Police in Morobe have been assisted with a K3 million funding from the Morobe Provincial Government for security operations in the upcoming 2022 National General Elections. Provincial Police Commander Superintendent Jacob Singura in thanking the provincial government said a big portion of this money will be used to cater for the allowances of the additional manpower from PNG Defence Force (PNGDF) and the PNG Correctional Services (PNGCS) as well as logistical support for police. “Manpower and logistical support are our biggest challenge, especially for a province like Morobe with a big landmass and scattered population,” said Mr Singura. He said his command had proposed to engage 90 plus personnel from the PNGDF and PNGCS to boost manpower in the province and was awaiting approval from the Police Headquarters. With logistical support being a big challenge, Mr Singura has advised Police Station Commanders (PSCs) throughout the province to carry out election awareness at their level within their areas of command. He said there will be a big launching of the election operation at a later date. The PPC said the Morobe province’s manpower nominal roll has been finalized and submitted to the National Election Planning Team at Police Headquarters and demonstrates that Morobe is well prepared to deliver the 2022 National General Election.

Madang Airport now has the additional nine Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) officers to boost the strength of its ARFF personnel to continue meeting the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) compliance and requirements at the airport. The nine officers, seven males and two females, graduated recently in Madang as fully fledged ARFF officers after completing a serious of training since March 2021. “These officers coming on board will boost ARFF staff capability at Madang Airport to meet the CASA requirements, said National Airports Corporation Acting Chief Operating Officer, Alex Auga. The addition of the nine officers has boosted the strength of ARFF officers in Madang Airport from 11 to now 20. Mark Sahin General Manager Regional Airports at NAC said NAC’s vision is to have smart airports, however the organization must improve its capability of complying with the requirements of International Civil Aviation Organization and CASA, which regulates airport operations. He challenged the officers to read the CASA rules that governs the ARFF operations to better understand their job and to guide them do the right thing when on and off duty. ARFF is an important function at Madang Airport because Madang is categorized as Category 6 aerodrome. This means it has the minimum extinguishing agents, rescue & firefighting vehicles, sufficient ARFF personnel, optimum response capability and communication and alerting system to provide safety for passengers and aircraft in an emergency situation. The boost in ARFF is timely for Madang Airport as it undergoes upgrade and refurbishment to its aircraft pavement, runway extension, new terminal and new fire station buildings.

As the outdoor track and field season gets into full swing in the USA Emmanuel Wanga has continued the great form he showed indoors with his, 47.43 second clocking last weekend moving him from thirteenth place to eighth on the PNG All Time Best performance list for the 400m. Only Nelson Stone, Subul Babo , Baobo Neuendorf, Geoffrey Bai , Clement Abai , Takale Tuna and Daniel Baul have recorded faster times. Competing in the same heat, Jonathan Dende posted an excellent 48.75seconds, just outside his personal best of 48.74 run at the PNG Air Grand Prix in Port Moresby last year. Fellow Morobean Athlete Leonie Beu is also in great form, clocking 56.09 seconds in the 400m. Meanwhile Roland Hure is edging towards his long jump personal best of 7.21m that won him Gold in the last Pacific Mini Games in Vanuatu , with a 7.14m effort in his sixth and final jump last weekend at the University of South Dakota, Greenfield. Sprinter Monica Korowi is also improving her times in the 100m and 200m though both her 100m times of 12.22(+3.9) and 12.39 (+2.2) were wind assisted.Annie Topal and Ephraim Lerkin are both expected to return to action this weekend after recovering from injuries

Trukai Industries Limited has once again has demonstrated its support for sports in PNG by signing up as the naming rights sponsor of the Trukai Village Premiere League (VPL) Tournament. Trukai’s Marketing Manager Maryanne Tom said the VPL Tournament is a great platform that aligns very well with the Trukai brand. “The Village Premiere League although in its second year, is growing in popularity and has followers both domestic and international. This year through our sponsorship we have increased the first prize cash money from K10,000 to K20,000. So this will make it even more exciting for the teams participating,” said Mrs. Tom. She reiterated stating, “This sponsorship also means that we are now a part of the family of sponsors for Cricket PNG and we are excited about partnering in the Cricket Development Program for school aged children nationwide.” “Our values at Trukai are community, family, healthy living and healthy eating and so this partnership is a great marriage of our brands,” said Mrs. Tom. Cricket PNG’s General Manager Tony Naidu acknowledged the partnership and explained the shared sentiments that both entities value. “Cricket PNG is about sports and wellbeing and Trukai is about nutrition and health and wellbeing; and with our shared beliefs we want to bring out the message that cricket is the sport for everyone,” said Naidu. Both Trukai Industries and Cricket PNG are already in talks discussing how this partnership can impact the lives of people around the country through Cricket PNG’s development programs. This year there will be two Village Premiere Leagues Tournaments played at the Amini Park in May and November. There are six teams that have registered for the May tournament that will be held on Sunday May 8th and 15th, they include Panamex PNG, Zara Wanderers, Spirit of Rigo, Koita Warriors, Northern Alexandrias and Fairprice Furniture. This Friday April 8th these teams will participate in a Player Draft to select 13 players for their squad at the Hilton Hotel. The first ever of its kind in PNG. “The VPL is a competition based on skill that is why we will host an auction with each team bidding on their players,” said Naidu. As naming rights sponsors of the VPL, Trukai will support the tournament through the monetary value of the prizes and support the development programs of Cricket PNG with sponsorship in kind. Apart from this sponsorship Trukai Industries is also well known to support sporting codes such as weightlifting, rugby league and its flagship sponsorship of Team PNG through the Trukai Fun Run.

The Lae and Goroka based distance runners along with NSI based sprinter Pais Wisil were in Port Moresby last weekend for PNG Air Sponsored trials to gauge their progress towards the Pacific Mini Games in June. The highlights were another high quality mens 1500m race with Aquila Turalom just getting the better of George Yamak to win in 4min 06.7 secs and a great effort from Wilford Baia in the steeplechase with a time of 9min 56.3 secs. Turalom finished second in 10mins 08 and the weekend also saw another solid 5000m performance from Dilu Goiye. In the girls races Ongan Awa and Scholastica Herman have maintained the good form they showed at the National Championships in Kimbe last December and look set to improve their times as they move into the next phase of training. Officials were pleased to see three girls finishing closely together in the 2000m race with Aina Goir pushing Awa all the way to the line. With Mary Tenge also coming back to form over in Rabaul, the womens distance squad for the Games is taking shape. Mens and Womens Discus National Record Holders DeBono Paraka and Sharon Toako also took the opportunity to gauge their own progress at this stage in their respective preparations. In the mens sprints Terrence Talio impressed in the 200m to win the race in 22.1 from Pais Wisil and then put in a strong finish to overhaul Wisil right on the line in the 300m with an excellent time of 35.4 secs. The athletes are now looking forward to next weeks training camp at the National Sports Institute. Big thanks to PNG Air for sponsoring the athletes’s flights into the Capital.

The National Government has granted a Special Purpose Lease to Newcrest’s wholly owned subsidiary Lihir Gold Limited (LGL), which now allows the company to develop the Londolovit Township on Lihir Island further. Minister for Department of Lands and Physical Planning, Mr John Rosso, handed over the Special Purpose Lease (SPL) for Portion 1021 in Lihir, Namatanai, to LGL in Port Moresby last week. “On behalf of the Department, I thank Newcrest Lihir and key Lihir stakeholders for seeking our assistance with the consolidation and grant of the SPL for Portion 1021,” said Mr Rosso. “Newcrest Lihir is the first mining project in the country to have considered planning and developing a town with post-mine closure in mind; I commend Newcrest for taking this approach,” added Mr Rosso. The consolidation and granting of the SPL are the first phase of a project that would ultimately create a sustainable future for the people of Lihir post-mine closure. Newcrest Lihir embarked on this project following consultations with key stakeholders on Lihir. The process involved the conversion of two Agricultural Leases for Portions 422 and 717, held by LGL, to the consolidated SPL. The first subdivision of the SPL will see the development and grant of approximately 100 state leases to the Kapit families affected by mining activities. The second subdivision will further develop Londolovit township to boost economic growth. “I am delighted that Newcrest is committed to utilising the state lease to achieve these outcomes. DLPP committed to delivering the consolidated title to you (Newcrest), and we are proud to have delivered on our commitment. We will continue to support you at every stage of the project,” Mr Rosso said. Additionally, Mr Rosso encouraged his technical teams within DLPP to develop a long-term partnership that would benefit all stakeholders in the project. He also urged Lihirian people to support the project. “Lihirian communities, take ownership of this project and support it because this township (Londolovit) is important for the generations of Lihirians yet to come,” he said. In partnership with the Nimamar Local Level Government (NLLG), DLPP and other key stakeholders, Newcrest Lihir is preparing to continue with other project phases, which include town planning and surveying. Newcrest Lihir General Manager, Mr Johan Labuschagne, received the SPL on behalf of the company and thanked the DLPP Minister, his team, and key stakeholders for collaborating on this project. “We are delighted as a company and the first mining project to achieve this outcome as it sets the trend for future projects. Owning this Special Purpose Lease is a unique situation in PNG. We are fully committed to creating a sustainable and positive legacy through this lease,” said Mr Labuschagne. “We are proud of this achievement and look forward to collaborating with all stakeholders to ensure Londolovit Township becomes a prosperous town, supporting our mining operation now and post-life of mine,” he added.

A 28-year-old female suspect was arrested and charged for allegedly stealing K29,890.00 by fraud, says Southern Highlands Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Chief Inspector Daniel Yangen. Mr Yangen said the suspect was arrested and charged with one count of stealing under Section 406 (a) of the PNG Criminal Code (PNGCC), Chapter 262 and placed in the Mendi Police cell. She was later released on K500 bail. Mr Yangen said the 28-year-old suspect is from Wombu village in Poroma, Nipa Kutubu District of the Southern Highlands Province. Police allege that between the 16th of October 2017 to the 12th of January 2022 the suspect gave her BSP Kundu Card to a finance company operating in Mendi, Southern Highlands and obtained a loan of K29,890. Police alleged the suspect also obtained loans from two other finance companies and this affected her loan repayments. The finance company lodged a formal police complaint at the Provincial Fraud Unit. The police investigated and arrested the suspect.

Preparations for the 2022 National General Elections in the West Sepik Province are progressing well and on track, says West Sepik Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Chief Inspector Joe Poema. Mr Poema said the Provincial Election Steering Committee (PESC) was established and has been identifying hotspot areas, gathering information and intelligent reports. He said they were conducting election briefings weekly to ensure policemen and women are taking ownership of the security aspect of the election before going into the election and the polling periods. “I am taking a bottom-up approach involving Police Station Commanders (PSCs), Officer in Charge (OICs), Section Heads, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), and other partners in the security planning briefings to ensure they provide us with weekly situation reports,” Mr Poema said. Mr Poema said the members of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) in the province were deployed to the Edwaki area in the Telefomin District to access and collect intelligent reports on the killings of a policeman and two locals last year due to confrontations between Police Mobile Squad members and villagers. He said the area was left volatile and seen as a hotspot so the CID officers were deployed there to collect intelligent reports. He said these assessment reports would assist them in the deployment of the security personnel during the polling periods. Mr Poema said policemen were on standby to travel to Telefomin station this week under the sponsorship of Telefomin District Development Authority (DDA) to conduct awareness and gather intelligent assessment reports. They will remain there till the end of this month. He said if there is air transport support then they will go to Oksapmin, Yapsie and the Numea Local Level Government areas as well to conduct awareness campaigns and risk assessments.

Local NGO and program delivery partner to National Department of Health, Hope Worldwide PNG donated 500 reading books for the children in the Surgical and Oncology Pediatric wards at the Port Moresby General Hospital this week. PMGH Pediatric Surgeon Dr. Beena Dagam thanked Hope Worldwide PNG for their kind donation saying, “We have a little library section downstairs for the kids and now it would be nice to add these books to our small collection on the shelves so that children can learn and be entertained, while receiving medical treatment here”. Hope Worldwide PNG Country Director Priscilla Sine Mal presented the books and said, “This is yet another donation from HOPE worldwide PNG to PMGH through Friends of POMGEN. Many children who are admitted here do not have anything to pass the time or for learning so with this donation, we hope it will put a smile on the children’s faces”. PMGH Pediatric Oncologist Dr. Gwenda Anga also present to receive on behalf of the Children’s Cancer Ward thanked Hope Worldwide PNG, Dr. Dagam and Friends of POMGEN for facilitating this donation. “Some children spend a long time in the hospital, so these books provide support beyond their medical needs”, said Doctor. Anga.

The non-resident Ambassador-designate of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, His Excellency Mr Merzak Belhimeur, recently visited The University of the South Pacific’s Laucala Campus to discuss ways for effective collaboration. Ambassador Belhimeur said he wanted to take partnership with USP and its member countries to an entirely new level and is ready to facilitate efforts to formalise this endeavour. He added that Algeria is interested in widening its collaboration within the Pacific region in higher education and research. Algeria has 15 universities ranked in the overall Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Ambassador Belhimeur also mentioned the South-South and Triangular Cooperation and Algeria’s commitment to making a positive impact. USP’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Regional Campuses and Global Engagement) Dr Giulio Masasso Tu’ikolongahau Pāunga, welcomed Ambassador Belhimeur on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Pal Ahluwalia and relayed his good wishes. Dr Pāunga briefed the Ambassador on the University’s Strategic Plan 2022-2024 and the University’s commitment to improving student experience, research collaboration and student exchange. He added that the University welcomes collaboration with the Algerian government and hopes to see the partnership leading to the culmination of initiatives to strengthen USP’s ability to provide quality education in the region. “USP, as the premier institution of higher learning for the Pacific, is very much interested in Algeria’s research experience that our students can learn from and share to benefit the region,” he said. The two parties have agreed to find ways to strengthen collaboration in the areas of students exchange, scholarships and projects.

The Motor Vehicles Insurance Limited (MVIL) continues to support its employees in gaining new skills and knowledge to serve customers better. Trainings are part of the Company’s ongoing commitment in improving customer service. Seven MVIL officers received certificates from the International Training Institute (ITI) after completing customer and telephone skills training recently. “One of the important things we learnt is our role in educating customers. Hence, we are ready to educate customers about the Company and the products and services we offer,” certificate recipient and MVIL Administration Officer Dulcie John said. “The information we provide allows customers to easily access the services they opt to acquire. The same applies to our staff internally. This allows business to be done on time without disappointments or delays considering the specific processes to follow and requirements to meet.” Ms John said the training involved self-assessment and evaluation which has helped her see what needs to be improved to better serve others, externally and internally. xShe encouraged all frontline officers to attend such training to motivate them as it did to her and her colleagues.

Police in the Milne Bay Province are ready for the issue of the 2022 National General Election set to be issued within a few weeks-time, says the Provincial Police Commander Superintendent Peter Barkie. Commander Barkie confirmed that the election momentum in the provincial capital of Alotau has pick-up with increasing movement of people and intending candidates into the province and within the town area. “We have already commenced the pre-election awareness in partnership with other key stakeholders in the province. A combined team of officials from the PNG Electoral Commission, Police and the Provincial Disaster Office have been visiting schools and hot-spots areas in the province educating people of the election offences and the ‘do’s and don’ts’,” Mr Barkie said. The PPC said Milne Bay is a challenging province to police given its geography and scattered atolls islands. “We are also pleading with the people for their willingness and cooperation for a successful and peaceful outcome for the 2022 elections,” Mr Barkie concluded.