Food relief reach Trobriand Islanders

MORE than 10 tonnes of rice, flour and cooking oil in food relief supplies had been shipped to the Trobriand Islands to assist people facing food shortages in Milne Bay province, Kiriwina-Goodenough MP Jack Cameron said yesterday.
The National Disaster Service (NDS)  acting director-general Martin Mose said yesterday that NDS had given 300 bales of rice and tinned- fish to critically affected  areas as of Monday.
Mr Cameron said the promised K700, 000 from the National Disaster office to assist on food supplies had not yet reached the provincial disaster office in Alotau.
“We cannot deny the fact that my people are facing food shortage but they are managing with what they have.” Mr Cameron said.
He also gave assurance to his Kiriwina-Goodenough people in Papua New Guinea and Australia that the food situation shortage was being contained.
“People are not dying and no deaths have been reported so far as being claimed by the Post-Courier.”
Mr Cameron said this when reacting to what he called unprofessional reporting by the
Post-Courier  that the people on Kiriwina Islands were hungry and dying.
He said the picture on the front page on Monday was misleading because it showed the picture of two very old women, and that anybody in his right frame of mind would knew that those were old-age frail women and not starving women.
“If the Post-Courier has information of deaths, please provide the details and we will investigate.
“I call on the PostCourier to be profession and please confirm the information before you publish,” Mr Cameron said.
The NDS said food supplies had been distributed from  unused funds previously allocated for
landslide disaster in the province.
Mr Mose said the K700,000 figure mentioned by the MP was only a figure put forward but the situation would be reviewed and if there was need  for more funds, it would depend on the head-count currently underway on the islands.