Mission & Justice

Published: July 24, 2008

Over 500 Papua New Guinea WYD pilgrims were stranded in Sydney yesterday with another 400 Solomon Islanders arriving unexpectedly in Brisbane after their flights home were cancelled. The Courier-Mail reports that 200 World Youth Day pilgrims were to sleep on sporting fields in the rain last night after being stranded in Brisbane trying to get home. A Brisbane spokeswoman said 400 Solomon Islanders had arrived unexpectedly in Brisbane since the week-long Catholic international gathering ended in Sydney on Sunday. Some had been provided with emergency accommodation at Australian Catholic University, Banyo, and Marist College, Rosalie.

(more…)

Irene Gilichibi, 22/7/08

This is the story of a dedicated woman who feels she has been abandoned by the system. Sakare Giegere woes began in 2002. She was a teacher at the time at Biawaria Community school, in the rugged hinterland of Morobe province. Since no other teacher was willing to go to such a remote school, she was compelled to teach four grades that year. This year she would have chalked up her 35th year with the Education Department. However her teaching career ended when she was shot in the back by gunmen in her home in 2002. The incident left her paralysed and since then the Education Department has ignored her plight and the Labour and Employment Department has refused to pay her any worker’s compensation.

(more…)

Gabriel Fito; 22/7/08

At least three school children are dead and one woman was raped as alcohol-related crimes continue to increase in East Sepik province. Provincial police commander Kaiglo Ambane said alcohol-related crimes were on the rise because beer was now being sold everywhere by people who were taking advantage of the non-existence of a provincial liquor board. Mr Ambane said the provincial liquor board was the legal body put in place to monitor and control the issue of licences but in its absence, police could do very little. He said police lacked resources and would need the support of all elected national and local level government leaders, churches, NGOs and community leaders to tackle the escalating problem.

(more…)

Editorial; 22/7/08

We may now be seeing a more realistic approach by the courts to sorcery and its place in contemporary PNG. The murder of a suspected sorcerer in Lae has led to a handing down of a more than 23 year sentence by Judge George Manuhu, and apart from the severity of the sentence, it is refreshing to see the courts taking the lead in this issue. The Judge added that “many people accused of murder, used sorcery as an excuse for their crimes”. The link between hatred, murder and traditional beliefs is strong and we believe that many so-called sorcery murders are plain killings of others, with no traditional links whatever.Perhaps it is now time to go one step further.

(more…)

Elias Lari; 22/7/08

Classes at the Holy Trinity Teachers College in Mt Hagen, Western Highlands province, were suspended yesterday following a violent confrontation between students and villagers last Sunday afternoon. In a meeting held yesterday between police, college administration and the local community, the villagers demanded K900,000 from the college for damages done to their homes and properties as a result of the fight. The fight on Sunday was a follow-up from last Friday’s clash in which locals stormed the college and assaulted and injured the principal, James Wia, and two male students. The Friday incident happened at about 2pm when villagers, believed to be supporters of council candidates, demanded the students to leave their classes and join voting for the Holy Trinity ward in the LLG elections. On Sunday, a peace mediation between the two groups turned sour when the students and locals fought again.

(more…)

15/7/08

Relatives of people living with HIV/AIDS were urged to accept their relatives into their family. They were urged to appreciate and treat them as human beings with love and care. The call was made by the Catholic HIV/AIDS facilitator Elizabeth Sowe to participants from health facilities in the Huon district at a home based care workshop last week. Ms Sowe informed the participants that unlike faith based organisations, they were in a better position to inform and educate rural people about HIV/AIDS.

(more…)

Cliffird Faiparik; 14/7/08

Inodnesian soldiers have defied diplomatic and military protocols and continue to violate international border agreements with Papua New Guinea. Government Ministers Belden Namah (Forest) and his Housing and acting Internal Security colleague, Andrew Kumbakor, were told by villagers and PNG Defence Force personnel at Wutung in Vanimo, Sandaun province, that there had been numerous border incursions allegedly made by the Indonesians at the end of May, June and this month, with the latest being last Saturday and yesterday evening. In one such incident, army personnel said the Indonesians defaced a cement PNG border monument at Wutung by spray-painting it with their 408 battalion symbol. Angry PNG police and soldiers could not retaliate as there were no specific rules of engagement in place. Instead, all they could do was face the Indonesians and order them to leave PNG soil. The ministers and Sandaun Governor Simon Solo were in Vanimo yesterday to get a first-hand briefing from provincial government officials, police and PNG Defence Force personnel on the ground on these alleged illegal crossings.

(more…)

15/7/08

Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare has been taken to task over a high number of mothers dying every year in Papua New Guinea due to pregnancy related complications. President of the PNG Medical Society Dr Mathias Sapuri has written a letter to Sir Michael, saying 870 per 100,000 live births was a silent national disaster which needed an urgent national response. This is 2600 women dying every year, according to the national demographic health survey carried out in 2006. Dr Sapuri wrote the letter on Friday, after he returned from the Environment and Population Health Congress in Brisbane, Australia, where he learned that PNG had the highest maternal mortality rate in the Asia-Pacific region, and probably the worst in the world. The figures for neighbouring countries are: Solomon Islands – 500 per 100,000 live births; Fiji – 50 per 100,000 live births; Australia has 4 per 100,000 live births. The figure was 370 per 100,000 in 1996 but had risen.

(more…)

Harlyne Joku; 10/7/08

West Papuans camping at the Apex oval in Port Moresby were evicted at midday yesterday for the fifth time in the last nine months to Rainbow Village, Gerehu, to the premises of PNG Trust Inc, a non-governmental organisation. Human rights activist Tony Fofoe, who witnessed the event, said officers from the National Capital District Commission and Governor Powes Parkop’s office executed the eviction.“They said Mr Parkop had ordered the eviction and showed a letter to prove this,” Mr Fofoe said. He said a contingent of security guards and police told the group that they were illegally residing on an NCD public park and had to move out. Seven trucks were used to move the 150-odd refugees and their belongings to Rainbow. Late yesterday afternoon, the group was erecting makeshift tents and attempting to settle in.

(more…)

4/7/08

The Papua New Guinea people to first experience major contact by Europeans want compensation from Australia and Britain for what they say was more than a century of colonial neglect. New president of the Motu Koita people, Miria Ikupu, made the historic claim to PNG’s former colonial masters, along with PNG’s present government, in his first address as leader today. Ikupu said his 45,000 people, who inhabit PNG’s east coast in and around the capital of Port Moresby, have not seen one cent from successive administrations despite continued promises, the first from Queen Victoria. “The Motu Koita people, who are the original inhabitants and owners of Port Moresby City, have been denied and neglected from their land rights and the benefits,” he told AAP. “The former British and Australian colonial administrations forcefully took our land and built the now city of Port Moresby.

(more…)