Links
Warning:
PNG web sites seem to come and go. The fact of life is that it costs
money to host a web site 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 them
mention that you heard about them from this web site. -- The PNG
Gossip Newsletter.
PNG Languages
If you are interested in PNG languages then you may have some fun finding
them at the Language Museum web site. For example the Wedau language
of Milne Bay Province is documented at -- http://www.language-museum.com/encyclopedia/w/wedau.php
Melanesian Institute
The Melanesian Institute is an ecumenical institute that researches,
teaches and publishes on all aspects of Melanesian culture. A web site
can be found at -- http://www.mi.org.pg
Lands Dept Site
The Department of Lands and Physical Planning have launched a new website
that can be found at -- http://www.lands.gov.pg
-- Lands Department management hope that the site will enhance the department's
efforts to inform investors, government institutions and the general
public of the roles, responsibilities, procedures, processes and the
overall working of the department.
PNG Religious Sites
Anglican Church of PNG (Diocese of Port Moresby) -- http://portmoresby.anglican.org
Bible Society Work in PNG -- http://www.biblesociety.org/bs-pap.htm
Catholic Church of PNG and Solomon Islands -- http://www.catholicpng.org.pg
Christian Brethren Churches of PNG. -- http://www.dg.com.pg/~cbcpng/
Church of God in PNG -- http://www.zip.com.au/~openshaw/begin02.html
Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG -- http://www.lutheranworld.org/Directory/ASI/EvangelicalLutheranChurchofPapuaNewGuinea.EN.html
Hetune - Community of the Visitation, Popondota -- http://orders.anglican.org/arcyb/cvl.html
MAF Service in PNG -- http://www.maf.org.au
Melanesia Field is part of Nazarene World Missions. It is part of the
Asia-Pacific Region and has its headquarters in Kudjip, PNG -- http://www.melanesianaz.org/
Melanesian Institute -- http://www.mi.org.pg/
Nazarene Hospital at Kudjip in the Highlands of PNG is a mission hospital
operated by the Church of the Nazarene, serving the people of PNG since
1967 -- http://www.kudjipnazarenehospital.org
New Tribes Mission Aviation in PNG -- http://www.ntmpng.org/ntma.htm
Pioneer Bible Translators: PNG. -- http://www.pioneerbible.org.pg/
PNG Christian Links -- http://www.geocities.com/jbnirenga/christ-a.html
PNG Church Partnership -- http://hometown.aol.co.uk/pngcpluxton/PNGChurchPartnership.htm
Religious Television Association of PNG -- http://www.rtapng.com.pg
Society of St Francis -- http://orders.anglican.org/arcyb/ssf-pac.html
United Pentecostal Assemblies of PNG. -- http://www.upcpng.org/
Vow of Poverty in the third world -- http://orders.anglican.org/arcyb/2000-RichardCarter.html
Miscellaneous Web Sites
PNG Incentive Fund -- http://www.incentivefund.com.pg
PNG Advisory Support Facility -- http://www.asf.sagric.com/
UNDP Papua New Guinea -- http://www.undp.org.pg/
For those interested in the stamps and postal history of PNG please
visit -- http://www.communigate.co.uk/york/pps/index.phtml
Government communications website -- http://www.communication.gov.pg
-- advertised as the end to the information drought by the government.
Papua New Guinea Institute of Accountants -- http://pngia.org.pg
Port Moresby Rotary -- http://www.pomrotary.org.pg
PNG Department of Health -- http://www.health.gov.pg
Rotary adopt a village -- http://www.ram.com.pg/adopt.htm
Morobe (Lae) Links
Morobe Tourism Bureau -- http://www.tourismmorobe.org.pg
Lae Chamber of Commerce -- http://www.lcci.org.pg
Lae International Hotel -- http://www.laehotel.com.pg
Melanesian Hotel -- http://www.coralseahotels.com.pg
Melanesian Arts Centre -- http://www.melanesianarts.com.pg
Morobe Show -- http://www.morobeshow.org.pg
Rain Forest Habitat -- http://www.habitat.org.pg
Village Development Trust -- http://www.global.net.pg/vdt
Shipping Links
http://www.aalpas.com/asp/index.asp
-- Austral Asia Line Project Asia Service.
http://www.newguineapacificline.com.au
-- New Guinea Pacific Line
http://www.steamships.com.pg
-- Steamships Shipping Agencies
News Items
PNG Travel Show
A local travel show titled "Lukim PNG Nau" aimed at enticing
residents of PNG to become tourists of their own country has been successfully
held at the Hideaway Hotel in Port Moresby. Many local operators, ranging
from the top of the line hotels to the smallest tour operators, were
seen displaying their products.
PNG Lawyers
Acting Solicitor-General Francis Kuvi has revealed that between April
1992 and January 31, 2000, the PNG Government has had to pay out about
K600 million in judgment debts. He went on to say that in 2001 the state
paid in excess of K50 million to meet judgment debts. He said that many
of these cases could have been easily defended by the state saving millions
of kina, but the Solicitor-General's Office lacked manpower to defend
cases so the cases were being lost through default judgments. The Solicitor-General's
office only has 14 lawyers to deal with more than 10,000 cases against
the state. As a result of the great volume of work and too few lawyers
many cases are not prepared properly and are lost.
Failed Hold-up
Criminals who held up a vehicle travelling from the highlands to Lae
got more than what they expected when the vehicle contained a truckload
of professional police shooters heading to Lae for a tournament. It
has been reported that the criminal opened fire on the vehicle and fire
returned by the police killed three of the criminals. The criminals
obviously did not recognise the police vehicle due to heavy fog at the
time. Isn't it amazing how well the police were able to shoot in the
hazy conditions?
Lost Marijuana
A reserve policeman is in trouble for failing to produce 17 Kilograms
of marijuana confiscated from criminals. The court has had to drop the
charge against the defendant because there was no evidence produced.
The case is even stranger because originally a total of 50 Kilogram
was confiscated and this has since been reduced to 17 Kilogram. Policemen
have been quoted as saying "this is getting suspicious". Perhaps
that could be the understatement of the year!
Police Crime
National Court judge, Justice Panuel Mogish, has said that crimes committed
by police are on the rise. He said it was becoming a bad habit where
police committed crimes under the guise of lawful duties. Justice Mogish
recently sentenced a policeman to do time in jail after he was found
guilty of corruptly obtaining two horse race machines and then passing
them on to another party.
Airways Hotel
The land of the unexpected struck drinkers at the Balus Bar of the
Airways Hotel on Friday when they were plunged into the dark for what
seemed like hours but in reality was only 20 to 30 minutes. No explanation
was given by the Airways Management as to what had happened. Patrons
were glad that most of them had just refilled their glasses and mobile
phones were swung into action as emergency torches.
Workers Mutual Insurance
It has been reported in the press that the Workers Mutual Insurance
(PNG) Ltd is grossly insolvent. This means that contributors to the
fund may face loss of their funds estimated to be worth millions of
Kina. The Bank of PNG recently stepped in and appointed a statutory
manger to investigate the financial status of the company. The statutory
manager, Simon Fraser of PriceWaterhouseCoopers, has said that any liquidator
that was appointed would have to investigate "numerous questionable
payments". He said his investigation had been hampered by incorrect
and false information, lack of records and proper financial records.
It has also been delayed by violence and intimidation brought against
the previous statutory manager and staff of WMI. Mr. Fraser replaced
the original statutory manager David Kelso.
Misima Mine
Mining Minister has said that the closure of the Misima mine should
been seen as a new chapter in the mining industry in Papua New Guinea.
After 27 years of operation in the country the Misima Mine has become
the first mine to be shut down in the country. People on Misima Island
are now feeling the effects of the closure.
Air Niugini Profit
Air Niugini has posted an after tax profit of K31.1 million for the
year 2004. This is the second year the company has been able to post
a profit after many years of belt tightening and improved productivity.
Air Niugini made a before tax profit of K60.9 million from a gross revenue
of K428.5 million kina last year. It has also been reported that the
airline carried almost three-quarters of a million passengers in 2004
(740,550) Domestic passenger figures rose to 538,000 (7.3% increase)
while international passenger figures climbed to 202,273 (8.7% increase).
Air Niugini had established more representative offices in Europe with
new offices in Rome (Italy), Stockholm (Sweden) and Moscow (Russia).
These add to the established offices in London (Great Britain) and Frankfurt
(Germany).
The Chairman of Air Niugini, Mr. Joe Tauvasa, reported that the company
at end of 2004 had no net bank or financial institution debt on its
balance sheet and as of May 2005, it has positive cash balances K11.5
million, and is on track to achieve its profit target for 2005 despite
rising oil prices. The chairman noted that the surge in world oil prices
has impacted on the airline's cost of operations, with the airline spending
K76 million in aviation fuel alone in 2004, with surcharge in ticket
prices, while the airline absorbed K4 million on the fuel price increase.
With little publicity Air Niugini has taken delivery of yet another Dash 8
aircraft. The fourth Dash 8 arrived a over a week ago.
Army Uniforms
It is hoped that the Defence Force will have its new Kumul pattern
uniforms in time for the 30th Independence celebrations. It was reported
sometime ago that the Indonesians had given new sets of uniforms to
the force but it appears that these have not been delivered to barracks
outside of Port Moresby yet. At this rate they will have in time for
the 31st anniversary. Maybe some country or company can come to the
aid of the Defence Force and fly the uniforms to the barracks outside
the National Capital. Doesn't it make you feel secure knowing that the
force can rapidly deploy uniforms to employees?
Aussie Police
The police Minister, Bire Kimisopa, wants to see Australian police
officers return to PNG to help restore law and order in the country.
Australian police were recently withdrawn from PNG after a court challenge
last month. Mr. Kimisopa has said that the Government is working hard
to get the Australians to return.
Police Recruitment
Police in the Southern Highlands have been given the go ahead to employ
an extra 100 personnel. Fifty will be recruited this year and another
50 will be recruited next year. The cost of recruiting and training
the first 50 has been estimated to cost the Royal PNG Constabulary
a little more than half a million Kina.
Police Collections
It would appear that Christmas must be coming early for the PNG Constabulary.
Several reports have been made of police collection "donations"
at road checkpoints around the city. Not only are local people being
victimised for a donation but I have received reports that overseas
visitors have been targeted as well. Has any overseas visitor got a
story to tell? If you have been pulled over and asked to "donate"
please write to the newsletter and let me know.
Censorship Office
The Minister for Community Development, Dame Carol Kidu, has said that
the PNG Censorship office is under resourced and restricted to looking
at books and movies and classifying them but it is now time to beef-up
the capacity of the office due to an increase in internet pornography
and night clubs in the adult entertainment type area.
Chiller Row
A dispute has erupted between Air Niugini and a local company trying
to fly fish overseas. Apparently Air Niugini has been given sole rights
to manage a chiller facility at Jackson's airport and according to reports
is entitled to charge full commercial rates for the use of the facility.
Almost two tonnes of tuna belonging to local company, MAPS Tuna, had
to be delayed in Lae because the shipping agent claimed that Air Niugini
would not allow them to use the facility in Moresby. Air Niugini has
counter claimed that the freight company was slow in responding to a
set contract sent to them for the use of the chiller. It seems that
this has been the week for trying to tear down Air Niugini because another
article has appeared saying that Air Niugini has too many expatriate
staff and that they get paid too much. The claim was made that Air Niugini
employs many expatriates in positions that can be done by local staff.
The Airlines has only just returned to profitability after many years
and it must now be the time to start bashing a successful company.
Cargo X-ray Machine
To meet international obligations Air Niugini has installed and X-ray
machine to scan cargo leaving Jackson's Airport. This covers International
and Domestic Cargo. The machine will also be used to scan incoming cargo
from domestic airports. Air Niugini's Manager of Aviation Security,
John Salter, has said the machine will be used to scan cargo for guns,
ammunition, explosives or any dangerous goods that would comprise the
safety of an aircraft. The X-ray machine cost the airline K300,000 to
purchase and install. The machine can also differentiate between metals
and vegetables and will hopefully help to reduce the amount of marijuana
shipped into Port Moresby mainly from the Highlands region of PNG.
Indonesian Fishing Boats
Three Indonesian fishing boats have been detained for fishing illegally
in PNG waters. They were caught in the rich resource area of Dog Leg
in Western province and escorted to Port Moresby recently. The boats
were found to have been fishing for shark fin and other general fish.
Coming Events
East New Britain Warwagira and Mask Festival. The Warwagira
will be held on the 6th to the 12th of July followed by the Mask Festival
on the 13th to the 16th of July. Both events will be held at the Queen
Elizabeth Park.
New Ireland Malagan Show, Kavieng -- 15th to 17th July 2005
Mount Hagen Show, Western Highlands Province -- around the 20th
of August 2005.
Squash - The K50,000 Steel Industries PNG Squash International
has been set to be held between the 16th and 21st of August in Port
Moresby. The event is part of the official Men's World Tour and is being
run under the supervision of the Professional Squash Association - the
world governing body for Men's Squash. The main event will be held at
the Holiday Inn Sports Plus Club at Waigani.
PNG 30th Independence Day Celebrations -- 16th September 2005.
Hiri Moale Festival -- 15th to 18th of September 2005.
Goroka Show -- Independence Weekend (17th - 19th)
Tufi Cultural Show -- 17th - 19th September
Morobe Show, Lae -- 15th and 16th of October 2005
The Milne Bay Canoe and Kundu (drum) festival is to be
held 4th - 6th of November.
2006 - April 8th to the 16th -- National Game Fishing Titles
Neil Hendry
It is with great sadness that I must inform readers that Neil Hendry
passed away on Friday (24th June) after losing his battle with cancer.
Neil was a long-time resident of Port Moresby and has served as an organist
with the Anglican Church in Port Moresby for many years. He also worked
at the Government printers and most recently he worked with Greg Lay
at Young, White and Williams before Greg was made a judge of the Supreme
Court of PNG. The Anglican Bishop of Port Moresby, Bishop Peter Fox,
has said that a special memorable church service will be held for Neil
sometime in July.
PNG Media
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