Links
PNG in the News
PNG man jailed for 50 years for Australian's murder -- http://giaman.com/pg/?1cbc02 -- and -- http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/comments/0,21590,23615155-2761,00.html
PNG govt further decentralises financial services -- http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=39418
Orchid's blooms resemble antelope horns -- http://www.miamiherald.com/home/story/508473.html
Smith tours Aussie-funded jail wing -- http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23591769-23109,00.html
Forestry officials ignoring PNG law -- http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23584521-30417,00.html
World War II soldier who went missing almost 65 years ago finally gets burial -- http://giaman.com/pg/?741989
Australia, PNG, sign tourism cooperative -- http://giaman.com/pg/?b82e34
Double Duty: Linking Sexual and Reproductive Health in PNG -- http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=1123
"I thought we would be eaten" -- http://www.stuff.co.nz/sundaynews/4509327a15620.html
Blogs about PNG
The war cry. A walk in PNG -- http://stevesalfield.wordpress.com/category/papua-new-guinea/
Everything Everywhere - PNG -- http://everything-everywhere.com/2008/04/29/planning-new-guinea/
Montevideo Maru - http://suelawsonsblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/montevideo-maru.html
M/V Tikeibank - Papua New Guinea, Mainland -- http://giaman.com/pg/?958f55
Time in Alotau -- http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Papua-New-Guinea/Milne-Bay/Alotau/blog-269792.html
Babies, big and everywhere! -- http://benkumor.blogspot.com/2008/04/babies-big-and-everywhere.html
Village views -- http://rabauldailyphoto-jules.blogspot.com/2008/05/village-views.html
Tougher controls for PNG - Australia border - The border between Australia and Papua New Guinea is set to be tightened after a ministerial forum in Madang agreed it was time for "proper application" of the free movement provisions in the Torres Strait Treaty -- http://giaman.com/pg/?b5f69f
Misc Links
plumifrons = http://giaman.com/pg/?28808f
PNG, Australia to increase border security -- http://giaman.com/pg/?1769ee
Where in the world are the Wilson's? -- http://witwatw.blogspot.com/2008/04/gera-landslide.html
Sky Watch - alien skies -- http://giaman.com/pg/?72cda4
Missionary Mummy (Mama Mavis) -- http://missionarymommy.wordpress.com/2008/04/29/mama-mavis/
PNG Business Coalition against HIV and AIDS -- http://www.baha.com.pg/
National AIDS Council -- http://www.nacs.org.pg/
POM Library
The "Port Moresby Library" now has a web site located at -- http://onefollowedbyonehundredzeros.com/pomlib.html
News Items
Sea Kayak Expedition
A Tasmanian teacher is in the country to embark on a 4,000km sea kayak expedition to raise awareness about climate change. He plans to travel 800kms down the Fly River to Port Moresby and then around the north-east coast to Papua / Irian Jaya. Follow his trip by visiting -- http://www.expeditionclass.com -- the site will be updated by satellite phone. The paddler, Andrew Hughes, is no stranger to outdoor adventure. In 2002 he and his brother James walked the length of Tasmania in 50 days, while in 2006 he paddled nearly 5,000kms from Hobart to Thursday Island in the Torres Strait.
Buy a T-shirt -- limited edition Anthony Wood designed T-Shirts are on sale at AUD40.00 -- http://www.expeditionclass.com/t-shirt/
Hidden Valley Mine
At least six people have been injured in a surprise attack at the Hidden Valley gold mine in Morobe Province, halting all construction work there.
see -- http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=39520
The Post-Courier newspaper reports that local workers at the mine site attacked non-Morobeen workers to chase them away and keep the jobs for themselves.
Substandard Drugs
The Government has warned about substandard pharmaceuticals being sold in the country. The Minister for Commerce and Industry, Gabriel Kapris, said fake medicine was being sold across the country. Earlier this year, it was revealed local PNG chemists were selling imported anti-venom that did not work for the type of snakes in PNG.
Lihir Gold Mine
Lihir Gold continues to have problems maintaining production momentum at its Papua New Guinea operation. But the miner expects to make up output lost in the scheduled shut down of a processing plant for maintenance. Lihir Gold reported a 28 percent drop in first quarter gold output but maintained its production guidance for calendar 2008. The company produced 138,525 ounces during the period, down from 193,302 ounces in the same quarter last year.
Sorcerers Killed
Radio Australia reports that two women accused of sorcery have been tortured and burnt to death at a village outside Mt Hagen, in the Western Highlands province.
see -- http://giaman.com/pg/?d5af96
The National newspaper says the women were burnt alive in their homes, after villagers received news that a young man, who had been admitted to Mt Hagen General Hospital, died.
see also -- http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=39522
Table Tennis
A combined Basic Certified Umpire Course and Junior Training Camp Organised by the Oceania Table Tennis Federation in conjunction with the ITTF Development Programme was recently conducted in Port Moresby.
see -- http://giaman.com/pg/?0df23a
Bougainville
The Sydney Morning Herald has quoted Francesca Semoso, the Deputy Speaker of the autonomous Bougainville region, as saying that Bougainville is heading towards another bloody crisis over a foreign mining deal. The autonomous Bougainville government (ABG) had sold Canadian mining company Invincible Resources mineral rights that were "worse" than the deal that sparked years of civil war and tens of thousands of deaths during the 1990s.
see -- http://giaman.com/pg/?752619
On Thursday May 8th, 2008 the Annual General Meeting of Bougainville Copper Ltd. will be held at 02:00 p.m. in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Port Moresby.
see -- http://www.bougainville-copper.eu
Chief Secretary
Chief Secretary, Isaac Lupari, has been sacked by the government. It is the fifth time the senior administrator has been fired, and comes as the ongoing inquiry into the whereabouts of more than US$70-million missing from PNG's Finance Department begins again. PNG's Transparency International, Mike Manning says he hasn't seen any evidence Mr Lupari has directly been interfering in the inquiry.
Golf
The 2008 Coca Cola Morobe Golf Open held in Lae has been won by Steven Jeffress. Jeffress along with the other 45 professionals will now take their games to Port Moresby where the players will have the rare opportunity of winning a national title, the PNG Open.
see -- http://www.pga.org.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&aid=119640
also see -- http://www.laegolfclub.org.pg/
Taiwan Missing Funds
Taiwan Vice Minister of Defence Ko Cheng-heng was questioned Saturday night over the loss of $29.8 million that the government had set aside for establishing diplomatic ties with the Pacific nation of PNG. The loss of the money highlights the measures Taipei is willing to take to persuade countries to establish diplomatic relations, recognizing Taiwan as a sovereign country apart from China.
see -- http://giaman.com/pg/?d8fe25
Since they split amid civil war nearly 60 years ago, Taiwan and China have engaged in an all-out war to win diplomatic allies.
Beaufort Bomber
read about the veterans who conducted the last bombing raid inland from Wewak on the north coast of New Guinea on the 15th of August 1945 -- http://giaman.com/pg/?27f77f
Rice
Trukai rice has run out in the regional depot in Papua New Guinea's (PNG) Mt Hagen, leaving consumers in at least three highland provinces with no choice but to switch to other staples. Rice shipments have not been able to get through due to the cutting of the Okuk Highway by a massive landslide just outside Kundiawa in Simbu province.
see -- http://au.news.yahoo.com/080428/3/16naq.html
see also -- http://witwatw.blogspot.com/2008/04/gera-landslide.html
and -- http://chapmanconnection.com/blog/2008/04/27/21-tons-of-food/
Harmony Gold
Newcrest to earn 50 percent interest in Harmony's PNG Gold Assets for a maximum of Aus$525m. The assets include the Hidden Valley Gold and Silver Mine, the prospective Wafi-Golpu gold/copper deposit and its surrounding exploration tenements, and over 3400 square kilometres of Harmony's exploration tenements in Morobe province. Harmony and Newcrest will jointly operate the PNG assets. Each party will hold voting rights in the operator equal to its interest in the joint venture.
see -- http://giaman.com/pg/?783bd4
also see -- http://www.rttnews.com/sp/breakingnews.asp?date=04/22/2008&item=78
Malaria
Malaria remains a major killer in Papua New Guinea, with 700 deaths from the disease in 2007, although the World Health Organization (WHO) says the number is higher as many cases in remote areas go unrecorded.
see full story -- http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=77993
A survey conducted by PNGIMR concluded that global warming would increasingly put everyone in PNG at great risk of contracting malaria. At present, malaria only affects those in coastal provinces.
Undersea Mining
A Vancouver company plans to be the first in the world to commercially explore the ocean floor for gold and copper, using technology developed by the oil and gas exploration industry. The mine is in 1,500 metres of water in the Bismarck Sea, 50 kilometres north of the township of Rabaul in the western Pacific Ocean. Mining the seabed is considered easier than having to provide building infrastructure, such as roads, power lines, site stripping and foundation work as is required in land based mining.
Jails in PNG
The following is a list of some of the prisons operating in PNG supplied by Uve.
- Baisu in Mt. Hagen, Western Highlands Province
- Barawagi in Kundiawa, Simbu province
- Beon in Madang, Madang Province
- Bihute in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province
- Biru in Popondetta, Oro Province
- Bomana in Port Moresby, NCD also for Central
- Boram in Wewak, East Sepik Province,
- Bui-Iebi in Mendi, Southern Highlands Province
- Buimo in Lae, Morobe Province
- Bundaira in Kainantu, Eastern highlands Province
- Daru in Daru, Western Province
- Giligili in Alotau Milne Bay Province
- Hawa in Tari, Southern Highlands Province
- Kavieng in Kavieng, New Ireland Province
- Keravat in Rabaul, East New Britain Province
- Lakiemata in Kimbe, West New Britain Province
- Manus in Lorengau, Manus Province
- Ningerum in Kiunga, Western Province,
- Vanimo in Vanimo, West Sandaun province
- Wabag in Wabag, Enga Province
Boen Jail
Just days before the opening of a new $3 million wing at the Boen Jail, Madang 10 prisoners made the run for freedom. Five prisoners have been recaptured but the jail chief says it's almost guaranteed to happen again in a country where mass jail breaks are common.
Coming Events
Coffee Festival, Goroka, Eastern Highlands -- will be held between the 8th and 10th of May
Vehicle Auction -- The Professionals in Lae are conducting a motor vehicle auction on Thursday the 15th of May at the Plant and Transport Branch in Lae. The auction commences at 8:30 am and vehicles can be inspected from the 12th of May. Ring The Professionals on +675 472 5144 as a visit to the web site at -- http://www.theprofessionals.com.pg/ -- only shows an auction for 2006.
2008 Sepik Iron man -- Queen's birthday weekend (8th of June)
21st of June 2008 - PNG Reunion - see -- http://www.pngreunion.com
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
PNG Tourism Expo -- September
Hiri Moale Festival -- September
PNG Independence Day Celebrations -- 16th September
Medical Symposium -- September 2008 -- http://www.medsymp.org.pg
Morobe Show -- 18th and 19th of October -- the Show is held on the weekend closest to the full moon in the month of October each year in Lae, Morobe Province. -- http://www.morobeshow.org.pg
Milne Bay Canoe Festival -- always held during the first weekend in November
Anti Corruption Day - 9th December
Do you have an event that you want advertised? Send email to -- PNGNews[@]pnggossip.com
PNG Media
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