A heated argument escalated into a three-hour fight on Monday this week in the Trobriand Island of Milne Bay Province resulting in 23 deaths and several people seriously wounded, says Milne Bay Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Superintendent Peter Barkie. Mr Barkie said the fight broke out after an argument between the coastal and inland villages following a soccer match that the locals took part in during the Independence celebration a month ago. The coastal villages include Kavataria, Mulosaida and Orabesi and have confirmed six deaths while the inland villages of Gumlababa, Wabutuma, Bwetalu, Luya and Yalaka confirmed 17 deaths. Losuia Station was used as a battle ground. Mr Barkie said the National Maritime Safety Authority assisted police with a boat on Monday evening and on Tuesday morning a Section of 10 police personnel were sent to the Trobriand Islands. He said from initial assessment the fighting has stopped and the people are now mourning and burying those who were killed in the fight. Mr Barkie said Police in Milne Bay do not have boats but small dinghies which becomes quite difficult to reach out to the Islands in the province especially during times like this. Mr Barkie said manpower on the other hand continues to be a serious problem as the total number of police personnel including himself is 74 to police four districts in the province with a total population of over 300,000. He said the ratio of police personnel in Milne Bay Province is one policeman for every 4,150 people. PPC Barkie said as a precautionary measure, he has requested for a Mobile Squad to be put on standby in case the situation escalates again and also requested Police Headquarter to send in a Task Force Team to assist his command. “Currently the Police Personnel have spoken to the villagers and their leaders to end this fight completely and solve the issue properly without any more fighting. “Casualties, deaths, destruction of the villages and people being displaced over a soccer game is not worth it. A simple soccer match is not something to die for,” Mr Barkie and his men told the villagers from both sides. He encouraged the people of the Trobriand Islands to respect the law and allow justice to take its course and also to respect each other so they can continue to live in peace and harmony.

The Papua New Guinea National Department of Health presented its on-going work on building capacity of the health information workforce on day 3 of the World Health Organization 73rd Regional Committee Meeting which is being held in Manila, Philippines this week. In the session on WHO’s 'Work in Countries', Minister for Health and HIV/AIDS Dr. Tom Lino, shared with Members States the progress PNG had made so far. "As we have moved to an electronic health information system, real-time, analysis and interpretation are possible and so our data needs and the skills required of health information officers, have evolved", said Dr Tom. He said he was proud of the dedicated and passionate health information workforce. However, many staff have not received the capacity building they need to meaningfully analyze and use this data to improve health programmes and services – and ultimately people’s health. "In recognition of this, we approached WHO for advice on developing a clear pathway to build the capacity of our health information workforce", said Dr Tom. The RCM session was presented alongside WHO-PNG Country Representative, Dr Sevil Huseynova and Ms Manah Dindi from the Performance, Monitoring and Research Branch of NDoH, who gave a detailed presentation via video link on the work carried out through her Branch to address the issues highlighted by Dr Tom. Source: Papua New Guinea National Department of Health

Signing of MOA between University of Papua New Guinea and Goroka Technical College at Goroka Technical College on the 26th of October 2022 at Goroka Technical College. The first initial MOA was signed in 2013 and have been renewed every 3 years since then. Through this MOA students graduating with Diploma Business Accounting at Goroka Technical College can continue their studies at UPNG to do their degree. Only the top students with good GPA can directly continue to year 3 and attain degree with in only two years. Through this arrangement have benefited alot of students over the years and currently some are working in the fields while others still studying now at UPNG. Goroka Technical College is currently in the process of accrediting other course that are also offered at the College so that it will create a pathway for the students. UPNG pro Vice Chancellor Pro. GRIFFIN encourages student to take up Accounting at Goroka Technical Colllege as the pass rate for students coming through this arrangement with Goroka Tech is currently at 100%. Source: Goroka Technical College

BSP Customers in one of the most remote areas of the country - Telefomin District in West Sepik Province will have improved banking services, in mid-2023 once BSP’s upgrade of the sub-branch to a Hybrid Branch is complete. BSP Financial Group Ltd joined the Telefomin District Development Authority today, Wednesday 26th October 2022, for a ground-breaking ceremony to officially start the construction of the new Telefomin District Administration office complex. The Member for Telefomin and Minister for Works and Roads, Hon. Solan Mirisim said the modern office complex is being built by the Telefomin District Development Authority at a cost over K9 million. Upon completion, it will house the various government functions in the district, as well as the new BSP Telefomin Hybrid Branch. BSP Group Deputy GM for Retail, Peter Komon said BSP will invest K2 million to build the new BSP Telefomin Hybrid Branch within the new district complex. “The hybrid branch will be a significant upgrade of the existing Telefomin Sub Branch that was established back in 2013 under the Bank’s BSP Rural Banking program; providing the full range of banking services including ATM services to the more than fifty thousand people living in the Telefomin, Yapsi and Oksapmin LLGs of the district. “The new branch is a larger modern building and will have more staff to serve customers. This upgrade would enable improved communication systems that will see more banking services like account opening, deposit and withdrawal services, lending as well as access to other bank products including ATMs. Businesses in Telefomin will also have access to bank services. “We remain the only bank to operate in the Telefomin and 21 other locations in the country. In the past, locals either travelled by air to Vanimo or to Kiunga and Tabubil in Western Province to do banking. Some even walked the bush tracks through some of the most unforgiving terrain taking many hours, even days, just to do banking,” Mr Komon said. “BSP’s contribution to the development of Telefomin is not just confined to Banking services but also through our Community Projects. We have invested K670, 000 in West Sepik Province through 28 projects since 2009. We will continue to serve the people of West Sepik Province through our two branches (Vanimo and Aitape), Telefomin Sub-Branch, (8) eight Cash Agents, six (6) ATMs and 105 EFTPoS in the province,” Mr Komon further added. In 2020, our Tabubil Branch assisted Telefomin Sub Branch deliver a community project in Telefomin with a donation of computers and printers, library books, and chairs to both Telefomin Primary School and Telefomin Secondary School worth K30, 000.00. BSP Group CEO Robin Fleming said BSP remains committed to expanding, upgrading and improving our services around the country. “In March we opened the Palmalmal Hybrid Branch in Pomio, in September we witnessed a similar ground breaking in Dobel and today, here in Telefomin. Our Eriku Branch will open next week and we still have Maprik SubBranch to upgrade in 2023” Mr Fleming said. “We are not only bringing banking services to some of the most remote areas, we are maintaining these operations which in many cases are not profitable, and upgrading them to continue improving our customer experience” Mr Fleming added. BSP BSP’s network operation in PNG consists of 42 branches, 42 sub branches over 250 Cash Agents, 326 ATMs and over 9,000 EFTPoS in the country.

BSP Financial Group Limited (BSP) launched its inaugural awareness campaign on financial abuse today (Thursday 27th October, 2022.) Financial abuse exists in home where there is Family and Sexual Violence and the campaign aims to raise awareness on the issue. It will run for 10 days, commencing today, Thursday 27th, October and will end on Sunday 6th November, 2022. BSP’s understanding of the various types of family violence stems from assisting staff who have formally sought help through its Group Family & Sexual Violence Policy since 2019 - being a key partner in the Bel isi PNG programme. BSP Group CEO Robin Fleming strongly condemns violence at home. In a previous awareness on ending Gender Based Violence against women and girls campaign, he said. “Our homes are meant to be the safest place however when it no longer is safe due to family and sexual violence, there is a much broader impact than just the lives of people who live in that home.” Through the BSP CEO’s co-Chair work on Bel isi PNG Steering Committee and awareness on all FSV cases in BSP he said: “As the largest bank in the region, I believe BSP has a moral obligation to drive financial abuse awareness. We see financial abuse in most of the cases reported within BSP, yet it is challenging to recognise it. It is imperative that we share the knowledge we now have because we believe empowering survivors to be financially selfsufficient and financially independent will allow them to make safe choices and hopefully lead a life free of violence”. “Financial abuse is perpetrated to coerce, control, sabotage, and keep survivor in line. Abusers use this form of violence to limit someone’s freedom. For a survivor financial abuse can create financial instability and make the survivor dependent on the abuser. It may vary in situation however, some common forms of financial abuse can be a partner withholding finances from day to day living expenses. Spending money on gambling and drinking alcohol over groceries, school fees, medical expenses, limiting or removing access to bank account or joint account and monitoring financial transactions through electronic banking are other forms of financial abuse,” explained Mr Fleming. A partner feeling entitled to money and assets they have not earned or do not own; not contributing to family expenses; limiting ones’ ability to attend training, higher education or work promotion, spends a partner’s money without their knowledge or consent and holding onto bank cards etc are other forms of financial abuse. In line with BSP’s internal campaign message for 2022, #Empowermenttogether - a message that promotes gender equality to eliminate violence; Mr Fleming further said. “We feel by simply creating awareness on the various types of abuse, will immensely help those who are completely unaware that they are being abused”. “At BSP, we have observed cases increase following targeted messaging or personal stories shared by survivors to which someone may relate to that prompts them to seek help. Through this awareness we hope survivors are able to access available support services and tools through financial literacy to attain financial independence,” concluded Mr Fleming.

Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby is grappling with a youth unemployment crisis as young people come from all corners of the country in search of work. The problem is causing despair to many young adults — some of whom are now resorting to crime to get by. University graduate Bernard Kakori said he has been searching for a job for the last two-and-a-half years. "Looking for a job in Port Moresby I would say is a job in itself," he said. Amid the crisis are accusations of nepotism and bribery committed by recruiters. But business leaders worry the education system isn't properly preparing young people for the workforce. Port Moresby Young Chamber of Commerce president Natasha Austin said it can take six months for employers to train graduates. "The gap between the industry and institutions is wide because we don't work together," she said. "In developed countries, they have students working on real-life projects and work experience. Here we don't have those initiatives." Source: ABC Pacific

Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) recently hosted the Minister for State Enterprises William Duma during a site visit to the mine on October 20. Minister Duma was accompanied by Kumul Minerals Holdings Ltd Acting Managing Director Hengene Ivan, Kumul Consolidated Holdings Ltd Managing Director Prof. David Kavanamur, State Enterprises Ministry First Secretary Junior Koipi and Second Secretary, Kennedy Poiya. Mr. Duma was taken on a tour of the mine and the processing facilities and met with the senior management team who presented the company’s Three-year Plan and the year-to-date performance and outlook for this year. In welcoming the Minister, the OTML Managing Director and CEO, Mr. Musje Werror said that Ok Tedi appreciated the Minister taking time off his busy schedule to visit the operations and be informed of the challenges the company was facing post Covid. He added that the Minister last visited the operations in 2004 when he was Minister for Environment and is familiar with Ok Tedi. Minister Duma said Ok Tedi is an important project for the country and that the Government will continue to support it to deliver maximum returns for its PNG shareholders. “The Government recognizes the importance of Ok Tedi as a State asset, and as a major contributor to our country’s economy and will continue to support the Company to continue operating for as long as possible with the requisite social and environmental license,” he said. Before departing Tabubil he stated that he had enjoyed his brief visit to the site and was impressed with the cleanliness of the Tabubil township and encouraged management to keep up the good work. OTML is 100 percent PNG owned, with Kumul Minerals Ok Tedi Limited holding 67% of OTML’s shares on behalf of the State and the three entities representing the people of the Western Province collectively holding the remaining 33%. These three entities are Mineral Resources Ok Tedi No.2 Ltd, and Mineral Resources CMCA Limited both owning 12 per cent of OTML, and Mineral Resources Star Mountains Ltd holding the remaining 9 percent.

The American Chamber of Commerce Coral Sea (AmCham) hosted U.S. Congressman Ed Case of Hawaii for a roundtable on Wednesday, 19 October 2022. Based in Papua New Guinea, the AmCham was launched earlier this year to promote sustainable economic growth, foreign investment, and greater opportunities for U.S. and Pacific companies in the Coral Sea region. Following last month’s U.S.-Pacific Island Country Summit hosted by the Biden Administration, the AmCham discussed with Congressman Case the challenges and opportunities for increasing private sector ties between the countries of the Coral Sea and the U.S., especially Hawaii.   [caption id="attachment_29116" align="aligncenter" width="378"] Congressman Case joins the AmCham Coral Sea for in-depth discussions on strengthening business ties between the U.S. and the Pacific.[/caption] They explored Congress’ role in strengthening U.S. commitment to the Pacific, and ways to partner and create synergies to augment AmCham’s efforts. In his welcoming remarks, AmCham Coral Sea Vice President Peter Burnie (PwC Papua New Guinea) shared that AmCham’s goal of enhanced partnership has multiple facets, one that provides for innovation, inclusion, diversity, trust, transparency and integrity, and all with commercial relationships at its centre. “We recognize the incredible importance of the US government involvement in the region. Our connection to the US is our differentiator from other business organisations and is the key to our success. Our role and goal as AmCham is to seek to build on and harness this reengagement at a governmental level and relate it back to a commercial sector and commercial arrangements. We believe the time is right.” “I deeply appreciated discussing with AmCham Coral Sea how we can all seize the moment following President Biden’s and Congress’ landmark meetings with Pacific Islands leaders in Washington, D.C. last month,” said U.S. Congressman Ed Case (Hawai’i). “Our joint Declaration on U.S.-Pacific Partnership and whole range of related initiatives throughout our Pacific demonstrate the United States’ increased commitment to working with our partners toward full realization of economic potential and opportunities, all toward the mutual strengthening of our countries and shared values. I’m especially excited at the enhanced role my Hawai’i can and wants to play in facilitating this next chapter in the Pacific Century.”

The New Ireland Provincial Executive Council today congratulated former works Manager Solomon Pela for his elevation as the first assistant secretary network management and funding to the National Department of Works. New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan was present to give his blessing to Mr Pela and thank him for his outstanding services to New Ireland. “There are few in the majority that make the difference and I have no hesitation on behalf of the PIC and PEC in the New Ireland Government to congratulate you on your promotion to your new job. “Your leadership as the provincial Works Manager and partnership with my Government over the past 6 and a half years has translated my PIC, PEC and Provincial Assembly policy resolutions into Physical realities right across New Ireland,” said Sir J. Under the leadership of Pela the big infrastructure projects delivered includes road sealing of the Boluminski Highway, Lanzorotte highway, New Hanover Unity road, the New Ireland Legislative Assembly, Kavieng Stadium, the four lane Kavavu Avenue and town road sealing, Government official residence, Namatanai Government House, 10 Council Chambers and the commencement of the West Coast Highway sealing amongst others. Sir J and PEC members while congratulating Pela also hoped that in his elevation he will continue to serve New Ireland. “ We also expect a smooth transition by your successor Mr Collin Dickson.” Mr Pela is also the son of Kandep MP and Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science & Technology & Sports Don Polye.

On Friday 21st October, a handover ceremony for the certificates of completion for an online-training was conducted at Lamana Hotel. 10 lecturers from teacher’s colleges nationwide participated in an online-training with a Japanese University from the 10th to 21st October. Participants are expected to draft training materials and instruction books which will be utilized in teacher colleges across P.N.G. Project/Training Details This online-training provided participants with special pedagogical knowledge of Math & Science and children's learning process by Naruto University of Education from Japan. Participants are expected to draft training materials & instruction books which will be utilized in teacher’s college across P.N.G for enhancing the way to teach based on Standard Based Curriculum (SBC) national text book & teachers manuals in Math and Science (Grade 3-6), which were developed in QUISME* project. Project Name: “Project for Strengthening Primary Teacher Pre-Service Education (STEPMAS)” Scheme: Technical Cooperation Term: 2021-2025 Executing Agency: The Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology Department of Education (DoE) . The project aims to support the development of Standard Based Curriculum (SBC)-based student modules and lectures’ manuals in mathematics and science for Primary Teachers’ Colleges. Goals: To develop 720 Mathematics lesson plans & 360 Science lesson plans at Primary Teacher Colleges “Project for Improving the Quality of Mathematics and Science Education (QUISME)”. From March 2016 to November 2019, JICA also supported DoE to develop Standard Based Curriculum (SBC) national textbooks & teacher manuals in mathematics and science (Grade 3-6). Text book & Manual was delivered across the country to 17,000 Primary Teachers & 675,000 by Japanese Grand Aid.

Wan Squad have won the “House of Champions” Dance competition, held in Brisbane on Saturday. The competition is in its tenth year with competitors from Australia, New Zealand, Philippines and for the first time 2 crews from the Pacific taking part. Wan Squad and Mata Dance from Fiji. In all, 42 teams and 20 schools took part across multiple divisions with Wan Squad taking winning the Adult division. “We’re really happy” Wan Squad member Joel Vene said. “We’ve been training hard and that showed in our performance.” He said it feels great to get the recognition for all the hard work that’s been put in. “We haven’t stopped training and refining our routine since we returned from the United States in August, we’ve been focused on this competition for months now so to come over and get the win, it means a lot to us” The team won cash and prizes for their victory. Wan Squad returned from Australia on Tuesday in the lead up to the “Mountain Dew National Dance Championship” being held at Sir John Guise Indoor Stadium on the 19th of November. This will be the 3rd National Dance championship held by Mountain Dew with Wan Squad holding dance workshops for competitors in the weeks leading up to it. “These workshops are a great way for us to give back to the community and crews interested in competitive Hip Hop dancing.” Wan Squad manager Pyan Ng said. “If we can teach these guys how to go out there and perform on that stage, there’s no reason PNG can’t have multiple world class dance crews and events like the upcoming National Dance Championships are a great opportunity for them.”  

In its mission of supporting organisations with business solutions to improve productivity, transforming businesses and creating smarter workplaces, FX Business Centre and Fujifilm have embarked on an important new partnership with Project Yumi, sponsoring a classroom set-up for Pari Early Childhood Centre in the Central Province. The Pari Early Childhood Centre project, managed by Project Yumi through its Project Skul Sponsorship Program, will see 143 young students and their teachers better equipped with desks, chairs, reading books and stationery. As an important member of the Remington Group of companies, FX Business Centre PNG and Fujifilm Australia is proud to join with Project Yumi, and deliver on the Group’s vision of developing our people, this time providing much needed school equipment for our PNG leaders of tomorrow. “After a decade of operations in Papua New Guinea, it is wonderful for FX Business Centre PNG to engage with our local communities through important educational and social projects”, said Peter Goodwin, Remington Group CEO, and Jerome Nicdao, FX Business Centre’s General Manager. “We thank Project Yumi for developing this great concept that allows corporate houses to partner with them as together, we deliver tangible activities to support Papua New Guineans, especially early learning students”, added Mr Goodwin. Project Yumi, through its Project Skul Sponsorship Program, has supported over 60 schools since commencing the project. Seven schools have been supported in this way, since the inception of the Corporate Sponsorship Program in mid-2021. Mark Hansen, the Project Skul Coordinator said. “Project Yumi, through Project Skul, are grateful for the support provided by FX Business Centre. It is wonderful to see a Business committed to assisting Local Communities and even more so when it is focussed on improving the education of young children.”