Police assault road safety staff

Source: 

The National, Monday 26th March 2012

ARMED policemen forcefully entered the National Road Safety Authority headquarters last Friday, threatened security guards and assaulted a staff member before taking an impounded vehicle.
National Road Safety Council acting executive director Nelson Terema has called on the police commissioner to investigate the rogue policemen from the Six-Mile station.
Terema said three armed policemen in uniform forced open the main gate at 7.40pm by threatening security guards on duty before driving away a taxi using spare key they had on them.
He said an officer at the premises approached the policemen and questioned them.
But he was assaulted and was left with a bleeding nose and face.
Terema said the assault only stopped when the officer, John Jaruka, who is the son of a former policeman who lives at the Gordon’s police barracks, identified himself.
“These rogue policemen drove to the Six-Mile police station, dropped John in front of the station and then drove off without arresting or charging him,” Terema said.
“When other officers of the NRSC arrived there later, John was there but there was no sign of any policeman.
“The station was completely deserted.
“The actions of these policemen was witnessed by most of our staff who remained to formally farewell one of our longest serving officer who had resigned.”
No comments could be obtained from the police yesterday.
Terema said the impounded taxi was unre­gistered and there were processes to follow before any impounded vehicle was released.
“The police must know that we have a duty mandated by the National Road Safety Council Act,” Terema added.
“They should not interfere with our duties to please a person who chooses to drive around in a taxi that is not roadworthy.”
“We are trying as much as possible to remove all vehicles that are not roadworthy but this type of act discourages all efforts.”

Audit shows NGCB has K45mil missing

Source: 

The National, Monday 26th March 2012

By JEFFREY ELAPA
AN audit report on the National Gaming Control Board tabled in Parliament last week shows 18 contractors and consultants have been paid more than K7 million, while K45 million remains unaccounted for.
The report, tabled by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, says the Garamut-related companies received more than K39,399,182, while millions of kina were reported to have been made to several shops in Western Highlands province.
Among a number of shops named in the report was Chemica, which sells agriculture supplies.
Among the 18 contractors and consultants, Elemi Lawyers were paid more than K3,830,792 while Hudson Ramatlap was paid K105,400.
The report says Elemi Lawyers were paid thousands of kina every month from 2008 to 2011.
The report says the law firm received eight to 10 different payments at one time for the past 36 months for unexplained reasons.
For example, on April 30, 2010, 12 payments were made to him while on May 31, the firm received 10 payments.   
Another consultant Nat Koleala received more than K617,552, while Elma Koleala was paid K30,000.
Others named were Deken Ltd K187,000, Haro Mekere K187,000, Amon Consultants, K418,872, Philip Tiki K310,000 Ami Construction Ltd K212,000, PNG Counselling Services Ltd K390,000, Mag Media Ltd K343,000, Mel Marketing Consultant K203,400 and Nasyl No. 67 Ltd K125,000.
Others were paid less than K100,000.

Trans Highway 7s on

Source: 

The National, Monday 26th March 2012

MOROBE’S leading rugby sevens tournament the Trans Highway 7s takes place on Saturday and Sunday at Lae’s SCRUM oval.
Twenty teams have expressed interest with 10 from the province with the remaining are from the New Guinea Islands, neighbouring Madang, the Highlands and one from Port Moresby.
Tournament director Robin Tarere said the event would be used to select a side to represent the province at the PNG Games in October.
Tarere said the competition was also a good preparation for teams who would be playing in the NGI 7s circuit this year.
 He reminded teams that although the deadline for registration had elapsed last Friday he was extending it to Wednesday with teams to contact the chairman of the organising committee Naka Songake on 472 1511.
The tournament could be reduced to a 16-team format if teams did not register quickly.
He also thanked TH7s major sponsor SCRUM as well as minor sponsors and contributors: Coca-Cola, Seeto Kui, Trukai Rice, Prima Smallgoods, Ling’s Freezer, Consort Shipping, Chemcare, Besta IFC and Western Star Transport.
Tarere also thanked No.1 Hire Car for sponsoring the lead-up tournament to the TH7s which was held earlier this year.
The teams for the Trans Highway 7s are: Royals, Harlequins, Unitech Reds, Defence, Defence Academy, Pirates, Old Crocs, Morobe Schoolboys, Markham Sagasek, NARI (Lae), Kimbe Rebels – defending champions, Gigo Hurricanes, Wairas, Black Orchids (NGI), Ramu Sugar, Madang 1, Madang 2 (Madang), Goroka, Mt Hagen (Highlands) and PNG Barbarians (Port Moresby).

PNG Ports threatens to close Buka port

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The National, Monday 26th March 2012

By FRANK SENGE KOLMA
PNG Ports has threatened to close the port of Buka to all shipping vessels following the burning of three ships belonging to Star Shipping.
Militant elements sympathetic to relatives of Bougainvil­leans who perished in the sinking of mv Rabaul Queen off the Finschhafen coast, Morobe, on February 2, severed the moorings of the mv Solomon Queen, the Kopra 3 and Kopra 4 on the evening of March 16 and set all three on fire. The hulled out boats now rest in a mangrove a few kilometres off Buka Island under constant armed guard by the militant elements.
Acting chief executive officer of PNG Ports Corporation, Stanley Alphonse wrote to commissioner and chief executive officer, Dr Billy Manoka, on March 20 outlining the potential closure of the port of Buka should there be any escalation in tension associated with the burning of the ships.
“An important consideration for the continued operation of our ports are the safety and security of not only our own staff but all our stakeholders who do business within the port and particularly consideration in light of the recent turn of events with the burning of the Rabaul Shipping vessels have been received with serious concerns over the continued operation of our port of Buka.”
 The militant elements and families of disaster victims met on March 20 and resolved to tow out the three boats and sell them off to the flourishing scrap metal business in the autonomous region and retain the proceeds as partial compensation for lives lost.
Whether this resolution is viewed as an “escalation in tension” by PNG Ports remains to be determined. But the same meeting of relatives has given assurances to all other shippers that their anger is directed at Star Shipping (Rabaul Shipping and owner Peter Sharp) and that other shipping lines can carry on business in ports of Bougainville.
If the PNG Port threat is carried out it will severely affect the people and economy of Buka and the rest of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville as shipping is its life line. Buka is the seat of the Autonomous Bougainville Government.
President of ABG, John Momis has unequivocally condemned the burning of the ships and announced the setting up of a task force to bring the militant elements to justice.
“One wrong does not justify another,” Momis said, voicing his own displeasure at the circumstances leading to the ferry disaster.
“Commercial shipping may very well be curtailed for a period of time,” he said.
This will create some temporary hardships to the travel of Bougainvilleans.
Buka port is not closed and is open to regular shipping movement.

Finance approves Madang’s K109mil budget

Source: 

The National, Monday 26th March 2012

THE Madang provincial budget of K109,183,599 was approved last Friday by Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Peter O’Neill.
The bulk of the reve­nue collected in the province amounting to K16,808,000 was from goods and sales tax (GST) with K4.7 million, Ramu NiCo giving a K5 million advanced royal­ty,  fees and fines worth K2.2 million, business receipts of K7.1 million and miscellaneous K2.7 million.
Ramu NiCo for the first time advanced K5 million royalty payment to the Madang provincial government.
Madang deputy director for finance Thomas Neruse said the traditional sources of income for the province remained stagnant with no big improvement in these areas.
He said there was a reduction of K800,000 for GST compared with last year’s K5.5 million.
Total national government grants worth K87.7 million were made up of functional grants, health, education, village court, transport and primary production (agriculture fisheries and forestry).
Under the province’s development budget, the district support grant which is the non-discretionary component of K250,000 was for six districts plus the provincial member.
The budget is made up
of personnel emoluments
and grants with teachers’
salaries K36,743.50, staff grants K18,023.70, leave fares for teachers K900,000 and public servants salaries K1.2 million.
Transport got a bigger slice of K7 million, health at K5 million and education at K4 million.
Under the goods and services grant there is a local level government grant of K3.3 million.
The medical store or dispensary was allocated K2 million under the provincial improvement plan for this year.
A roll-over of K5.3 million in the budget showed K3 million for the national agriculture development project.
Neruse said the budget was no different from last year.
 as the public investment programmes remained stagnant.
Neruse said  the team which comprised Governor James Gau, five provincial executive council members, provincial administrator Ben Lange and his deputy Paul Adam and two budget officers were happy that the process of vetting and approval had been completed.
They were looking forward to the implementation stage.

Students march against new bill

Source: 

The National, Monday 26th March 2012

By LESLIE OMARO
HUNDREDS of university students in Port Moresby have petitioned the government to repeal the Judicial Conduct Act which was passed in Parliament last week.
The students, despite being warned by police that their march was illegal, walked from the University of Papua New Guinea campus to Morauta Haus last Friday.
They handed over the petition to the government’s Chief Secretary Manasupe Zurenuoc.
Police from the National Capital District – some carrying guns –monitored the activities.
The five-page petition was given to Zure­nuoc by the university’s student representative council vice-president Dick Loa.
The petition, signed by 1086 students, urged the speaker of parliament not to entertain the gazetted bill.
The students want a response from the government by tomorrow.
Loa said if the governments failed to address their petition, the UPNG would join other universities in the country to plan other forms of protest.
Loa said student council’s president Emmanuel Isaac was visiting other universities to garner support against the controversial law.
The law was passed in parliament last Wednesday by a 63-7 vote one day after it was introduced.
It gives parliament powers to refer a judge to the governor-general who in turn must appoint a tribunal to investigate the judge while the latter is suspended from duty.
The bill received nationwide criticism from non-governmental organisations, church leaders, prominent citizens, political observers and lawyers.
The bill was condemned as a “vendetta” against Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia, a “power-grab” and an unconstitutional document.
NCD police chief Supt Andy Bawa had warned the students before the march that their protest was illegal because their “notice letter” was late.
“Your notice is late because police should have been given seven days notice in advance,’’ he said.
“This is not good because if you march, there are plenty of opportunists out there who will join the march and cause a riot.
“Your security and well-being is important so I ask you students to be patient and let’s come to an understanding.”
The student leaders told Bawa the march would go on with or without police permission.
Bawa was told that if they could not march, then Prime Minister Peter O’Neill or his deputy Belden Namah or the attorney-general should come to the university grounds to get the petition.
Bawa and two student leaders left for Morauta Haus to get one of the three ministers to come.
The students began marching an hour later after they were told that none of the ministers could come to meet them.

UPNG students united in tense atmosphere

Source: 

The National, Monday 26th March 2012

THERE was an air of unity during the peaceful protest march staged by students from the University of Papua New Guinea last Friday in Port Moresby.
The atmosphere was tense as the students united to oppose the Judicial Conduct Bill that was rushed through parliament last Wednesday.
They chanted: “Rausim bill, rausim bill, rausim bill (remove the bill, remove the bill” as they marched along Waigani Drive to Morauta Haus.
A five-page petition signed by more than 1,000 students was handed over to government officials.
Members of the public stopped what they were doing to watch the march.
Some clapped their hands and cheered on the marchers.
Curious onlookers in vehicles who were caught in the consequent traffic jam waved.
The protest was halted three times by police – but each time the students talked their way into continuing.
The second stop, just before the Institute of Public Administration, was a frightening experience as armed police men blocked the students.
But the students simply put their hands up in surrender and resumed their march as police backed down.

Chief: I will lead NA

Source: 

The National, Monday 26th March 2012

By CYRIL GARE
GRAND Chief Sir Michael Somare will lead the National Alliance party into the June election and is confident of securing the numbers to form the next government.
Sir Michael will re-contest his East Sepik provincial seat. He made this known on NBC Radio East Sepik last Tuesday and during his visits by helicopter to Angoram and Marienberg the next day, followed by Maprik, Kawanga (Dreikikir) and Yambun (Ambunti) last Thursday.
He said the NA party was placing candidates in all the seven East Sepik seats.
Apart from him, other names confirmed were his son Arthur for Angoram Open, Peter Wararu Waranaka for Yangoru-Saussia, Tony Aimo for Ambunti-Dreikikir and John Simon for Maprik Open.
No names had been put forward for Wewak Open and Wosera-Gawi.
In January, more than 500 ward councillors in East Sepik gathered at the Divine Word University Kaindi campus in Wewak and re-affirmed their loyalty and support for Sir Michael.
They were not happy with how he had been treated by the Peter O’Neill-led government since Aug 2 last year.
O’Neill’s People’s National Congress party had recently sent a candidate recruitment team to East Sepik.

PM defends judicial act

Source: 

The National, Monday 26th March 2012

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill has defended the recently-passed Judicial Conduct Act, saying it will not weaken the judiciary.
Responding to public criticisms of the law rushed through parliament in a space of 24 hours last week, O’Neill said last night there was no sinister agenda behind it and that the government was not in a fight with the judiciary.
“There is nothing secretive and sinister about the new judicial conduct law,’’ he said.
“This law will not weaken and erode the independence of the judiciary.”
“It is not a law that erodes the fundamental principles of democracy nor does it compromise the separation of powers between the legislature,
the executive and the judiciary,” O’Neill said.
“The new law was aimed at defining and imposing clarity on judicial beha­viour that the wider community or affected parties in lawsuits may consider or perceive as biased.”
He said the law was not draconian and did not erode the impartiality of the judges.
He pointed out that Australia, India, Canada and other Commonwealth nations had similar legislation or ethical standards to scrutinise judicial conduct and behaviour.
He said the march last Friday by University of Papua New Guinea students to protest against the new legislation as “acting in the public interest”.
“It is true a new law was made by parliament to give legislative teeth to administer any instances of perceived or real judicial bias, where judges continue to hear cases that have serious conflicts of interest,” O’Neill said.
“It was done for the sake of clarity and to better define and strengthen the role and conduct of National and Supreme Court judges.”
He said the law was not a “knee-jerk legislation” and was not designed to remove certain members of the judiciary from office.
But he said judges, such as any public servant, should be disciplined if there was “reasonable evidence of ethical and professional lapse in their conduct and in the
carriage of their duties and responsibilities”.
The bill was introduced last Tuesday and passed by a 63-7 vote after three readings the following day.
It gave parliament the power to refer a judge to the governor-general who, in turn, must appoint a tribunal to investigate the judge who would be suspended from duty.

Esso pulls out of LNG site

Source: 

The National, Monday 26th March 2012

By JEFFREY ELAPA and ISAAC NICHOLAS
THE government last night vowed to implement tough measures – including the declaration of a state of emergency in a province – as a PNG liquefied natural gas (LNG) project developer Esso Highlands began withdrawing workers from its site.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill will call a National Executive Council meeting today to discuss the measures to be taken as the developer of the PNG LNG project in Southern Highlands started pulling its workers from the Hides 4 area.  Landowners had stopped work at the site over compensation demands which the developer, Esso Highlands, had been trying to resolve.
A source said the developer began evacuating its workers from the project sites in three chartered aircraft yesterday.
The source predicted it would be the end of the project if the closure continued this week.
It could not be confirmed last night how many employees had left.
Company spokeswoman Rebecca Arnold will issue a statement today.
O’Neill told The National last night tough measures were needed to protect the LNG project.
“I am calling a special cabinet meeting (today) to make tough decisions to protect workers on site and to protect the interest of the nation,” he said.
The landowners had stopped all LNG-related activities at Hides 4 in the Southern Highlands.
Vehicles hired by Esso Highlands and the contractors had been returned to their owners because the companies could not continue to pay when they are lying
idle.
O’Neill said: “I am aware of the landowner issues around the project area and concerns have been expressed to the government about the security of the project as a result of certain groups putting in demands that are outside the UBSA (umbrella benefits sharing agreement) and LBBSA (licensed-based benefits sharing agreement).”
He said some of the measures the council would consider today
included the declaration of a state of emergency in the Southern Highlands, the deployment of PNG Defence Force troops there, additional police manpower and additional funding for the exercise.
“The demands are unreasonable and unfair to the nation. I appeal to landowners to reconsider their actions which are undermining the project,” O’Neill said.
He said the government had already made the decision for a call-out of the PNGDF and troops should be deployed immediately.
“We will ensure the security of the project is protected,” he said.
The source said officials from the department of petroleum and energy and ExxonMobil had been sent to the site but could not resolve the landowners’ grievances.
The landowners have demanded K99 million from Esso Highlands as compensation for the different projects activities in the area.
Other demands include the upgrading of the:
qPara Health Centre to a referral hospital; and
qPara Community School building;
qHides-Komo road to start immediately.
They also wanted employment and contracts be given to locals plus a permanent water supply for the people.
Hides 4 Landowner Umbrella Association Inc chairman Chris Payabe had said landowners wanted the government to immediately take ownership of the project and address their concerns.
He maintained that the project would remain closed if their demands were not addressed.