PNG Haus Bung

Indonesian authorities say they have found the location where they believe a Boeing 737 passenger plane crashed into the sea shortly after take-off from the country's capital Jakarta on Saturday. The Sriwijaya Air jet was carrying 62 people when it disappeared from radar four minutes into its journey to Pontianak in West Kalimantan province. On Sunday, signals thought to be from the jet's flight recorder were traced. More than 10 ships have now been deployed to the site with navy divers. "We have detected signals in two points, this could be the black box," the chief of Indonesia's search and rescue agency, Bagus Puruhito, said. Investigators are also analysing items they believe to be wreckage from the aircraft, including a wheel and what they say could be part of the plane's fuselage. A spokesman for the Jakarta police, Yusri Yunus, said two bags had been received from the search and rescue agency. "The first bag contained passengers' properties, another bag contained body parts," he told reporters, adding: "We are still identifying these findings." Search and rescue efforts were suspended overnight but resumed early on Sunday. Four planes have also been deployed to help with the search. The missing aircraft is not a 737 Max, the Boeing model that was grounded from March 2019 until last December following two deadly crashes. Source: BBC News Debris believed to belong to the Sriwijaya Air flight that disappeared shortly after take-off from Jakarta

Late Sir Mekere Morauta was laid in a tomb as his final resting place on Friday 8th January 2021 at Independence Hill, next to the National Parliament, ending an eight-day State Funeral Program accorded to him by the PNG government. Sir Mek was farewelled in a ceremonial gun salute and Guard of Honour performed by the PNG Defense and witnessed by his family members, parliamentarians including Prime Minister James Marape and his Deputy Sam Basil, other dignitaries and members of the public before his casket was lowered. The body of late Sir Mekere flew in from Brisbane on 31st December 2020 and was greeted by State Officials and dignitaries at Jacksons International Airport VIP carpark as the family handed the casket over to the government and the State Funeral Organizing Committee to begin the 8 days State Funeral Program.   On Monday, 04th January 2021, the general public was given the opportunity to farewell their leader as the casket laid in State in the Grand Hall at Parliament House. “He was a great leader. Sir Mek goes down in history as a senior reformist in the country. We lost a great man that contributed so much to our country's growth. He deserves to be given that kind of respect and honour. He was a good role model for young men and women. May he be remembered in the way that he deserves,” said some members of the public. Many tributes came pouring in during the 8 day program and on the final day of his funeral program, from his close associates and friends, fellow politicians and other dignitaries including the Prime Minister James Marape. “Late Sir Mekere has given his life to providing services for the country, and he served with higher distinction right from the formative years of the country in the 1970s right up to this time.” "Fighting and removing corruption was again the reason he returned to politics in 2017." "He died doing what he loved; serving his country," said Prime Minister James Marape. Marape said PNG will forever be grateful for his towering icon of good leadership in our country’s short 45 years.” New Ireland governor Sir Julius Chan said: “I have lost a great friend and Papua New Guinea has lost a great son.” “Sir Mek is rare breed of a man, a man who put the good of others, the good of the people, above his own interests and comfort.” Opposition leader Belden Namah said he was a "great mentor, a role model and a father figure" in PNG Politics. State Funeral Organizing Committee Chairman and Moresby South MP Justine Tkatchenko thanked the government, his committee members and stakeholders involved in making the State Funeral a success while farewelling late Sir Mek as his casket was lowered into his final resting place.  

Natuharinah Lavett Holden, better known as Rhee in the PNG Music Industry is the winner who proved too triumphant to win the title of the Lamana ICE PNG IDOLS 2020 out of the four (4) other finalists. She walked away with a whooping K10, 000. Originally from Vanuatu and New Ireland Province, Harinah was declared the winner of the competition during the New Year’s Eve celebrations at the club. “My experience during the competition was very tough. There were a lot of good singers with raw talents that had me doubting myself that I might not make it to the end of the competition. Everyone in the competition were fierce and pretty good”, said Harinah She started singing when she was little but eventually came out at the age of 10. She did her first stage performance when she was only 16 years old back in high school. Her inspiration came from her Dad, David Andrews (Flash was what they usually called him) who was also a Melanesian music sensation during the 1990’s. The competition had to be deferred due to the Global Pandemic COVID-19 outbreak and at that time, Harinah was seven (7) months pregnant and thought about withdrawing from the competition. “When the competition resumed, I had to make a tough decision whether to continue in the finals or give up only because I was already seven (7) months into my pregnancy heading into eight (8). I eventually made up my mind to take part in the finals of the competition”, said Harinah. Auditioning for ICE PNG IDOLS was not only the competition Harinah tried out auditioning for. “I tried auditioning for other competitions like Vocal Fusion and Digicel Stars but I was never that successful until I auditioned for the PNG ICE IDOLS in 2020”, said Harinah. Harinah would like to set her mark in the PNG Music Industry as one that is very influential to many of her fans and listeners out there. “Most people would say they want to become famous for Wealth and Fortune and everything "bling bling" but I for one would like to achieve recognition, respect and value in the trend of music especially in Papua New Guinea, the creativity on how I could make my music grow here in PNG”, added Harinah. Not only she hopes to achieve her music hitting the charts but also be given the opportunity to venture out to places within and outside of Papua New Guinea to promote and to spread awareness in the music industry. “In the next five (5) years, I want my music career to be fully recognized in PNG and hopefully abroad. “As a female it is tough especially in the music industry which mostly is dominated by males and also it is tough for us females considering the amount of criticism and judgmental views and opinions we get from all angles”, said Harinah She added on saying that she believes that as an individual, achievement and success is dependent on yourself. "How you create happiness and strength for yourself to move forward and the courage to feel really good at the end of the day really depends on you. Because it is really you that makes it happen and no one else." “My advice to young girls out there who would like to pursue music in the country, you should never see yourself as less capable as how people may see you. If you are driven by passion then make it happen. Be yourself and love what you aspire to do. It's not just going to be about singing but mostly about what you want to relay to your listeners”, added Harinah She said “Respect others and never be competitive because everything you do is for the benefit of this nation at the end”, said Harinah. Other winners on that night were Judith White, who was the 1st Runner-Up and Emmanuel Ali who took the 2nd Runner-Up position respectively. Photo Credit: Lamana Hotel

Papua New Guinea reported two new cases of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the last 24 hours increasing the country’s total cases to 813. Both cases, a 48 year old female and 33 year old male were reported from Talasea in West New Britain province. Both cases were tested at Hoskins airport. They did not show symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of testing but swab samples returned positive. The country’s COVID-19 cases now stands at 813 with nine deaths. A total of 40,068 people have been tested for Coronavirus in PNG. Of the 813 people who contracted COVID-19 774 people have recovered whilst 30 active cases are in isolation. A total of 251 samples are pending at the laboratories. Sixteen provinces including the Autonomous Region Of Bougainville (AROB) have reported cases. The distribution of the cases is as follows: Provinces Cases NCD 362 Western Province 212 West New Britain 142 East New Britain 30 Eastern H/lands 13 New Ireland 15 Western H/lands 10 Central 10 Morobe 6 East Sepik 3 Enga 3 Milne Bay 2 West Sepik 2 Southern H/lands 1 AROB 1 Hela Province 1 TOTAL 813 Globally, the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 has reached 85,929,428 including 735,944 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. The death toll is 1,876,100; of which 13,968 were reported in the last 24 hours. The Controller of the National Pandemic Response Mr David Manning has called upon citizens to protect themselves from COVID-19 by following COVID-19 protocols of avoiding crowds or wearing face masks and washing hands regularly.

His Excellency, the President of Fiji, Jioji Konousi Konrote, has conveyed his condolences to the people of Papua New Guinea (PNG), and the family of the late Right Honourable Sir Mekere Morauta. President Konrote paid his respects on behalf of the Government and people of Fiji today at the PNG High Commission in Suva, Fiji. In signing the condolence book of the late Sir Mekere Morauta, President Konrote described the late Sir Mekere as a great man of integrity who not only served PNG, but the Pacific at large. “On behalf of the Government and people of Fiji, my sincere condolences to the government and people of Papua New Guinea, and to the family of the late Sir Mekere. He will be remembered for his contribution to our region." Upon receiving the President of Fiji, the High Commissioner of PNG to Fiji, Her Excellency Lucy Bogari presented a gift on behalf of the Government of PNG as a customary token of appreciation to the President, highlighting his presence was a gift to PNG and that the gift symbolizes the solidarity of the relationship between Fiji and Papua New Guinea. Sir Mekere Morauta, was the seventh Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 1999 to 2002 and until his demise, Sir Mekere was a serving member of parliament of PNG, representing the Port Moresby North West electorate. He was an accomplished man in his own right, having been the first economics graduate from the University of Papua New Guinea and rose to serve key departmental head positions in the public service, most notably, as the Secretary for Finance and later becoming the Governor of the Central Bank of Papua New Guinea. Sir Mekere, is remembered for major public sector reforms and restructuring. When he assumed the Prime Ministerial post in just two years after entering Parliament, the PNG economy and public institutions were in serious need for rescue and restoration. His leadership will be remembered as the Prime Minister who laid the foundation for economic recovery and growth. High Commissioner Bogari described the legacy of Sir Mekere as hallmarked in the wider Pacific region through his leadership in guiding the transitioning of the Pacific Plan into what has evolved into a visionary forecast - the Framework for Pacific Regionalism. “We remember the astute leadership of Sir Mekere that reset the sails of the Pacific journey ensuring the importance of political will to strengthen regional cooperation and inclusivity in the Pacific." "This has now, charted the way forward in securing our Blue Pacific Continent as peoples of the Pacific.” The PNG High Commission in Fiji had opened a condolence book for signing from Thursday, 24th December 2020 to Friday 08th January 2021 for dignitaries in Fiji inclusive of the resident Diplomatic Corps and Regional /International Organizations’ in Fiji.

A crowd has already built up at the Independence Hill in Port Moresby to receive the body of late Sir Mekere Morauta today. This is the final stage of his 8 day State Funeral where late Sir Mekere will be laid to rest beside Sir William Skate on Independence Hill.

Commander of NCD/CENTRAL Assistant Commissioner Anthony Wagambie Junior said a policeman involved in the Waigani Boulevard fatal crash this morning, was immediately arrested and detained by members of the Mobile Squad who were close by and responded to the scene of accident. Mr Wagambie said the policeman was believed to be under the influence of liquor and was driving a ten seater land cruiser allocated to Gordon Police Public Safety Unit, when he rammed into the PMV bus at intersection of the Waigani Boulevard. The Commander said the policeman will be suspended from official duties for criminal and disciplinary charges to be laid immediately immediately. It is now confirmed that one young lady who was on the 25 seater bus has passed away while five others are with serious injuries. OIC Four Mile Traffic, Senior Inspector Joseph Salle who was at the scene of accident to ensure that attendance to the scene and compilation of information is done adequately, stated that preliminary findings are that the Policeman was under the influence of alcohol, speeding and rammed into the PMV bus after the bus had already crossed the interception. This intersection along the Waigani Boulavard, has caused many accidents as the Traffic lights are not working. It is important that drivers slow down, and observe before crossing. Inspector Joseph Salle also confirmed that a previous Police Accident where a CID vehicle was overturned by a drunk policeman has been dealt with. The Policeman has been arrested and charged for various offences and is now before the Court. ACP Wagambie assures the public that this will not go without being punished. ACP Wagambie has directed that the Policeman be kept in Police cell, until he is arrested and charged with suspension served on him. "We have been picking up in performance in the last 12 months, with increased Police response to incidents and trying to bridge the gap between community and Police." "However there are a few who continue to be ill disciplined." "These few like this one will not be given any leniency." "He will be dealt with harshly to ensure that others like him know that they won't get away with it." "Simple, straight forward discipline if followed will ensure nothing goes wrong." "I will make sure that the Discipline process is swift with no delays." A Commissioned Officer who had crashed a vehicle belonging to Waigani Police last year has been terminated from the Constabulary after criminal and discipline process. It is now confirmed that casualties from the accident are : One young female deceased, three adult females critically injured and two children aged about 5 years old and a nine month old baby also in critical condition. Senior Inspector Salle OIC Traffic NCD with accident vehicle on Police Tow Truck . Traffic Police getting details of witnesses

Farewell to a great leader in the brief history of PNG; Many who were familiar with his work and history in politics, described the late Sir Mekere Morauta as a reformist whose intelligence in the work he did will be missed. We spoke to some very close supporters and followers who admired Sir Mek’s leadership and contribution during his active political career. Public Vox of tributes to late Sir Mekere

Minister for Police, Hon. William Gogl Onglo, has condemned the damage to a brand new Police Vehicle donated by the Australian Federal Police overturned on New Year’s Eve, (31st December 2020,) at the Bomana Police College in the National Capital District. The Police Minister said this is the second incident involving an AFP donated vehicle. Minister Onglo expressed frustration over the lack of ownership shown by the members of Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary in looking after assets belonging to the Police Force. He said for two brand new AFP donated vehicles to be damaged within a span of six months, is totally unacceptable. “I am furious that we have two brand new AFP donated vehicles damaged by members of the Constabulary.” “These are vital assets that the RPNGC needs to effectively carry out its duties in maintaining law and order in our country.” “The vehicles were presented to us by our Australian counterparts and to have them damaged due to the recklessness of a few police officers, only tarnishes our image and takes us a step back in the Government’s efforts to modernise the Constabulary. “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the actions of the Police officers who have damaged the two vehicles, and categorically state that their actions do not represent the values, ethics and discipline that the RPNGC believes in and abide by.” The Police Minister is urging the rank and file of the Constabulary to be responsible, and take ownership of assets, especially vehicles, that belong to the RPNGC. “We need to ‘STEP UP,” said the Minister. “We need to take full responsibility and ownership of every asset that we own or else we will continue to see more destruction to RPNGC properties and vehicles." "Not only will this negatively impact the work of the RPNGC, but the cost involved in repairing or replacing those assets. The opportunity cost to this is the investment in other urgent and vital requirements of the Constabulary.” Minister Onglo commended the decision of NCD Metropolitan Superintendent, Perou N’Dranou, to suspend the officer involved in the incident for 21 days. “I commend the NCD Metropolitan Superintendent for making the touch decision to suspend the police officer involved in the incident. If investigations prove that the officer was under the influence of alcohol, as empty beer bottles were found in the vehicle, the officer must be terminated from the Constabulary.” “I urge the senior police hierarchy including the Provincial Police Commanders, Divisional Commanders, Assistant Commissioners, and the Commissioner of Police, to take this hard-line approach to deter further damage to police vehicles and other assets.” The first accident involving an AFP donated vehicle occurred on August 9th, 2020. The Officer involved in that accident has been terminated.

The Police Minister Hon. William Gogl Onglo has expressed remorse after several passengers of a PMV were critically injured in NCD today (08th January 2021) following an accident involving a hire vehicle allegedly occupied by a Police officer. This was expressed today in a statement from the Police Minister’s Office. The statement said it is claimed the officer was under the influence of alcohol. Minister Onglo said the Acting NCD/Central Divisional Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police, are currently searching for the officer allegedly involved. He said the officer will face the full brunt of the law if they are found to have caused the accident. “I would like to make it clear that only a few rogue cops are tarnishing the good name and image of the Royal PNG Constabulary.”

Today at 09:16, St John received a 111 phone call for a MVC at Somare Circuit, Waigani. A 25-seater had collided with a 10-seater vehicle with multiple people injured. St John sent a total of six ambulances, two Specialist Paramedics and three Operational Commanders to the incident scene. St John treated and transported 11 injured patients to PMGH, at least 8 of these in serious or critical condition. Some of the injuries amongst patients included serious head injuries, pelvic fractures, spinal and limb fractures. At least one patient had an arterial tourniquet applied by ambulance officers at the scene to stop catastrophic bleeding from his injured arm. An infant was taken to PMGH prior to ambulance arrival and another patient refused transport or assessment. St John Ambulance further commended the security officer who immediately placed an unconscious person into the recovery position (rolling them on their side). This positioning most likely saved the person by keeping their airway open. To the police, security and public who kept the scene safe and stood back – ST John Ambulance extended thanks for giving our ambulance officers space to savim laif. Their message today to the community: “If your PMV has a seatbelt, wear it — it may save your life.” “If your PMV doesn’t have a seatbelt, if possible get on one that does.”

The State Funeral of late Sir Mekere Morauta is expected to begin at 10am this morning at the Sioni Kami Memorial Church in Port Moresby. The funeral will go for 2 hours and is open to members of the public who wish to pay your last respects. The Casket is now prepared to leave Funeral Home for the Sioni Kami Memorial Church. After the funeral concludes at midday, late Sir Mekere will be laid to rest on the Independence Hill. A separate program for the burial ceremony at the Independence Hill will be staged before the casket of late Sir Mekere is laid to rest in the tomb.