Baki gets support to probe errant cops                                                                                  The police association has supported police commissioner Gari Baki’s plans to set up a special police unit dedicated to investigate and prosecuting police officers’ involvement in criminal activities.
Association president Robert Ali and the general secretary Clemence Kanau in a joint statement were furious that such actions by the minority of bad apples were not portraying the good image of the constabulary and the hard work other loyal and dedicated members of the force were putting towards maintaining law and order and protecting property and lives of citizens of this country.
“We will not be used to defend industrially or legally, the actions of rouge officers if terminated or disciplined by Baki,” Mr Ali said.
Mr Baki would get the full support of the association to:
l Recall police uniform being abused by private security guards at the entrance of all the commercial shops in the country;
l Immediately suspend the recruitment and or training of all reserved, auxiliary and special constables: and
lReview the criteria of recruitment of the reserve and auxiliary personnel.
Mr Ali and the general secretary advised its members to remain loyal and to uphold the constitutional duties as the association was doing everything possible to improve the terms and conditions of all service personnel.

Stray dog joins Gerehu police                                                           
By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
A STRAY undernourished dog is now a fully-fledged unofficial trained police dog attached to the Gerehu police station in Port Moresby.
Gerehu police officers said yesterday that the dog they have named as Sgt Koiso now healthy and active, wandered into their police station in 2005 and since then he had helped them track down suspects around Gerehu.
“One time he helped me apprehend a car jacking suspect. That suspect was running away when Koiso ran after him and got him for me,” an officer said.
They said when they brought suspects to be questioned, he also joined in and barked vigorously to help them provide information.
“Several wanted suspects in Gerehu area have their own experience of encountering Koiso,” they added.
Koiso is also known by Gerehu residents for his involvement in police operations.
“We feed Koiso at the police station. He never leaves unnecessarily but on our orders and that is to track down suspects,” one police officer said.

Kumalu River mars travellers’ weekend
By FRANK RAI
COMMUTERS and freight trucks heading for Wau and Buloloor returning to Lae, were stranded for almost one and a half days when the Kumalu River burst its banks again over the weekend.
Heavy rain caused the Kumalu River to flood into a new section of the Wau-Bulolo Highway causing severe damages.
Commuters and trucking companies were stranded on either side of the road until Saturday afternoon when three heavy earth moving machineries hired by the Works Department cleared mud and debris.

Final relief aid to Oro from ENB
The second batch of relief aid from East New Britain province left Rabaul last Thursday bound for Oro province on the Defence Force landing barge HMPNGS Buna.
The shipment of relief supplies consists of 45 tonnes of assorted store goods, planting materials and hardware goods being accompanied by six officers from the ENB Oro Relief Committee.
Provincial disaster coordinator Aaron Maramun will be flying over to Oro to meet with the ship, when it arrives in Oro today.
Mr Maramun said, while in Oro he and his officers would be making sure that these relief supplies are well distributed among those affected by the Oro floods.
He said they would be utilising the Red Cross network in Oro, while liaising with the State of Emergency (SoE) controller, Col Vagi Oala to ensure that the ENB aid benefits those most affected.
Mr Maramun said the shipment was the final one from East New Britain and that the ENB Oro Relief Committee would be winding down as soon as they furnish a report to the ENB Provincial Government.
The relief committee raised over K120,000 from various fundraising appeals it made and this had all been exhausted with the final shipment now headed for Oro.
Mr Maramun thanked all the communities in the province, including business houses, non-government organisations (NGO’s) and churches for their donations.
He also made special mention of the ENB provincial government for giving K50,000 towards the appeal.

Daulo pass restored for normal traffic
NORMAL traffic flow was restored at the Daulo Pass section of the Highlands Highway last Friday afternoon.
He said the temporary by-pass was only for light vehicles, but heavy trucks freighting supplies from Lae managed to pass through over the weekend.
Mr Sapalo said major clearance work was still going on to clear huge debris sitting on top of the highway.
The landslip last week had affected about 200 metres of the highway.
Goroka based Department of Works Engineer Dominic Keoa said the by-pass was important especially for students travelling to school for this academic year.
He said people in Chimbu, Western Highlands, Enga and Southern Highlands provinces would be affected with temporary shortage of goods and services for the next three months.
Covec Ltd is clearing the landslide. Mr Keoa blamed the prolonged rainy period in the region as the cause of the landslide. He added that the creeks along the highway were also swelling due to the heavy rain, which resulted in floods washing away soil downstream.
Peter Tange, a commuter who travelled from Lae into Mt Hagen on the weekend said locals at Daulo are forcing passengers to pay K5 ‘just to walk across the landslip’. He said police are even just standing and watching, while these self-claimed Daulo landowners demand payment for crossing their land to get onto the other side of the highway for waiting vehicles.

Three dead in road accident in Mt Hagen
By ANDREW ALPHONSE
THREE people were killed in a road accident at Keltiga village outside Mt. Hagen last Friday evening.
Police said a 15-seater bus was travelling at high speed from Hagen to Nebilyer when one of its tyre burst. The vehicle spun out of control and overturned, killing two people and injuring another.
The injured person was taken to the Mt Hagen General Hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival.
The two who died instantly were elderly men, aged 75 and 65, and were from Wipip and Dumakona villages respectively, in the Nebilyer district.
A young woman who seriously sustained head injuries is now fighting for her life at the Kudjip Nazarene hospital.
Other passengers were also treated for injuries sustained in the accident at the emergency ward but were discharged yesterday morning.
Hospital staff confirmed that some passengers were treated for injuries at the ward and were discharged the next morning.
Police said the driver was not injured , but was facing a possible charge of reckless driving.

A new building for UPNG
By NIDRA KEWERE MAPI
THE National Government has approved K9 million for the construction of a new building complex for the law school at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG).
This was announced by UPNG Vice-Chancellor Ross Hynes.
The building to be completed by 2009 or earlier, will contain moot courts, lecture theatres, a computer room, classrooms, a library, a conference and board room and an administration and staff centre with modern facilities.
The building would address the challenge of lack of space faced by the law school.
He said K1 million would be spent this year on finalising specifications of the building and the construction is expected to start next year or earlier.
Prof Hynes said another challenge of the Law School was in holding good staff.
He said the terms and conditions of employment for this school staff did not compare favourably with employment packages in the Government, the judiciary or private practice.
A total of 153 first year students have been accepted into the Bachelor of Law programme and 27 in the Diploma in Law this year.

Need to review borders
THERE is no proper management of the international borders over the years, Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Abal has admitted in Parliament. Funding over the last 30 years had been inadequate, which was one factor that attributed to the problems arising from the borders between the Autonomous Region of Bougainville and Solomon Islands, Daru and Torres Strait of Australia and the mainland border of PNG and Indonesia. Mr Abal stressed on the need to review the foreign policy as the surrounding issues of piracy, surveillance, guns and marijuana trading, human smuggling among others involved the efforts from different government agencies in containing them.

Moroi supports sidelining Ipou
CENTRAL province governor Alphonse Moroi last week supported the sidelining of Goilala district administrator Tumai Ipou saying it would allow for investigations to flow smoothly without interference from the officer concerned. Mr Moroi said the officer Mr Ipou had been sidelined on the recommendations by the National Finance Department due to serious allegations of financial mismanagement in the Goilala district involving state monies earmarked for specific projects. Mr Ipou was sideline last October by the provincial administrator Raphael Yipmaramba acting on recommendations by the national Department of Finance and Treasury.

Floating coffins re-buried
TWO coffins containing bodies were found floating down a river in Dunatina area of Henganofi district Eastern Highlands province following heavy rain over the past weeks. A local man from Dunantina Peter Hojao said the massive landslide that occurred at Keseu village washed away the village cemetery. Among the debris floating down the river were the coffins of two people recently buried. The coffins were retrieved by villagers and re-buried immediately.

Police arrest alleged killer
POLICE in Rabaul have arrested a man for allegedly stabbing and killing another from his own area after being intoxicated with marijuana. According to police reports, Jass Gunba, 40, from Sarangodu village in the Wosera district of East Sepik stabbed and killed Steven Kopsen, 30, with a bush knife when he was heavily under the influence of marijuana. The incident happened on Feb 1 in a settlement along the Brendan street in Rabaul, when the deceased employed by the Guard Dog security firm in the province was asleep in his house after returning from work.

Serious crimes increasing                                                                                                ACTING provincial police commander Chief Insp Samuel Niba has said the incidents of serious crimes such as murder, armed robbery, incest and rape was increasing in the province over the last two months with a total of 30 cases reported so far. Chief Insp Niba had also appealed to the communities and citizens to help reduce crime in the province as the increase in the last two months may set a bad crime precedent in the province for the whole 2008 year.

Call to elect honest leaders
A COMMUNITY leader from West Yangoru has called on the people of Yangoru Saussia to elect good and honest leaders in the coming local level government elections. Councillor Michael Yomu said the National Government had allocated K10 million to each districts and if we are not careful those who are hungry for money will eat up everything.