Links
Warning: PNG web sites 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 use the submission form located at -- http://pnggossip.com/misc/ctc.html
PNG in the News
Suspected remains of WWII airman found dangling in Papua New Guinea jungle -- http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=90a46dca-62e2-42b4-829c-a5bd0ff16c91
PNG students protest against inflation -- http://news.smh.com.au/world/png-students-protest-against-inflation-20080905-4a8s.html
Blogs About PNG
Salamaua and the Black Cat Trail -- http://malumnalu.blogspot.com/2008/08/salamaua-and-black-cat-trail.html
Christopher Kaines was an experienced pilot -- http://giaman.com/pg/?fb0462
http://damonlisa.blogspot.com/2008/08/mid-year-leave.html
Seminar with Coffee Industry Corporation Staff -- http://tirikuimbakul.blogspot.com/2008/09/seminar-with-coffee-industry.html
http://differentpath.blogspot.com/2008/08/justsunday-morning.html
Where were you in 1975? -- http://malumnalu.blogspot.com/2008/09/independence-proclamation-by-governor.html
Misc Links
Skerah.com is continuing to grow in popularity -- http://skerah.com
Kokoda Trail -- http://www.battletours.com.au/kokoda.htm
While in PNG forget Port Moresby visit Loloata Island -- http://www.undercurrent.org/UCnow/issues/y1998/UC1098/LoloataIsland1098.pdf
Should PM Somare retire gracefully? -- http://pnginfo.com/survey.html
http://www.surfingpapuanewguinea.org.pg
http://www.pngtourism.org.pg
http://www.adventuresinparadise.com.pg
http://www.nusaislandretreat.com.pg
PNG White Pages - Telephone Directory -- http://www.telikompng.com.pg/WhitePages.aspx
PNG Pictures
PNGBD -- http://www.pngbd.com/photos/showgallery.php/cat/582/page/1
Nail down that door mat! -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/kahunapulej/2789243508/in/photostream/
Aerial View Near Mt Hagen, Papua New Guinea -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/peace-on-earth_org/2783483126/
Alotau -- http://flickr.com/photos/liam901/1490302916/
Bougainville 1973 - Robin & Christine -- http://flickr.com/photos/bent/2482252437/
Pictures from the Daffodil Day Corporate Golf Tournament -- http://www.skerah.com/daffodilcup.htm
The way of the gun in Papua New Guinea -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-zEQgVkQZg
News Items
Virgin Blue
As rumoured at in a recent edition another airline is coming to PNG. (See -- http://pnggossip.com/news/g080726.html#rf) -- It can now be revealed that this airline is Australia's Virgin Blue. The Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Don Polye made the announcement in a recent interview with the Post-Courier -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20080828/news01.htm
Rumours often take a long time to come to fruition and are not always factual. Lets hope this comes to fruition.
see -- http://pnggossip.com/news/g060226.html#gau
and -- http://pnggossip.com/news/g060716.html#hk
The Opposition has welcomed plans by Australian-based Virgin Blue airlines to form a joint venture with Airlines PNG to serve local and international routes.
Extra Power
As reported recently -- http://pnggossip.com/news/g080826.html#pngp -- Port Moresby now has 8MW more power available after PNG Power switched on extra capacity from rehabilitated equipment at the Rouna II power station in Central province. Three of the five hydro turbines at Rouna have been rehabilitated starting on the 31st of October 2006.
Bush Justice
While Australians are debating the death of a young whale and wanting to build a monument to the dead whale William Kapis caught last month in PNG has won a court case to attend the hospital after sustaining serious wounds during his capture. Kapis is bed-ridden due to injuries to his ankles sustained from gun-shot wounds allegedly by police. He has been charged in connection with the Madang Bank South Pacific robbery and escaping from lawful custody. He is also a suspect in the Kerema BSP robbery and other crimes.
Medical opinions in court gave Kapis the support he needed to fight for his constitutional right to proper medical treatment which he said had been denied to him by police and Correctional Services. National Court judge Justice Panuel Mogish has explicitly denied Kapis any visitation by any persons during the time of treatment. According to medical reports, both his ankles are fractured with pieces of bones missing on one ankle while a piece of bone is sticking out on the other. The flesh surrounding his wounds is also rotting.
Banana Fight
A 20 year old has had his left hand cut off in a fight over bananas by his father. The incident occurred recently when the young man intervened in a fight between his father and another son arguing over a bunch of bananas. The family from the Southern Highlands have since sent the severed hand back to their village for burial.
Wara Bilong Life
Wara Bilong Life is a project for school students in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. It is an Internet project where students learn the importance of hand washing to combat disease.
Wara Bilong Life, which means Water for Survival in pidgin, is an OxfamNZ project. Students will be asked to design a method of washing hands that requires very little water for primary schools in Papua New Guinea. Good ideas will be put to use. Students also design health and sanitation education materials.
This project, which was short listed for the prestigious Stockholm Challenge, will run for nine weeks from Monday 13 October this year. It is open to all Papua New Guinea and New Zealand students of all levels.
Teachers and students are fully supported for the duration of the project with briefs, background resources, a full-time e-teacher and experts in the field.
To register interest in this project contact monika(at)megabright.co.nz -- http://www.megabright.co.nz/wara/home.htm
Earthquake
Normally it is reports from Rabaul about quake activity but this time a magnitude 6.2 earthquake has rocked Lae the second largest town in the PNG with about 120,000 people. The quake, centered on land about 80 km (50 miles) northeast of Lae, hit at 4:54 p.m. (10:54 a.m. EDT) on the 30th of August and was about 30 km deep
see also - Major rivers burst, flooding Lae -- http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/03/2354776.htm
and - An earthquake with magnitude 5.0 occurred near Goroka, PNG at 11:28:12.40 UTC on Sep 2, 2008 -- http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/catalogs/cap/us2008wlaz
Bottom Pincher Bashed
A man in Buka, the capital of Bougainville, will have second thoughts before he pinches a bottom in the future. Several women beat up a notorious bottom-pincher after he groped one of them in the street. Police took the women in for questioning over the incident.
Terror Suspects Arrested
12 people suspected of being Tamil Tigers have been arrested by the PNG National Intelligence Organisation (NIO) in Port Moresby attempting to travel to Australia on forged documents.
See Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTTE
Triad Suspect Escapes
A Chinese national suspected of being a leader of a triad has narrowly missed being arrested at a Boroko restaurant in Port Moresby. 20 other Chinese nationals were arrested in the raid. Those who were rounded up were all from the Fujian province in China and were taken to police headquarters in Konedobu and interviewed. It was found that four had no entry documents and were charged accordingly.
see -- http://www.solomontimes.com/news.aspx?nwID=2459
Part of B Mobile Sold
The Government has sold 50% of its shareholding in Telikom's B Mobile to a consortium made up of two American companies and PNG's two major super funds. The partial sale was for US$45 million (K130 million). The make up of the sale has been reported as being
US-based Trilogy International Partners LLC (20 per cent)
General Enterprises Management Services (GEMS) Ltd (20 per cent)
National Superannuation Fund - 5 per cent and
Nambawan Super Ltd - 5 per cent.
see -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/090208/nation1.php
GEMS already has a 55 per cent shareholding in GreenCom the third PNG mobile fone provider so this may jeopardise the stake in B Mobile as according to the Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) Act, a shareholder could not have an interest in two different companies.
see also - Funds do checks on B Mobile joint venture -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20080904/business01.htm
PNG Mining
A New Zealand scientist will use a government research grant to see if mining companies in Papua New Guinea contribute to local communities.
see full story at -- http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/200808/s2348207.htm
PNG Inflation
Inflation in PNG has been quoted as being up to 10.7%. The increase surpasses Bank of PNG's earlier assumptions of inflation at 9% for the remainder of this year. The underlying CPI also recorded 10.2% over 12 months from June last year to the June quarter this year.
No Pay For MP's
Some of the Members of Parliament have found empty accounts when they have tried to withdraw their pay from the bank recently. The Clerk of Parliament, Don Pandan, has said that the problem would only be for MP's who had accounts at the Bank South Pacific (BSP). MP's with accounts at other bank should not be having problems. The manager of the BSP Commercial centre has said the problem was with Parliament and not the bank.
Clown Fish
Research into Clown Fish has determined they can find their way around by sniffing for leaves that fall into the sea from rainforests growing on the islands near their coral reef homes. Scientists have carried out research around offshore islands in PNG.
see -- http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,411385,00.html
2nd Ship Sunk
A second ship belonging to the company owned by the National Maritime Safety Authority chairman has sunk. The MV San Pedro sunk recently near Wairavanua off the Aroma Coast in Central Province and the MV Sealark sank after a fire onboard near Lae in April 2006. The 718-tonne MV San Pedro carried a load of containers that are now floating along the coastline and causing damage to the coral reef.
Boroko Motors
Boroko Motors is undertaking a K15 million project to upgrade its Port Moresby branch. The upgrade will see a new state-of-the-art workshop, a second showroom and a new head office. The project will comply with international standards set by suppliers of trucks and cars to Boroko Motors.
Boroko Motors web site -- http://www.boroko-motors.com
New Ambulances
The South Korean embassy has donated nine new ambulances to help boost health services in the country. The vehicles, fully fitted with first aid equipment, will be used to serve public hospitals in nine major centres around the country. The nine hospitals are Port Moresby General Hospital, Alotau (Milne Bay), Mt Hagen (Enga), Goroka (Eastern Highlands), Angau (Morobe) Modilon (Madang), Boram (East Sepik), Kavieng (New Ireland) and Kimbe (West New Britain).
Coconuts and Tearooms
Do not forget to try and get a copy of an excellent book that covers an attempt by one person to record some of the history of coconuts, tearooms and Rabaul. The book, called appropriately Coconuts and Tearooms, covers the eruption of the volcanoes around Rabaul in 1937 and the preface covers the reason why Pat's book is of extreme historical value. In 1942 the Japanese invaded Rabaul and destroyed irreplaceable records. I recommend that you somehow get to a library and borrow a copy of the book titled "Coconuts and Tearooms" by Pat Boys. National Library of New Zealand ISBN 0-473-01724-5. I believe it is getting very difficult to find a new copy.
It is copyrighted in 1993 but covers a six-year period in the 1930's. The book started out as ten foolscap, single-spaced pages that Pat's mother had written about her experiences. With this meagre beginning an a keen interest to preserve a little bit of the history of the Rabaul area and helped by over 200 photographs taken by her father Pat has been able to produce a wonderful 140 plus page book. The only complaint I could find about the book was that I wish the photos were in colour! Now if I could only buy a plantation for the price mentioned in Pat's book but using the money I earn today without subtracting anything for inflation!
Bougainville Blue
Another book worth finding and reading is "Bougainville Blue" by Brian F. Darcey - ISBN 978-0-9804819-2-1 -- http://bougainvilleblue.com/ -- and -- http://www.briandarcey.blogspot.com/
Lawyers Suspended
The acting Solicitor-General Neville Devete and his acting deputy Laias Kandi have both been suspended from duty. It is understood that the suspension could be the result of Mr Kandi's 69-page letter, which was widely circulated within the judiciary and Government circles, highlighting the problems at the department and calling for the removal of Ms Polume-Kiele.
40 Year Plan
The Government has presented its first-ever 40 year National Strategic Plan Framework with a vision that PNG would become a happy, wealthy and united country by the year 2050. The 40-year plan aims to mobilise Papua New Guineans to create wealth through smart innovative ideas, quality services and equitable distribution of benefits.
Port Moresby General
Doctors and nurses at the accident and emergency (A&E) section of the Port Moresby General Hospital have been waiting for management to organise the unblocking of toilets for patients for so long that they are now calling on the A&E to be closed.
see -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20080905/news02.htm
Coming Events
Showcase PNG, an event combining entertainment with a trade fair, will be staged in Port Moresby from the 5th to the 7th of September. The event is organised by the Total Event Company (TEC) along with partners Coca-Cola, Nestle and the National Capital District Commission (NCDC).
Goroka Show held on the 13th and 14th of September 2008. See -- http://www.gorokashow.com/ -- and -- http://giaman.com/pg/?ff9344
PNG Tourism Expo -- September
Hiri Moale Festival -- Chairman of the Motu Koitabu Assembly Miria Ikupu said the festival which is the premier cultural event of the city and coincides with the country's Independence celebration in mid September was deferred to between the 7th and 9th of November, to allow proper planning and preparation due to the recent Motu Koitabu elections.
PNG Independence Day Celebrations -- 16th September
NBC to launch its National TV Station -- 16th September
International Orchid Show -- 4th and 5th of October
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
Sprint Triathlon -- 1st of November at Ela Beach, Port Moresby
Milne Bay Canoe Festival -- http://giaman.com/pg/?ab7f63 -- always held during the first weekend in November.
2008 Kokoda Reunion Dinner - Friday, 7 November 2008 - Parliament House, Macquarie Street, Sydney.
Anti Corruption Day - 9th December 2008
Arafura Games - 9 to 17th of May 2009 -- http://www.arafuragames.nt.gov.au/
Do you have an event that you want advertised? - use the submission form located at -- http://pnggossip.com/misc/ctc.html.
PNG Media
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