O’Neill will attend Milne Bay festival

 PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill is expected to be in Alotau this weekend for the Kenu and Kundu Festival and to welcome the first tourists arriving there on a cruise ship.

Alotau MP Charles Abel said O’Neill would open projects while in the district.

The festival will coincide with the maiden voyage of the mv Pacific Dawn, owned and operated by P&O Cruises Australia. 

The ship is bringing more than 2,000 tourists on her first stop in Papua New Guinea on Nov 4. 

A fourth day has been added to the three-day festival to accommodate the visit by the luxury cruise liner.

Extension work on the Alotau port has been completed in addition to footpaths from the main wharf to town.

Work on jetties in the Trobriand Island, especially Kitava and Kaibola, where the vessel will be calling, are almost completed.

Abel gave K25,000 to the festival organisers headed by chairman, Peter Tarumuri last week.

Kiriwina-Goodenough MP Doug­las Tomuriesa gave K50,000 for the festival.

Festival activities begin today for Alotau residents, with church-run programmes on disabilities, law and order, health issues and HIV/AIDS. 

Thursday will feature local string bands. 

The festival is from Friday to Monday.

The new inclusion this year will be Milne Bay’s very own Rossel Islanders who have never taken part until now at the urging of their tribesman and Milne Bay Governor Titus Philemon.