PNG Haus Bung

National Airports Corporation (NAC) advises that the Tokua Airport in East New Britain Province was re-opened on Sunday 06th December, 2020 at 1800 hours, allowing flights to resume into Tokua today. The Airport was closed all day on Sunday, December 6th  2020, following a security incident and breach, at the Airport. NAC Security Incident Brief from Tokua, reports that up to 20 criminals living within settlements around the Tokua Airport area, held-up and robbed students from the PNG University of Natural Resources and Environment between 4 and 5 am on Sunday morning at the Tokua Airport carpark. The students had arrived at the airport before the normal operating hours of the airport when the terminal doors were still closed. In the process of defending themselves, a fight broke out between the criminals and the students. During the fight, two men were assaulted, one died at the scene, and another was hospitalised and later died. The students in fear of their lives, broke down three terminal doors to seek refuge and also entered the airside onto the runway. No other damages were caused to the facilities. Three students received knife wounds, two with minor injuries and one in critical condition. NAC strongly condemns this attack on passengers and regrets the loss of lives during this incident. It is NAC’s mandate to ensure that all 22 national airports in PNG operate in a secure aerodrome environment that are compliant to the PNG Civil Aviation Regulations. Since Sunday, NAC had set up an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to closely monitor the situation at Tokua Airport. Whilst East New Britain police are providing full time security at the Tokua Airport, NAC is also putting measures in place to safeguard the security and safety of its staff and the travelling public at Tokua Airport. NAC would like to reassure the travelling public and airport stakeholders that it is working closely with the Civil Aviation Minister, East New Britain Provincial leaders, Airport Community leaders and the Police, to fully restore safety and security at the Airport.

Four senior executives from the Department of Personnel Management signed their contracts last week. Deputy Secretary Executive Resourcing Services Mr Vele Ravugamini has been confirmed to his position after being in the position in an Acting capacity since 2018. He signed his contract for 3 years. Director Corporate Affairs & Capacity Building Mr Michael Moke also signed his contract for 3 years. Two senior officers Mr Elison Kalimet and Ms Roselyn Rakuavia have been elevated as Acting Deputy Secretaries respectively whilst the two positions will be re-advertised. Mr Kalimet takes on the role of Acting Deputy Secretary Policy & Reforms while Ms Rakuavia is the Acting Deputy HR Advisory & Compliance. Both deputies will act in their respective positions for a duration of 3 months and their performance will be assessed accordingly. Department Secretary Taies Sansan says she looks forward to working with the deputies following the signing of their contracts and Key Result Areas. “Your contracts are performance based and now that you have signed them - please work towards achieving the Key Result Areas in your contracts.” Ms Sansan urged them to provide the leadership and guidance required in their respective wings to ensure there is a cascading effect of their respective KRA’s to all officers within their respective divisions and branches. “This year has been a challenging year with the covid-19 pandemic but as the country slowly finds ways to deal with the pandemic under the new normal – it is incumbent on you all as senior executives of this department to embrace the changes and work towards executing them. Importantly, let’s all work together to ensure we implement the major Public Sector reforms of the Department and the Government. That iscritical and it is important that we achieve this under the Departments Corporate Plan”.

“We started using the bridge in April this year when construction was completed and the bridge opened and in September, the bridge collapsed,” stated Mr Gwae, Headmaster of Bayune Lutheran High School, Bulolo, Morobe Province. Bayune Lutheran High School is one of three post-primary schools in the Bulolo district which caters for almost 700 students in the area, as well as the greater Morobe Province. A small river runs between the school and the main road and when there is rain and flooding, the river is impassable. “In 2018, the Morobe Provincial Government budgeted around K300, 000 for a foot bridge for the school.” A private contractor was contracted to build the footbridge and it was officially opened in April, 2020. However, after only 5 months in use, it now sits partly submerged in the river following flooding that damaged a section of the bridge. Being the only passage for students and teachers to safely cross over the river, the destruction of the footbridge has had its toll on the remainder of the 2020 academic year for Bayune Lutheran High School since. Teachers and students are currently using bamboos as a makeshift bridge to connect to the section of the footbridge that is still accessible. “Right now, part of the bridge is submerged under water. When it rains, we are completely cut off. We instruct the students not to take the risks. We suspend classes, we inform the authorities and we tell the students to go home.” So far, the member for Bulolo Sam Basil gave K40, 000 for the maintenance of the bridge and the money has been paid into the Bayune Primary School account. However, repair works on the bridge has not yet started to date. “We are planning on fixing the bridge during the Christmas holiday.” “It won’t be as good as the one that was constructed, but at least something students can use to cross over to the school.” Picture sourced: Austin Polin

Governor of Central Province Robert Agarobe on Friday presented over K3million of IDG funds to the people of the LNG impacted villages in the Hiri LLG area. Governor Agarobe made this presentation in a series of cheques handed over to ward members of the LNG impacted wards of the Hiri LLG, which also included a K1m check to the Hiri Special Purposes Authority, an authority set up within the affected area that is aimed at driving projects and programs within the local area. With the presentation of the Infrastructure Development Grants, Governor Agarobe reiterated to the ward members the importance of having a set plan in place which complements the provincial plan set out by the Central Provincial Government to drive its provincial economy. “The idea behind this is that in line with our plan to drive our provincial economy, we have targeted certain areas with our main pillars being agriculture, tourism and sports,” said Governor Agarobe. “In handing this money now directly to the ward members for the first time, we are empowering the ward members at the village level.” “When we tell them that we want them to have their ward development plans, they are now empowered with the funds.” Governor Agarobe further encouraged the ward members to spend their allocated funds in line with their ward development plans and to carefully manage their undertakings. “Money that belongs to the people will go to the people.” “All we, as a government, are doing now is putting the structures in place and it is our job now to regulate them.” “We’re giving all the powers back to them to start doing things at their level but we expect them to fall in line with the provincial plans that we are pushing.”

Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, HE Jon Philp, presented electrical tools and joinery equipment to the Port Moresby Sheltered Workshop Thursday (3 December) – marking International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The High Commissioner was honoured to celebrate the day with members of the workshop, reflecting the importance of fair treatment and inclusive participation in all levels of society. Mr Philp was delighted to be able to celebrate the day with workshop members. He said, “Everyone should be afforded an opportunity to participate in and contribute to society and Australia is committed to helping persons with disabilities to achieve that goal.” The equipment presented through the Papua New Guinea-Australia Partnership - will enable the workshop to continue offering joinery services including training to persons with disabilities. Mr Trevor Sereva, Council Chairman of the workshop grateful for this support. He said, “This equipment will greatly assist us in delivering training and building new and better-quality products. We would like to thank the Australian Government for recognising our needs during these tough times.” The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is celebrated each year on 3 December to promote an understanding of persons with disabilities and to recognise persons with disabilities as equal participants and contributors to development.

With good roads, anything is possible. Connecting farmers to markets hasbeen a key focus for the Papua New Guinea-Australia Partnership roadmaintenance program, which is delivered through the PNG Department ofWorks. A newly awarded reseal project valued at PGK9.3m supported by the PNG-Australia Partnership will begin on 26 kilometres of the New BritainHighway from Kokopo to Bitagunan in January 2021. This will greatly improve access to markets, especially for cocoa farmers in the province. Communities in the Gazelle District are reporting an annual increase in cocoa production, bringing new and exciting opportunities to farmers in the area and drawing attention to the importance of road maintenance projects for market access across the country. Moveh Apelis has farmed cocoa in East New Britain for the last 45 years.Since 1979 he’s been formally engaged in the cocoa industry in a number ofgovernment-funded programs, NGOs and the private sector. He is now supporting 1,000 local cocoa growers as the Lead Farmer with theProductive Partnerships in Agriculture Project (PPAP). Moveh has seen a distinct increase in cocoa production in the last five years, due largely to support for farmers from the World Bank’s PPAP. “At Kerevat alone, in 2016, Agmark recorded 6000 bags of cocoa. In 2017, itjumped to 9,000 bags and from 2018 it jumped up to 20,000 bags,” Movehsaid, reciting the numbers enthusiastically. He predicts that in 2019 and 2020, the cocoa production in Kerevat hasjumped from 20,000 bags to 30,000 or 40,000 bags, translating to 2,500tonnes. With increasing production, improving access to market is essential.“If farmers are travelling on good roads, it should reduce the cost oftransportation and support us to get a cleaner product to the market,” saysMoveh. “But the high cost of transporting cocoa to market eats into income forfarmers in Gazelle District.” There’s a clear sense of preparing for the future in the district and Moveh’soutlook is positive and ambitious. “In the near future, maybe five or six years’ time, my prediction is we willhave a chocolate factory built in East New Britain, and we will have our own product here; chocolate or peanut chocolate or whatever can be made out of chocolate.” When roads are in good condition, vehicles need fewer repairs and cartagecosts are reduced. Cocoa seedlings in the nursery, Gazelle District.

“The last time I saw my brother was in 1990, when he went to drop off my sister and her son at Makaki point in Kieta town. Before leaving, he asked for chicken for dinner and we ate all together that night. The next morning, he left without saying goodbye. Since then, we have not seen or heard from him. My heart breaks every time I recall that moment, not knowing that would be the last time I would see him.” These are the painful sentiments of Isabella Buruau, as she reflects on the last memory of her brother, Pascol Buruau, who was 23 years old when he went missing during the Bougainville Crisis in September 1990, two years after the crisis onset. According to his family, Pascol used to help to bring food for people taking shelter at the care center during the ceasefire.   “Pascol was born after me in Bougainville. He was always smiling and a very obedient child to our parents. Every time he returned home for holidays from university in Port Moresby, he would bring toys for his nephews to make them happy. The family is now left with these memories and a slight hope that may be one day Pascol might come back to them alive”. Cecilia is sharing the same pain with her sister Isabelle: “Ever since he disappeared, we suffer from not knowing what happened to my brother and if he will ever return home”, Cecilia added. Since 1988, hundreds of families in Bougainville are still yearning to know the fate of their missing loved ones, said Dominik Urban, Head of Mission in Papua New Guinea. Every year, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) supports and accompanies families in Bougainville to organize traditional ceremonies to remember their loved ones as a coping mechanism to the deal with uncertainty. On 1st November 2020, families of those who went missing in Topinang, Pavaire and Amiong communities in Kieta, Central Bougainville gathered in to commemorate their relatives who are still unaccounted for today, more than twenty years after the end of the crisis. On this occasion, families brought a tree that they believe the missing family member liked, accompanied with a portray photo, and had it blessed by the community priest before taking it home to plant in memory of their loved ones. The ceremony is a platform for families of the missing persons to come out and celebrate the life of their loved ones and look at a new way forward without them. “It happened many years ago, but the memories are still fresh,” said Joycelyn Mimira, a family member of another missing person from the Amiong community. “The life of the missing person has a meaning. These are people that have been with us before and remain with us in spirit. We should never forget them”. Families of missing persons undergo the same traumatic experience as all others affected by the  conflict, and face additional psychological, social and economic challenges associated with the disappearance of the family member. “The tragedy of the missing people remains a humanitarian concern and it is important that authorities ensure that their fate is clarified and that families receive their long overdue answers. The ICRC reiterates its commitment to support the national and Bougainville authorities in this effort, said Dominik Urban. The ICRC has been working to protect and assist people affected by violence and tribal fighting in Papua New Guinea since 2012.   

Buk bilong Pikinini (BbP) has this week graduated over a thousand five-year-old students, who are now well-prepared and ready to take the next steps in their education. BbP’s program has shown year after year, that children who have attended the organisations’ Early Childhood Development program are well ahead of their peers and academically outperform those who have not had the opportunity to attend an early childhood learning program. As part of BbP’s in-house developed curriculum, the children have been taught phonics, segmenting and blending and many are now able to read. They have been taught discipline and classroom behavior and are ready to focus on learning. They have also enjoyed BbP’s Numeracy and Early STEM program and understand basic concepts of maths and problem solving. The have also received Financial Literacy lessons thanks to the organisations’ partnership with BSP. The children have gained an appreciation of their culture and have this year studied the history of communication – from conch shells to mobile phones -during Literacy week. They also understand the importance of looking after the environment, have learnt about child rights, road safety and transport. (Some were even lucky to visit a PNG Air aircraft.) Thanks to the support of CPL and St John’s Ambulance the children have also learnt vital health and hygiene lessons. BbP’s Teacher-Librarians receive on-going training throughout the year including on special needs and sign language as the program is inclusive. This December all BbP’s Teacher-Librarians will also attend the organisations first Digital Training program to prepare the teachers for the introduction of the children’s Digital Learning program, which will be rolled out to all Library Learning Centres in 2021. The comprehensive training program has been made possible thanks to Deloitte & Deloitte Digital, ExxonMobil PNG and the PNGAusPartnership. BbP has also developed six new readers - featuring local children – entitled: “When I grow up I want to be …”. Six different professions are covered and the readers are designed both complement the organisations’ reading curriculum and to inspire the children to imagine their future. The readers have been developed as an extensions of Literacy Week advocacy videos created in partnership with Rober Weber. (See links below.) The BbP program is aligned with the National Department of Education’s early childhood structure 3:6:6. While we wait for this to be implemented, BbP is doing its part as a member the ECD Alliance and has been delivering a comprehensive ECD program for more than 10 years now. BbP has developed a solid curriculum for PNG’s children and provides teacher training to both BbP teachers and school teachers and educators across the country in this highly efficient program. In rural and remote communities, BbP’s program is particularly suited as a bridge from Tok Ples to English. BbP is able to deliver its comprehensive Early Childhood Development program thanks to the generous support it receives from all its donors and partners in both PNG and Australia. (See banner below). Leanne Resson, BbP Executive Officer said: “Despite this difficult year for everyone, it wonderful to see more than 1000 children graduating from our programs equipped with the skills to successfully transition to the next stages of their learning.” Anne-Sophie Hermann, BbP Founder and Chair said: “There no time to waste, it is essential for the increase in literacy rates to start teaching the children to read at the foundational level. We are grateful for the tremendous and generous support we receive from our sponsors and partners in both PNG and Australia. We are looking forward to an exciting year in 2021 and to be introducing digital learning to the children.”

US President-elect Joe Biden has said he will ask Americans to wear masks for his first 100 days in office to curtail the spread of coronavirus. He told CNN he believed there would be a "significant reduction" in Covid-19 cases if every American wore a face covering. Mr Biden also said he would order masks to be worn in all US government buildings. The US has recorded 14 million cases and 275,000 deaths from Covid-19. Mr Biden said: "The first day I'm inaugurated to say I'm going to ask the public for 100 days to mask. Just 100 days to mask, not forever. One hundred days. "And I think we'll see a significant reduction if we occur that, if that occurs with vaccinations and masking to drive down the numbers considerably."  Constitutional experts say a US president has no legal authority to order Americans to wear masks, but Mr Biden said during the interview he and his Vice-President Kamala Harris would set an example by donning face coverings. The president's executive authority does cover US government property, and Mr Biden said he intended to exercise such power.

Valentine Holmes is poised to remain at fullback under new Cowboys coach Todd Payten, who has kick-started a major overhaul of the team's structures and standards. Payten has assumed the reins after a season in which North Queensland finished 14th with a 5-15 record. They parted ways with long-time coach Paul Green in July and Josh Hannay saw out the campaign in an interim capacity. The Cowboys haven't made the finals since 2017 - when Payten was on Green's staff as an assistant - and the new mentor acknowledged he must reinstate high benchmarks and change the side's style. And Holmes, who returned to the NRL in 2020 after a one-year sojourn with the NFL's New York Jets, looks likely to wear the No.1 jersey despite some calls for him to play on the wing. "Val will be spending the pre-season at fullback. It was a big ask for him last year to come back from the NFL, the physical demands with limited preparation," Payten told NRL.com. Source: NRL.com

Two Fijians who arrived from New Zealand last month are the latest confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Fiji, and both in border quarantine. The Health Ministry said the pair - aged 75 and 57 and whom live in Auckland - arrived at Nadi Airport on a repatriation flight from Auckland on 19 November. It was likely they contracted the virus on the flight from NZ as "they were both seated near a person who tested positive in border quarantine", the ministry said. "They had both tested negative in Auckland, 72 hours before boarding the flight to Nadi, then tested negative again during day two testing in our border quarantine," the ministry said in a statement. "Their positive test results have come on day 12 of border quarantine." The ministry said the new cases have been under strict border quarantine conditions since they arrived in Fiji. "They are both in stable condition and have been transferred to the isolation unit at Lautoka hospital in accordance with our standard protocol for transfer and isolation of confirmed cases. "During this festive time, the Ministry of Health expects to continue to get more Border Quarantine cases. "Furthermore we have the cyclone season." The ministry said it was working with the military to mitigate any risk at the border. It called on the public to continue to observe the ministry's Covid-safe measures of hand washing, cough etiquette and physical distancing. Fiji now has nine active cases of Covid-19. Source: Radio NZ

The people of Bougainville will go to the polls soon to elect a new member to represent them in the Papua New Guinea (PNG) National Parliament, after the Governor General, His Excellency Grand Chief Sir Bob Dadae, issued the writs for the by-election yesterday in Port Moresby.  The Bougainville Regional seat was left vacant after the then sitting member, Joe Lera, resigned to contest in the Bougainville Presidential Election this year.  PNG Electoral Commission (PNGEC) Acting Commissioner, Mr. Simon Sinai said they are ready to go ahead with the by election after they were finally granted the initially K8million from the K15million funding for the by election.  GG Sir Bob Dadae signing the writ “We have put in place all our administrative arrangement, especially the people who will be leading to run election, the Returning Officer and Assistant Returning Officer, and Assistant Returning Officers representing the regions or the electorates in Bougainville,” said the Commissioner.  “The Provincial Returning Officer will be based in Buka. There will be Assistant Returning Officer located in South Bougainville in Buin, Central Bougainville in Arawa and another Assistant Returning Officer in North Bougainville in Buka.”  “We are ready, Electoral Commission is ready. As I speak, my deputy and my directors are on their way to Buka to touch base with the Buka election steering committee and discuss on the same issue, so they are also given notice to prepare to support the electoral commission to run elections in whatever means and possible areas they can assist.”    Meanwhile, nominations for intending candidates will open at 4pm Thursday 03rd December 2020 and closes on the 10th of December 2020. Polling is expected start on the 16th of January 2021 and ending on the 29th of January 2021.