CAA locks out to force payments
THE Civil Aviation Authority is owed about K9 million in outstanding lease payments and navigational charges by a number of companies.
Last Thursday afternoon, CAA officials, backed by police, went to three defaulting companies and chained the gates or changed the locks to the premises.
The three are Pacific Helicopters, Ansett Wridgeways and the National Aviation Services.
The three are among at least 20 companies that owe CAA lease payments on land they are currently occupying, and outstanding navigational charges.
CAA chief executive officer Joseph Kintau said yesterday the payments had been outstanding for between three and five years.
“Past managements had allowed it to accumulate without paying much attention and we are trying to ensure they pay up,” he said of the lock-out exercise.
Mr Kintau said the exercise would continue to other centres throughout the country, until the defaulters pay up.
The CAA depends on such payments to fund its operations.
During the visit to Ansett Wridgeways premises, a heated argument ensured, with Ansett Wridgeways officials threatening legal action.

Over 1,000 take part in Stations of the Cross
By VERONICA MANUK
THE Sacred Heart parish in Vunapope, East New Britain, made a history with more than 1,000 people taking part in the Stations of the Cross procession on Good Friday.
This was the fourth year for this parish to hold the procession as it started in 2005 with less than 200 people.
According to chairman of Vunapope parish pastoral council John Ulnas, who was the key person to initiate the idea of the cross procession in the parish, this was the first time to see a huge crowd taking part in it.
Mr Ulnas said more than 1,000 people joined the procession which showed that the number would continue to increase by next year.
The procession started at Chanel Minor Seminary (CMS) college at 6am and ended at Vunapope cathedral.

4 new electorates for Motu Koitabu
THE Motu Koitabu council (MKC) will have four additional electorates carved out before elections which will be conducted simultaneously with the local level government elections throughout the country next month.
Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen announced last Friday that the elections would be conducted with some variations and some slight differences on actual dates for the issue of writs and polling.
The MKC has a chairman, 16 elected members and three nominated members.
“This is a change from the 10-member-council established under the National Capital District Commission Act that has now been repealed,” Mr Trawen said.
“The chairman will be elected by the whole Motu Koitabu electorate while the 16 elected members will be divided into 14 general electorates,” he said, adding there would be two special electorates for women.
The two women electorates which will be divided into East Motu Koita areas and West Motu Koita areas already exist.

‘UoG ring leaders should face the law’
RING leaders of students at the University of Goroka (UOG) who recently went on a rampage at the campus to set alight a privately owned vehicle ought to face the full force of the law.
Managing director of Mendikwae Ltd Sir Mathias Merimba, who owns one of the two vehicles that got burnt last week, described the behaviour of the students as criminal and unbecoming of future educators.
He urged police to get tough on them to act as a deterrent. He was concerned that two weeks have passed with no police arrest.
Sir Mathias placed the value of the vehicle at K100,000. Its loss has affected his business operation. He also uses the vehicle to supply rations for prisoners at Bihute jail.

US embassy wants Earth Day participation
THE United States embassy calls on all residents in Papua New Guinea to actively participate in the “Earth Day 2008 recycled contest” to mark the 38th anniversary of Earth day which falls on April 20.
The contest will require participants to submit their original pieces of recycled art- work made entirely from trashed materials, of any shape, size and design.
Children from as young as toddlers up to adults are eligible for participation.
US Ambassador Leslie Rowe will present certificates to winners who would get a unique opportunity to enjoy a cruise in Port Moresby harbour on board a US embassy boat.
The participants are to submit their artwork by April 15 to the community liaison office at the embassy with a form containing all their details:name, age group, address and contact number.

LLG councillors against council elections
By JAMES APA GUMUNO
LOCAL level government (LLG) councillors in Western Highlands province have called on the National Government and the Electoral Commissioner to do away with the council elections.
Three councillors representing Muglamp and Kotna LLG council in the Dei district told The National on March 19 that such elections were useless without funding and resources to deliver goods and services.
Councillors Kar Kil (Kent council ward 2), Paul Moses (Penda 1 council ward) and Yap Anda from Komapana council ward in the Muglamp LLG area said that for the last five years, they had not delivered services to their people.
Mr Kil, who is also a former provincial member, questioned the use of being a councillor when the National Government could not provide them with money and resources to bring vital services to the people.
He said that as officials of third government living with the people, they dig deep into their own pockets to move around and attend to problems and maintain law and order.
Mr Kil said that since 2002, they have not received any ward grants, adding they received K30 as a sitting allowance and K50 monthly allowance and nothing else.
He said it would be best to set up a district authority where selected people from various groups like churches, women, youths, village courts and others would work closely with their local MP to deliver goods and services.

VC reinstates Unitech students after court order
Seven students of the University of Technology (Unitech), expelled over their alleged involvement in the September 2007 student uprising in Lae were reinstated by court order.
Accordingly, the vice-chancellor Misty Baloiloi had accepted the National Court decision to reinstate the seven students.
The students have registered with their respective courses of study as of last week.
Mr Baloiloi had instructed the departmental heads to execute the court decision in respect of the students being afforded extra time to submit assignments they have missed since the 2008 academic sessions began.
However, the vice-chancellor had noted with concern that the order of the court could prove disadvantageous to the students.
The court at the conclusion of dealing with the substantive matter, decided to uphold the decision to terminate the studies.
National Court Acting judge Justice Nemo Yalo last Tuesday issued stay orders on Mr Baloiloi’s Nov 15, 2007 decision to expel them and the Feb 13, 2008 decision by the student appeals committee to uphold their expulsion.
Justice Yalo issued these among several orders when granting leave to apply for judicial review against their expulsion.

Boost for law and order in  Kunua district
By AUGUSTINE KINNA
BOUGAINVILLE’S last frontier, the Kunua district on the west coast of mainland Bougainville, can now focus on combating law and order problems in its community.
The New Zealand government through its community policing programme has made it possible to train young Bougainvilleans to become community auxiliary police (CAP).
Last week, the people of Kunua district witnessed the graduation ceremony of 25 CAP to help enforce law and order in the villages.
The New Zealand police had been conducting the programme for a long time in Bougainville to train young men and women to become CAP.
In his official address, Autonomous Bougainville government president Joseph Kabui said Bougainville has still to address law and order issues within the communities.
He congratulated the CAP and all who have made it possible for such a programme to be implemented at the village level.

NGOs in awareness drive
THE East New Britain provincial election steering committee has endorsed three non government organisations (NGOs) to conduct election awareness programmes in the province in preparation for the 2008 local level government elections.
The committee last week endorsed Kokopo Plantation Workers Association, ENB Sosel Eksen Komiti (ENBSEK) and Volunteer Care Group to conduct the awareness exercises.
Funding will come from AusAID’s electoral support programme.
However, the funds would be channeled through the provincial election steering committee, which will be monitoring the NGOs.
Chairman Aaron Maramun said he was happy with this arrangement but expressed reservations about their performance.
He said these groups had to be carefully monitored.
He cited cases during last year’s elections where NGOs contracted for awareness activities did not perform to expectations.

Lae ULLG on clean-up drive
By SAMPSON BONAI
LAE urban local level government has engaged 10 young men from the six wards in the city to mow the lawns in their respective wards.
The youths will work for three months and then be stood down while another 10 youths will be taken aboard for the next three months.
Former Morobe administrator Manasupe Zurenuoc, who officially launched the new initiative, said the people have abused the system of securing contract jobs in grass cutting and other cleaning work in the past.
“They will be paid K120, the pay for casual workers, for the three months to look after their respective council areas,” Mr Zurenuoc said.
Three lawn mowers and two brushcutters each will be given to the wards and the Lae ULLG will meet all the operational expenses.
Lae district officer Tawas Nasinom will be responsible for the implementation of the initiative.
A total of 24 brushcutters from UMW, 30 Masport lawnmowers, and spades and fuel containers from Brian Bell, will be used in the project.