Soi admits to report
FORMER counsel assisting the inquiry into the Department of Finance Sarea Soi has admitted to receiving a copy of a “confidential report” purportedly highlighting alleged improper payments at the Finance Department.
This “confidential report” was alluded to in Monday’s front page report in The National. He said the report was authored by a “concerned citizen” and addressed to the Prime Minister, and was dated June 27.
But Mr Soi said he did not leak this report to the media.
He said such an act would bring into question his standing in the community as a professional Papua New Guinea lawyer.
Mr Soi was the counsel assisting the inquiry into the Finance Department until he was replaced last week.
The Prime Minister appointed a new lawyer to take over.

PNGRC gets K1,000
THE PNG Red Cross Society on Tuesday received a cheque of K1,000 from SMEC PNG Ltd and 10 boxes of beddings and cloths from the Chinese Embassy.
SMEC human resource manager Raymony Hera, during the presentation, said the donation was for a worthy cause and hoped that it would be very helpful for buying essential goods for the Oro people.
PNG Red Cross chairman Winston Jacob was also delighted and acknowledged SMEC PNG Ltd and the Chinese Embassy for their generous support towards the Oro victims.

K7,000 worth of items for flood victims
By ZACHERY PER
THE Oro community in Goroka, Eastern Highlands province, yesterday sent K7,000 worth of items for the Oro disaster victims.
Goroka Oro Appeal Committee chairman McLaren Ririka said they raised the money through donations from individuals and organisations and a two-day wheel barrow push in Goroka town.
Mr Ririka said they purchased 100 bales of rice, 20 cartons of bottled water, cooking pots and clothing, which would be transported to Lae.
He said the Lae Anglican church national disaster coordinating centres would then arrange for the goods to be delivered to the affected people.
Also present to arrange for the transportation of the items to Lae were Oro appeal secretary Oswald Mota and Goroka-based Anglican priest Fr Moi.
They thanked those that generously contributed in both cash and kind.

Teachers claims probed
THE Education Department’s acting secretary Luke Taita told The National yesterday that his department will look into the demands raised by NCD teachers.
The teachers want an investigation as to why travel agents had been removed without their knowledge.
They have been complaining and waiting for their leave entitlements for almost two weeks.
President of the national women in politics and a member for the Education board of directors, Maria Ibai Hayes expressed her disgust with the way the NCD Education officers were treating the matter.
“The Government had provided the support for the Education Department but it was the technical people who are incompetent in the offices,” Mr Taita said.
Meanwhile, the teachers affected were asked not to lose their professionalism and they guaranteed that all should get their leave entitlements by Friday.
“The delay now is for all the commitments to be processed. This was the screening stage of each application form and the officers are working around the clock to complete this last task,” he said.
Teachers sometimes claim to have too many dependants and occasionally they are not true and we have a hard time screening the applications, ” Mr Taita said.
He said he was aware of the situation in Goroka but had not heard from the provincial advisor yet.

Shortage of teachers
THERE is a severe shortage of trained teachers for education institutions in the Southern Highlands province.
This was revealed by the teachers appointment officer Francis Kili during the Pomberel Primary School graduation over the weekend.
Mr Kili said that the province was experiencing a shortage and many schools would not have a full complement of teachers and they should take care of teachers that had been posted.
He said out of the 1,700 teaching positions in all institutions throughout the province there are more than 300 teacher vacancies.
He said that the provincial education board would go out and recruit more teachers to fill the vacancies but there was no funds allocated for any recruitment exercises in teacher colleges.
Mr Kili said that the Southern Highlands provincial government (SHPG) also had failed to make allocations for such a worth while recruitment exercise.
He said only 30 graduates have applied to teach in the province next year.

Three held over sorcery death
Three men were arrested earlier this month and charged by police in Namatanai, New Ireland province, for allegedly performing sorcery acts which led to the death of another man.
It was alleged that Albert Towariksai, 48, and Hendry Toaranda, 72, from Kamiapar village, and Paul Akun, 74, from Kamilal village, all in the Silur area of Namatanai district collaborated and performed sorcery acts on Gabriel Toatahi, 70, last Sept 10, causing his death the same day.
The related charges were contrary to Section 11 of the Sorcery Act.
The three appeared briefly before the Namatanai district court and the case was adjourned to February.
Namatanai police station commander Insp Wesley Tawai said the suspects collaborated and performed sorcery acts after a continuous land dispute with the man and his relatives.
The case was reported to the police last Oct 29 by two village councillors – Fidelis Toatahi (brother of the deceased) and Bruno Peni – and arrests were made last Dec 3.
The three accused are out on K150 bail each.
The deceased was married with grown-up children and grandchildren.

Bizarre discovery
A plastic bag allegedly containing the remains of an infant was dug out of the backyard of a home in Mr Hagen last Tuesday.
Construction workers carrying out renovations to the house came across this bizarre discovery, and called in the police.
The remains were wrapped in a blanket and placed inside a plastic bag and buried in the ground. The house was located near the Mt Hagen General Hospital.
Pastor Andrew Moime, who had just moved into the house, urged police to start an investigation.
Police have recorded the matter, and will ask their forensic section to look into this.

Youths take lead in law and order
ABOUT 5,000 youths in Manus have surrendered to police and are taking the lead in controlling law and order situation in the province.
This is one of the unique experiences the province has gone through the last two months by having the youths to surrender their homebrew equipment, drugs, home-made guns and stolen properties to the provincial government and police.
The provincial police commander (PPC) Insp Alex N’drasal said it was through a programme called “amnesty period” which was launched at Lorengau market by the two MPs – Governor Michael Sapau, Manus MP Job Pomat – the deputy police commissioner operations Geoffrey Vaki and Mr N’drasal.
The PPC said the awareness programme was introduced in 127 wards and 12 LLGs by the help of councillors, peace officers and others and as a result, the youths came with their leaders to surrender.
He said even Radio Manus assisted in carrying the awareness programme.
He said more than 10 suspects, who were charged for a number of outstanding cases, also surrendered.
The police arrested and charged them.
Mr N’drasal said funds allocated for law and order in the district should be used to facilitate programmes and projects for the youth to sustain their livelihood.
He said with the strong enforcement of law and order situation in the province, he warned people outside moving into the province to take extra precaution.
The PPC was taking another step up of the education awareness programme.
This program once completed would be implemented by the youths, prisoners, police officers and non government organisation to educate people at the ward levels.
The PPC said: “The programme can be effective in other parts of the country if leaders are committed and be servant of the people and not bosses.”

Members query K3m unspent EHP funds
THREE million kina in unspent funds rolled over from this year to next year has prompted some members to question if the Eastern Highlands provincial government has the capacity to spent budgeted funds.
A total of K3,016,400 was rolled over from 2007 to the 2008 budget, passed yesterday.
National MPs and president of LLGC’s who sat for the last time at the provincial assembly expressed grave concerns that a substantial amount of money was being rolled over from the previous financial year.
This concern was raised by Goroka town mayor Robin Enka, outgoing deputy governor and Kainanntu urban LLG president Joksy Nakime, Henganofi LLG president Orike Bao, Environment and Conservation Minister Benny Allan, Lufa MP Yawa Silupa and new deputy Governor-elect John Boito.
They said the funds should have been directed to impact projects and said this should not happen again next year.
Meanwhile Eastern Highlands Governor Malcolm Kela-Smith said they had established a Eastern Highlands Development Authority which was allocated K150,000 in the 2008 budget to monitor the progress of the 2008 budget implementation.
But senior public servants approached by The National said the surplus funds showed prudent fiscal management by the provincial government.

Simbu PEC members sworn in
SIMBU Governor Fr John Garia announced the swearing in of his provincial executive council (PEC) members last week.
He conducted his first provincial assembly meeting and had three nominated members declared and announced their provincial chairmanship portfolios.
Fr Garia facilitated the meeting without the presidents of the local level government councils.
The nominated members that Fr Garia declared were John Bolkun (youth representative) as chairman for provincial and LLG affairs, peace, justice and education; John Sande (community representative) as chairman for natural resources) and Tadius Kobil (church representative) as chairman for youth, women, religion, works and health.
Other parliamentarians from the province also sworn in as assembly members at the first assembly meeting were Joe Mek Teine (Kundiawa-Gembogl), Jim Nomane (Chuave), Posi Menai (Karamui-Nomane) and Guma Wau (Kerowagi).
Sinasina-Yongumugl MP and Parliament speaker Jeffery Nape and Gumine MP Lucas Dawa Dekena were not present.

10 schools receive funding
A women’s group in the New Ireland province has secured funding for 10 primary schools in the province for upgrading of their facilities.
Under the AusAID funded basic education development programme, a total of 10 primary and community schools in the province will soon receive the much needed improvements to their school facilities.
Five of the schools are in the Kavieng district and the other five are in the Namatanai district while most specifically in the remote Konogagil LLG.
The schools in Konogagil area that will benefit under the programme included Lambom Primary, Weittin Valley Primary, Morokon Primary, Kapsipau Primary and Marinjuan community schools of which they will each receive a total of K30,000 worth of renovation to their facilities.
Education coordinator for the Namatanai district Robert Bulumaris confirmed the funding programmes and said local school authorities, provincial education board and AusAID officials will identify specific facilities in the schools that greatly needed funding.
The funding has already been made available to Handen Architects Ltd, a local contractor, for works to begin early next year.

Bulolo youths empowered
A TOTAL of 130 youths who surrendered under the “Gawapu agreement” in the Bulolo district have been empowered with business management skills after completing a week-long course.
The Gawapu youth training programme is funded by the Community Justice and Liaison Unit (CJLU), which included four female participants.
Bulolo district administration officer Jesse Strata said: “Since 2005, the CJLU was looking for ways to rehabilitate the youths in Gawapu and approached the commerce division and together we came up with the training.”
The course was held in two blocks with the first group undertaking training from Nov 19-27 while the second group from Nov 28-Dec 6.
Representatives from the CJLU and officers from the provincial and district administration officiate the training.
The youths undertook training under the Start and Improve Your Business programme in two modules as Start Your Business and Improve Your Business.
“This is a pilot project and upon completion and graduation with positive outcome, we will use the model to carry out rehabilitation in other areas,” Mr Strata said.
Module one of the programme covered the importance of business training before going into business.
Module two focused on improving established businesses and monitoring to ensure sustainability and growth.

19 districts in Morobe yet to receive K10mil
NINETEEN districts in Morobe province are yet to receive their K10 million allocation despite media reports that the Government has allocated this money to districts through trust accounts.
This was revealed by provincial treasurer Andrew Namuesh following the ending of the recent annual provincial treasurer’s conference in Lae where participants raised concerns that ‘districts lack the capacity to properly manage the increasing funds’.
Officers from Finance Department including provincial and district treasurers said many systems and processes of the District Treasury Roll-Out (DTRO) programme were yet to be put in place to ensure funds were properly expedited. This has come about because of lack of funds to complete the programme.
Representatives from Finance Department revealed that the Government had increased funding to K15 million next year to complete the programme.
DTRO has made life easier for public servants in districts and brought banking and postal services to many remote and isolated areas of PNG.
Mr Namuesh also revealed that the office of Rural Development and National Planning to “hold proper consultation” with Finance Department and come up with proper ‘chart of accounts’ before money is sent to districts.

K100,000 for police association members
By SAMPSON BONAI
POLICE Association members have been guaranteed a golden handshake of K100,000 from the association upon retirement.
Association president Robert Ali and general secretary Clemence Kanau carried out a major awareness drive around the country to introduce a new social security benefit for all serving members.
“It is a different benefit beside your normal contribution to Nambawan Supa and other long serving entitlements from the police force. It is your own contribution to the Police Association that you will benefit from,” Mr Ali said.
Funds would not be available until 2011.
Membership has increased from 800 to 2,800 in the past three years.
Mr Ali said the new fund would be managed by an accounting firm.
The team left for Madang by road yesterday and will leave for Wewak tomorrow and return to Port Moresby at the weekend.