The Board and Management of the National Airports Corporation (NAC) have brushed aside reports of shutting down the Nadzab and Kiunga aerodromes following the expiration of vital operation certificates alluded to by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).

Managing Director and CEO Rex Kiponge said NAC as the Aerodrome Operating Certificate Holder was not served any notice on the claimed adverse decision as required under the Civil Aviation Act.

“As the aviation document holder, I have not received any adverse decision nor notice of an adverse decision from the Director of CASA. Therefore, I want to assure the travelling public that Nadzab and Kuinga airports are safe for operations and remain operational today and are business as usual,” Kiponge said.

Mr Kiponge was responding to an article published today in one of the dailies. According to the report, Nadzab has 21 non-compliances, and 7 non-compliances for Kiunga. However, Kiponge added that non-compliance is an administrative matter that doesn’t warrant the immediate closure of the airports.

“In this case, the CASA director is alleging that the staff of NAC have not passed the Fit and Proper Person (FPP) Test which is an administrative matter. To put on record, my Airport Operations Manager in Nadzab has passed the FPP Test, and is certified by CASA.”

“For Kiunga Airport, my Senior Manager who is in charge is a Fit and Proper Person also certified by CASA. The Airport Safety Officer for Kiunga has submitted his application for FPP Test which is with CASA awaiting scheduling for his test,” Kiponge said.

Kiponge called on for better dialogue between CASA and NAC stating this is the first blunder of notices the two agencies have had in 10 years.

Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong will visit the country this Monday as part of her mission in the region.

The Minister in a statement said her visit is part of the important relationship Australia has with PNG.

“I will meet with Prime Minister the Hon. James Marape following his re-election, as well as my counterpart, the Hon. Justin Tkatchenko and other members of PNG’s new cabinet” stated Wong.

Her visit comes at an opportune time when PNG is aiming to review a number of its foreign trade policies with its partner countries, especially Australia. Recently PM Marape stated that Australia must balance its trade with PNG and buy more PNG-Made exports.

“We want to move now into industrialisation by tapping into downstream processing of our natural resources,”

“Australia and PNG businesses have had a relationship for a long time and that is good but we need to reach new heights. With Australia as a place of export for our products, we have a huge trade imbalance where we import more from Australia and export less there,” said PM Marape.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Wong will also have a special audience with Central Governor Rufina Peter and Rai-Coast MP Kessy Sawang – the only two women elected into the 11^th Parliament.

“I look forward to hearing views from PNG’s leaders and my priority will be to ensure we are pursuing our shared ambitions on the basis of trust, open communication and mutual support,” said Minister Wong.

The Minister will leave the country on Wednesday for Timo-Leste.  

Caritas PNG, a major partner of the PNG Electoral Commission in the 2022 National General Elections has called on the National Government to intervene and end all forms of election-related violence.

The organization before the elections rolled out a nationwide voter education awareness program with the intent to educate people and prepare them to make informed choices in a free, fair and safe election.  

However, with the number of election-related violence throughout the country including ongoing fights in Mendi, the organization is calling for a swift response from the Government.

National Director, Mavis Tito in a statement said the responsibility falls on the candidates, including the ones that were elected into parliament.

“It is a mass that you created, and we are calling on you to resolve it immediately. Damage to property and lives taken is unnecessary and should be prevented at all costs,” stated Tito.

They have also highlighted the despair of concerned citizens who were not satisfied with the outcome of this election. Four regional forums will be organized to gather the views of citizens and will be given to relevant authorities to consider going forward.

“We are now calling on every one of you to come forward, attend these forums and express your views. We will process this and see to it the next NGE would be a better one, that is truly free and fair for us all,” Tito said.

Villagers along the north coast of Madang are calling on Prime Minister James Marape and the Mining Minister to establish a regulatory framework for sand mining in PNG.

The call is for the Mineral Resource Authority to make a provision within the Mining Act for sand mining policies and laws.

Currently, there is no regulatory framework or policy in place in Papua New Guinea.

Vanansius Barrar of Murukanam village Sumkar District says his village is under threat from logging activities and now sand mining is becoming a threat for locals who depend on the marine life for their sustenance and livelihood.

They are now carrying out a land survey to protect their land from sand mining and other illegal activities that continue to destroy the environment.

Barrar explained that the National Government must establish a regulatory framework for sand mining in the country in order to protect the environment.

Another local, Willie Mayng said their land is a conservation area and is a nesting zone for the endangered leatherback turtles.

He said the Government must take interest in this matter as the locals have been fighting hard since establishing the conservation area in 2008.

The landowner’s call was made following a one-day training on the environmental impact of sand mining in Madang recently.

The training was facilitated by an academic researcher, Ms Winnifred Duk, in the biology strand at the University of Goroka.

Duk explained PNG does not have any policy or legislative framework at this stage on sand mining operations.

Furthermore, there is no risk assessment guideline to protect the environment from sand mining operations.

As sand protects the environment and is not a renewable resource, the large scale of mining sand would bring environmental concerns, and social and economic impacts, including the direct habitat destruction and loss of biodiversity.

In November of 2020, landowners of the twenty-five villages along the north coast held a public forum at Tokain village and protested a Singaporean company, Niugini Sands after it filed an application to obtain an exploration license.

The mining of black sand would cover 51km of sandy beaches and cover a width of 10km into the sea and another 10km inland from Murunas to Tokain.

However, the company withdrew its application attributing it to the adverse publicity and negative commentary against the company’s reputation.

The former chief justice, Sir Arnold Amet, who was representing the locals as their legal advisor, said there is no separate law on sand mining in PNG.

In October of 2020, the Mineral Resource Authority Director, Jerry Garry, in a television interview also explained that PNG is yet to develop specific laws on sand mining.

Garry says the closest legislation that can be used for sand mining is the Alluvial Mining Act which does mention other minerals that can be extracted from sand.

Wenceslaus Magun, who heads MAKATA, a local NGO, dedicated to preserving the nesting areas of the leatherback turtles said the Government must act now.

Magun says there is no international law on sand mining and there is a huge gap that big companies are taking advantage of to push their agendas.

The member for Gazelle, Jelta Wong has pledged his commitment to serve the people of Papua New Guinea as the new Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources. After the swearing-in on Tuesday, Minister Wong highlighted the importance the Fisheries sector has on the economy, stating the commitment remains to create employment opportunities as well as protecting the fisheries stock from environmental damage.

“The Ministry for Fisheries and Marine Resources has a significant function for our country right now and into the future, as our marine resources must be managed properly and must be harvested in a sustainable way,” Wong added.

PNG has the largest fisheries zone in the South Pacific with a total value market estimated at K400million per year. However, it remains under-developed with no space for downstream processing and tangible support for local markets to survive.

“As Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources, it is clear that there is a lot of heavy lifting ahead in the coming weeks, months and years.”

“Over the past three years our Government under Prime Minister Marape has sought to implement long-overdue reforms in the sector, but much of this work was undermined by the interruption of the pandemic,” the Minister said.

With a Fisheries Strategic Plan for 2021-2030 already in place, it provides PNG with the opportunity to adapt to the changing global economy in the fisheries sector. And sustainability is one key area in achieving that goal for the country.”

“Considering the needs of our future generations is also a reason that I intend to lead a crackdown on illegal fishing in our waters. The Prime Minister has indicated his support for the expanded export of sustainably harvested fresh seafood to global markets.”

“We will also work with investors under this plan to value-add in the processing of our tuna and other seafood in our own production facilitates,” said Minister Wong.  

Minister Wong will serve his 2^nd term in Parliament and has previously held office as the Police, Health and State-Owned Enterprises Minister.