Source: Post Courier, Decemebr 16 2011
By JOHNNY POIYA
WThe police force in the Highlands is on high alert following the political turmoil in the nation’s capital.
Acting divisional commander Teddy Tei yesterday met with his provincial commanders in Mt Hagen and reminded them on the oath every individual officer took to serve the country and cautioned them not to take sides.
Chief Tei urged his men to perform their usual duties and not to get themselves tangled up with the government fiasco.
The PPCs who gathered for a conference with the acting police chief were withdrawn back to their provinces to prepare for any unrest that could be triggered by the political unrest.
“I am warning all police personnel in the Highlands to refrain from taking sides in the current political unrest. We took an oath to serve the country without fear, favour or ill-will and serve with our hearts,” Chief Superintendent Tei said.
He warned that any of his men taking sides would be severely dealt with accordingly.
“What happened with the government’s rank and file and the police hierarchy has nothing to do with police personnel down the line,” he said.
Throughout all the major centres in the region, there were heavy police presence and foot patrols to deal with opportunists taking advantage of the Waigani chaos.
Accept for a protest March in Goroka, the rest of the Highlands was peaceful.
This BLOG is about KANDEP in the ENGA PROVINCE of PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Friday, December 16, 2011
source:Papua New Guinea Blog, http://www.pngblogs.com - December 16, 2011
Parliament Protests...today in pictures
 |
| O'Neill address the crowd |
 |
| Part of the group that turned up |
 |
| ANDY BAWA and Police Personel keeping order |
 |
| Defiant |
Kandep Teacher among injured by tree
Source: Post Courier, Decemebr 16, 2011
By PETER SAA
TWO teachers, one a headmaster of a primary school in Kandep Disrict are in critical condition at Wabag General Hospital after a tree fell and hit them at a bus-stop.
They were at a bus-stop when the tree fell. Other people at the bus-stop managed to escape unhurt.
The teachers are identified as Joe Beno, who is from Kandep and is the headmasters of Mang Primary School in Kandep District. The other teacher was William Owa from Ambum Valley who was teaching in Pombopos Primary in the Wapenamanda District.
The two had came to Wabag to get their fortnight salaries and return home to enjoy their holidays.
The tree at the bus-stop is said to be one of the big trees in town and it had fallen by itself, injuring the two teachers.
There were many people at the bus-stop when the tree fell down but all the people ran away except the two teachers.
For two hours after that, this part of the highlands highway was blocked by the fallen tree.
Some people helped cut up the tree and cleared it for traffic to flow again.
Meanwhile, members of the public in Wabag town have appealed to Wabag Town Authority to cut down some trees that would be of danger to people if these trees fell as had happened at the bus-stop to the two teachers.
They said these two teachers would be now enjoying the school holidays but were instead hospitalised and fighting for their lives.
They were at a bus-stop when the tree fell. Other people at the bus-stop managed to escape unhurt.
The teachers are identified as Joe Beno, who is from Kandep and is the headmasters of Mang Primary School in Kandep District. The other teacher was William Owa from Ambum Valley who was teaching in Pombopos Primary in the Wapenamanda District.
The two had came to Wabag to get their fortnight salaries and return home to enjoy their holidays.
The tree at the bus-stop is said to be one of the big trees in town and it had fallen by itself, injuring the two teachers.
There were many people at the bus-stop when the tree fell down but all the people ran away except the two teachers.
For two hours after that, this part of the highlands highway was blocked by the fallen tree.
Some people helped cut up the tree and cleared it for traffic to flow again.
Meanwhile, members of the public in Wabag town have appealed to Wabag Town Authority to cut down some trees that would be of danger to people if these trees fell as had happened at the bus-stop to the two teachers.
They said these two teachers would be now enjoying the school holidays but were instead hospitalised and fighting for their lives.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Pro-O'Neill police take control of PNG assets
Pro-O'Neill police take control of PNG assets
Updated
There are signs the political deadlock in Papua New Guinea may have entered a dangerous new phase, with extra police being flown into the capital to take control of government assets.
The opposing camps of Sir Michael Somare and Peter O'Neill are not backing down on their claims to the country's prime ministership.
Now Mr O'Neill says up to 150 extra police have been flown into Port Moresby from around the country to take control of government assets.
He says they have already taken control of the government printing office and will also target the finance department, the prime minister's department and government house.
At the printing office the doors are padlocked and staff say around 20 armed police arrived last night and left this morning.
Meanwhile a National Gazette has been published declaring Mr O'Neill as prime minister.
At a news conference in parliament today he revoked a late-night order by Sir Michael to reinstate his police commissioner, Fred Yakasa.
Mr O'Neill says he expects police to carry out their duty should Sir Michael refuse to leave his position.
"We have had to bring in additional police personnel from outside of Port Moresby to come into Port Moresby to restore possession of government assets so that public service can continue to function," he said.
A group of police loyal to Sir Michael has been guarding government house since Monday night, when the Supreme Court ordered his reinstatement as prime minister.
Mr O'Neill and his MPs have been camped in Parliament House since Monday.
They claim Sir Michael's absence overseas for five months for medical reasons meant he had vacated the prime ministership, therefore parliament was entitled to elect Mr O'Neill as PM.
With the stand-off between the two men now in its third day, non-government groups are warning the situation is becoming dangerous.
Both men each have their own ministers and cabinet and their own police commissioners.
Current updates on PNG Leadership Tussel
Source: Papua New Guinea Blogs, http://www.pngbd.com/
Parliament Sessions starts this morning, Thrusday December 15, 2011
State Solicitor Daniel Rolpagarea has recognized Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare as the legitimate Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, amidst the current confusion and leadership tussle over the country's top executive job.
NBC News has obtained a letter by Mr. Rolpagarea to Governor General Sir Michael Ogio, asking him to quote "observe and give full" effect to the Monday's Supreme Court decision.
A copy of that letter has also been sent to Peter O'Neil, and his cabinet.
The same document may have been sent to all heads of foreign missions in the country.
Its understood, the Governor General had acted according to this advise, which got him purportedly sacked yesterday afternoon, by Parliament.
Meanwhile, the O'Neill/Namah government says it was a mistake for the Governor General, Sir Michael Ogio, to receive advice from sources other than the National Executive Council and or Parliament.
Doctor Allan Marat says it was wrong for the State Solicitor, Daniel Rolpagarea, to give direct advice to the Governor General.
Dr. Marat says the proper process is for the State Solicitor to give that advice to him as Attorney General and head of the Ministry, who in turn will advise the National Executive Council, Parliament and the Governor General, accordingly.
He says as it turned out, the Governor General had acted outside the vested interest of the democratic country of Papua New Guinea.
Dr. Marat also called on Grand Chief, Sir Michael Somare to accept the Parliamentary process and the spirit of democracy where majority rules and relinquish the leadership to young leaders like Mr. O'Neill.
PNG's Leadership tussel hits News
Tussle for PM’s post gets world attention
Source: The National, Thursday 15th December 2011
UN boss voices concern over leadership deadlock in PNG
Source: The National, Thursday 15th December 2011
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern yesterday about mounting political tensions in Papua New Guinea, where two prominent politicians each say they are the rightful leader.
Papua New Guinea’s parliament voted earlier on Aug 2 to elect Peter O’Neill as prime minister after determining that the post was vacant when incumbent Sir Michael Somare spent five months abroad for medical treatment, according to media reports.
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that parliament acted illegally, and that Sir Michael – who has returned to Papua New Guinea – should be reinstated.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Ban called on all sides “to exercise maximum restraint and to avoid an escalation of the situation.” – UN News Centre/Pacnews
The Australian reported that Papua New Guinea had plunged into a constitutional crisis, and quoted Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd as saying he was “deeply concerned” over the situation.
“Obviously there are heightened political intentions within Port Moresby with two, as it were, alternative prime ministers. This is unknown terrain in Papua New Guinea,” he said.
“But we, of course, have been urging calm on the part of all parties. The PNG Defence Force has been directed to remain within barracks.”
He said the Australian government was watching the developments very closely and using “quiet diplomacy
with all parties”.
Australians in PNG have been warned to stay away from crowded areas, particularly near the court and government buildings.
The Sydney Morning Herald said Australian diplomats were “caught up in Papua New Guinea’s latest political meltdown as angry police threatened them with machine-guns during a tense night of fighting between supporters of the country’s two would-be prime ministers”.
It said there were rowdy scenes at Government House on Monday night, during which the Australians were threatened, pushed and shoved, then had automatic weapons pointed at them by disgruntled police who wanted Sir Michael reinstated to the top job.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade staff were caught up in the stoush as supporters of the leaders clashed.
“It got a bit hairy but we’re generally OK,” the paper quoted an Australian official as saying.
In UK, the headline of The Guardian read: PNG in crisis as two claim prime ministership.
The newspaper said Sir Michael had been reinstated as prime minister by the country’s highest court but O’Neill was refusing to give up power and that his MPs continued to pass legislation recognising him as leader.
In the United States, the Washington Post said Papua New Guinea was in crisis as rival leaders claimed to be leading the legitimate government.
It described the power struggle as unprecedented and pointed out that PNG was rich in mineral resources, including oil, gold and copper and crops such as coffee and cocoa.
The BBC quoted Rudd as saying: “We don’t want to see blood on the streets. We heard some gunshots last night”.
It quoted a PNG businessman as saying: “We are not expecting any trouble. The army, police and people seem to have accepted the court’s ruling as the legal answer to the stalemate.”
Reuters said the impasse prompted police to call for calm in Port Moresby, and suggested
that the capital had a reputation for street violence.
Parts of the city were ruled by “raskol” criminal gangs, it said.
The wire agency said that despite PNG’s “robust politics”, the nation’s “golden goose” resource sector had largely been left unhindered by the turmoil.
It said that while heavily armed police protected Government House on Tuesday, elsewhere in the city life went on as usual.
In its report, AFP said PNG was an impoverished nation and had been struggling to throw off its reputation as a politically dysfunctional and often lawless nation with a resources boom in the pipeline.
Activist calls for early poll
Source: The National, Thursday 15th December 2011
By SAMUEL RAITANO
THE solution to the current political impasse is for Governor-General Sir Michael Ogio to dissolve Parliament and call for fresh election.
Non-government organisation activist Noel Anjo said Sir Michael should make the right decision in the best interests of the nation.
It follows the stalemate created when on Monday the Supreme Court ruled to restore Sir Michael Somare as Prime Minister while Parliament voted in favour of keeping Peter O’Neill there.
Parliament had in a motion without notice this week quickly amended the National Executive Council and Prime Ministers Act 2002 to give legality to O’Neill’s election to the post of prime minister.
Anjo said the NGOs would stage a peaceful march to the Government House in Port Moresby today to present a petition the Governor-General. They said if he did or could not sign the instruments for either Sir Michael or O’Neill as per legal merit, parliament must be dissolved.
Anjo said the people were confused because there seemed to be two Prime Ministers.
“Sir Michael was reinstated by the court and O’Neill was appointed by the parliament,’’ he said.
“These are decisions by two separate arms of the government who perform separate roles and it is confusing the people.”
Anjo said the ball was in Sir Ogio’s court and he had to do something.
THE solution to the current political impasse is for Governor-General Sir Michael Ogio to dissolve Parliament and call for fresh election.
Non-government organisation activist Noel Anjo said Sir Michael should make the right decision in the best interests of the nation.
It follows the stalemate created when on Monday the Supreme Court ruled to restore Sir Michael Somare as Prime Minister while Parliament voted in favour of keeping Peter O’Neill there.
Parliament had in a motion without notice this week quickly amended the National Executive Council and Prime Ministers Act 2002 to give legality to O’Neill’s election to the post of prime minister.
Anjo said the NGOs would stage a peaceful march to the Government House in Port Moresby today to present a petition the Governor-General. They said if he did or could not sign the instruments for either Sir Michael or O’Neill as per legal merit, parliament must be dissolved.
Anjo said the people were confused because there seemed to be two Prime Ministers.
“Sir Michael was reinstated by the court and O’Neill was appointed by the parliament,’’ he said.
“These are decisions by two separate arms of the government who perform separate roles and it is confusing the people.”
Anjo said the ball was in Sir Ogio’s court and he had to do something.
DNA tests confirm 22 on ill-fated flight
Source: The National, Thursday 15th December 2011
By ANGELINE KARIUS
TWENTY-TWO passengers who died in the Airlines PNG Dash 8 crash in October have been positively identified by DNA testing.
And the repatriation of their bodies will now depend on the coroner who this week was given results of the DNA tests.
Chief of police forensic science services Supt Philip Rambaliku said the identification was carried out by the disaster victim identification team from the Australian federal police.
Those identified are: Jeffery Ako, Simon Tiriman, Christine Matlam, Natasha Bonga, Miria Renagi, Samuel Bid, Debura Rabura, Cicilia Wata, Chloe Matlam, Paul Konia, Jenny Lyne Bal, Lukas Bako, Thomas Kuekue, Saron Doma, Benedict Kanaiu, Michael Hampri, Bill Ase, Philip Barnabas, Robert Sanglela, Mark Save, Bernard James and Langa Divu Mova.
He said the results were sent to the police criminal investigation department team headed by Stephen Yalamu with specific instructions to deliver the file to the coroner, because the case was still before the coroner.
He said the repatriation of the bodies would follow as soon as the coroner approved the warrant to have the bodies buried. The families are waiting for the warrant.
Rambaliku said new blood samples had to be collected from two other passengers, Jeffery Bula and Ian Gagi.
“The first samples taken did not match and so we had to collect new ones,” he said.
He said the samples were collected last week and would be sent shortly to Canberra for testing.
“The forensic team in Port Moresby will keep working until the others are positively identified and cleared including Coltide Bula and Nathan Bonga,” he said.
He said David Olobai was likely to be the last body to be identified as he had no family members alive to collect DNA samples from.
Rambaliku denied that the remaining five yet to be identified could be cited as “missing persons”.
“That is not true. I believe the hospital will have to put aside the remaining bodies until further tests are carried out and results are given,” he said.
Yalamu confirmed receiving the file and delivering it to the coroner on Monday.
TWENTY-TWO passengers who died in the Airlines PNG Dash 8 crash in October have been positively identified by DNA testing.
And the repatriation of their bodies will now depend on the coroner who this week was given results of the DNA tests.
Chief of police forensic science services Supt Philip Rambaliku said the identification was carried out by the disaster victim identification team from the Australian federal police.
Those identified are: Jeffery Ako, Simon Tiriman, Christine Matlam, Natasha Bonga, Miria Renagi, Samuel Bid, Debura Rabura, Cicilia Wata, Chloe Matlam, Paul Konia, Jenny Lyne Bal, Lukas Bako, Thomas Kuekue, Saron Doma, Benedict Kanaiu, Michael Hampri, Bill Ase, Philip Barnabas, Robert Sanglela, Mark Save, Bernard James and Langa Divu Mova.
He said the results were sent to the police criminal investigation department team headed by Stephen Yalamu with specific instructions to deliver the file to the coroner, because the case was still before the coroner.
He said the repatriation of the bodies would follow as soon as the coroner approved the warrant to have the bodies buried. The families are waiting for the warrant.
Rambaliku said new blood samples had to be collected from two other passengers, Jeffery Bula and Ian Gagi.
“The first samples taken did not match and so we had to collect new ones,” he said.
He said the samples were collected last week and would be sent shortly to Canberra for testing.
“The forensic team in Port Moresby will keep working until the others are positively identified and cleared including Coltide Bula and Nathan Bonga,” he said.
He said David Olobai was likely to be the last body to be identified as he had no family members alive to collect DNA samples from.
Rambaliku denied that the remaining five yet to be identified could be cited as “missing persons”.
“That is not true. I believe the hospital will have to put aside the remaining bodies until further tests are carried out and results are given,” he said.
Yalamu confirmed receiving the file and delivering it to the coroner on Monday.
Powerful quake strikes near Lae
Source: The National, Thursday 15th December 2011
By DULCIE OREKE
A powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck near Lae yesterday afternoon but no tsunami warnings were issued.
The quake struck 89km southwest of Lae, at a depth of 121km, at about 3.04pm and was also felt strongly in Wau and moderately in Port Moresby, the geophysical observatory said.
In parts of Port Moresby, workers evacuated buildings immediately as a precaution.
Others were too stunned to do anything while one shop in Boroko had customers fleeing with clothes off the shop’s racks.
Meanwhile, journalists from all around the world called The National in Lae to seek updates, Bulolo police station commander Fred Lelesi reported no major damage within the Wau and Bulolo townships except for injury to two men in a settlement and the bursting of a water tank.
He is expecting reports from Waria and Wau rural sub-districts to be filed today.
Lelesi said the Nambawan Supasto owned by the PNG Forest Products was closed for about an hour when goods were thrown off shelves.
In Lae, the city was shaken for about a minute. Buildings at Top Town shook and coconut palms swayed.
The quake, originally rated as 7.3-magnitude, wrecked displays at Lae’s Foodmart shop and caused some damage to the ceiling, but “touch wood, nothing serious”, manager Albert Martinez told Reuters news agency.
Dolly Kinibo, a receptionist at the Lae International Hotel, told the agency it was “very big”.
“It lasted for two to three minutes. The whole building moved. The Christmas tree moved, we all moved, people are very shaken.
“There are no reports of injuries or damage, but our managers are checking,” she said.
“It was a weird waltz. And the earth I was standing on moved like a liquid stage,” a young woman, Angal Jalamu said. “I went dizzy.”
Although the sea in the Huon Gulf looked like it had ebbed raising fears of a tsunami, seashore residents at Voco Point calmed when they searched the internet for warnings and found none.
Lay and clergymen at Ampo Lutheran church headquarters, where more than 20 members of the church council were meeting to finalise agendas for the synod in Goroka in January, ran out of the building.
The earthquake was also felt in Bougainville, Goroka and Mt Hagen.
The geophysical observatory said the earthquake occurred as a result of the convergent motions of the Solomons and Australian plates.
Clive Collins, a seismologist for Geoscience Australia, told AFP the quake was unlikely to trigger a tsunami.
“That’s the assessment on the basis that it’s about 20km inshore and also it’s about 120km deep and that’s too deep really to cause any tsunami problems.”
But he said landslides could be a problem in the mountainous area.
Residents of Wau, about 20km from the epicentre, told AFP news agency that buildings and the ground had shaken, but there was no major destruction evident.
Papua New Guinea sits atop the seismically active “Pacific Ring of Fire”.
A powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck near Lae yesterday afternoon but no tsunami warnings were issued.
The quake struck 89km southwest of Lae, at a depth of 121km, at about 3.04pm and was also felt strongly in Wau and moderately in Port Moresby, the geophysical observatory said.
In parts of Port Moresby, workers evacuated buildings immediately as a precaution.
Others were too stunned to do anything while one shop in Boroko had customers fleeing with clothes off the shop’s racks.
Meanwhile, journalists from all around the world called The National in Lae to seek updates, Bulolo police station commander Fred Lelesi reported no major damage within the Wau and Bulolo townships except for injury to two men in a settlement and the bursting of a water tank.
He is expecting reports from Waria and Wau rural sub-districts to be filed today.
Lelesi said the Nambawan Supasto owned by the PNG Forest Products was closed for about an hour when goods were thrown off shelves.
In Lae, the city was shaken for about a minute. Buildings at Top Town shook and coconut palms swayed.
The quake, originally rated as 7.3-magnitude, wrecked displays at Lae’s Foodmart shop and caused some damage to the ceiling, but “touch wood, nothing serious”, manager Albert Martinez told Reuters news agency.
Dolly Kinibo, a receptionist at the Lae International Hotel, told the agency it was “very big”.
“It lasted for two to three minutes. The whole building moved. The Christmas tree moved, we all moved, people are very shaken.
“There are no reports of injuries or damage, but our managers are checking,” she said.
“It was a weird waltz. And the earth I was standing on moved like a liquid stage,” a young woman, Angal Jalamu said. “I went dizzy.”
Although the sea in the Huon Gulf looked like it had ebbed raising fears of a tsunami, seashore residents at Voco Point calmed when they searched the internet for warnings and found none.
Lay and clergymen at Ampo Lutheran church headquarters, where more than 20 members of the church council were meeting to finalise agendas for the synod in Goroka in January, ran out of the building.
The earthquake was also felt in Bougainville, Goroka and Mt Hagen.
The geophysical observatory said the earthquake occurred as a result of the convergent motions of the Solomons and Australian plates.
Clive Collins, a seismologist for Geoscience Australia, told AFP the quake was unlikely to trigger a tsunami.
“That’s the assessment on the basis that it’s about 20km inshore and also it’s about 120km deep and that’s too deep really to cause any tsunami problems.”
But he said landslides could be a problem in the mountainous area.
Residents of Wau, about 20km from the epicentre, told AFP news agency that buildings and the ground had shaken, but there was no major destruction evident.
Papua New Guinea sits atop the seismically active “Pacific Ring of Fire”.
NGO and TI to push for dialogue, leaders call for traditional Melanesian mediation
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Source: the Papua New Guinea Blogs, for more follow http://www.pngblogs.com/
Papua New Guinea created history yet again today, when Parliament suspended the Governor General Sir Michael Ogio, for refusing to swear-in Peter O'Neil, as Prime Minister.The O'Neil Cabinet met after lunch today, deciding on the fate of the G-G and then went ahead with the decision, after Parliament resumed, this afternoon.The Governor-General was summoned this morning by Parliament to swear in Mr O'Neil at around two o'clock, but he refused saying, he only recognizes the Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare, as the legitimate Prime Minister.Speaker of Parliament, Jeffery Nape, will now be the acting Governor-General, with all likelihood of him swearing-in Peter O'Neil, as the Prime Minister.
Well known Activist, Noel Anjo tells PNGFM that they will be peacefully gathering at Waigani today to petition the Governor General Sir Michael Ogio to immediately intervene into the current political crises and immediately call for the two current Prime Ministers to come
Well known Activist, Noel Anjo tells PNGFM that they will be peacefully gathering at Waigani today to petition the Governor General Sir Michael Ogio to immediately intervene into the current political crises and immediately call for the two current Prime Ministers to come
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)