P.N.G. Gossip Newsletter - 26 Oct 2003

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PNG Gossip Newsletter Meri Milne Bay

Welcome to the

Papua New Guinea Gossip Newsletter


A very special welcome is extended to any new readers. If you have comments or suggestions to make then please e-mail them to giaman@pnggossip.com

Articles for this newsletter

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Neo Melanesian

"Pidgin English"
Tok Pisin English
het head
pen pain
het i pen headache
sik sick / illness
soa sore
strongpela soa bad sore / ulcer
ia ear
ai eye
gras hair
kela bald
lapun old
maus mouse
tis teeth
tis i pen toothache
wara water
wara bilong ai tears

 

 

Remember that this mailing list is mainly meant for people who have an interest and already know a little bit about the people and geography of Papua New Guinea. The PNG Kina, which is mentioned from time to time in this newsletter, is currently worth around 28.5 - 29 United States cents but varies on a daily basis.

If you are really keen on finding out what the Kina is worth a currency converter for most world currencies can be located at http://www.michie.net/pnginfo/moni.html

Want to find out more about Papua New Guinea? Try searching at http://www.michie.net/pnginfo and http://www.michie.net/png_faqs. The PNG Business and Tourism Directory located at http://www.pngbd.com is also an excellent place to look for PNG information.

For those who are not so familiar with the geography of Papua New Guinea I suggest taking a look http://maps.expedia.com and then click on the find a map option. Go to this link for a quick start to a link to a map of Port Moresby. http://www.michie.net/pnginfo/pom-map.html

Also remember that the accuracy of the information in this newsletter should not be relied upon - it is, after all, a gossip newsletter.



Links



Communication Related Companies



Alcatel (Now owned by PACOM -- http://www.alcatel.com.pg)
ConXions -- http://www.conxions.com.pg (also Ericsons PNG)
PACOM -- http://www.prosec.com.pg/pacom.
PNG Pacific Mobile Communications -- http://www.tiare.com.pg
PNG Telecommunications Authority -- http://www.pangtel.gov.pg
PNG Telikom -- http://www.teklikompng.com.pg
RAD-TEL Communications Sales and Services -- http://www.radtel.com.pg
TE PNG -- http://www.tepng.com



Tree House Village



http://www.treehouse.com.pg -- Tree House Village -- For those who want a truly tropical style accommodation package then I suggest the exotic Tree House Village. The village is about 15 minute along the scenic Buluminski Highway from Kavieng in the New Ireland province. If anyone wants further details then please write to Tree House Village PO Box 351 Kavieng, PNG. Phone +675 984 2666 / facsimile +675 984 2693 or email albeck@global.net.pg



ENB Chamber of Commerce



The East New Britain Chamber of Commerce and the East New Brisbane Tourism Bureau has a web site at --- http://www.eastnewbritain.com



Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce



The Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce has a website located at -- http://www.pomcci.org.pg



Miscellaneous Sites



http://www.icd.org.pg -- PNG Institute of Directors
http://www.rotary.org.pg -- Rotary Club of Boroko
http://www.foda.org.pg -- Friends of the Disabled Association



PNG Education Related Website



Computer Training -- http://www.workersmutual.com.pg
Divine Word University -- http://www.dwu.ac.pg
International Education Agency -- http://www.iea.ac.pg
Pacific Training Academy -- http://www.pta.com.pg
PNG Maritime College -- http://www.pngmc.ac.pg
University of PNG -- http://www.upng.ac.pg
University of Technology -- http://www.unitech.ac.pg

Training Towards Maturity in PNG -- http://www.training-toward-maturity.org/about.html

 

 

News Items



Gold Rush



The rush to find lost World War Two Japanese gold in New Ireland Province is hopefully over. It is considered to be a hoax similar to a cargo cult. The madness over the gold even lead to a court battle between the landowners of the area and the National Government. The landowners under the name of Basoma Holdings Limited were granted their wish by Justice Timothy Hinchliffe who advised the soldiers and the government to pay due respect to the landowners' traditional and constitutional rights.

The definition of Cargo Cult can be found at http://www.bartleby.com/65/ca/cargocul.html and also http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=20632&tocid=0

More can be found about cargo cults at
-- http://www.anthropologising.ca/writing/carcult.htm
-- http://www.apologeticsindex.org/c79.html
-- http://www.coolth.com/cargo.htm
-- A slide show can be found at -- http://anth.ucalgary.ca/DHatt/Anth473/Cargo.htm



Siamese Twins



The Siamese twins born in Mount Hagen, reported in the last edition, have died of heart failure. The twins had been sent to Port Moresby for examination where it was found that they could not be separated.



Air Niugini



Air Niugini, facing industrial action by national pilots, has had its Boeing 767 delayed in Port Moresby recently. All passenger were flown down to Cairns in Australia using the already stretched Fokker F28 fleet of aircraft. The Boeing developed problems in the main fuel shut off valve and parts had to be flown up from New Zealand to rectify the problem. Apparently this meant a special 2:30am clearance by Customs so it would appear that PNG Customs should be congratulated in helping to get the plane back in the air again.

Air Niugini cannot win. The Airbus hired from Malaysian Airlines broke down before it even got to Singapore meaning that the stranded passengers, including Sir Michael Somare, had to wait even longer while Malaysian found a replacement Boeing B737 for the trip. The lengthy delay then meant that the crew of the Malaysian plane had run out of flying hours by the time they reached Port Moresby and had to have their required rest break before flying the plane, with passengers, back to Singapore. It must have made the Malaysian Prime Minister proud to see a Malaysian aircraft sitting on the tarmac when he arrived in his jet.



Malaysian PM



The Malaysian Prime Minister, Dr. Mohamad Mahathir, has made a very quick visit to PNG only days before he is set to retire from office. The Prime Minister met extensively with the PNG PM, Sir Michael Somare, and paid a courtesy visit on the Governor General before meeting with Malaysian businessmen at the Rimbuan Hijau offices in Gordons.

The National Capital District Commission spent a great deal of time, effort and money on ensuring the Malaysian PM had a clean Port Moresby to visit. Many residents say that Port Moresby should have 52 important visitors a year and then the city would be always clean.



Weight Lifting



Eighteen-year-old Dika Toua has won a spot in the Oceania team to compete at the World Weightlifting Championships in Vancouver, Canada. The team comprises of the top weight lifters from Australia, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia. This is a first for PNG and no other PNG person has achieved so much in the sport especially as a petite female. Dika is the current Oceania and South Pacific junior and senior champion in her class. Dika made her world entry at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney Australia.



Travel Taxes



The Civil Aviation Authority will soon implement the taxes or fees first mooted many months ago for International and Domestic passengers leaving Jackson's airport Port Moresby. The fee for International passengers will increase by K30 making the total a departing passenger has to pay come to K90.00. Simply put this means that a family of five will now have to pay K350.00 to leave the country and receive very little in return for the what they have paid. Domestic passenger will now have to pay a K10.00 fee every time they fly out of Port Moresby.



Milne Bay Drought



A six-month long dry spell has affected isolated island communities in the Trobriands, Woodlark, Calvados Chain south of Misima and even mainland Milne Bay near Rabaraba. Government officers have been dispatched to the areas to ascertain how severe the drought has affected the people. A former politician has called on all Milne Bay politicians to unite to help save the hundreds of people affected by the drought.



UniTech



The University of Technology in Lae owes over K1.2 million to the company providing catering to the organisation. UniTech recently paid K600,000 to the company. The finance is in such a bad state at the University that students travelling home at Christmas will have to take the cheapest route. this means that for those that can travel by road or sea then that option will have to be taken simply because the University is struggling to find funds for the students. The University of Goroka recently sent students home as there was no money to keep them in Goroka.



Seminary Woes



It is claimed by Seminary officials that students at the Martin Luther King Seminary run by the Evangelical Lutheran Church have instigated an illegal strike to protest over what the students claim to be poor staff performance and outdated and insufficient curriculum. Many of the students have already returned to their homes. International students have also returned to their home countries. The students claim that they have not gone on strike. The students say that they have only boycotted classes to protest over the inaction of the college admin to act on a number of claims being made by the students.



Kundiawa



Residents of Kundiawa, Chimbu Province were treated to an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign that saw the town come alive. The campaign saw the Miss PNG entrant Alice Solomon and fourteen other people come to Kundiawa to get the message across. Popular singer and songwriter Patti Potts Doi and kick boxing champion Stanley Nandex were some of the people who helped out. Thousands of people including sins-sing groups met them at the Kundiawa airport.



Limited Preferential Voting



Another Limited Preferential Voting (LPV) exercise is now underway to educate the public. This time the Miss PNG Quest will be used as an example to find the "Miss People's Choice". Previously a sample exercise was voting for the most popular Rugby League player. This gave election officials and the general public a good grounding in how to use the LPV system to vote.

The electoral officials are also touring the country to help educate the general population. They have been in Madang recently and Abau in Central Province will be the first electorate to use the system when electors go to the vote in December.



Miss People's Choice



The following girls are contesting the Miss PNG Quest --



Crown of Thorns



It has been reported that the Crown of Thorns starfish has been seen in East New Britain along the reefs near Kokopo. 30 starfish have been found in a 10 square metre area. The starfish feed on living coral and can destroy a living reef leaving bleached coral skeletons behind. It is not known what cause the increase in the starfish population. It has been said that possible increases could be attributed to the over collection of the starfishes natural predators by villages.



Rabaul / Kokopo



Tolai women are working in jobs usually performed by men along the Rabaul / Kokopo road project. The East New Britain women are renowned for their get up and go attitude. East New Britain is a matrilineal society where land is passed through women. A group of women have been employed by Curtain Brothers to help on the major repair work along the road. They are helping to direct traffic around the various reconstruction areas. In patches the road has been buried under three metres of volcanic ash laid down in since the 1994 volcanic eruptions in the area.



Airlines of PNG



The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Airlines of PNG formerly known as Milne Bay Air, John Wild, has celebrated his 75th birthday. He is still very actively involved in the airline. Airlines of PNG has recently acquired two new Dash 8 aircraft with entertainment systems built in and a Cessna Citation jet for the local network. In the in-flight DVD entertainment system using cordless headsets and several LCD screens throughout the aircraft is reported as being a world first and the Canadian manufacturer of the aircraft has expressed interest in the system.



Mining Links



Highlands Pacific -- http://www.highpacific.com.au
Lihir Gold Limited -- http://www.lihir.com.pg
Misima Mine -- http://www.placerdome.com/properties/content/sites/misima/misima.html
Oil Search -- http://www.oilseach.com.au
Ok Tedi -- http://www.oktedi.com
Orogen -- http://www.orogen.com (au?)
Porgera Environmental Advisory Komiti - PEAK -- http://www.peak-pjv.com
Porgera Mine -- http://www.placerdome.com/properties/content/sites/porgera/porgera.html
http://www.metalsrefining.com.pg -- Metal Refining Operations Ltd



Kutubu



Tension was high recently following on from a dispute between police and local settlers near the Moro camp in the Southern Highlands Province. It was feared that oil production from the Kutubu project could be disrupted due to the dispute. Recently settlers of the Benelia district seriously injured a policeman, from the Chimbu mobile squad. It is alleged that after a settler was shot in the legs by the police in retaliation for the injury to the policeman. Moro is the main gateway to the Kutubu project and was used by Chevron Texaco until their recent pull out from PNG. It is used by Oil Search and non-government agency as a base camp for housing employees.



Genetic Testing



It has been announced that the University of Technology's biotechnology centre in Lae can carry out DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) testing. Most hospitals in the country could not afford such technology and they have had to turn away clients who have requested tests. Hospitals from around the country have been invited to use DNA facilities. Some hospitals have already taken up the offer. Advertisements have recently been see in the newspaper for DNA testing.



Parliament



A former Speaker of the National Parliament has claimed that Parliament is in "a disciplined and controlled chaos". Bernard Narokobi was speaking at the Legislative Needs Assessment National Parliament of PNG seminar being hosted by the Melanesian and Pacific Studies centre of the University of PNG. Mr Narokobi said that currently, in the National Parliament, things were not being done not for the common good but "what is possible for the inevitable survival of a Member of Parliament".



Approx Exchange Rates



++ 0.4049 = Australian Dollar, AUD
++ 0.2865 = US Dollar, USD
++ 0.2423 = European Euro, EUR
++ 0.3730 = Canadian Dollar, CAD
++ 1.7750 = Danish Kronor, DKK
++ 0.5115 = Fijian Dollar, FJD
++ 2.2200 = Hong Kong Dollar, HKD
++ 12.8332 = Indian Rupee, INR
++ 31.18 = Japanese Yen, JPY
++ 0.4704 = New Zealand Dollars, NZD
++ 1.9680 = Norwegian Kroner, NOK
++ 15.61 = Philippines Peso, PHP
++ 0.4961 = Singapore Dollar, SGD
++ 2.0461 = Solomon Islands Dollar, SBD
++ 1.9651 = South African Rand, ZAR
++ 2,1584 = Swedish Kronor, SEK
++ 0.3758 = Swiss Francs, CHF
++ 11.2864 = Thai Bhat, THB
++ 0.1692 = United Kingdom Pound, GBP



Common Currency



There has been another call to have a common currency in the region. Government backbencher, John Koigiri, has made the suggestion in view of the high cost of basic food items. He says they having a common currency would eliminate much of the current weaknesses in that the country is facing with a weak Kina.



Telikom Cables



More Telikom cables have been sabotaged. this is the second time this month that sabotage has affected Port Moresby communications. This time it is believed that a grass fire on Paga Hill burnt cables at the transmitter site. The affected areas are Lawes Road, Six-Mile, Motukea and the Atlas area around Port Moresby. The analogue and digital mobile networks are also affected. The analogue network will be decommissioned on the 31st of October.



Australian Citizens



The Australian High Commission wishes to advise Australian Citizens that a new and more secure passport will be released in December 2003. Consequently, there will be changes in the Australian Passport Issuing System.

Key changes effective from 1 October and 1 November 2003 include:

Key changes effective from 3 December 2003 include:

The High Commission in Port Moresby and Honorary Consul in Lae will continue to conduct passport interviews, accept lodgement of application forms, collect fees, confirm entitlement to an Australian passport and carry out local identity checks.

Current Australian Passports remain valid until their expiry dates.






PNG Media


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-- THE END --

Some of the ways of saying "that's all" are courtesy of Liz and her friends at the University of Technology in Lae. http://www.unitech.ac.pg

If you can add to this list then please send email to PNG-News@pnggossip.com

 






Created 26 Oct 2003
Updated 16 May 2004

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©2003 - 2011 Gia Mann