Sir Paulias welcomes Rotary Club volunteers                                                                 By JOSHUA ARLO
Over 50 Port Moresby-based Rotary Club volunteers including US Ambassador to PNG Leslie Rowe paid a courtesy visit on Governor General Sir Paulias Matane and his wife Lady Kaludia last Tuesday.
The visit was also to tour and learn the history of the State House and learn about its historical significance.
Sir Paulias and his wife officially met the volunteers – men, women and children – and thanked them for making the visit as it was the first time a charity organisation had ever visited the official residential of the Head of the State.
“It is the first time ever for a group of volunteers and children to come here since I became Governor-General,” Sir Paulias said.
He said he was also once involved in the Rotary Club and was the president of the group in the early 1970’s.
Sir Paulias said the State House and the area where it was built was chosen by Peter Scratchley in 1885 as it overlooked the Port Moresby harbour.
He said in 1886 the homestead was built and since then it had been the official residence of all the Governor-Generals.
Sir Paulias said since then, the house had been changed and many of the furniture are new, partly from the Chinese government and other donors since he began his term.
Sir Paulias said most of the flower gardens were redone by his wife Lady Kaludia.
Acting president of Rotary Club Chris Smith thanked Sir Paulias for inviting them and said they were looking forward for more visits in the future.
He said Rotary Club in Port Moresby, other centres and around the world were committed to help the underprivileged communities with resources such as the Malaria mosquito nets project.
He said Rotary also helped schools with resources that were needed.
Mr Smith was impressive that a former president of their organisation had also become the head of state in PNG.

Justice Dept farewells colleague                                                                          
EMPLOYEES at the Department of Justice and Attorney-General this week bid farewell to one of their long-time colleague, who died in Australia while on study leave.
Led by Attorney-General Dr Allan Marat and acting Department Secretary Hitelai Kiele Polume, the staff attended a memorial service on Tuesday for Steven Lyungiakali Seta, the department’s late Assistant Secretary for Human Resources Management.
Seta, 47, from Yaramanda village in Enga province, died in Townsville, where he was on a three-year study at the James Cook University under an AusAID scholarship.
He died from a liver disease.
Colleagues described him as a soft-spoken man who was committed to his work.
He was a strong member of the Assembly of God church, who unselfishly gave his free time to help the under-privileged children and youth in the city, a task he undertook with other members of his church.
Speaking at the memorial service, his daughter Pamela described her father as a champion who loved his wife and four children dearly, and who never wavered in his faith in God.
Seta is survived by his wife, and children Pamela, Kenya, Judah and Makula.

DPM prioritises appointment processing                                                            
By ELIZABETH VUVU
in Kimbe
THE Department of Personal Management (DPM) will now be giving high priority to its appointment processes for heads of departments and provincial administrators.
This was according to Hansel Kakimo of the DPM agency, who said current process of getting ready and making appointments was holding up everything.
“There is no timeframe given to the key players in the process, once they received the paperwork, the work gets on,” Mr Kakimo said.
He said a direction had been given by the Minister for Public Service and Pomio MP, Paul Tiensten to the DPM secretary Margaret Elias that this issue is given high priority.
“The lesser people involved in the process, the faster appointments can be made and officers within the DPM will be put on a timeframe. The timeframe will be like a target to achieved,” he said.
He said officers did not value their work, especially in their line of duty and the department was keen on eliminating this and at the same time adding more value to their work.
Appointment process for department heads was among three other projects that DPM had undertaken to improve and implement as part of its involvement in the service improvement programme (SIP), where Mr Kakimo is the coordinator.
The other three projects to be implemented include contract administration for senior officers and discipline, records and file management.
Mr Kakimo said SIP introduced new methodology and tools to apply at workplace. It emphasised on improved service delivery with customer focus and within available resources.
SIP is being adopted to support devolution project, especially in re-engineering human resource business processes that would be effective and efficient.

Assaigo faces fresh challenge
By NIDRA KEWERE MAPI
THE Public Services Commission has made a decision to reinstate Joseph Assaigo to his job as director-general of the National Security Advisory Secretariat, but this decision is being challenged in court.
Mr Assaigo was suspended at the height of the Julian Moti inquiry for allegedly being involved in the secret operation to fly Moti out of PNG on Oct 10, 2006, to avoid arrest by the Australian federal police.
Mr Assaigo insisted the orders to remove Moti came from those above him, and challenged his suspension in court.
He also wrote to the PSC, which determined his case and ordered last Sept 24 that he be reinstated.
Chief Secretary to Government Isaac Lunar is challenging this PSC decision, and the matter came before National Court in Wigan on Tuesday.
Leave was granted for Mr Lupari’s challenge to be heard, and the case is set for March 14.

Allan off to Monaco
PAPUA New Guinea and its New York-based consultant on global warming Dr Kevin Conrad, will feature again in an international forum on the environment and global warming.
The three-day event in Monaco, France, which starts next Wednesday and ends on Friday, will not be as high profile as the Bali conference on climate change, but is just as important.
The PNG team to the forum consists of Dr Conrad, Environment Minister Benny Allan, and John Aruga from the Department of Environment and Conservation.
In Bali last year, PNG gained recognition in the international media when Dr Conrad, who was born and raised in Sepik, led calls for the United States to follow the rest of the world on agreed limits of carbon emission.
The forum in Monaco is the 10th special session of governing council/global ministerial environment forum of the United Nations environment programme.
Mr Allan has been invited to chair the Commonwealth environment ministers’ session.
Mr Allan will also meet the British environment minister in London, a meeting that was arranged by the British High Commission in Port Moresby.

Ashfall blocks flights
By VERONICA MANUK
AIR Niugini flights into Tokua in East New Britain have been temporary suspended as of yesterday morning due to heavy volcanic ash downfall.
According to Air Niugini office, all flights have been suspended for an indefinite period due to heavy dust on the runway.
Most passengers affected were the students arriving to attend various institutions in the province as well as those leaving for same in other centres of the country.
Reports from DCA stated that Air Niugini flights were the most affected because the planes have turbine engines which normally suck in air.

Abal heads for FMC meet in Honiara
RAMSI, the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands will be reviewed at a Forum Ministerial Committee meeting which begins tomorrow in Honiara.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Immigration Samuel Abel will be attending the meeting, which was endorsed by the leaders at the 37th Pacific Islands Forum meeting held in Tonga in October last year.
Mr Abal said in a statement yesterday that the FMSC on RAMSI is the first of its kind to be held.
“The meeting is a result of a decision by the leaders at the 37th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting which resolved to establish a task force to impetuously review Ramsi under two phase consultation process,” Mr Abal said.

ESP man knifed to death
Police in Yangoru, East Sepik, reported yesterday that a man who had sustained knife wounds to this head and other parts of his body died last weekend.
“His left arm and leg were completely chopped off following an argument that turned nasty last Saturday,” police said.
According to reports reaching the provincial police headquarters in Wewak, two people from Yangoro had an argument over a chicken, which ended with punches being thrown at each other.
Police said the suspect left and returned with three others including an auxiliary policeman, who attacked and killed 27-year-old James Huanare Kolohu of Nindipole village, West Yangoru.
Police spokesman in Wewak said the suspects are known and Yangoru police would arrest and charged them anytime this week.
Meanwhile Wewak police are also investigating a major break-in and stealing at the Wewak Christian bookshop early this week.
Police said electrical items valued at over K100,000 were removed from the shop early Monday morning by thieves, who broke in from the rear of the shop.
The suspects are still at large but investigations are continuing.

Mob attacks students
By ZACHERY PER
A GROUP of students at Aiyura National High School outside Kainantu, Eastern Highlands povince were attacked by a drunken mob who are supposedly children of ancillary staff of the school.
Eastern Highlands provincial police commander Supt Teddy Tei said police quickly intervened to take control of the situation.
He said the intoxicated mob attacked the students within the school premises, injuring two students.
The suspects are now in police custody.
Supt Tei issued a stern warning to communities in educational institutions, not only at Aiyura National High School but also at other institutions, not to cause problems for students.
A staff member at Aiyura National High School said the incident occurred at the weekend but quick police intervention stopped the situation from turning nasty.

SI students’ enrolment in PNG on the rise: Envoy
By HARLYNE JOKU
THE enrolment of Solomon Islands (SI) students in Papua New Guinea (PNG) tertiary institutions is increasing yearly.
Solomon Islands High Commissioner to PNG Bernard Bata’anisia said yesterday that the SI students’ intake into PNG tertiary institutions was expected to increase from 140 to 170.
He said this was because the SI students were taking advantage of being educated in PNG institutions as the PNG academic environment suited their own, adding SI-PNG relationship would be strengthened with the opening of the SI Chancery in Port Moresby next year.
He said most SI students were enrolled at the Unitech (University of Technology), UPNG (University of Papua New Guinea)’s Medical faculty and the main campus in Port Moresby, the Divine Word University in Madang and the Pacific Adventist University.
Mr Bata’anisia added the SI-PNG relationship would be further strengthened with the opening of the SI Chancery in Port Moresby next year.
The ground-breaking ceremony of the chancery is to take place next Monday.
The SI Foreign Affairs Minister William Haomae will be arriving in Port Moresby on Saturday to attend the occasion.

Blackout for NCD
BUSINESS and local residential homes in the city will be experiencing power interruptions for the next couple of days .
This would be due to load shedding being carried out by PNG Power Ltd.
PNG Power Ltd chief executive officer Patrick Mara, in a statement, apologised to consumers for the late warning of the power interruptions experienced on Tuesday.

Refined ICT policy welcomed
PORT Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry (POMCCI) spokesman David Conn has welcomed the Prime Minister’s recent statement on the refined ICT policy, which reaffirms the Government’s commitment to competition in the telecommunications sector.
Mr Conn said POMCCI was not able to formerly comment on the staged introduction of open competition until they have seen the full document and the timeframes in it.

TIPNG commends Marat
TRANSPARENCY international PNG (TIPNG) has commended the Attorney-General Dr Allan Marat for strongly criticising corruption at the highest level in public service. TI PNG chairman Mike Manning said it was about time leaders openly address corruption as their priority one issue and take action and not to be ignorant about it. Mr Manning said corruption eats into society like nobody’s business taking many form.

Arore challenges media
IJIVITARI MP David Arore has challenged the media to name the politician involved in the sex incident at Gordon recently. Mr Arore said generalised media reports had started the rumour mill working and suspicion by members of the public on all MPs from Papuan region. He said people from the electorates were calling their MPs because of the media reports suspecting their involvement. Others MPs who are of the same view are Bulolo MP Sam Basil and Kairuku Hiri MP Paru Aihi.

Extension of SoE lauded
THE extension to the State of Emergency (SoE) in Oro by Parliament last week has been applauded by a local Anglican priest and community worker of Kokoda. Rev Fr Rodrick Vana, who is also general manager to Kokoda trail adventures and trekking, said the provincial government without the SoE could not handle the recovery programme. Fr Rodrick said the relief assistance was also not evenly distributed to all parts of the province that were affected. He said people in the Kokoda area still needed help and the extension of the SoE would ensure that such help was received.

Landslide cuts off road link
ROAD links from Mul-Baiyer and Dei districts in the Western Highlands into Mount Hagen city has been cut off as a result of landslide. Traffic was impassable following a landslide which blocked all trucks and PMVs’ access the Baiyer into Mt Hagen section of the highway at Nengal village. The land slide occurred last Friday around midnight following heavy rain near the 600m deep Makantep gorge. Locals had to walk with their coffee bags and store goods to catch the waiting PMVs’ on the other side. Department of Works employees from Mt Hagen last Monday moved to the site to remove the slip with the landowners demanding compensation, halting any work.