Links
Warning: PNG web sites seem to come and go. The fact of life is that it costs money to host a web site (try -- http://pngwebhost.com -- for an excellent, reliable but cheap deal) and there is not much return on the outlay to most businesses in PNG. If you do click on a link and use the services or even have some comments to make then please contact the people at the relevant web site and let them know so they at least know that someone has gained some value from their efforts. If you are so inclined then mention that you heard about them from this web site. -- The PNG Gossip Newsletter.
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Do you have a web site or link to a PNG related area on the WWW? If so do you want it mentioned here? Then send an email to -- pngnewsqueue @ pnggossip.com
Misc Links
Memories of Port Moresby's Drive-In theatre -- http://members.optusnet.com.au/~p.berrett/drivein/png.html
http://www.customs.gov.pg/travellers_concessions.html
http://www.newirelandtourism.org.pg/
John Bell Books -- John Bell was born in Kavieng. His family went there 1926. Grandfather died in Kavieng Wharf Massacre. -- http://www.johnbellbooks.com/
Flights to PNG from UK -- http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1551074&tstart=30
PNG in the News
Milne Bay police behind alleged possession of stolen property -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/020108/Nation%2023.htm
Wingti petition -- a ruling on the election petition case between Paias Wingti and Tom Olga over the governorship of Western Highlands will be made at the end of March -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20080204/news08.htm
1000 homeless in PNG ethnic clashes -- http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21498,23163058-5005361,00.html?from=pnggossip.com
See also -- http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=37807 -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/020408/Nation%201.htm -- http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2154126.htm --
http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20080205/news10.htm
The Nazarene Church of Papua New Guinea has incorporated the HIV/AIDS program into its ministry as a serious matter to fight the spread of the virus. -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20080204/news09.htm
PNG, Land where spirits still rule and the stone that came back -- http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/7/story.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=10489389
Rabaraba suffers -- Women, children and the elderly living along Milne Bay's mainland Rabaraba, particularly in the villages Biniguni, Kwagira and Kewansasap, are faced with death. -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20080204/news10.htm
Respecting cultural protocol -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/020408/WEEKENDER_3.htm
Hagen chaos -- an Engan businessman's son was shot dead in a drive-by shooting and scores of settlers and locals received serious wounds in an early morning raid in Mount Hagen City. -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20080204/news01.htm
The Morobe provincial administration is currently working on a five-year strategic development plan for 2008 to 2012. -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/013108/Nation%208.htm
PNG Blogs
An extract from some of the blogs about PNG
http://everylanguage.blogspot.com/2008/02/next-stop-vital.html -- This last week I left Ukarumpa, where I've been living since mid-November, to move to Alotau for six weeks. Alotau is the capital city of Milne Bay Province, the province on the south-eastern tip of mainland PNG.
http://www.schilt.info/blog/_archives/2008/2/2/3501239.html -- A Saturday in Goroka...
http://damana.blogspot.com/2008/01/where-on-earth-is-png.html -- I was born in Rabaul which was recently partially wiped off the map (or covered in 10ft of ash) in 1994 by the volcanoes that also call it home. The best way to describe Rabaul is being like a half full cup of tea.
http://www.sundstromtravel.com/15-travel-stories/9-papua-new-guinea -- In 2006 I spent one month in this fantastic country and I can highly recommend a visit. If you want to read about our adventures in Tari, Milne Bay, Mt Hagen and Sepik - please have a look at the link / and don't hesitate to contact me if you want additional information on how it is to travel in PNG.
http://pngnius.blogspot.com/2008/01/becky-harrison.html -- Becky Harrison PNG 1980-88, along with my pilot spouse, Bob. How fun to see friends from the past. I remember when most of you were all singles!!
http://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2008/02/eric-miller-and.html -- At some time, possibly when in PNG for Murphy's court-martial, Miller met Father Bernie Franke in Rabaul and subsequently arranged for Father Franke's catechisms to be translated into Pidgin.
http://koenvanbremen.blogspot.com/2008/02/turbulence-in-kundiawa-town.html -- Turbulence in Kundiawa town
http://malumnalu.blogspot.com/2008/02/in-touch-media-raises-k85-000-for-flood.html -- In Touch Media raises K85, 000 for flood victims.
http://www.chinalawblog.com/2008/01/china_its_a_foreigners_thing.html
News Items
Helifix PNG
In the last few days, PNG operator Helifix Investments has imported a Bell 206L3 LongRanger from Switzerland via Brisbane - where it was certified, put on the PNG register and painted. Helifix has a long-term contract with Telikom to transport its engineers to some of its towers, often located in come of the country's rugged terrains.
see -- http://tinyurl.com/yvynkv -- for full story from Rotor Hub.
Telikom Interconnect
Telikom is still struggling against government directions to review its inter-connection rates, a situation now casting doubts on its promise to interconnect with Digicel
see -- http://www.newnation.vg/forums/showthread.php?t=118845
There are fears Telikom's Boroko exchange centre will not be able to cope with simultaneous fixed line and mobile calls by B-Mobile's 380000 customers as well as the DigiCel customers.
See - http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2008/01/31/no-interconnection-for-png-mobile-phone-users
Mobile link-up still not certain -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/013108/Nation%2010.htm
Telikom acting chief executive officer, Peter Loko, admits the government-owned Telecommunication company has failed the Papua New Guinean people. -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20080205/news06.htm
Telikom Vandalism
Telikom has admitted cable vandalism and stealing of other "national assets" has caused the state-owned telecommunication company a lot of money in hiring helicopters.
see -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20080204/news04.htm
Sinivit Mine
Bob McNeil Chairman and CEO of New Guinea Gold reports that 302 ounces of gold were produced and sold in January 2008 from the Sinivit Mine. A three week mine shutdown over Christmas - New Year reduced production, as did heavy rain and high winds throughout much of January. January is the height of the wet season at Sinivit. The mine is still on track to substantially increase production with a target of 3000 ounces/month.
see also -- http://alex.golub.name/log/2007/04/30/sinivit-is-on/
Hortivar Database
PNG is going to implement the Hortivar database. PNG will now join 83 other countries in implementing a performance database for cultivars of horticultural crops. The online database, known as HORTIVAR, was developed and launched recently by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). The National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) will be the host institution in PNG to facilitate this exercise, which begins with a series of training workshops for participating organisations starting in February 2008.
Kalibobo Spirit
Over the Christmas and New Year the Kalibobo Spirit made a private voyage around the Bismarck Sea departing on Christmas night with invited guests including Dr Ila Temu, his family, Eddie and Ute Haring and Andrew Barter's family. The master on this trip was Sir Peter Barter, the engineer was Andrew Barter with a crew of six.
See -- www.kalibobospirit.com/index4.html
Yacht Held Up
An attempt by three criminals to hold up a yacht anchored in Wewak harbour in East Sepik turned sour when the gang was overpowered by the visitors and received a taste of its own medicine.
See -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20080205/news08.htm
Lae Roads
It has been reported that it costs a minimum of K20 million a year to maintain the roads in Lae, Morobe province. This is the level of funding the national government would have to provide for the Lae city roads each year.
Bag Shortage
A shortage of bags to pack coffee beans into has meant that the beans have been left lying on the floor at storage houses. It has been claimed that although the peak of the coffee season would be from April to June there were already tonnes of coffee beans sitting in warehouses in Mt Hagen and Goroka, waiting to be bagged.
Rape Charge
A former academic has been charged with rape of a 12-year-old girl. The man, from Teremanda in Wabag, Enga province, was picked up by police recently and remanded in custody at the Buimo jail, Lae. The incident allegedly happened in 2004 in Lae.
Lae Nursing School
The Lae School of Nursing at Angau Memorial Hospital, a campus of the cash-strapped University of Technology, has closed down. Health authorities shut the college recently because facilities, including the dormitories, mess and kitchen, library and ablution blocks, are falling to pieces.
NASFUND
The National Superannuation Fund (NASFUND) board will soon announce the crediting rate for 2007. It is estimated that the rate will be in excess of 25 per cent.
Rod Mitchell, the of Nasfund says the current shake out in world equity markets led by the deterioration in the American sub prime mortgage market has repercussions for PNG of which the full extent will be not known for sometime. He does, however, remain confident that NASFUND will walk calmly through 2008. So the message to Members is that even with the current confusion in world markets, we sleep easy. So should you.
Rabaul Earthquake
An earthquake with magnitude 5.0 occurred near Rabaul, East New Britain, at 21:46:20.80 UTC on the 28th of January, 2008.
See -- http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/catalogs/cap/us2008mta9
See also -- an earthquake with magnitude 5.2 occurred near Rabaul, New Britain, PNG at 05:06:38.50 UTC on the 2nd of February, 2008. -- http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/catalogs/cap/us2008myaf
Dr Carol Jenkins
American anthropologist Dr Carol Jenkins has died overseas. Dr Jenkins was the physical anthropologist at the country's Institute of Medical Research in Goroka. She carried out research about the Hagahais - one of the last groups of people to have been discovered in PNG after independence in 1975. A memorial service has been arranged for the woman many described as a Hagahai herself.
Burial Refusal
The Board of the Kundiawa hospital has refused to allow the family and tribesmen of the Late Sir Joseph Nombri to bury his body inside the hospital grounds. The family members claimed Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare gave them the green light to bury Sir Joseph inside the hospital ground and also name the hospital after him.
See also -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/012808/WEEKENDER_3.htm
Golden Staircase
Australian politician and amateur historian, Charlie Lynn, claims he and villagers have found remains of the stairway along the Kokoda Track with the aid of global positioning satellite technology, World War II survey maps and local knowledge. The staircase's 2000 wooden steps have long since rotted away but Lynn, an MP in the New South Wales Parliament, said the route it took was still visible, marked in places by the presence of large weapons pits.
The Kokoda Track is a 96km-long jungle trail which winds its way through the razorback mountains and steamy rainforests of the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea.
See -- http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10490446
Cattle Ranch
A total of K2.3 million has been delivered to the Zifasing Cattle Ranch in the Markham Valley, Morobe province. The money is from the K10 million allocated to the Huon district for development projects. K2 million from the initial amount will be for the operation of the cattle ranch while the remaining K300,000 would be used to assist ranch-holders on a small-scale basis.
Liquor Confiscated
Police have confiscated items included 24 cartons of bottled beer, 162 bottles of alcohol, a home-made shotgun and some items stolen from the Porgera Joint Venture mine site including gold ore, mercury and electrical cables in a recent early morning raid on Yoko One village outside the Porgera gold mine. The commander of Porgera police, Inspector Martin Kelei said as a result of the dawn raid, nine men, all from Laiagam in Enga Province, had been arrested and they would be charged for illegally smuggling in alcohol and selling it.
Speaker's Seat
The Speaker, Jeffery Nape, has said he was still the Speaker and would take the seat when Parliament resumed for the year despite opposition to him holding the position. See -- http://pnggossip.com/news/g080126.html#p. -- Mr Nape said he would not step aside when there was nothing tabled in Parliament that showed cause for him to step aside. It is understood there are already names being circulated in the Government ranks to take over if and when Mr Nape is voted out by Parliament.
Cultural Exchange
The Governor of the Eastern Highlands Province, Malcolm Smith, has said that Eastern Highlands and Canada will develop a cultural exchange programme. Hopefully this will develop into providing opportunities for PNG youth to be engaged in temporary (1 month) summer employment contracts in Canada. Mr Smith also announced that in March, a Canadian Indian chief would visit Eastern Highlands to initially start the cultural exchange programme.
Coming Events
March -- Canadian Indian chief to visit Eastern Highlands to start cultural exchange programme.
Coffee Festival, Goroka, Eastern Highlands -- May
40th anniversary of the PNG Institute of Medical Research - between the 18th and 22nd of June 2008 in Goroka
Tolai Warwagira Cultural Festival - July 9 - 15 2008 - Rabaul, East New Britain
14th National Mask Festival - July 16 - 19 2008 - Rabaul, East New Britain
Hiri Moale Festival - September
PNG Independence Day Celebrations -- 16th September
Medical Symposium - September 2008
Morobe Show, Lae - October 2008
Do you have an event that you want advertised? Send email to -- PNGNews[@]pnggossip.com
PNG Media
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