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PNG in the News
University of Goroka International Workshop on Language -- http://giaman.com/pg/?2651ae
Dog tags go home -- http://giaman.com/pg/?dbb79b
PNG takes in Jakarta fugitive -- http://giaman.com/pg/?499753
Bogus ballot papers useless, says Trawen -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/34634
PNG's Ramu Agri Industries Ltd increases sugar harvest -- http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=68998
China gives PNG $3bn loan to build roads -- http://giaman.com/pg/?2e5e86
Law and disorder in the jungle -- http://giaman.com/pg/?03b904
Port Moresby: a Safer City for Women & Girls -- http://giaman.com/pg/?282dd5
Misc PNG Links
PNG Electoral Office -- http://www.pngec.gov/pg
Air Niugini Fares -- http://www.airniugini.com.pg/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/FaresJune2012.pdf
Badihagwa Cemetery, Port Moresby -- http://www.pngaa.net/Library/Badi.htm
Indian High Commission in PNG -- http://www.hcipom.gov.in
G4S Security -- http://www.g4s.com
Telikom PNG -- http://www.telikompng.com.pg
NCS -- http://www.ncs.com.pg
Tufi Resort -- http://www.tufiresort.com
Grand Papua Hotel -- http://www.grandpapuahotel.com.pg
Coral Sea Hotels -- http://www.coralseahotels.com.pg
Hyundai Forklifts -- http://www.hyundaipngforklifts.com
Taklam Lodge and Tours -- http://www.taklam.com.pg
Transparts International -- http://www.transparts.com.pg
Consort Express Lines -- http://www.consort.com.pg
Tropic Air -- http://www.tropicair.com.pg
Madang and Wewak -- http://triposo.com/loc/Madang -- and -- http://triposo.com/loc/Wewak
Just Returned - Lae, Goroka, Mt. Wilhelm and Madang -- http://giaman.com/pg/?752364
The Birth and Decline of Rabaul Creole German -- http://giaman.com/pg/?2e6cc6
PNG Blogs
http://cloudpng.blogspot.com/2012/06/2012-national-election-polling-dates.html
Decentralisation of govt powers would be good -- http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=68996
Madang officials told they could not -- http://giaman.com/pg/?267536
Back from Mt. Hagen -- http://ljbohman.blogspot.com/2012/06/back-from-mt-hagen.html
Ramu expands palm oil farms -- http://malumnalu.blogspot.com/2012/06/ramu-expands-palm-oil-farms.html
Talking About Tanna -- http://talkingabouttanna.com/tag/mt-hagen
Andrew's UKARUMPA -- http://pngandrew.blogspot.com/2012_06_01_archive.html
My beautiful country -- http://giaman.com/pg/?b88b15
YWAM Mount Hagen news -- http://robertkoch.hubpages.com/hub/ywammounthagen
Back in Goroka - http://blogs.ntm.org/josh-butler/2012/06/23/back-in-goroka
PNG Images
PNG Duk Duks -- http://giaman.com/pg/?cac7f4
Rabaul Cenotaph -- http://www.pngaa.net/Library/RabauCenotaph.htm
Rabaul Volcano Eruption Aerial Stock Footage -- http://giaman.com/pg/?0d361d
Boroko Market -- http://statigr.am/p/169821554036991288_41181304
News Items
Water Problems
Landowner grievances have seen the city of Port Moresby suffer without water or extremely low pressure for several days. Koiari landowners forced themselves into PNG Power premises at Rouna just outside Moresby and blocked the flow of water from the Sirinumu Dam. The landowners have been promised compensation over the years for the loss of land to the dam but little has flowed into the hands of the landowners. The most recent was a promise of K291 million as little as three months ago by the National Government.
-- http://www.pngindustrynews.net/storyview.asp?storyid=8685641
Water is back but the problem still exists -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20120622/news05.htm
Power Problems
Workers of PNG Power throughout the country flexed their muscles and went on a mass sit in protest over the proposed plan to create a Special Purpose Power Company to rehabilitate the PNG Hydro assets of PNG Power. The workers feared there would be job losses but hopefully these fears have been quelled after being assured by the Minister for Public Enterprises, Sir Mekere Morauta, that there would be no job losses.
Jomba Police Cells
The Police Cells at Jomba in Madang province had to close recently due to a sewerage leak. The prisoners could not be relocated to Madang's Beon jail as maintenance work on a broken water pump was being carried out there. Prisoners at Beon had been moved to Lae and Highlands Prisons and to Jomba.
Highlands Highway
Peter O'Neill has announced plans to transform the Highlands Highway and grow the economy. The plan will see the road between Lae and Nadzab increased to allow for two lanes in each direction and upgrade the highway to an international standard. At the moment potholes are expected and accepted as being the norm. The upgrade to the highway will take between 5 - 10 years to complete.
BSP ATM's
BSP - Bank South Pacific has rolled out ATM number 235 at the University of Technology in Lae, Morobe province. They also recently rolled out number 234 at the Papindo Supermarket in Kokopo, East New Britain province. It is estimated that the bank has over 5,700 EFTPOS facilities around the country as well.
BSP Bank South Pacific has become one of the first banks in the world to use hand-held tablet computers to sign up new customers -- http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-20/an-png-bank-seeks-tablet-sign-ups/4081704
Ombudsman Warning
The Ombudsman Commission has warned against the use of District Support Grant or District Support and Improvement Fund money during the election period. The Commission further warned that failure to comply with the terms of the direction would land the offender and associated bank in serious trouble under the Leadership Code and Section 23 of the Constitution.
Election Dates
A few days before the scheduled date of the elections it was revealed the Churches were not happy with the elections being held on the weekend especially the Seven Day Adventists who celebrate the Sabbath on a Saturday. The main date set down for the elections is the 23rd of June - a Saturday. The Anglican Church has also called for the election dates to be altered away from recognised days of worship.
Ominous signs of violence -- http://giaman.com/pg/?0ba63f
PNG ilektoral komisina itok kantri i redi -- http://giaman.com/pg/?39ca3c
Trawen: We're all set to go -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/34637
Public servants authorised to take voting day off -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/34635
O'Neill the likely victor as PNG goes to polls -- http://giaman.com/pg/?257b61
Slow Polling
Polling started slowly in many areas of the country. Some of the reasons mentioned were; Lack of allowances and lateness of the delivery of polling materials and officials. In Western province a small boat carrying polling officials capsized. It is understood that all on board are okay. Fortunately there were no ballot papers, boxes etc on board the boat.
Polling in Madang was delayed by a day in most parts of the province due to the nonpayment of allowances to workers.
EM TV
Fiji owned local PNG television station, EMTV, is now able to broadcast its signal into resource rich Nipa in the Southern Highlands after switching on the necessary equipment recently. The signal should be strong enough to also be able to reach Margarima, Koroba and the Upper Plateau.
Police Radio Network
The Police Radio Network has been improved with the injection of K5.7 million. The money has been used to allow police to communicate all around the country especially throughout the National elections. After the elections the frequencies employed on the network will be able to be used by truck drivers along the Highlands Highway to contact each other and the police. The new network includes 600 handheld or vehicle radios, 180 base station radios, 19 repeaters and a host of new computers and servers.
Police Grievances
Police personnel posted to some of the provinces for the elections have separately raised their grievances over cutbacks in manpower for East Sepik and allowance concerns in Milne Bay and Madang. The National says "This might have to do with a shortfall of K30 million in the police election budget".
Full report -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/34638
Hand Washing
The Health Division in the Western Highlands has developed a new hand washing solution consisting of ethanol, hydrogen peroxide and glycerol as recommended by the World Health Organisation to be used in an effort to reduce workplace infection at the Mt Hagen General Hospital.
The solution is being used where there is no ready access to water and soap. The new product is not a substitute and staff are urged to use regular methods if available over the hand washing mixture.
Classroom Flattened
A road grader narrowly missed 32 students at a Matupit / Sikut (East New Britain) school when it recently knocked down a bush material classroom. It is believed the grader experienced engine problems and ran off the road and then ran downhill into the classroom where students, aged between six and eight, had just gone outside the building.
Solomon Airlines
Solomon Airlines has announced it will suspend services between Honiara and Port Moresby from the last flight on the 3rd of July next month. The airline said, the PNG route has not been as effective as was initially desired and prudent management means when times are tough, we had to make the 'suspension' decision and review our plans.
The airline indicated they were 'working closely with Air Niugini to gauge availability to purchase one of their Dash 8 aircraft and also had discussions when Air Niugini would be ready to bring online their newly acquired Boeing B737-700/800 aircraft on the route to Honiara and Nadi.'
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?a19db4
PNG IOTA Tour
An international team consisting of Derek G3KHZ, Hans SM6CVX, Hans-Peter HB9BXE, Eddy K5WQG, Axel DL6KVA and Non-ham Stig Nyman have planned a trip to several PNG Islands between the 19th of October and the 4th of November. The team will use the boat "M V Barbarian", and start from Kokopo in East New Britain sailing via Kavieng to Emirau.
They hope to visit - Emirau Island, Simberi Island, Lihir Island, Buka Island, Manu Island and Admiralty Island and of course East New Britain Island.
-- http://www.p29ni.yolasite.com
Fishing Reward
A PNG fisherman, Johnathan Joul from Kananam village, near Madang, has received USD500 for recovering a plastic tag that was attached to the back of a yellowfin tuna. The fish was tagged and released by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) on 15 May 2011 and is the 50,000th tag to be returned to SPC. With more than 300,000 tuna now tagged, the programme is generating the most comprehensive data set for tuna management in the world.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?d9c1b1
Shipping Woes
The grounding of Lutheran run ships has caused problems moving security forces to outlying maritime electorates near Finschhafen and Tewae-Siassi. The security forces have had to resort to hiring banana boats to reach the various locations. Polling started on the 23rd in Morobe province.
Lae Tidal Basin
The K800 million Lae Tidal Basin project has been officially launched with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by the Minister for Public Enterprises, Sir Mekere Morauta. The project will see Lae surpass Port Moresby when completed in 2015.
Manam Island
Over 200 Islanders from Manam, Madang province, have fled the island for the mainland after an increase in activity from the volcano on the island. Another 400 plus islanders remain on the island waiting further advise from the Rabaul Volcanic Observatory. The activity has since receded but islanders are still on alert.
Coming Events
Note: please verify any date mentioned as dates change and events can sometimes get cancelled. Of course I may also put down a wrong date.
11th Festival of Pacific Arts -- http://www.festival-pacific-arts.org.sb. -- 1st to 14th July 2012
Moresby Open tennis titles from the 21st to the 23rd of July. -- pngtennis.pomtc@gmail.com
Mt Hagen Show - 11th and 12th of August 2012
48th PNG Medical Symposium - 2nd to the 7th of September. Gateway Hotel, Port Moresby
Samarai and Milne Bay Reunion - Rydges Oasis Resort, Caloundra, Australia between the 7th and 9th of September 2012 -- http://www.loosenuts.com.au/www/index.php -- http://www.facebook.com/groups/121192744602253/
Imotiva Kokoda 2012, Walk for a Cause - 9th October 2012 -- http://thelukeadamsfoundation.org.au/?p=580
IOTA tour -- 19th October to the 4th November 2012 -- http://www.southgatearc.org/news/june2012/papua_new_guinea_iota_op.htm -- http://www.p29ni.yolasite.com
Fifth PNG Games, Kokopo, East New Britain - 17th to the 30th November 2012
Pacific Mini Games - Wallis and Futuna 2013
2013 Pacific Netball Series (hosted by Fiji)
Full Pacific Games - PNG 4th July to 18 July 2015 -- http://giaman.com/pg/?081f78
Pacific Mini Games - Vanuatu 2017
Do you have an event that you want advertised? - Use the submission form located at -- http://www.pnggossip.com/misc/ctc.html
PNG Media
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