Deadly tribal clashes

Source: The National,Tuesday17 January 2012

I WOULD like to express my concern about an ongoing tribal fight within Payne tribe of Laiagam district, Enga province.
The recent clash between two clans – Laias and Kalauk – has resulted in more than 50 lives already lost and properties worth over more than K500,000 destroyed during the past 14 months.
The villagers have fled and the place is turning into a desert.
Unfortunately, the West Enga Technical Secondary School is situated right in the heart of the tribal fight.
There have been several attempts at peace talks between the leaders of the two tribes, Aukun Chris Kapone and Johnny Kuima, but to no avail.
I think this is the right time for the local MP to step in and try to bring an end to this ongoing warfare.
Our lives are in your hands.                     
Derek Sembo Tape
Via email

New Zoo needs funding

Source: Highlands Region, Post Courier, january 17, 2012
By RAMCY WAMA

A newly established zoo in Western Highlands Province needs provincial government funding for completion before it opens for tourists from both national and overseas to visit in February.
Raldeng Zoo, Culture, Guest House and Convention Centre are a mini zoo established by Richard Lazarus an economics graduate from the University of Papua New Guinea at Kelua Village 10 minutes drive from Mt Hagen City.
Mr Lazarus said the idea of establishing a zoo in his village came about when he was in the community school back in the 1990’s. He was motivated after several visits to the Baiyer Zoo or the Wildlife Sanctuary in the Baiyer Valley.
“My dream of setting up a zoo and a culture centre started then so I started collecting varieties of flower plants and trees and planted the only food garden plot. The two hectares of garden land was eventually covered by trees and flower plants over the years,” he said.
Mr Lazarus said last year he resigned from Digicel PNG and went back to his home to establish the zoo that he had always dreamed of.
“After graduating from UPNG I worked with Digicel PNG but early last year I resigned to build this zoo. With the little earnings I got from the my former employment I decided to put it into good use by buying different animal species of birds, snakes, cuscus, ducks, and orchids from Jimi, Baiyer, Kopun, and Madang. I built the 20 metre cane bridge on top of the tree canopies in which the canes were brought from Las Kopun, a place near Madang,” he said.
Mr Lazarus said that with the run down state of the Baiyer Zoo, the only wildlife sanctuary in the province, tourism has come to a standstill.
He said Western Highlands Province was renowned for its rich cultural heritage like the Kuk Heritage and Baiyer Zoo that has attracted many tourists in the late 90’s. But mismanagement and land disputes resulted in halting the thriving tourism industry.
“My set up is a mini-zoo, cultural heritage, guest house and a convention centre established to preserve some of Western Highlands cultures, bird species, orchards, tree plants, cuscus and other traditional customs that would be on showcase by the locals for tourists.
“I am therefore calling on the provincial government and culture loving Western Highlanders to donate cash to complete the zoo before having it launched on February,” Mr Lazarus said.
He said the zoo has been registered with investment Promotion Authority and other interesting parties who wish to donate in cash or kind should contact him on 71971365 or 76555317.

Paiam undergoes construction boom

Source: News, Post Courier, January 16, 2012

By FRANK RAI
PAIAM town, situated several kilometres outside Porgera Gold Mine in the Enga Province is booming up with new buildings.
Porgera is known as one of the classic gold mines in the world, but despite that the local landowners are involved in many tribal fights causing fear and anxiety to the travelling public. The tribal fights have also claimed many innocent lives while properties worth thousands of kina were damaged.
Towards the end year of last one of the clan allegedly set up a road blocks and set fire to one of the heavy trucks owned by Wizzy Transport and Mapai Transport respectively.
The Enga Provincial Law and Order Committee held an urgent meeting and declared Porgera as a fighting zone for three months.
According to the local people in Porgera the mining company took the initiative to build new police baracks at Paiam to accommodate the mobile squad to beef up manpower to combat law and order problems in Porgera

O’Neill following grows in region

Source: News, Post Courier, January 16, 2012

There is growing support for the O’Neill – Namah government in many parts of the Highlands region.
NGO activist Noel Anjo while confirming this over the weekend however said he was also worried that not many of the population in the rural areas throughout the country are aware of the real issues affecting the country.
Mr Anjo said this brings in the need for more awareness to be carried out to educate the small people.
He said in Wabag, many people are now beginning to realize that the O’Neill – Namah government through its policies can now deliver basic goods and services that can finally ease their burden at least for sometime.
He said the Tongemas village near Birip station in Wabag which is Wabag MP Sam Abal’s strong hold are already rallying behind Finance and Treasury Minister Don Polye although Mr Polye is MP for Kandep another electorate in Enga Province.
The activist said this were the Waimba-Kumba tribe with an estimated population of about 800.
Mr Anjo said he was invited to the village to talk on the political issues affecting the country especially on what is happening between the Somare – O’Neill regime and learnt of the support O’Neill – Namah Government have in the highlands.
“Minister Polye’s great grandfather Tonges originates from the Waimba – Kumba tribe who got married to a Kandep woman and they both together had two children. Tonges moved to settle with the wife at Kandep where their great grand son Don, now senior MP in the country was born.
However, Mr Anjo said it is very sad to know that many people in the rural areas are not made aware of the issues affecting the country.
Mr Anjo has placed the blame on wrong information disseminated to the people.
He took time here also to inform the people of the policies of the new government - among them is the free education policy.
“Fight against corruption and good governance is other major policies of the government,” Mr Anjo said.

Polye splits NA party!

 . . forms new group to contest 2012 polls

Source: News, Post Courier, January 16, 2012

By JOHNNY POIYA

THE National Alliance Party faction headed by Don Pomb Polye has become a new political entity – that is official.
A name will be announced by the end of this month when the new political party is launched. The party aims to focus on developing the young to become good productive citizens, starting from early childhood development through to into skills development in later years.
The party’s other priorities will be on housing, improved teachers and health workers salaries and conditions, law and order, improved implementation of budgets and plans and creating a diversified economy. A major partner in the O’Neill- Namah coalition government and with 24 National Alliance Party members, the split brings to an end the run by one of PNG’s most successful political parties in the history of this country.
“Somare (Sir Michael Somare) is gone, and so will his party. NA will be history,” Mr Polye announced in Mount Hagen yesterday, adding that his party will be launched at the end of this month.
Mr Polye said the new party would become an institution and a name would be given when all MPs and executives meet during what he claimed as NA’s last and his new party’s inaugural convention tentatively to take place from January 22 to 24 in Port Moresby.
Mr Polye made the announcement during the NA Highlands bloc convention in Mt Hagen on Friday.
Mr Polye said his party policies would move the country forward with the changing world and time, provided with a good skilled population that would be instilled with good moral values.
Mr Polye who has 24 National Alliance MPs now is confident of coming in after the elections with a much bigger and stronger group to play a major role in the formation of a new government. He said the current free education policy was a strategy to achieve his skills development policy and it would remain.
He said the party’s major policies were targeted at addressing the human mind and heart which have been left longing for years.
“We are not perfect but we should strive for perfection. PNG is at rock bottom in the human index and we should look at ways to improve from this. The appalling development indicators are a sign of a bigger problem.
“There must be good governance. If we don’t do anything now to address the ever increasing unskilled young population, they can be destructive but they can be constructive if we target them at the very early age,” Mr Polye said. The members of the Polye team will sign their membership forms and register the party during the parliament seating which starts tomorrow.
Mr Polye said NA members with Sir Michael were abandoning him and joining the coalition’s parties in the O’Neill – Namah government.
Wapenamanda MP Miki Kaeok and Western Highlands Governor Tom Olga have crossed the floor to increase Mr Polye’s team to 24 members while three MPs from the Momase region, Timothy Bonga, Sasa Zibe and Kabwum MP Bob Dadea have
joined Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s PNG National Congress party.
Mr Polye said the movement indicated that the battle lines for the formation of new government after the coming elections were being drawn between his new party and Mr O’Neill’s party.
The Minister called on his fellow NA MPs from the highlands to join his new party, adding they would not advance under the leadership of Sir Michael.

Mothers call for ban on alcohol

Source: Feature, Post Courier, January 16, 2012

Women Today...
By EVAH KUAMIN
WOMEN and children living in the Tent City — Bumayong area of Lae — have supported calls by their community leaders for a total ban on alcohol in settlement areas.
The group numbering close to 30 told this reporter that they had attributed the peaceful Christmas and New Year period due to the alcohol ban.
They reiterated calls to the provincial government to be serious in considering a total ban on the sale of alcohol in the settlement areas.
Chairman of the Ward Five law and order committee in Bumayong Sam Oyaya said they had spoken to a lot of women, especially mothers and young girls in their area who expressed their views openly about alcohol-related problems.
The group of women said the violence upsurge in the city in November last year had stemmed from alcohol related issues.
They said the three-month liquor ban and fighting zone declaration in the city had proved a relief to a lot of people with less or no petty crimes and other law order problems experienced, especially in the settlement areas.
They said that for settlement areas, people living there like women and children had had enough of alcohol-related problems and would like to live in peace.
One mother who requested anonymity said with the ban on liquor, they were able to experience a quiet and peaceful Christmas and New Year this year, compared with past years which were the worst.
“Some of the problems we have experienced in the past years have been domestic violence, assault, rape, wife beating and others, which are caused by people under the influence of liquor,” the women said.
They added that since the fighting zone declaration and alcohol ban, they had seen and experience a slight decrease in those alcohol-related problems.
They also said they have been able to experience a joyful and peaceful festive season, free from alcohol and other social problems.
The settlement areas they also mentioned should not be allowed by the provincial liquor and licensing board to sell alcohol any longer.

1.4 Million Kina for Lai LLG in Kandep District

..........Cash flow in Kandep.....................

Source: Authors' Observation during recent visit.

A total of 1.4 Million kina in hard cash was allocated last week to the Lai LLG in Kandep district by the sitting MP, honorable Don Pomb Polye. Early in 2011, about 1.3 million kina in cash was disbursed to the Wage LLG in Kandep also by the sitting MP. As per his speech during his visit from 08^th to 11^th January 2012, he will visit the remaining Mariant LLG after two weeks which is towards the end January or early February 2012. It is very interesting to know that such a huge amount of money is going directly to the hands of the people, in a way is good to maintain cash flow in the district. Interestingly, one can wonder if these kind of money be better utilized on something tangible, for instance agriculture, road infrastructure, schools and had that been the intended purpose, were there anything tangible projects done such as fish ponds, pyrethrum, wheat, rice farming etc. for such payments to be made.

The condition of the feeder roads to Kambiya, last wert, and back to Gini, road to wage LLG, the yapum Langap road and the Winja Kandep road are all in a deteriorating stage at the moment. The administrative center for the district is in the dark, can this kind of money be utilized in a mini hydro project to supply power to the district? Can the dump trucks roaming around doing nothing be utilized to maintain these feeder roads, at least to have a good access. Can the deteriorating sub-health centers, like Kambiya for instance be maintained with such money? Rumors are that money has been allocated to build these feeder roads which will start immediately however, it’s hard to reason out why these monies have been made available only this year and not in the previous years.

Atleast some amount possibly more or less than what was already allocated to the other two LLGs is expected in the Mariant LLG in the coming weeks and months before the nomination at least for the same cause, that is, no tangible projects but just handing huge sums of money in the hands of the people.  If little or nothing has been done, where are these monies coming from and how are the acquitals for these monies made. It can be said that thsi is the scanerio of a free cash hand out culture maybe for the better or worse, something everyone has to assess, analyze and reason out.   

Locals want Air Travel route to Tari

Source: The National, Wednesday 4th January 2012

By JEFFREY ELAPA
THERE are growing calls for the locally-owned Travel Air airline to operate in and out of Tari in Hela.
People from the province made the call after airfares for other operators climbed from around K600 to K1,004 for the Tari-Port Moresby run.
They said the region was home to the LNG project and other projects like gold and oil and the demand for seats was high.
They said an additional airline operating the route would create competition.
Spokesman Rex Tadabe said the people of Hela called on the management and owner Eremas Wartoto to consider the route as it served the three electorates of Komo-Margarima, Koroba-Lake Kopiago and Tari-Pori, where more than 300,000 people lived.
He said because of the resource boom in the area, airfares
had increased drastically.
He said the people there had no choice but to dig deeper into their
pockets.
He said not everyone was a landowner and that airfares had tripled over the past year after pre-construction work on the LNG project started.
Tadabe said it would be a blessing for the people of Hela if another airline could provide competition on the route.
He said no special fares were being offered by the only airline that operated the Tari-Port Moresby route.
He said many people risked their lives making the day-long journey to Mt Hagen and Mendi as flights in Tari were either too expensive for the average person or a fully booked.
“Travel Air was going to establish a route out of Mt Hagen then we, the people of Hela, are calling for Travel Air to do the same so that we have a choice of flying on affordable airfares,” Tadabe said.

Construction company surprises SHP villagers with special gift

Source: The National, Wednesday 11th January 2012

By ELIAS LARI

A CONSTRUCTION company from Southern Highlands went to the aid of the people of Waluali and Tangiki during Christmas by repairing their only road link.
R and Sons, a locally-owned company, surprised the people with a Christmas present by supplying loads of gravel to repair the 3km of road from Waluali to Tangiki.
The company paid locals K60,000 earlier this year to build the road so they could have access to services.
The road project is managed by the Tangiki Yamun Association.
The road is located in the Ialibu-Pangia electorate.
Association chairman Samuel Kondua commended the company for aiding villagers.
He said for the first time earlier locals had seen a company playing the role of the government to build a new road, linking villages.
Kondua said it was great help as his people had been suffering for too long without a decent road.  
He said it was the first time such a company had stepped forward to help 2,000-plus people of the area.
Kondua said when there were proper road networks in place people could easily have access to other basic services.
He said that people must look after such services when the money was coming from somebody else’s sweat and pocket.
Kondua said for many years people had complained about the need to have better road and now this had become a reality

Confirmed: PNG home to world’s smallest vertebrate – a frog

Source: The National,Monday16 January 2012

IT is confirmed. Papua New Guinea is home to the world’s smallest vertebrate with the discovery of a new species of frog that is so small two of them could `squeeze’ onto a dime (US 10-cent coin).
The world’s leading media, including Time magazine, CNN news, the BBC,  Fox News, USA Today and number of internet news websites have reported the discovery of Paedophyrne amauensis which averages about 7.7mm long.
The new species is related to the Paedophryne dekot and Paedophryne verrucosa species which, last December, were identified as the smallest frogs in the world.
Both are also found in Papua New Guinea.
P. dekot inhabits the lower ranges, below about 1,200m of the western slope of Mt Dayman in Milne Bay and P. verrucosa lives on the southeastern slope of Mt Suckling near a region that joins Mt Dayman.
But compared with P. amanuensis, they average a “massive” 8.1mm to 9.3mm in size.
A team of American researchers from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge discovered the frog in the jungles of PNG in 2009.
The creatures are named after a Central village called Amau, which is near where they were found.It was only last week that the science journal, PLoS One, dubbed the frog with the teeny-tiny honour.
The frog beats the previous record for a tiny Indonesian fish (paedocypris progenetica) which average 7.9mm in length.
The tiny frogs are difficult to see but can be easily heard as they have high-pitched calls which make them sound like crickets.
Prof Chris Austin was part of the team that discovered the frog on a three-month field trip to Amau.
These creatures make their habitats on fallen leaves on the floor of tropical rainforests.
“After several failed attempts to find it, we ended up just scooping up a big handful of leaf litter where the call was coming from and putting it all in a clear plastic bag,” Austin said.
After sorting through the bag leaf by leaf, they “discovered the incredibly small frog making the call”.
The creatures will help scientists understand more about extreme body size.
The frogs are thought to have evolved “extreme miniaturisation” to fill a hole in the food chain which was not being exploited by others, perhaps to eat minuscule creatures such as mites unable to sustain larger frogs.
“We now believe they aren’t just biological oddities, but instead represent a previously undocumented ecological guild – they occupy a habitat niche that no other vertebrate does,” Austin said.
“(Papua) New Guinea is a hotspot of biodiversity, and everything new we discover there adds another layer to our overall understanding of how biodiversity is generated and maintained,” Austin adds.
Steven J. Beaupre, from the University of Arkansas and president-elect of the American Society of Icthyologists and Herpetologists, said that the discovery was a boon for scientists. He said the new species would help scientists better “understand the advantages and disadvantages of extreme small size and how such extremes evolve”.
“Fundamentally, these tiny vertebrates provide a window on the principles that constrain animal design.”