders and at the first lap had worked his way up to eighth place. Halfway
through the second lap he eased his way into third place about 400 metres
behind the leaders. He eventually passed the early leaders and won the race
68 seconds in front of the second place getter. Unfortunately Tau John was
attacked by unknown assailants years later and his running career ended but
his 1980 run surely must go down as being some sort of record.
Hash House Harriers meet at various locations around the country usually
on a Monday evening straight after work.
My apologies to any sport not mentioned above. Perhaps you could write and
let me know the ones I have left out. I have deliberately left out PMV drag
racing and taxi dodgem from the list of sports. I am still considering whether
pothole zig-zag racing should be included as a sport for most residents of
major towns.
MV Tara Spirit
The MV Tara Spirit is sailing again after undergoing a major refit after
sinking in Port Moresby Harbour recently. The majority of the refit was to
the electronics systems that had been damaged by water.
Holiday Inn Robbery
The Holiday Inn (Islander Hotel) has been the victim of a well-planned hold
up by criminals. The well-dressed criminals entered the building yesterday
(Mon 31 May) as early as 8am and waited patiently in the lobby of the hotel
to rob the weekend takings at about 9am. The robbers fired shots at a security
guard manning the boom gate at the entrance to the hotel before crashing through
the barrier an escaping with an undisclosed amount of money.
Smokers
It was reported on World No Tobacco Day that as many as eight out of every
ten patients being treated for heart attack at the Port Moresby General Hospital
are smokers and most of them are in the age group of between 35 and 45. The
Health Minister has said that this is of great concern to because the country
would lose most of the people in this age group to smoking related diseases.
Iron Man / Triathlon
The town of Wewak is planning to host the Sepik Iron man competition. The
iron man competition consists of swimming, running and cycling events. This,
the first event to be staged by Wewak, will consist of a relay event rather
than one individual doing all the events. Four competitors, one swimmer, two
runners and a cyclist, will take part as a team. It is hoped that this will
build interest for a proper triathlon in 2005. So far 11 teams have indicated
that they will take part in the event to be held over the coming Queen's birthday
weekend.
PNGDF
The PNG Defence Force has received a donation of non-combatant military equipment
from the Indonesian government. The supplies consisted of 2000 sets of uniforms
including boots, caps, belts, and webbing as well as 4.8 tonnes of food rations
delivered by an Indonesian Defence Air force plane from Jakarta.
Jeepneys
The much talked about Jeepneys should have arrived from the Philippines and
be unloaded from the ship at Port Moresby Wharf by the time you red this article.
(6 June). The PNG Jeepneys being taller and wider have been modified from
the usual Filipino design. The Jeepneys will be able to carry 26 - 30 passengers
and will powered by a reconditioned Isuzu engine. The four prototype vehicles
will be tested to see if they comply with the government standards for mass
transport. i.e. do they have an engine and at least 4 wheels? Once initial
approval is given it is planned that the two vehicles will be shipped to Lae
and tested in along the Highlands highway and to Madang to give operators
and commuters an idea of the vehicles capabilities. The other two will be
on trial around Moresby and Central Province.
Coming Events
The Mila Mala Trobriand Cultural Festival will be held from the 6th to the
9th of July. Contact Serah Clark on +675 641 0800 or email to -- konki
@ dg.com.pg
Basic Health Services
It has been reported that basic health services are not reaching most of
the rural areas. Bad roads and a rapidly decaying law and order situation
are preventing even the most basic of services reaching the people. Many Rural
Aid posts are closed leaving many rural health workers with out a job. This
has led to an increase in the death rate from diseases that should be considered
curable.
Shipping
Twelve of the ports used for international shipping in PNG have been declared
as being compliant with international security measures for shipping ports.
Any country with ports that are not compliant by the 1st of July would not
be allowed to receive or send cargo around the world. The review, funded by
the PNG - Australia aid program, makes PNG one of the first countries in the
Pacific region to be compliant.
Air Fare Increase
Due to rising fuel prices Air Niugini has joined other airlines and advertised
an increase in airfares for passengers. The company mindful of the already
high cost of air travel in PNG has said that the increase will only apply
to international passengers. Air Niugini has claimed that the increase has
added another K1.6 million every month to the fuel bill. It has also said
that if the price of fuel goes down below the figure they budgeted for fuel
for 2004 then they will also remove the fuel surcharge. Each passenger will
now pay an extra US$10.50 per sector flown.
Oil Search Limited
Shareholders have approved the issue of 550,000 performance rights to the
Managing Director of Oil Search. MD, Peter Bottten, has also taken part in
the Sydney, Australia, segment of the Olympic Torch Relay to Athens. The company
made an after tax profit of US$89.6 million in 2003. this was 62% higher than
the record set in 2002.
PNG Media
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