PNGBLOGS

SAM BASIL MP I call for Joseph Lelang (now sacked) to come out now without fear or favor and expose all he can to clear his name. Usually members of parliament give directives and when the going gets tough they hide and let the departmental secretaries to cope with the blame game so I am appealing to the sacked secretary to come out now and spill the beans. Tell us who and where the monies in various trust accounts disappeared to? Which companies? Which MPs used undue influence or threatened him to break financial laws to dish out or redirect funds? Why is Hon. Paul Tienstein so quite since this issue surfaced? I am ready to march the street with the people to demand the arrest and charging of members of parliament when Joe Lelang expose the rot and he must do so now!! Ministers have been buying houses and shifting their families overseas in an unprecedented manner never like never before from those stolen funds so Lelang owes it to the people of Papua New Guinea and he mus

SAM BASIL MP I call for Joseph Lelang (now sacked) to come out now without fear or favor and expose all he can to clear his name. Usually members of parliament give directives and when the going gets tough they hide and let the departmental secretaries to cope with the blame game so I am appealing to the sacked secretary to come out now and spill the beans. Tell us who and where the monies in various trust accounts disappeared to? Which companies? Which MPs used undue influence or threatened him to break financial laws to dish out or redirect funds? Why is Hon. Paul Tienstein so quite since this issue surfaced? I am ready to march the street with the people to demand the arrest and charging of members of parliament when Joe Lelang expose the rot and he must do so now!! Ministers have been buying houses and shifting their families overseas in an unprecedented manner never like never before from those stolen funds so Lelang owes it to the people of Papua New Guinea an

SAM BASIL MP I call on the Prime Minister to sack the Minister for Environment & Conservation Hon.Benny Allen and his departmental head Wari Iamo for failing to serve the people of Papua New Guinea especially the victims of environmental destruction. The recent Deloitte report has branded the DEC department as untrusted and with that alone we can assume that corruption exists from ministerial level down to the department. The genuineness of approving new environmental plans and issuance of environmental permits can no longer be trusted by ordinary Papua New Guineans because all environmental plans have failed leaving the exposed communities to fend for themselves even taking their very own government to court. The recent visit and statements made by the minister and his secretary after visiting Hidden Valley has proven to us all that their position has been compromised so if they can be branded as untrustworthy and irresponsible by a reputable accounting firm then it is to the best

SAM BASIL MP I call on the Prime Minister to sack the Minister for Environment & Conservation Hon.Benny Allen and his departmental head Wari Iamo for failing to serve the people of Papua New Guinea especially the victims of environmental destruction. The recent Deloitte report has branded the DEC department as untrusted and with that alone we can assume that corruption exists from ministerial level down to the department. The genuineness of approving new environmental plans and issuance of environmental permits can no longer be trusted by ordinary Papua New Guineans because all environmental plans have failed leaving the exposed communities to fend for themselves even taking their very own government to court. The recent visit and statements made by the minister and his secretary after visiting Hidden Valley has proven to us all that their position has been compromised so if they can be branded as untrustworthy and irresponsible by a reputable accounting firm then it is to the

Ash Pemberton West Papuan refugees in Papua New Guinea have been terrorised and arrested by police, West Papua Media Alerts said on January 28. They were allegedly arrested on behalf of the Indonesian military and local logging interests. Police and soldiers rounded up 79 refugees living in camps around Vanimo, on PNG’s north coast near the border with West Papua, in the early hours of January 23. The soldiers burned down at least 30 refugee houses, destroyed crops and food, and assaulted people, WPMA said. Other refugees have reportedly fled to the jungle. Acting deputy police commissioner Fred Yakasa said anyone found not to be a PNG citizen would be considered an activist with the Free Papua Movement (OPM) and sent to the refugee camp at East Awin, Radio New Zealand International said on January 26. About 12,000 West Papuan refugees live in PNG, WPMA said. They escaped from Indonesia’s repressive rule. The OPM has struggled against Indonesian occupation for decades. Its armed wing,

Ash Pemberton West Papuan refugees in Papua New Guinea have been terrorised and arrested by police, West Papua Media Alerts said on January 28. They were allegedly arrested on behalf of the Indonesian military and local logging interests. Police and soldiers rounded up 79 refugees living in camps around Vanimo, on PNG’s north coast near the border with West Papua, in the early hours of January 23. The soldiers burned down at least 30 refugee houses, destroyed crops and food, and assaulted people, WPMA said. Other refugees have reportedly fled to the jungle. Acting deputy police commissioner Fred Yakasa said anyone found not to be a PNG citizen would be considered an activist with the Free Papua Movement (OPM) and sent to the refugee camp at East Awin, Radio New Zealand International said on January 26. About 12,000 West Papuan refugees live in PNG, WPMA said. They escaped from Indonesia’s repressive rule. The OPM has struggled against Indonesian occupation for decades. Its armed

IN AUDIT The latest in the audit reports of business consultancy and accounting firm Deloitte on the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) disclosed several lapses in how it has managed the coffers of its Biodiversity Trust Fund and poor compliance with the rules. The audit report, which is the second in a series of four reports, revealed that 73 percent of the amount spent from the trust fund in 2008 has gone to unofficial transactions gone to unofficial transactions. Biodiversity Trust Fund draws its resources from the United Nations and private sector contributors to World Environment Day. The first audit of Deloitte conducted in 2008 has shown that the financial management procedures of the DEC did not comply with the requirements of the Public Finance Management Act or the Financial Management Manual. Deloitte added that its procedures within the trust fund failed to provide useful information to the expenditure management as cross-checked with the total budget

IN AUDIT The latest in the audit reports of business consultancy and accounting firm Deloitte on the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) disclosed several lapses in how it has managed the coffers of its Biodiversity Trust Fund and poor compliance with the rules. The audit report, which is the second in a series of four reports, revealed that 73 percent of the amount spent from the trust fund in 2008 has gone to unofficial transactions gone to unofficial transactions. Biodiversity Trust Fund draws its resources from the United Nations and private sector contributors to World Environment Day. The first audit of Deloitte conducted in 2008 has shown that the financial management procedures of the DEC did not comply with the requirements of the Public Finance Management Act or the Financial Management Manual. Deloitte added that its procedures within the trust fund failed to provide useful information to the expenditure management as cross-checked with the total bud

Sydney Morning Herald A former chief of staff to the Papua New Guinea prime minister has been charged with murdering a PNG rugby league legend. Dr Theo Yasause, part of the highly connected East Sepik political elite, has been charged with the wilful murder of Aquila Emil, Port Moresby Metropolitan Police Commander Joseph Tondop told AAP on Tuesday. Emil, 44, who played for PNG's national rugby league side the Kumuls, was shot dead in his car near the Lamana night club in Port Moresby early on Friday. Mr Tondop said Yasause was arrested after he went to the police on Monday afternoon. "Dr Theo was arrested then charged with one count of wilful murder. "He is expected to be in court today (Tuesday) to apply for bail and make a plea," he said. Mr Tondop said Yasause spent the night in custody in a Port Moresby police cell. Emil was shot with a pistol at close range about 3am local time on Friday following an argument outside the club where both Emil

Sydney Morning Herald A former chief of staff to the Papua New Guinea prime minister has been charged with murdering a PNG rugby league legend. Dr Theo Yasause, part of the highly connected East Sepik political elite, has been charged with the wilful murder of Aquila Emil, Port Moresby Metropolitan Police Commander Joseph Tondop told AAP on Tuesday. Emil, 44, who played for PNG's national rugby league side the Kumuls, was shot dead in his car near the Lamana night club in Port Moresby early on Friday. Mr Tondop said Yasause was arrested after he went to the police on Monday afternoon. "Dr Theo was arrested then charged with one count of wilful murder. "He is expected to be in court today (Tuesday) to apply for bail and make a plea," he said. Mr Tondop said Yasause spent the night in custody in a Port Moresby police cell. Emil was shot with a pistol at close range about 3am local time on Friday following an argument outside the club where both

OP/ED A former kumul and respected member of the Port Moresby community is now death. Police are investigating the killing but according to reports, the man was shot death at point blank range in front of a popular Port Moresby night club in the early hours of the morning. News of the shooting spread throughout the city the next day but that night, all over Port Moresby, the night clubs were packed to capacity, as alcohol infused brains danced and continued to drink the night away, without any thought about their safety. There are many nightclubs that operate in the city of Port Moresby. Many of these clubs operate right through the night and alcohol is sold to the patrons – from the young to the old, who all have a good time. Nightclubs are not the only places where one gets to buy alcohol in Port Moresby. There are hotels and bottle shops in the city that sell the liquor. In settlements and some residential areas, there are shops that sell alcohol, even at very odd hours. Some even o

OP/ED A former kumul and respected member of the Port Moresby community is now death. Police are investigating the killing but according to reports, the man was shot death at point blank range in front of a popular Port Moresby night club in the early hours of the morning. News of the shooting spread throughout the city the next day but that night, all over Port Moresby, the night clubs were packed to capacity, as alcohol infused brains danced and continued to drink the night away, without any thought about their safety. There are many nightclubs that operate in the city of Port Moresby. Many of these clubs operate right through the night and alcohol is sold to the patrons – from the young to the old, who all have a good time. Nightclubs are not the only places where one gets to buy alcohol in Port Moresby. There are hotels and bottle shops in the city that sell the liquor. In settlements and some residential areas, there are shops that sell alcohol, even at very odd hours. Some eve

JOHN FOWKE The decision taken in 1964 to close down the established embryo political system comprised of the appointed District Advisory Councils interacting with the overarching and partly-democratic Legislative Council was wrong.  The system was fully capable of being transformed into a democratic one where full national adult franchise might have been introduced via the  Local Government Council system with its existing electoral system, registers, records and procedures for administration, all well-established and  well- understood. This linkage of institutions would logically have served the new nation very well when fully democratized and extended to include the then Local Government Councils as the grass-roots end of the whole. This was an established system, well-understood. And it worked. Although I have looked for  logic behind the rise of a Westminster-type party parliamentary system in PNG I have not found any evidence of guidance or planning or policy for its introduction

JOHN FOWKE The decision taken in 1964 to close down the established embryo political system comprised of the appointed District Advisory Councils interacting with the overarching and partly-democratic Legislative Council was wrong.  The system was fully capable of being transformed into a democratic one where full national adult franchise might have been introduced via the  Local Government Council system with its existing electoral system, registers, records and procedures for administration, all well-established and  well- understood. This linkage of institutions would logically have served the new nation very well when fully democratized and extended to include the then Local Government Councils as the grass-roots end of the whole. This was an established system, well-understood. And it worked. Although I have looked for  logic behind the rise of a Westminster-type party parliamentary system in PNG I have not found any evidence of guidance or planning or policy for its introduc

JOHN FOWKE As at the last National Election in 2007 and as at present, only a year away from another crucial election, the status and composition and utility of PNG’s Local Level Government system - a hugely important factor within any intention or plan for decentralisation and improved rural services- is in question. And time is running out. I have written already recommending that PNG’s national electorates choose representatives on the basis of an enforceable agreement that each elected MP will serve the interests of his people for and through the established local level government/s present in the electorate.Not as the supposed supporter of one or other of the parties, which in the PNG setting are largely meaningless except as sources of wealth and influence for the MPs and the senior party officials. The parties will not welcome such a change, and will fight individuals who are successful in campaigning without help from a party, and fight the LLG-based representati

JOHN FOWKE As at the last National Election in 2007 and as at present, only a year away from another crucial election, the status and composition and utility of PNG’s Local Level Government system - a hugely important factor within any intention or plan for decentralisation and improved rural services- is in question. And time is running out. I have written already recommending that PNG’s national electorates choose representatives on the basis of an enforceable agreement that each elected MP will serve the interests of his people for and through the established local level government/s present in the electorate.Not as the supposed supporter of one or other of the parties, which in the PNG setting are largely meaningless except as sources of wealth and influence for the MPs and the senior party officials. The parties will not welcome such a change, and will fight individuals who are successful in campaigning without help from a party, and fight the LLG-based represe

PAC NEWS Moves by Papua New Guinea to propose drastic changes to the future management of the Pacific ACP’s trade negotiations with the European Union is still on the agenda of the trade ministers meeting but any immediate decision has been put on hold. This was revealed at a Melanesian Spearhead Group official’s caucus in Apia Wednesday night, in preparation for the two day ministerial session beginning Thursday. “PNG’s paper is still on the table but it will be up to the ministers if they want any substantiative discussions on its recommendations. Otherwise, the paper will be noted in the outcomes document, said a number of trade officials contacted by PACNEWS. Item 29 on the trade officials outcomes document obtained by PACNEWS said ‘the meeting agreed to PNG’s proposal on the future management of the EPA negotiations to be considered out of session in preparation for the ministers meeting.’ “It’s sad that PNG wanted more discussions out of session on the paper when it had sent out

PAC NEWS Moves by Papua New Guinea to propose drastic changes to the future management of the Pacific ACP’s trade negotiations with the European Union is still on the agenda of the trade ministers meeting but any immediate decision has been put on hold. This was revealed at a Melanesian Spearhead Group official’s caucus in Apia Wednesday night, in preparation for the two day ministerial session beginning Thursday. “PNG’s paper is still on the table but it will be up to the ministers if they want any substantiative discussions on its recommendations. Otherwise, the paper will be noted in the outcomes document, said a number of trade officials contacted by PACNEWS. Item 29 on the trade officials outcomes document obtained by PACNEWS said ‘the meeting agreed to PNG’s proposal on the future management of the EPA negotiations to be considered out of session in preparation for the ministers meeting.’ “It’s sad that PNG wanted more discussions out of session on the paper when it had sent o

The Australian Row has flared between Papua New Guinea's customs service and international shippers after a new $25 million oil tanker escaped seven months detention. The vessel had obtained, under the guns of former Bougainville combatants, $5.6m worth of fuel oil originally imported for the Panguna copper mine, which closed 22 years ago -- and which is now expected to reopen. The ship, UBT Fjord, was halted by a PNG patrol boat in June and escorted to Rabaul harbour, but is now sailing home to Singapore despite appeals from PNG Customs for fishing boats and other vessels to intercept it. A spokesman for the owner, Norwegian-run and Singapore-based shipping corporation Thome, which has more than 100 vessels, said following the escape: "Foreign shipping has a strong incentive to avoid PNG altogether. “PNG Customs appear to be a law unto themselves.” The Customs Act, as amended six months ago, says the customs commissioner is "subject to this act, not subject to direction

AAP Two Australians working in Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby have been carjacked at gunpoint. A female media adviser with PNG's national radio station and a male law and justice adviser were separately attacked on Tuesday night on the same road on Touaguba Hill, a residential area popular with expatriates. According to an email sent to Australian officials by AusAID security there were no injuries or assaults carried out during the robbery. "This is again a stark reminder to exercise a high degree of caution whilst driving throughout Port Moresby," the email read. Last Thursday an Australian aid adviser in Port Moresby was carjacked and suffered "serious injuries" in the attack. A spokesperson for the Australian High Commission confirmed the victim, a man in his 50s, was discharged from Port Moresby Hospital last Friday and flown to Brisbane for further treatment. AAP also understands that at the weekend another Australian official was involved in