Links
Video Link
If you have the bandwidth then I recommend viewing the video located
on the Air Niugini Japanese site -- http://www.air-niugini.co.jp/vtr/index.html
-- produced by the Tourism Promotion Authority.
Anglican Church History
PNG Anglican Church History -- http://anglicanhistory.org/aus/png/
Port Moresby Anglican web site -- http://portmoresby.anglican.org
Other PNG Links
The National Research Institute -- http://www.nri.org.pg/
National Geographic -- http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/places/countries/country_papuanewguinea.html
Plane Crashes
It is widely known that PNG is a difficult place to fly due to various
reasons. Here is one report about an incident that happened to a Qantas
DC-4 in Port Moresby on the 6th of February 1969 -- http://groups.msn.com/QANTASCabinCrewRetired/dc4.msnw
Here is another report about a plane with a bit of history and several
crashes -- http://www.pngair.com/q=node/1341
No Trespassing
Report says Indonesian military treats PNG as its own territory. --
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0608/S00306.htm
Caving in PNG
Summer Caving in PNG -- http://www.ee.usyd.edu.au/suss/Bulls/43(4)/batespng.html
Caving in PNG -- http://garamut.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/caving-in-papua-new-guinea
National Geographic - PNG caving -- http://giaman.com/pg/?20e9a7
http://giaman.com/pg/?d74ba8
News Items
Airlines of PNG
Airlines of PNG have started their Brisbane to Port Moresby and return
service using a Boeing B737 aircraft. The plane is set up for all business
class seats but the fares are economy class. If you are lucky there
are limited seats available at K399 one way from Port Moresby to Brisbane.
Check out the Airline of PNG web site -- http://www.apng.com
-- APNG have also implemented web site bookings for their two international
services. (Port Moresby - Cairns and Port Moresby - Brisbane).
Land Compensation
The Government has voted to put a stop to excessive land compensation
claims by landowners over State land. The amendments are to give effect
to section 53(2) of the Constitution, which called for fair and reasonable
compensation to be paid to traditional landowners if their land was
to be acquired by the State for public purposes. It is hoped that the
amendments would bring enormous benefits to future generations as well
as give confidence to investors, simply because they would help to do
away with excessive claims against the State as far as public institutions
are concerned.
World War II Exploits
Here is an extract from the tinyurl article linked to below
Sailing from Brisbane, Australia, the Wahoo was ordered to reconnoitre
the Japanese supply base of Wewak on New Guinea's north coast.
One small problem: No one had charts of the harbour.
A crewman who had purchased a cheap school atlas in Australia provided
the solution - or at least an idea of Wewak's location.
-- http://tinyurl.com/ovn23
--
Gas Pipeline
A planned $3.5 billion PNG-to-Australia gas pipeline suffered a setback
recently when Australian Gas Light Co. said it might have to suspend
design work due to a lack of firm customers and rising costs. The decision
knocked as much as 15 percent off the shares of the Australian-listed
PNG oil and gas producer Oil Search Ltd. the key owner of the natural
gas reserves that were to go into the pipeline from 2009.
Live Ammunition
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of PNG has raised concern that a
growing number of trekkers in the past 12 months are boarding aircraft
with artefacts and ammunition of various calibres collected from the
Kokoda Track. This is both unlawful and dangerous as ammunition is regarded
by the aviation industry as a dangerous good. Tour Operators must advise
their trekkers to refrain from collecting and boarding aircrafts with
these relics from World War 2 found along the famous track. The warning
comes after a number of persons caught by Australian Customs, have had
ammunition confiscated and have been fined for carriage of dangerous
goods. CAA's Director of Aviation Security Division Andrew Scottney-Turnbill
said carriage of ammunition within PNG aviation is also against the
law and those caught can face imprisonment. The PNG Tourism Promotion
Authority has also raised the matter with the Kokoda Track Authority
to advise tour operators to warn their trekkers.
PNG Spy
A report that PNG officials have been passing information about West
Papuan rebels in return for financial rewards has been refuted by a
PNG government spokesperson. The report was originally carried in "The
Bulletin" an Australian publication. The Bulletin reported
that the Australian Defence Signals Directorate had intercepted telephone
calls from Jakarta to the Indonesian Embassy in Port Moresby about payments
to PNG counterparts.
Income Levels
Fiji with an income level described as "far from being high in
comparison to other developing economies" still has a higher purchasing
power per capita than PNG. In fact an Australian economist has said
that it would take PNG 306 years at the present rate of growth for PNG's
per capita income to catch up to the level Fiji was at in 2004.
Airways
After 15 years of having one of the best buffet lunches in town the
Airways has upset many customers by changing the menu. Some customers
have voted with their feet and are finding that other restaurants have
just as good meals.
Internet Congestion
What have Telikom PNG done? Several weeks ago Internet access into
and out of PNG was literally zooming along. Now the service seems to
be less than what consumers had before the "upgrade". Some
are saying that a new deal signed with Telstra in Australia for the
"new" undersea cable has meant that only the 4MB of bandwidth
supplied by Telstra can be used due to technical difficulties of load
balancing the other satellite services others say that Telstra have
backed Telikom into a corner to use the 4MB channels only. Whatever
the real issue is it has meant that consumers cannot get adequate Internet
access.
Several companies jumped on the bandwagon of better bandwidth and have
been redeveloping their networks to suit and now after the point of
no return are really suffering.
Aussie Army
A comment by Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, stating that the
Aussies would expand their army due to anticipated problems in PNG and
other Pacific Countries has irked Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare who
says the extra army personnel will be used in places like Afghanistan
and Iraq. He has said that Mr Howard should be honest with his Australian
taxpayers and tell the truth.
Sport Fishing
Baia Sport Fishing Lodge on the border of East and West New Britain
Provinces is slowly but surely gaining popularity internationally as
a top fishing location. Baia provides the best in deep sea and fresh
water fishing. Nestled on the shores of Open Bay and facing the Bismarck
Sea, Baia is a modern fishing lodge tucked away in the New Britain wilderness.
Anglers looking for a fight with the biggest black bass, barramundi
or spot tails should try Baia - you're sure to have the catch of your
life. To get to Baia contact Riccard Reimann -- Email: scorpio@global.net.pg
-- Phone: (+675) 983 5567 or visit the web site at -- http://www.baiafishingpng.com
Thanks to the Tourism Promotion Authority for supplying this article
-- http://www.www.pngtourism.org.pg
Port Moresby Transport
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=26193
A dispute between two highland groups in the National Capital of Port
Moresby has sparked apparent revenge killings and caused a brief shut
down of the city's bus services, forcing many schools to send children
home. Many children had to walk many kilometres to get to and from school
with the public transport out of operation. The trouble started earlier
this month following the death of a Mt Hagen man from the Western Highlands
when a bus was allegedly held up in the city by a gang of men originally
from Tari in the Southern Highlands.
Hagen Water
Mount Hagen is once again suffering from a lack of water. The Western
Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called on leaders in
the province to address this matter once and for all. Many government
agencies, including schools and hospital within Hagen, were forced to
close and the ever-ready public servants took a day off from work. School
students from the Hagen Park Secondary School also had to leave classes
and head home. Mid this year, the water supply to the city and surrounding
areas was stopped for about four days because of compensation demands
by landowners over the land on which the main treatment plant and the
water inlet station are located.
ANZ Expansion
The ANZ bank is expanding and is scheduled to open new banking offices
in Alotau, and on mineral-rich Lihir Island within six months
It is expected that the bank will also open a new branch in Kimbe soon.
Recently the bank opened a branch in Wewak, East Sepik province. The
bank will also install 16 new automated teller machines (ATMs) nationwide
to expand its reach to customers in partnership with Post PNG Ltd. It
is reported that Daltron will also go into partnership with the Post
Office to sell computer consumables around the country.
Why Do We Get Sick?
Advert - Why Do We Get Sick? If you want to know the
answer to this question then I suggest a visit to the following web
site run by a man married to a PNG lady. -- http://whydowegetsick.com
-- or ask for more info by sending email to -- info@whydowegetsick.com
Southern Highlands
The state of emergency and the suspension of the provincial government
in the Southern Highlands Province (SHP) appears to be uncovering many
corrupt practices. Missing vehicles have been discovered as far away
as Madang and over 200 ghost names are about to be removed from the
provincial government payroll.
Some of the ghost names have proved to be very interesting. The mother
of a Southern Highlands politician is down on the payroll as being a
driver. A wife of a politician, who happens to live in Port Moresby,
is receiving two pays, one from the SHP and one as teacher with the
Teaching Services Commission. Other members of the MP's family are also
employed by the SHP. Some examples are:
- The brother of the MP
- The cousin of the MP who is a church pastor
- The mother-in-law of the MP
- A fourth year student from the University of PNG
- A bank accountant
- The wife of the bank accountant
- An Air Niugini employee
- A community school headmaster and more!
The Southern Highlands Governor has said that if the allegations are
true then he condemns them and he has distanced himself by saying that
he was only dealing with policy matters and not the hiring and firing
of staff.
Steamships
Steamships Trading Company (STC) has reported a 60 percent jump in
its after-tax profit to K24.5 million in the half-year to June this
year, compared to K15.2 million last year, same period, reflecting stability
in the economy and acquisition of new businesses. This figure includes
STC's equity-accounted share of the results of the associates.
Early Agriculture Pioneer
Once considered a "Neolithic backwater" by archaeologists,
PNG is emerging as one of the handful of places on Earth where agricultural
practices developed independently from other cultures.
see -- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/06/0623_030623_kukagriculture.html
-- for more information on this topic.
Coming Events
There will be a commemoration to remember the deceased and survivors
of the Caribou Crash to be held at De la Salle Secondary School at Bomana
on the 28th of August.
-- http://pnggossip.com/news/g040616.html#cr
-- and -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20020906/weekend03.htm
The Institute of PNG Studies Exploratory Workshop - sometime in September
Price Waterhouse Coopers Walk for Life Challenge -- 3rd September 2006
42nd PNG Medical Symposium will be held in Madang from the 4th to the
8th of September 2006 -- http://www.medsymp.org.pg
PNG 31st Independence Anniversary - 16th September 2006
Hiri Hanenamo Quest and Hiri Moale Festival - 16th September 2006
Goroka Show, Eastern Highlands -- 16th and 17th of September 2006
Kiwi Ball - The fabulous ball held by the Kiwi's will be held on the
28th October this year. This year the New Zealanders hope to have a
five-piece band to entertain the crowd
Morobe Show, Lae -- November 4th and 5th
Milne Bay Kundu and Canoe Festival, Alotau -- 6th to the 12th of November
2006
PNG Media
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