Duo nabbed with marijuana                                        
By JOSHUA ARLO
AUXILIARY police at the Gordon National Capital District have nabbed two Goilala men at Gordon market yesterday afternoon for possessing 20kg of marijuana, worth nearly K2,000.
The duo Keru Tion, 28- year-old, married with five children and Albert Kevavu, 29-year-old who lives at Brown River along the Hiritano Highway, are from Tapini, Goilala district in Central province.
Police charged both men over possession of illegal drugs and locked them up at the Gordon police station.
Officer in charge of the auxillary police at Gordon and community relations officer Philip Ninani said the auxillary police attached to the Cop Shop at Gordon market arrested the two men after they got out of a PMV, carrying the illegal drugs.
The 20kg of marijuana was packed in two 10kg Roots Rice bags and sewn on the top with a bush rope.
The major suspect is Tion, who flew in yesterday from Tapini to Jackson airport with the marijuana.
Tion managed to get through security checks at Tapini and Jackson before meeting his companion.
Police said that Tion then went to Brown River where he met Kevavu and asked him K30 for bus fare. They then travelled back to the Gordon market.
Police said when the two men saw them they panicked and tried to run, which made police suspicious of them.
Then they quickly arrested the two suspects.
Mr Ninani said that Tion claimed he was trying to sell the drugs to feed his family back at Tapini.
Station commander Insp John Mark said this was a big bust for the Gordon police as most illegal drugs made their way through Gordon before going to other areas.

No records management system in Govt Depts                                                                  
By MADELEINE AREK
MOST of the country’s Government departments lack an effective archives and a records management system, an academic and a private consultant has said.
According to Sam Kaima, who is currently in Lae, many employees do not know when and how to maintain files, often leaving valuable documents on the basement of buildings and in shipping containers to rot.
“The National Archives, responsible for keeping and managing important historical information, is not equipped to effectively carry out these functions,” Mr Kaima, who is running a weeklong workshop that started yesterday at Rainforest Habitat Training Centre, said.
“But the situation is changing and that is why since 2006, I have been conducting workshops on archives management in partnership with Unitech Development and Consultants Ltd, the business arm of the Unitech,” he said.
“If you cannot get a file, then the filing system is not working. Delay in finding files may mean life and death to patients in case of medical records, ” Mr Kaima said.

‘Sale’ baby dies                                                        
By GABRIEL FITO
AN infant that was reportedly on sale at Maprik market for K150 last Thursday, has died.
The four-days-old baby girl was taken to the hospital by her grandmother in search of medical assistance as her mother had died shortly after giving birth on Feb 17 at Mui village, Maprik.
It was reported that after the hospital said that it could not help the baby because of lack of appropriate facilities, the desperate grandmother offered the infant for sale.
Maprik hospital chief executive officer Dr Stenart Hiasihri said the hospital could not do much for the infant as it did not have a special care nursery for underweight, premature or babies less than one kilogram.
He said babies born with deformities were often referred to the Wewak General Hospital for treatment and care.
According to a reliable source the hospital made every attempt to save the baby, even though it did not have the facilities.
However, the baby died a day later.

Judge lashes out at ‘inept lawyers’
By NIDRA KEWERE MAPI
A JUDGE yesterday lashed out at lawyers for lack of respect for the court and their clients, failing to turn up for election petition cases.
Justice Mark Sevua was critical when a lawyer representing Nipa Kutubu MP Philemon Embel did not turn up in court, but had someone else stand for him.
Mr Embel is defending a petition filed by Robert Kopaol, the man he defeated in last year’s general elections.
The electoral commission was also named as a defendant.
Justice Sevua said lawyers appearing for electoral petition matters had to be in court in person, or else trial dates would not be set for their cases.
But he clearly said that lawyers appearing for the trial should also appear in the directions hearing.
The matter was adjourned to a later date.

Jimi people miss their health centre
By ANDREW ALPHONSE
ABOUT 15, 000 people in the remote Jimi district of the Western Highlands province are affected by the closure of the Tabibuga health centre.
Jimi district administrator Bernard Bal said yesterday the health centre was closed down last year after funds earmarked for its maintenance was allegedly re-diverted by the current MP Goi Wake.
He said the centre was now unable to admit patients and even the outpatient department was also closed for almost a year, leaving people to meet their fate in times of ill-health.
Mr Bal said the contractor commissioned for its maintenance work was unable to do the job due to the alleged re-diversion of the funds by Mr Wake.
Mr Bal urged Mr Wake to release the funds to start maintenance work.

Maprik police accused of trespass
By GABRIEL FITO
POLICE in Maprik, East Sepik province, have been accused of illegally entering two shops and a guest house operated by Asians and demanding their passports, work permits and visas last Sunday night.
A property owner Jimmy Wangi told The National that three policemen under the command of a commissioned officer (all named) were allegedly drunk and acted in a manner which was beyond the accepted standards of decency.
Mr Wangi, whose shop is being rented by a Chinese, said these policemen entered his property between 11pm and 12 midnight and demanded the shop manager to produce his proper immigration documents.
They also threatened to lock up the Chinese if he did not produce the original documents.
When he presented photocopies they squeezed them.
Wangi said when the Chinese went to his room to get his documents, the policemen allegedly stole his mobile phone valued at K1,500, a packet of Pall Mall cigarette (K12.50), a laundry bucket (K10) and K50 in cash.

Expert to study volcanic ash
AN expert studying volcanic ash and gas will be arriving in East New Britain next month to carry out the first-ever study in the country. According to the Rabaul Volcano Observatory, Dr Peter Baxter from the Institute of Public Health with the Cambridge University in London, will be in the province from March 2 to 18 to study air quality. Dr Baxter will assess data of main diseases caused by volcanic ash and gas from hospitals and health centres. He will also find out the short and long-term effects. When completed, the study will be presented to the provincial government.

K4.5mil compo for injuries
EASTERN Highlanders have demanded K4.5 million in compensation from Western Highlands and Enga provincial governments for injuries to one of their men during the recent ethnic clash in which six people died. Eastern Highlander David Olea, who lives in Hagen and works for Kutubu Transport, had four of his fingers chopped off and was stabbed twice on his leg during the violent clash in the city two weeks ago. Olea is married with three children. His people are demanding K3 million, 200 pigs and 100 goats from the Western Highlands provincial government.

Cops fail to arrest suspect
A POLICEMAN who allegedly killed a Grade 8 student in the Southern Highlands province in December is roaming around feely in Mendi town. President of the Lake Kopiago LLG Tom Pakale alleged that police have failed to arrest their colleague who allegedly beat the student to death last Dec 26 in Mendi town. Pakari Yami, 16, from Kopiago was attending the Kopiago Primary School when he was killed. Mr Pakale said he saw the policeman in full uniform accompanying provincial administrator William Powi as a bodyguard last Jan 28 at a PAC meeting in Mandi .

PM should come clean
TRANSPARENCY International Papua New Guinea (TIPNG) chairman Mike Manning has urged Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare to come clean about reported allegations against him that he has a shareholding in a non-government owned (NGO) company that has placed him in a conflict of interest situation. TIPNG understands that the company known as Pacific Register of Ships Ltd (PRS) was not a State owned company and that Sir Michael was alleged to have engaged PRS to perform statutory vessel certification, ship safety and survey services on behalf of the National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA).

Call to probe misuse of funds
The Ombudsman Commission and the Inter- Government Relations Department have been called upon to investigate misuse of funds by the South Waghi LLG president. The call was made by former president and Jiwaka councillor Yuants Kaman. In a letter forwarded to the Attorney-General’s Department, Mr Kaman claimed SWLLG president Robert Mun Kupa had alleged misused K252,000.
Mr Kaman alleged that Mr Kupa defrauded the SWLLG late last year. He said the case was reported to the fraud squad in Mt Hagen.

Dream come true for ESP lad
THE dream of owning a vehicle has materialised for an East Sepik lad, thanks to Digicel.Through its promotion, Dream it! Do it? Conrad Singu struck windfall when his name was picked as the first receipient of the promotion. Mr Singu took delivery of his Nissan Sunny Sedan from Digicel PNG chief technical officer Marena Sansan at the Freeway Motors car yard last Thursday. The promotion involves buying a Digicel Coral 100 or 200 mobile phones, which qualifies customers to enter the draw for a chance to live their own dream. There are five more chances for someone to live his or her dream up to the value of K30,000.

Goods store robbed
FIFTEEN armed men walked away with an undisclosed amount of money and store goods after robbing the Brian Bell department store in Madang last Saturday morning. Madang police Chief Insp Tony Wagambi Jr reported that the thugs were armed with one home-made gun and bush knives when they held up Brian Bell employees and walked away with the money and goods. He said five were captured by police and one was shot in the leg while he was trying to escape.