No word yet on K6.5 million fund for Oro province                                              By SHEILA LASIBORI
THE health restoration team in Oro province is yet to receive any word on its K6.5 million budget submission it made through the office of the state of emergency (SoE) last December.
The K6.5million was the estimated cost for short and medium term efforts to restore health services to the affected remote areas including the construction of four aid posts that were reportedly washed away.
Purchase of vaccines and antibiotics to prevent a possible outbreak of diseases and other flood-related health problems is also to be covered through this estimated money plan.
In recent weeks, there have been unconfirmed reports of an outbreak of yaws, a contagious disease to the body, characterised by an eruption of strawberry-like sores, mostly on the legs.
Most of the unconfirmed reports have been coming in from some care centres where some people reportedly had several sores on parts of their bodies including their legs.
But chief executive officer of Popondetta General Hospital Sem Vegogo said the reports needed to be medically proven by medical officers and health workers.
Controller of the SoE Col Vagi Oala had also raised concerns regarding the reported outbreak of yaws, which he said could have been contained if necessary funding was made available to purchase vaccines.
The health restoration team, headed by the Popondetta General Hospital, is reportedly still waiting for funds that was supposed to be released through the Office of National Disaster.
Mr Vegogo said yesterday they were still awaiting any form of funding for the rehabilitation work.

Young man shows disability is no hindrance to
being productive                                                                
BEING disabled does not stop a person from being productive and from contributing towards development.
This was the positive message shown by Smith Malakai, a disabled young man from Magarima in the Southern Highlands province.
Mr Malakai turned up at the Papua New Guinea National Disaster Centre Office at Waigani with half a bale of assorted secondhand clothes and donated it as his contribution to help the flood victims in Oro province.
The clothes worth K650 were purchased with money he raised to purchase his own electric wheel-chair which he gave up because the money was insufficient.
Acting director of the PNG National Disaster Centre Martin Mose thanked Mr Malakai for making such an extraordinary effort to support and help the people who have been affected in Oro.
“Disaster affects everyone and our friend has shown the true meaning of giving to the needy even though he is handicapped,” Mr Mose said.

Parents disgruntled over alleged misuse of funds in primary school
By ALISON ANIS
PARENTS and school board members of New Erima Primary School are questioning why no arrests have been made by the police over alleged misappropriation of K120,000 school funds by previous school board and headmaster.
They said although there was substantial evidence from the internal audit team from the Education Department pointing to their alleged anomaly, the national fraud and anti-corruption unit “were sitting on the evidence and letting the culprits run around freely”.
However, investigation officers from the national fraud and anti-corruption unit confirmed last Tuesday that the delay was with the bank in releasing financial statements showing transactions by the school for the last two years.
The parents and the board were particularly concerned that head master who was implicated in the anomaly had resumed duties as headmaster at a separate primary school in Port Moresby.
“The headmaster has already been implicated along with the previous board members in allegations of misuse of funds and should not be allowed back in school,” the board members said.
They said when they were appointed by the parents in August, they wasted no time in helping the police and the internal audit team of the education board to investigate into the matter.
“The issue was referred to the national fraud and anti-corruption unit by the internal audit team two months ago with sufficient evidence pointing to their arrests, but we are wondering why the arrest has not taken place yet,” they said.

Sugar plastic packs to carry AIDS slogan
By MADELEINE AREK
THE red ribbon, synonymous with the fight against HIV/AIDS can now be spotted on plastic sugar bags sold in shops nationwide.
The initiative by Ramu Agri-Industries (RAIL) and the Burnet Institute administrated Tingim Laip project at Gusap is aimed at combating the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country and the stigma and discrimination associated with it.
The project launched last December now sees the red ribbon in a thicker red printed on a white backdrop with the words “Lukautim ol lain stap wantain HIV/AIDS - em pasin blong yumi” encircled around it on plastic sugar packet produced by RAIL.
When it was first launched the sugar bags carried the slogan “Caring for those living with HIV/AIDS is the sweetest thing-like sugar”.
RAIL sales and marketing manager Greg Baker said the new look sugar bags are now available on shop shelves nationwide and are part of the company’s social awareness programme as a leading manufacturer and employer in the country.
Tingim Laip project officer Simon Kange said the initiative was not only significant for the company but also for the project
“And we are using that client base to spread our message in places where there was no health worker but where sugar is available,” he said.

K10 mil for projects in Kokopo
By ELIZABETH VUVU
PROJECTS approved by the Kokopo joint district planning and budget priority committee to be funded under the district K10 million are to be transferred to Gazelle Restoration Authority and other implementing agencies.
Kokopo MP Patrick Tammur said that this was the first year for any district to receive a budget of K10 million in one year, therefore, there was an enormous pressure placed on the district as far as implementation was concerned.
To release the pressure other implementing partners need to be considered.
They are the Water Board and PNG Power.
He said the amount allocated to each of the projects do not have any scope of work to guide budgeting, thus the need to use GRA and other implementing agencies to do proper scoping to implement and effectively complete the projects.
Mr Tammur said the district administration does not have adequate capacity especially in civil engineering to implement some projects.
Projects include the Raluana LLG water supply project, Duke of York ring road upgrading and sealing, Bitapaka ring road upgrading and sealing, Kokopo/Vunamami local level government rural roads upgrading project, Bitapaka growth centre sub-division, Rakanda growth centre sub-division and clearance, Rakanda growth centre jetty,Ramale/Livuan/Bitagalip power supply reticulation,Butuwin/Butuwin block power supply reticulation, Kokopo Urban public toilet and Tapo health centre relocation to Bitapaka growth centre.
 

4 cops on ice over shooting death
By JAMES APA GUMUNO
FOUR policemen in the Enga province have been suspended from duty in connection with the killing of a man in Laiagam last month.
Enga provincial police chief Supt Michael Chare said yesterday the four members of the Mobile Squad 12 based in Laiagam were suspended from duty with pay pending an investigation.
The alleged killing occurred on Feb 3 between 8 and 9am when the policemen were driving to Porgera.
Mr Chare said that on the way some Yuango villagers allegedly threw stones at the police vehicle. The policemen stopped the vehicle and fired their guns as a group of men ran into the bushes. The policemen then got in their vehicle and went to Porgera.
About 30 minutes later, people from Laiagam turned up at Porgera Police Station with a dead body, alleging that the police had shot him dead.
The deceased was identified as Hobert Jessy, 25, from Yuango village and married with one child.
Chare said an internal investigation unit was now investigating the matter to establish the cause of the death and who was responsible.
He commended the people for not taking the law into their own hands, and allowing the law to take its course.

Court strikes out inciting case against MP
THE court case involving Kagua-Erave MP James Lagea, who was charged with inciting a fight, was struck out by the Boroko District Court yesterday.
He was arrested and charged last Dec 10 for inciting a fight over an alleged fraudulent withdrawal of about K232,000 from his electorates trust account.
A Southern Highlands businessman who was believed to be a signatory to the account, was bashed up in the incident.
Lagea pleaded not guilty to the charge through his counsel in the first hearing last Dec 11 and the matter was adjourned for trial yesterday.
In court yesterday, police prosecution made an application before the magistrate to withdraw the matter as they had insufficient evidence against Lagea to proceed with the trial.
Lagea’s counsel Rickson Pokea, also made an alternative application to strike the case out, which the court granted.

Police inspector charged with murder
By JAMES APA GUMUNO
A SENIOR police officer in Enga province was yesterday arrested and charged with wilful murder.
Provincial police commander Supt Michael Chare said police arrested and charged Martin Lakari, a chief inspector by rank, over the shooting death of a student during the election period in Kandep last year.
Mr Chare said Lakari was formerly charged after seven months of investigation carried out by criminal investigation officers from Wabag and Mt Hagen.
It is believed Lakari’s arrest is in connection with the killing at Mambal village in Kandep last July 4 when police opened fired to disperse villagers at a roadblock.
Mr Chare identified the deceased as Noah Pyaro, 18, who was attending Kandep High School. Pyaro died instantly at the scene of the shooting.
He said Lakari was in police custody and has talked to his lawyers, who will make a bail application at the Mt Hagen National Court today.
He appealed to Lakari’s tribesmen not to take the law into their own hands and allow the law to take its course.

UPNG set to open campus in Honiara
The University of Papua New Guinea has its presence in almost every province in PNG and will be opening another Open Campus in Honiara, Solomon Island, this year.
This is part of UPNG’s commitment to providing excellence in teaching and to research and development to live up to its vision to becoming “the premier university by making available quality education, research and service to PNG and the Pacific”.
University of Papua New Guinea Vice-Chancellor Prof Ross Hynes said this in his message to new students at its orientation programme held yesterday.
He said UPNG had around 10 specialised research centres and centres of excellence in addition to two substantial campuses at Taurama and Waigani and the Motupore Island Research Centre.
University of Papua New Guinea curently has five Open Campuses.
They are located at Buka,Autonomous Region of Bouganville; Kokopo, East New Britain; Madang; Mt Hagen, Western Highlands; and the National Capital District (NCD).
 

Rains and floods damage Wau-Bulolo Highway
By SAMPSON BONAI
HEAVY rains have caused wide-spread flooding that damaged various sections of the Wau-Bulolo Highway between Lae and Bulolo yesterday.
Morobe administrator Manasupe Zurenuoc, who travelled by road to Bulolo yesterday for the official opening of the Bulolo Airport, was shocked to see many sections of the highway being severed by floods.
“The smooth flow of goods and services into the area is going to be affected,” Mr Zurenuoc said.
He is expected to contact provincial works manager John Wakma today and brief him on the shocking state of the roads between Lae and Bulolo and to have engineers sent over to assess the extent of the damage.
Mr Zurenuoc saw that the worst section of the roads was between Mumeng and Bangulum Bridge, with houses likely to be washed away during heavy flooding.
Another water-covered section of the road was near Gawapu village.

ABG president told to remain in office till 2010
By ALOYSIUS LAUKAI
THE Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) president Joseph Kabui has been urged to remain in office until the 2010 ABG elections.
Chiefs from the Kieta district made the call in a special meeting held at Arawa market last Feb 1.
This followed the demand by some North Bougainville chiefs for the president to step down from the presidency following the burning down of the Kieta district office recently.
However, the chiefs told the president to remain in office because he was given a mandate by the people to be their leader.
The chiefs said that the president could only be removed from office through the electoral process that would be the ABG elections in 2010.
Amongst the chiefs who urged president Kabui to continue to lead the people of Bougainville was former Bougainville hardliners, chairman David Sisito now calling himself as an opposer to the government.
Mr Kabui went to Arawa to speak to the people about the deteriorating law and order in the area and to find out if they wanted him out of office.

Man held over wife’s death
Police in East Britain are holding a man who allegedly punched and kicked his wife to death.
Kokopo police station commander Insp David Yapu said the incident happened last weekend during a heated domestic argument between the couple at the Rabagi village in the Toma/Vunadidir area.
Insp Yapu said the suspect identified as Rein Mari, 36, from the Vunakabi village also in the Toma/Vunadidir area allegedly kicked his wife Maryanne Boro on both sides of her body and chest.
She collapsed and died instantly at the scene.
Police received reports of the incident and detained the suspect in fear of retaliation from the wife’s relatives.
The body is now at the Nonga Base General Hospital mortuary awaiting post mortem autopsy.
Meanwhile police in Kokopo have captured a prison escapee last Friday at his home village in Malaguna in Rabaul.
Identified as Ereman Kenny, 26, he was convicted to three years for robbery in 2002, when he escaped the same year from the Kerevat hospital, while undergoing treatment.
A police task force from Kokopo converged on a tip off and made the arrest after surrounding the house he was sleeping in.