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Police directed to track down man in viral video

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Police directed to track down man in viral video

Police in NCD have been directed to identify a man who was seen in a video circulating on social media poorly dressed in a police uniform and carelessly carrying a weapon around Downtown Port Moresby.

NCD and Central Police Commander, Anthony Wagambie Jnr, who gave the directive said the actions of this man whether or not he is a police officer is a total disgrace to hard-working members of the RPNGC.

“This is unprofessional and unbecoming. I have directed the Metropolitan Superintendent and his officers to find out who this person is and have him dealt with if he in fact is a serving member of the Constabulary.

Wagambie said when he first took up the position as Divisional Commander NCD/Central, he made it a point in his first parade that police would have no room for ill disciplined , unethical and unprofessional behavior from serving members.

“I also said I will make it my business to get rid of criminals in police uniform,” Wagambie stated in his social media post.

Since then the NCD Command made significant improvement, with quick attendance to public complaints, instilling command and control, and general operations. There is still room for improvement.

Wagambi said however, such actions by individuals become a hindrance to progress.

“I am seeking assistance from members of the public who may have witnessed this incident to make contact with us and assist us to identify this man. Let us help to make the Constabulary better by weeding out such.

There is no room for “Raskol , Mafia or gangster Police!”. We will get rid of them like others who have been previously dealt with, “ Wagambie said.

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Environment

ACT NOW! reveals evidence of illegal logging in ENB

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ACT NOW! reveals evidence of more illegal logging in new case study

ACT NOW! has released another case study report that reveals more illegal logging under the pretext of agriculture development.

This new report titled “A New Forest Grab” focuses on the Mengen agriculture project in East New Britain Province.

ACT NOW! says the report reveals how a Malaysian owned logging company, KK Connections, has used highly suspicious claims that will establish a forest plantation and agriculture projects to obtain a Forest Clearing Authority (FCA), which it is now using as cover to export thousands of cubic meters of round logs.

An FCA is only supposed to be used to allow the clearing of small, discrete areas of forest for agriculture or other land use changes, but satellite images analyzed by ACT NOW reveal the logging company in the Mengen area is roaming over a large area, selectively felling and extracting valuable timber with no forest clearance or agriculture planting.

The second report follows its first report, Ten Years Without a Crop, published last month in conjunction with Jubilee Australia.

The first report according to ACT NOW! revealed how another Malaysian-owned logging company, Global Elite Limited who has already sold US$31 million (115 million kina) worth of round logs from the Wammy FCA in West Sepik Province, but has not established promised palm oil or rubber plantations.

ACT NOW!’s Campaign Manager Eddie Tanago said to make matters worse, both reports highlight how the FCA logging operations have been approved by the PNG Forest Authority without the informed consent of a significant proportion of customary landowners.

He said just last week, Prime Minister Marape again reaffirmed his government’s commitment to the protection and sustainable management of our forest resources, yet the PNG Forest Authority is continuing to allow illegal logging across the entire country.

ACT NOW! Is calling on the PNG Forest Authority to cancel the Forest Clearing Authorities for both the Mengen and Wammy projects and to impose a moratorium on logging in all FCA areas.

In total there are 24 active FCA logging operations across nine Provinces which cover an average area of 61,849 hectares, the equivalent of more than 11,000 rugby fields.

Eddie Tanago, said: “FCAs are routinely being used as a loophole to authorize the theft of PNG’s forests. We call on the National Forest Board and PNG Forest Authority to extend the current moratorium on new FCAs, suspend logging in all existing FCAs and conduct a comprehensive public review of the projects”.

ACT NOW says it is also calling on the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Fraud squad to open investigations into these illegal logging operations as they are continuing under the supervision of Forest Authority officers.

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News

Do not work in isolation – disaster boss Mana urges provincial coordinators

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Provincial Disaster Coordinators urged not to work in isolation

THE Acting Director of the National Disaster Centre , Lusete Mana, has urged provincial disaster coordinators not to work in isolation but to keep in constant communication with their provincial administrators and the National Centre on issues related to disaster, emergency and imminent droughts.

Mr Mana made the call last Friday at the closing of a weeklong provincial disaster coordinators conference in Port Moresby at the Gateway Hotel.

He said two key issues raised in the recent and most conferences are financial and manpower constraints.

Mr Mana said the two same issues are always raised during conferences however, solutions must be found to address these issues.

“ The challenge is on us to send situation reports and keep in constant communication with our provincial administrators.

“ We cannot work in isolation – we must have good communication with our provincial administrators, give them updates and reports to receive a good budgetary support, Mr Mana said.

“ The roaming days are over. Now it is time for real business. We will not waste time. We have to go back and set our targets right,” Mr Mana said.

He thanked the UNDP for their support in assisting the Centre in hosting the conference.

Former Acting Director for NDC, Martin Mose said the recent conference was the best one he ever he had attended and the Chief Secretary for AROB Esther Usurup described the conference as a ‘fantastic time of learning’.

Esther Usurup, AROB Chief Secretary
Esther Usurup, AROB Chief Secretary.

Ms Usurup said provincial disaster coordinators must have a military mindset so they can effectively manage disasters in their provinces.

The National Disaster Centre Office formerly came under the office of Provincial and Local Level Governments but now is part of the Defence Department.

Twenty two Provincial Disaster Coordinators attended the weeklong conference with the objective of discussing how they could strengthen their local capacities to disaster risk reduction in line with the Government’s goal to ‘Leave No One Behind’.

All Provincial Coordinators gave thorough updates.

An update of the climate outlook and drought condition was also distributed at the conference in a report – PNG Drought Response and Recovery Plan 2023 to 2024 .

The National Disaster Corporate Plan 2023- 2024 , was also distributed to the provincial coordinators.

The NMSA Captain Krzyszt (Kris) Orlowski led discussions on important issues of response capabilities and preparedness to potential disasters. Issues of risk and hazard mapping, disaster data based and information system too were discussed.

Story by: Harlyne Joku

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News

Exercise Pukpuk Concludes

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Exercise Pukpuk

Exercise Pukpuk was conducted at the PNGDF Lombrum Naval Base, in Manus. Concluding with the completion of a three in one classroom, road and electric works done at houses at the naval base.

Conducted for the first time at Lombrum Naval Base, the annual engineering exercise brought together PNG Defence Force members from the Engineering Battalion and the Australian Defence Force; Townsville 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment and members of the British Army.

Supplied Picture

PNGDF Commanding Officer for Lombrum, Buni Dorea spoke highly of the joint efforts by all three defence forces.

“Most of the works being completed are repairs and maintenance around the school and married quarters. And there are lots things to be done here. To have Australians here, especially on [Exercise] Pukpuk, has grown the relationship and made it stronger. This is the way forward to have a good partnership,” said Commander Dorea said.

Australian Army Captain Helena Sorial described the joint exercise as a rewarding experience.

“The best part is working with the PNGDF, in their country, experiencing their culture, and doing real-time tasks. When you go overseas on holidays you often skim the surface of understanding a place and its people. But we get to interact, see how the people live, how they work, and complete the work with them, ” said Captain Sorial.

Exercise Pukpuk

The repair works include, tradies repaired stairs, decking, roads, and made-safe electric wires in the Married Quarters. And also a renovated classroom for children of Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) members posted to the base.

CO Dorea said the joint exercise created the solution for school children to not be moving around during the rainy season and children won’t be disturbed from their lessons.

Recent: https://insidepng.com/pacific-partnership-in-moem/

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News

Disaster Preparedness

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Disaster Preparedness

Communities in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville and nine other provinces in Papua New Guinea will undergoing trainings or activities aimed at building resilience and improving government systems when responding to natural disasters.

This is part of the a renewed partnership between International Office of Migration (IOM) and United Stated Agency for International Development (USAID).

Through this partnership a $2.5 USD million was injected into IOM to facilitate the project called, Addressing the Drivers and Consequences of Disaster Displacement Through Enhancing Resilience in Papua New Guinea.

This project is aimed at forming a closer working relationship between sub-national and local disaster responses though timely information management with local authorities in disaster prone communities.

IOM will be leading discussions on how to maintain preparedness and how to respond to disasters that is in line with the PNG National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework, the Provincial Disaster Risk Management Strategies and Standard Operating Procedures.

This is a collective approach and IOM will be working with government, civil society, faith-based organizations, community services organizations, and partners in disaster risk reduction and management to provide quality, timely and sensitive protection and assistance.

Since opening up a USAID Country Representative Office in Papua New Guinea, more humanitarian assistance work as been coordinated by IOM with support from the USAID Country Office.

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Agriculture

Inspection Trip

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China Engineers

PORT MORESBY:

A technical team from the China Machinery Engineering Corporation or CMEC arrived in Port Moresby on Sunday for a week-long inspection trip.

From the 5th to the 10th of November, they will inspect all ranches and abattoirs owned by PNG’s state-owned livestock company, Livestock Development Corporation (LDC).

The CMEC team is sent from their headquarters in Beijing, China.

The visit follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed between LDC and CMEC earlier this year as a company to company arrangement that was sanctioned by former Agriculture Minister John Simon.

Under this MOU CMEC will inspect all ranges and abattoirs in PNG and design and construct several state of the art abattoir facilities in designated sites, in line with the PNG Government’s downstream processing and food security policies.

The inspection started on Sunday afternoon at Tiaba, abattoir, 12mile, just outside the Port Moresby city.

Before inspecting the abattoir, LDC Managing Director Terry Koim took the team around the 35 hectares land to show them the potential of production if the abattoir is revived.

The engineers were amazed with the amount of land, saying with an abundance of free land, PNG has the potential to be a global exporter of cattle and China being a major beef consumer, can be it’s biggest client.

Apart from Tiaba, the Chinese delegation will also visit LDC establishments in Launakalana in Central Province, Wariman and Urimo in East Sepik, Sagalau in Madang and Baiya in Western Highlands Province.

As part of the MOU, CMEC with its vast experience in engineering design and construction of reliable power projects in well over a 100 different countries, will further assist LDC with renewable energy generation to promote commercial agriculture.

Carrying on from where the former Minister left off, Minister for Livestock Hon. Seki Agisa acknowledged Prime Minister James Marape’s visit to China last month, affirming the need for CMECs visit.

CMEC is one of China’s reputable companies entrusted to roll out vital infrastructure projects in more than 100 countries under the China “One Belt, One Road” program.

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News

Households Affected by Election Related Violence Receive Food Rations

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Household relief

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), working in partnership with the national, and provincial disaster centers, are distributing food rations to households affected by election related violence in Enga, Southern Highlands, Hela and Jiwaka provinces.

The relief efforts were made possible through financial assistance from the USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.

Last week, Food rations of rice, cooking oil, tinned fish, sugar, and salt have been distributed to over 700 households comprising of over 3900 people.

It has been over a year, since the Election-related violence broke out in various provinces, mainly in the Highlands region.

Food crop gardens and shelters were destroyed, which affected the livelihoods of women, children, people living with disabilities and the elderly.

The relief efforts target households headed by women and the elderly, especially those hosting people living with disability.

These homes were identified through IOM’s displacement tracking matrix information.

Community leaders and women from these areas shed tears as they noted the hardships that affected groups were dealing with. Especially in providing meals for their families.

“It will take months for us to replant and harvest our crop fields destroyed during the fight. Providing enough food for families has been difficult and we are thankful to USAID and IOM for this assistance,” said Mambu Gene, a women’s representative.

“We faced several difficulties and several families had to skip meals. We did not have enough money to buy food and this help is appreciated,” she added.

Jiwaka Provincial Disaster Coordinator, John Kupul extended his thanks to the people and government of the United States for supporting affected communities. He appreciated the partnership of IOM and Jiwaka Provincial Disaster Centre, made possible through funding from the USAID/BHA.

Kupul noted that this partnership will go a long way to improve the lives of the most vulnerable populations. “This partnership has saved lives,” he said.

Related: https://insidepng.com/stop-election-violence/

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Business

Potential of Kava Industry

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Kava

Papua New Guinea is looking at maximizing its potential in establishing and commercializing a Kava Industry in the country.

The idea birthed out of a conversation during the 14th World Indigenous Business Forum held in Port Moresby. Where International Trade and Investment Minister, Richard Maru, learned from indigenous Fijian business owners that the demand for Kava had outgrown the supply.

PNG Prime Minister James Marape greets International Trade & Investment Minister Richard Maru at the 14th World Indigenous Business Forum.

Maru said the cultivation and sale of kava both in domestic markets and as a processed export product is an important source of income for thousands of smallholder farmers and their families across the Pacific.

“Because of its associated relaxing benefits and the removal of trade restrictions in many countries. The demand for kava has increased and thousands of smallholder farmers across the region are now engaged in kava production,” said Maru.

Maru said Kava has become one of the main sources of economic importance to many Pacific Island countries and as a significant contributor to GDP, foreign exchange earnings, and balance of payments through exports for some countries.

“In 2020, Fijian kava exports were worth over A$43.6 million and in 2019, Vanuatu’s kava exports were worth A$48.4 million, with these figures set to grow in coming years.

“While some of these exports are to other Pacific Island Countries, larger markets include New Zealand, New Caledonia, Europe, and the United States, partly due to the large Pacific Island communities living there.

“The bulk of this trade is associated with selling kava as a beverage.

“With a growing quantity being exported as an ingredient, for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products,” said Maru.

The growing popularity and demand for kava in Papua New Guinea is due to more Fijians travelling into Papua New Guinea, for work or visiting families and more Papua New Guineans trying out Kava.

“Papua New Guinea has the potential to become the biggest producer of kava in the world.

“If we establish kava as an industry and undertake multi-cropping with kava being planted under the cocoa trees to fully utilize the land. So our farmers can make money from both cocoa and kava using the same land. This is one industry that is ready to boom,” Maru added.

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News

Four PNGDF Pilots Qualify

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PNGDF Pilots

Four pilots in the Papua New Guinea Defence Force have qualified as the pilots, loadmasters and maintenance personnel for the recently gifted PAC 750 aircrafts.

The up-skilling of these airmen follows the Defence Corporation Program between PNGDF Air Element and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) through the Flights of Excellence Program.

Part of this program includes the recent acquisition of two new PAC 750 aircrafts by the PNGDF Air element.

PNGDF Pilots Qualify
PAC 750 Aircraft.

Commanding Officer of PNGDF’s Air Transport Wing, Nancy Wii said the future looks bright for the air element.

“Five years we had a Pac 70 aircraft in our hanger not knowing what to do. Our RAAF partners have come along, and Fenix 701 got airborne, Fenix 702 and Finex 703 ready to be airborne, our latest aircraft,” said Wii.

The acquisition of the new planes increases PNGDF’s aviation capabilities to transport a section for patrol along the land borders, maritime surveillance and provide humanitarian assistances during natural disasters.
It increases PNGDF’s PAC 750 fleet to three, following the Australian Defence Force’s support to remediate the PNGDF’s first PAC 750 in 2021.

PNGDF Pilots

Assistant Minister for Defence, Matt Thistlethwaite, said the addition of the planes supports regional security and protects the common interests of both countries.

“They will play an important role of delivering PNGDF’s long term goal of developing its sovereign aviation capability. As they are put to work, they will be supported by the joint Flights of Excellence Program,” said Thistlewaite.

PNG Deputy Prime Minister, John Rosso while thanking the Australian Government said the PNG government has not supported the Air Transport Wing for a long time.

PNGDF Pilots
PNG Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso (left) and Australia’s Assistant Minister for Defence Matt Thistlethwaite addressing the media.

Recent: https://insidepng.com/pngdf-welcomes-nuship-gilbert-toropo/

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Health

Supporting SJA

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Island Mobile Hire Cars

A hire car company in Port Moresby has gifted St John, a fully kitted ambulance. This is to help continue its work, responding to health emergencies in NCD and neighboring provinces.

The Island Mobile Hire Cars handed over a brand-new Land Cruiser to St. John worth K170,000 as its dedication to the welfare of communities in Papua New Guinea.

Island Mobile Hire Cars’ Executive Officer to the Managing Director, Malcolm Mamatta said they recognize the vital roles St.Johns play.

“We are proud to be part of their mission and to contribute this fully kitted ambulance to enhance their capacity to save lives,” said Mamatta.

Hire car company supporting SJA with a fully kitted ambulance vehicle.

The running of an emergency service like St John is costly and there were reports of St. John Ambulances stoned while ambulance officers were attending to emergencies.

The handover of a fully kitted ambulance will increase the capacity of the responses by ambulance officers.

SJA Chief Executive Officer, Matt Cannon said the new ambulance is fully kitted with medical equipment and supplies which is needed to save lives.

“The addition of this ambulance to their fleet will enable them to continue to respond promptly to accidents, injuries and other medical emergencies. Ensuring that residents in targeted regions receive the car they need,” said Cannon.

Island Mobile Hire Cars

Related: https://insidepng.com/news-march22-rotary-club-of-port-moresby-supports-st-john-ambulance/

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