|
Crocodile scares off villagers
VILLAGERS living near Kopun coffee
plantation in the North Waghi district, Western Highlands province, are
afraid to go near a lake created by the Waghi River after a small
crocodile was caught by the villagers last Saturday.
Close to 10 youths fishing in the lake caught one while others escaped
into the reeds near the lake.
Two spokesmen, Sebi Sebastian and Paul Bonney, told The National
yesterday that when the small crocodile was struggling and crying for
help, they heard the same cry in the pitpit nearby and were afraid that
they ran away with their catch.
Mr Sebastian said in the past, many pigs roaming around near the lake
had gone missing and were never found.
He said now they suspect that the crocodiles must have eaten them.
Mr Sebastian said this also scared people living near the lake, adding
they were now planning to build their houses away from the lake.
Mr Bonney said two years ago, a small boy fishing in the lake saw a big
crocodile sleeping near the lake and reported it to the nearby villagers
but they thought he was joking and did not take it seriously.
He said that they did not know how these crocodiles ended up in the
lake.
Jimi district administrator Bernard Bal said he had reported to the Banz
district office about the crocodiles breeding in the lake.
Mr Bal appealed to people not to go near the lake.
He said fishing near the Waghi River was no longer safe and urged people
to take extra care.
Late last year, people living in the Kindeng area also caught a metre-long
crocodile near the Waghi River.
Key witness fails to turn up in court
A KEY witness involved in the election
petition filed by Powes Parkop against NCD MP Wari Vele for alleged
bribery failed to appear before the court to give evidence despite being
summoned.
Mr Parkop told The National yesterday that Keith Lahui, a key witness to
the proceeding had failed to appear before presiding judge Justice
Nicholas Kirriwom last Thursday to give evidence, alleging that Mr Vele
may have interfered with the witness.
Mr Lahui was engaged with Wari Vele Agencies before the legal
proceeding.
He said: “One key witness, Keith Lahui, who was supposed to give
evidence did not turn up last Thursday despite issuing a summons to him
to appear.
“I have already made an official complaint to Alois Jerewai of Jerewai
Lawyers for Mr Vele regarding the alleged interfering with witness. “He
has yet to respond to my complaint.”
Mr Parkop said several attempts made to contact to Mr Lahui were
unsuccessful.
He said he was only able to get nine witnesses to testify to assist the
court in its determination despite filing 12 witness affidavits before
the actual proceeding.
“One witness died before the actual proceeding,” he said.
“The other one did not appear before the court while the other left for
Southern Highlands province before the proceeding.”
Meanwhile, the week-long trial was completed last Friday and submissions
are expected to be made by Mr Parkop and Mr Jerewai today to determine
the bribery allegation.
Classes resume at high school
By CLIVE HAWIGEN
CLASSES at Kainantu High School in Eastern
Highlands province, resumed yesterday after a week off following the
hospitalisation of the school’s deputy headmaster last week.
Deputy headmaster Peter Kiagi was hospitalised after he received knife
wounds to his right shoulder.
He was assaulted by parents and relatives of two students who came in a
truckload armed with bushknives, sling shots, sticks and stones, last
Monday.
They stormed into a Grade 10 class where Mr Kiagi was teaching and
attacked him.
The school’s headmaster Wesley Hompat was also slapped in the face and
kicked, and another teacher received knife wounds to his hands when they
tried to intervene.
Two Grade 10 students, who also tried to stop the mob, sustained
injuries.
In a parents and guardians meeting last Friday, teachers demanded that
their safety be guaranteed before classes could resume.
They also handed in a petition to Eastern Highlands provincial education
adviser Conrad Esoke asking for the school’s status to be changed from a
boarding to a day school.
Mr Hompat demanded that the culprits be put behind bars because they
intended to kill.
He said the school had laws that they implemented to discipline students
and to receive such treatment from parents was not good at all.
He said if they were not satisfied with the kind of penalty imposed,
then there were proper channels to use rather then taking justice into
their own hands.
He said their actions disrupted other students from attending the
classes.
Meanwhile, Mr Esoke, who is disappointed over the incident, could close
the school and transfer teachers to other schools but that would cause
the children of Kainantu to suffer.
He demanded that the culprits be brought before the police and charged.
Youths attack
young women
TWO young women were attacked and raped by
four youths while on their way home from a party at the Liquid Inn
nightclub in the early hours of Sunday morning in Lae city.
Metropolitan commander Chief Supt Simon Kauba said yesterday that the
victims were on their way home between 2.30am and 3am when four youths
approached the victims, who were in the company of one of the victim’s
brother.
Mr Kauba said the three were walking along Markham Road towards Ninth
Street after attending a concert at the nightclub last Saturday night
which featured top PNG musician Pati Potts Doi, when the four suspects,
one of them armed with a kitchen knife threatened and held them up.
He said they then searched the pockets of the male companion and took
K20 cash from him and then chased him away.
Mr Kauba said the suspects took the victims into the bushes at the old
Lae airport and allegedly raped them.
He has reiterated calls for young women to take precautions and arrange
appropriate personal security measures when going out for functions and
parties in the city.
He said women should bear this in mind and decide whether it was safe to
go with security arrangements in place or just stay home.
Villagers threaten to boycott polls
By JAMES APA GUMUNO
MORE than 10,000 people from the three
polling areas in the South Waghi district, Western Highlands province,
have threatened to boycott the national election because their names
were not on the preliminary common roll.
The people from Kauwi, Kabagang and Kudjip Tea areas now have 1,084
voters on the list.
The three polling areas claimed to have 12,000 eligible voters, who cast
votes in the 2002 national election.
It was alleged that youths turning 18 years also didn’t have their names
on the list.
Thomas Hapa, a village leader from Nongika clan in the Sikange tribe,
said in the 2002 national election, about 500 people from his clan voted
but there were only 27 names in the new preliminary common.
Mr Hapa said only 27 of his clansmen had registered to vote and that his
name was not on the list.
He said the Evely, Wurupi, Meka and Waka tribes and people from outside
working in the Kudjip tea and coffee plantations were also omitted from
the new common roll.
He said the total population of the eligible voters in 2002 was around
12,000, which covered all the five tribes including the plantations
workers.
Mr Hapa said this year, they expected the population to rise by 1% but
instead it was cut down by almost 90%.
He claimed that a list of names was submintted again to the district
office at Minj for inclusion in the new roll but this was rejected.
He said although the electoral officers in the district were invited to
visit the area and work with the councillors to get names, they were
reluctant to visit them.
Provincial election manager John Kilip was unable to verify the report
yesterday as he was in a meeting.
One of his staff members said he would be travelling to Minj today to
check on the reports.
Meanwhile, in the Kundiawa/Gembogl district in Simbu province, more than
10,000 people from the Waiye local level government area were omitted
from the new common roll.
Court orders State
to pay commissioner
A NATIONAL Court judge has ordered the
State to pay the Land Titles Commissioner for the work he had been doing
for three years into his lawyer’s trust account.
Justice Timothy Hinchliffe last Friday ordered the State to deposit a
quarter of the K476,375, which was deposited into Patrick Nasa’s lawyer,
Marley Nandi’s account. The deposit was put on hold because the amount
was disputed by the parties.
The money was deposited into the trust account after the National Court,
last Dec 27, ordered the State to pay Mr Nasa for two and a half years
of work.
The court heard last Wednesday that an initial contract for a Grade 16
level was offered to Mr Nasa on his appointment as the commissioner.
He rejected the remuneration package which was offered to him, hence not
receiving his salary for three years.
Former Attorney-General Fred Tomo then made a submission to the then
Justice Minister Mark Maipaikai to review Mr Nasa’s remuneration package
of K190,550 per annum.
New home for
Manam refugees
found
BY NOELLA WAVU
THE National Government has identified a
large area of land in Andarum, Bogia where to resettle Manam islanders
living in the three care centres of Mangem, Asarumba, Potsdam.
The “Promised Land” has been proposed for the permanent resettlement of
the Manam islanders. The area will also serve as a safe refuge from the
dangers of the constant volcanic eruptions.
This was revealed to the Manam leaders during a meeting organised by Tas
Maketu, team leader of the Manam resettlement programme at the Mangem
care centre.
Among those present at the meeting was the Secretary for National
Planning and Monitoring Valentine Kambori, who told the Manam leaders
that the National Parliament passed the Manam Resettlement Authority Act
late last year.
He said the law mandates the Government to put in place both a fiscal
and infrastructure plan for the development of the proposed site.
Mr Kambori further urged all stakeholders involved in the resettlement
programme to fast-track this development plan so that the islanders can
enjoy the same services enjoyed by most Papuan New Guineans.
He added that the new Manam area (which he termed as Manam No 2) would
not only replicate the lifestyle they used to have on the island, but
also provide them with more economic and other opportunities.
The resettlement programme will also open up a very fertile and
potentially rich agricultural part of the Bogia which up now has
remained untouched and uninhabited, Mr Kambori said.
Mr Maketu stressed that the development of infrastructure like roads and
bridges and other social, government and community services in the
resettlement area would not only benefit the Manam islanders, but also
the host communities which have not seen any basic essential services
for the last 31 years.
The resettlement programme will also open up a very fertile and
potentially rich agricultural part of the Bogia which up now has
remained untouched and uninhabited.
Mr Maketu urged the people of Manam to co-operate with the Government
and other stakeholders to make the resettlement programme successful.
Meanwhile, relief supplies to the Manam islanders will continue to be
provided to the care centers by the Manam humanitarian implementation
committee and other stakeholders.
Enga schools fail to
hit reform targets
BY PETER PIA
SCHOOLS in Enga province have not fully
achieved their education reform target and some schools have not
understood the programme fully,
a senior primary school head teacher has revealed.
Takienda primary school head teacher Sanga Kilali told The National last
week in Wabag that many primary and community schools had not
implemented the education reform after more than 10 years.
He said this was a clear indication that the new academic curriculum and
syllabus are not fully used according to its goals and aims.
Mr Kilali said he was surprised to learn that Takienda was one of the
primary schools which did not carry out the structural and curriculum
reform aspects of the programme.
He said: “It looks like we (Enga province) are way behind in
implementing the education reforms.”
Mr Kilali claimed that many schools in the remote areas do not know how
to go about with the reform because of their remoteness.
Likewise, head teachers did not fully understanding the programme, he
added.
He urged the provincial government and the education authority to
consider the appointment of teachers who have background knowledge on
the new system, including curriculum and syllabus.
 
|
