Monday, December 31, 2012
Friday, December 28, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
ADB okays US$41mil navigational aids loan
Source:
The National, Friday 21st December, 2012
THE Asian Development Bank has approved a US$41.5 million loan to improve navigational aids in Papua New Guinea.
This will allow ships to move safely through the largely unchartered and often unsafe waters.
“The maritime and waterways safety project will upgrade the existing navigational aids network, reducing risks such as the blockage of channels, which cause serious injury, loss of life, and environmental damage,” Xianbin Yao, director-general of ADB’s Pacific department, said in a statement.
“The project will establish a safe and efficient maritime transport environment for national, regional, and international traffic,” he said.
“Remote, rural populations are expected to be the main beneficiaries of the project, which will make maritime safety information more readily available and help develop maritime safety communities of practice.
“Maritime transport services will benefit as monitoring and surveillance systems are renovated and search and rescue capacity improved.
“More effective beacons or lighthouses are expected to boost local and international shipping and trade.”
The National Maritime Safety Authority is responsible for maritime safety, search and rescue operations and maritime environment issues in Papua New Guinea.
In 2008, the PNG government, NMSA and ADB, through the government’s rehabilitation of the maritime navigation aids system project, helped improve the shipping service environment by improving navigational aids
along mainly international shipping routes.
The project established a community engagement programme through which provincial and community lighthouse committees monitored and kept the navigational aids in good condition, boosting community ownership, while providing income generating opportunities and encouraging the participation of women in the project.
NMSA general manager Chris Rupen said: “This project will have significant benefits for the 65% of PNG’s people who live in coastal regions.”
Friday, December 7, 2012
150 Filipinos nabbed
Source:
The National, Thursday 06th December, 2012
By ABIGAIL APINA
A TOTAL of 150 Filipinos were arrested and charged in Kimbe, West New Britain, yesterday for illegally staying in the country.
They did not have valid passports and visas.
Provincial police commander Samson Siguyaru said they were caught last Saturday on seven foreign fishing vessels belonging to Trans Pacific Fishing Corporation, a company based in Manila; TSP Marine Industries, also based in the Philippines; and Coco Enterprise Ltd, based in Port Moresby.
He said the arrests had resulted from the Safe Papua New Guinea Operation carried out by PNG Customs and involved police, labour and employment, navy and quarantine officers. The officers went to Kimbe onboard PNG Navy Boat 02 and searched the vessels.
Siguyaru said the team, while in Kimbe for its islands region operation, spotted the seven fishing vessels between Talasea Bulu Point and Bali Vitu Island.
Siguyaru said although the vessels had valid licences to fish in PNG waters, the 150 crew members did not have valid passports and visas.
Five of the seven vessels were escorted back to Kimbe harbour on Sunday afternoon while two escaped.
Police had completed all their files with the necessary charges laid.
The provincial police chief was also concerned that while searching the vessels, the officers came across some navy uniforms.
“It worries me to know that some current serving military personnel were onboard the vessels.
“I think it is only proper that the Philippines government, through its embassy, explain to the people of PNG why this is so.
“The PNG government should also take this critically and strengthen its intelligence service in the country,” he said.
Siguyaru said a special court sitting had been arranged for all 150 crews to appear in the Kimbe District Court.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Lelang queries implications of K6bil loan
Source:
The National, Tuesday 30th October, 2012
By STARZA PAUL
SHADOW minister for finance Joseph Lelang has warned the government to consider carefully the implications of the K6 billion Chinese Exim Bank loan.
Lelang questioned whether the government could afford the K6 billion loan when the country’s economy was small.
“The loan is good but the issue that we are asking is of affordability. Is this the right timing?” he said.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said earlier the loan was necessary to fix the old infrastructure around the country.
Lelang said opposition MPs were pointing out to the government that PNG would pay the loan in dollars and not in kina.
He said this would have a negative impact and constraints on the economy as inflation would likely increase.
“Increase in inflation means increase in prices of goods and services and our ordinary people will have to pay higher for these increases in goods and services,” he said.
Lelang said the huge loan would also have constraints on our foreign reserves as PNG would be expected to repay the loan in dollars which would have a negative impact on the local economy.
“The K6 billion loan will continue to deteriorate our foreign reserves as companies start importing materials from aboard to build the infrastructure as they are claiming the loan is for.
“This is not a theory that we are arguing about as it is a real issue that the national government needs to be very conscious of.”
Thursday, October 25, 2012
24,000 want stop on seabed mining
Source:
The National, Thursday 25th October, 2012
By CALDRON LAEPA
A PETITION, signed by 24,000 people living in the immediate area of the controversial seabed mining site in the Bismarck Sea, has requested the government to stop the project and review its approval process.
Bismarck-Solomon Sea Indigenous People’s Council president John Simoi presented the petition to Mining Minister Byron Chan and government representatives this week.
Simoi said the petition was over dissatisfaction with the project’s environmental impact studies (EIS).
He said the project had commissioned Prof Richard Steiner from the University of Alaska in 2010 to produce a report that showed the EIS approved by the Department of Environment and Conservation was not satisfactory.
“The sea is our garden. That is where we get our food to survive.
“We cannot let the investor destroy this. We are asking the government to put a moratorium for, say 10 years, on deep-sea mining or stop deep-sea mining,” he said.
The people, including landowners from Madang, Northern and New Britain provinces signed the petition, saying they did not want Canadian-owned Nautilus Minerals’ Solwara 1 project to go ahead.
The project is the first of its kind in the world and will see minerals – mostly copper and gold – extracted from the ocean floor.
Nautilus was granted a 20-year lease by the government of Sir Michael Somare and plans to mine an area 1.6km beneath the ocean, 50km off the coast of New Britain.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Pato: Lack of communication stalls asylum bid
Source:
The National, Tuesday 23rd October, 2012
FOREIGN Affairs Minister Rimbink Pato has admitted that there was lack of communication between the government and Manus provincial authorities and landowners over Australia’s asylum seekers processing centre in Los Negro.
However, he is confident the issue will be solved with the setting up of a liaison committee made up of local MP Ronny Knight and the landowners as well as Foreign Affairs Department officers.
He said the decision came after a meeting in Port Moresby last Friday with Manus Governor Charlie Benjamin, Knight and Los Negro landowners.
“There has been a lack of communication. Locals will be involved in the permanent processing centre.
“We have now resolved the matter and will continue to resolve any matter that comes up,” Pato said.
Benjamin had last week accused the Australian government of arrogance over the establishment of the processing centre.
Benjamin said Manus people wanted details of the development package promised by the Australian government.
He said that locals were worried Australian companies would get the contracts to build, maintain and service the centre.
Another report last week also said landowners, who felt they had been left out of the loop in the re-establishment of the John Howard-era centre, had warned they could sabotage proceedings.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported about 100 Australian Defence Force soldiers had cleared the jungle and refurbished the run-down facility before the first asylum seekers arrived.
Pato said Australian soldiers as well as expatriates who dealt with asylum seekers’ conditions such as health and hygiene had come in to assist because all the events had occurred so quickly in a short space of time.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Webcam software detects activity, triggers siren, captures snapshots, records video, and sends captured images by email
I'm using web camera software. I can broadcast Online video to view my room from anywhere.
As long as I have the webcamera
running and a remote pc with Internet access, I can watch the room.
With the software and the webcam, I can change the options to capture picture,
sense movement (if I don't want to keep the webcam running at all times),
or use a mixture of a online feed and recorded video to implement a security
system that takes full advantage of modern technology.
With a capture card,
I can easily transmit relevant video and screenshots to use on
any workstation.
With sensitive data on my workstation
and valuable stuff in my apartment,
it only makes sense to have a protection setup that I can monitor whenever I feel that my privacy
is being compromised. If I owned a small business or lived with roommates, I couldn't imagine
living without it.
Broadcasting online video and audio from capture card through web camera server software
Surveillance software
If you find yourself with a need to record security video with a camera over an area,
web camera
computer application
may be the right choice for you. Using this application, it is possible to set up a
camera to detect activity and begin recording once it does.
Depending on your needs, the sights and sounds that are picked up by the camera may be stored on a hard drive, or if the captured video
needs to be accessible off-site, can be webcast using the server's streaming
function to a site.
Depending on the quality of the webcam and the viewer's video card, the picture that is recorded may be as clear as a high-definition tv signal.
Using a setup like this, it is possible to provide a measure of protection for an area when
the economics of the situation do not justify hiring a security business or setting up a professional monitoring system.
This
do-it-yourself approach
can save money while not compromising on protection.
Webcam software senses movement, sounds alarm, captures snapshots, records video, and sends captured images by e-mail
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
MALAYSIA'S RELATIONS WITH PAPUA NEW GUINEA
High Commissioner of Malaysia Datin Seri Blanche Olbery on the occasion of the 37th Independence Anniversary of Papua New Guinea and 55th Anniversary of Malaysia’s Independence wished the O’Neill- Dion government the continued strength and success in developing the country and delivering peace, progress and prosperity.
Olbery said, “in the span of over 55 years Malaysia has graduated from a low income country that was heavily reliant on the export of primary commodities to what it is now a diversified economy, highly industrialised and service oriented nation.” Despite uncertainties in the world economic climate its GDP growth will remain moderate as robust domestic demand is expected to drive the economy.
She further confirmed that, “Malaysia’s political and economic stability, prudent and pragmatic investor friendly business policies, cost-productive workforce, a developed infrastructure comparable to that of any developed country and a host of other amenities makes it an enticing place for investors”. It is in one of the world’s top locations for offshore manufacturing and service based operations as multinational corporations from over 40 countries have invested in over 5000 companies.
Malaysians success was not only in the material sense but holistic under the National Transformational Plan, the transformational activities not only involved the government through Government Transformational Plan (GTP) and economy through Economic Transformational Plan (ETP) but also political and rural transformation.
Bilateral relations between Malaysia and Papua New Guinea continued to be friendly since its establishment in 1975. The solid foundation ahs been built by the existing cooperation in the areas of trade and investment. The High Commissioner further stated that, “in 2011, total trade between Malaysia and PNG was Kina 1.64 billion, a significant increase from Kina 407 million achieved in 2010. Trade performance is expected to match, or most likely, surpass last year’s total performance and as of May 2012, total trade was registered at Kina 950 million, which more than half of last year’s total trade.”
Apart from trade and investment the two countries are actively pursuing several other important components in bilateral relations such as information, communication and technology and human resources development Programme to PNG under the scope of Malaysian Technical Coorporation Programme (MTCP).
In conclusion Olbery highlighted that, “all Malaysians in the country that the Malaysian government attaches great expectations on the role of the Malaysian private sector in the development of Papua New Guinea. It is our hope that the Malaysian companies operating in this blessed country do remain good corporate citizens and abode by the local standards and regulations.” Datin Seri Blanche Olbery expressed her gratitude to the Malaysian Association of Papua New Guinea (MAPNG) for their continued contribution in various charitable activities and community development programmes in Papua New Guinea.
Preventable diseases killing children
Source:
The National, Tuesday 16th October, 2012
By AGNES FIFI UKI
FIFTEEN thousand children under the age of five die every year in PNG because of diarrhoea and pneumonia, Unicef country representative Baba Danbappa said yesterday.
“This means that 41 children die a day in PNG from diseases that can be prevented, diarrhoea and pneumonia,” he said.
He made the statement at Porebada Primary School in Central, where the Global Hand Washing Day was launched to mark its fifth anniversary.
Danbappa said the aim of the day was to increase awareness and understanding about the importance of washing hands with soap to prevent diseases.
He told teachers and students that many people washed their hands only with water believing it was enough to make hands clean.
“This is not true.
“Washing your hands with water and soap after using the toilet, before eating and preparing food helps a lot to break down the grease and dirt that carry most of the germs.”
He said activities to observe the Global Hand Washing Day usually revolved around children and schools because children were powerful agents of change and what they learnt today would influence their communities, homes and school.
Health deputy secretary Dr Paison Dakulala, on behalf of minister Michael Malabag, said this year’s theme of “Clean hands save lives” was fitting because it reminded people that the simple act of hand washing with soap could save many lives.
Dakulala said last year, of the 4,468 children under
five years with diarrhoea admitted in health facilities, 122 never recovered.
“This is very sad and should not have happened if parents and guardians took heed and followed personal hygiene practices,” he said.
Danbappa appealed to the Central education division to help Porebada Primary to build more toilets.
The school only has three toilets for both students and teachers and that was not enough.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Islanders earn money through seaweed farming
Source:
The National, Wednesday 19th September 2012
THEY may be losing their land but they still have the sea. That is what the Carterets Islanders in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville are making use of and are earning money through seaweed farming.
The concept was introduced seven months ago from the Solomon Islands following a visit by a delegation from the Atolls.
Solomon Islands national fisheries seaweed consultant Lamora Vara said the leaders took interest and decided to introduce it to the Atolls with Carterets as the first to pilot the project.
Vara said so far, more than 500 people had taken part in the project, farming their own seaweed seedlings.
He said it took six weeks for the seaweed to reach maturity and four days to dry in the sun before it was packed and sold.
Vara, who has more than 10 years experience in processing seaweed, said the seedlings were brought in from the Solomon Islands.
He said seaweed farming was introduced to the Solomon Islands in the 1980s but died out and was revived in 2000.
He said the Carteret Islanders would sell their first harvest in two weeks to buyers from Asia and Europe.
He said in the Solomon Islands a kilogramme of seaweed usually sold for Solomon $5 (K15).
Cosmas Babes from Han, one of the six islands of Carterets, said the island was facing food shortages with salt water invading the land.
He said that had affected the soil quality, making the land too salty for them to grow crops like the swamp taro, which was their staple.
He said the relief supply was not enough to sustain them and he was pleased this would help them in income generation.
Babes’ wife, Elizabeth Kiria, said the seaweed project would help her and other families make money to buy food.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
PM pays tribute to founding leaders
Source:
The National, Tuesday 18th September, 2012
By DULCIE OREKE
PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill paid tribute to the “founding fathers and mothers of Papua New Guinea” at the 37th Independence Day anniversary celebrations in Port Moresby on Sunday.
At the flag-raising ceremony on Independence Hill, O’Neill paid tribute to those who made the dream of building a nation for every citizen a reality.
“Today, I also pay my special tribute and gratitude to our nation’s founding leaders for attaining Independence.
“I say thank you on behalf of all citizens, young and old, to our nation’s founding prime minister, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare, for his lengthy active and loyal political leadership service to our country,” O’Neill said.
He also mentioned Sir Julius Chan of New Ireland, President John Momis of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, pioneer woman parliamentarian Dame Josephine Abaijah and statesman Sir John Kaputin who were among the leading figures of their time.
“I pay tribute also to all our former prime ministers, governors-general, opposition leaders and many other leaders for their contributions in the evolution of our nation.
“These great early leaders all did well for PNG, to unite our people and to lay the foundations of a vibrant democracy,” the prime minister said.
“Papua New Guineans must reflect on where they came from 37 years ago to where they are today and where they are heading as a nation.”
O’Neill said he was confident the nation would achieve greater prosperity for the people.
Special congratulatory messages were also sent from the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles and US President Barack Obama.
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