Mission & Justice

12/8/08

Mexico City: It’s the third morning of the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City and Francesca Semoso, Deputy-Speaker of Parliament for Bougainville, is sitting on a mat at the Pacific Meeting House, yet her passion and desire to make a difference in the midst of discrimination and human rights abuses are such she can barely stay still. ‘”It is my right to be gay, or lesbian, or to enjoy same sex marriage, everywhere in the Pacific,’ she declared. “Similarly, we need to educate our youth to be responsible and practise safe sex, rather than tell them “no” and shun them,’’ she says. “Being judgmental, and curtailing discussions about sex and sexual health, is simply not helpful.’’

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12/8/08

The people of Panguna, dubbed the “last frontier” of the peace process in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, have unanimously agreed to have reconciliation among them. In an overwhelming show of solidarity, the Me’ekamui Government of Unity, its military arm the Me’ekamui Defence Force, chiefs, men, women and youth all agreed that there will be reconciliation among all major clans in the area and that these reconciliations would not be disrupted anytime in the future. The first Panguna District Reconciliation Consultative Forum in 20 years was hailed a huge success as all speakers emotionally called for reconciliation to take place. During a forum held in the former mining township of Panguna, the people including landowners resolved to immediately start consultations among themselves to have reconciliation ceremonies in the area by the end of this year.

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Clive Hawigen; 10/8/08

Deep in the rugged Lufa district of Goroka, Eastern Highlands province, lies the 9,000 year old prehistoric archeological site known as the Kafiavana Rock Shelter. The site situated below a massive mass of limestone rock, filled with undisturbed flora and fauna, is famous in the archeological world for its paintings, carbon dated back 9,000 years. These paintings are believed to be some of the oldest and only prehistoric paintings found in Papua New Guinea. According to archeologist and Assistant Director of the J.K McCarthy Museum in Goroka, Eziks Owaka, these paintings resemble designs and patterns found on shields of prehistoric Lufa warriors who used the Kafiavana Rock Shelter as a camping place and also as a ceremonial site. The site is in strategic location overlooking the vast Asaro Valley and the local Yagaria people believe it was a lookout point for their ancestors

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Fay duega; 4/8/08

The Papua New Guinea Forest Authority (PNGFA) and the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) are working together to encourage landowners to establish successful forest plantations on unproductive grassland areas in the Central province. Gomore village, which is located about an hour’s drive out of Port Moresby city along the Magi Highway, has been chosen for the pilot community reforestation venture. Gomore was chosen because it is easy to see and access, in the hope that villagers from other areas will see what is happening there and also want to venture into community reforestation. The project titled: PPD 125/Rev.2 (F)-Reforestation of Tropical Savannah Grassland with High Value Tree species is financed by ITTO and managed by PNGFA with assistance from consulting firm Pacific Island Projects Ltd (PIP) based in East New Britain province. The pre-project phase was initially planned to take nine months, from June 2008 to February 2009.

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30/7/08

Coca Cola Amatil (PNG) Limited has joined the corporate fight against HIV/Aids in Papua New Guinea in conjunction with the National Aids Council. The company yesterday launched their support with the newly designed labels on their paramount water product; “Nature’s Own” purified water as well as a donation of K50,000 to the NAC. The new labels are on the 600ml and 1.5 Litre bottles and have the inclusion of the famous red ribbon, the NAC logo and an explanation of their support to fight HIV/Aids in PNG. The usual blue lid is now red in colour. A television commercial was also launched and will hit the airwaves on Friday August 1. Also on that date, they will advertise their support in other media organisations like print and radio.

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28/7/08

The Indonesian government has assured PNG that there would be no repeat border incursions into PNG by its soldiers.The assurance was conveyed to Foreign Affairs, Trade and Immigration Minister Samuel Abal by his Indonesian counterpart, Hassan Wirajudi, in Singapore last week. There had been a number of alleged border incursions by the Indonesians in the last three months. PNG had protested through a diplomatic note conveyed through the Indonesian embassy in Port Moresby. The apologies from the Indonesians blamed the incursions on “new recruits deployed to the border region”.

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Josephine Smare, 20/7/08

Small Enterprise Development Project Coordinator with the Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA) PNG will depart Port Moresby today (July 18) to attend an East West Center Program in Honolulu, Hawaii. She will participate in the “Changing Faces Women’s Leadership Program, a leadership development program for women from the United States and the Asia Pacific region. In a region experiencing a wide range of low-and high-intensity conflicts the assertion that conflict is unavoidable certainly rings true. The real choice then, lies in how to confront, analyse, and respond to conflict in a way that moves society forward toward positive change. The importance of women’s participation in peace-building, security decision-making, and conflict transformation, has been most clearly put forth in UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in the year 2000: “stressing the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security, and the need to increase their role in decision-making with regard to conflict prevention and resolution.”

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Eliabeth Vuvu; 25/7/08

The women folk of Kombiu local level government near Rabaul took to the streets on Remembrance Day to protest the ongoing acts of violence against them in the area. They demanded the Government to address the problem. About 100 women from Matalau, Rakunat, Rabuana, Korere No. 1 and 2 villages, marched from Korere to Rabuana where they presented their petition to the LLG president Komit Kunai. pokeswoman for the group, Marcia Frank said they were sick and tired of the oppressive acts done against them by youths in their villages who were under the influence of drugs and alcohol. She claimed that the widespread viewing of pornographic materials in the villages by male youths, with the consumption of marijuana had resulted in a few rape cases.

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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.

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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.

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