The case of the missing person on a boat between Lou and Baluan Islands on New Year’s Eve is now being treated as murder after a lengthy investigation by police. Provincial Police Commander Chief Inspector David Yapu said the missing person was identified as Steven Chauka, 42 years from Mouk Baluan Island and he was travelling with three other persons at the time of the incident. They departed from Loniu Bridge and were traveling to Baluan Island to celebration new year. On the way, they consumed alcohol and a commotion started resulting in the deceased being thrown out at sea. A search party was immediately mounted for him for several days but his body could not be recovered at sea. Two of the suspects from Baluan Island were arrested and charged for murder and are now in police custody awaiting their appearances at the Lorengau Committal Court. Chief Inspector Yapu further appealed to people not to drink alcohol while travelling on sea.

Air Niugini is pleased to advise customers that effective from 1am Saturday 22nd January, fully vaccinated international passengers can fly into Queensland with no requirement for any quarantine on arrival. Passengers will be required to self-conduct a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) within 24 hours of arriving in Australia. Fully vaccinated passengers have been allowed to fly into Sydney, NSW since late last year without quarantine. Air Niugini operates six services per week to Brisbane (daily except Mondays), twice weekly to Cairns (on Wednesdays and Saturdays), and a Monday service direct to Sydney, NSW. At present travel remains restricted to Australian Citizens, Permanent Residents and New Zealanders normally residing in Australia. Additionally on 15 December 2021, a number of other visa holders were also approved for travel. The full list can be accessed at https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/vaccinated-travellers under “New arrangements for eligible visa holders” Air Niugini expects travel to be extended to other visa holders such as tourists in early February. Intending international travellers who are not yet vaccinated should get this done now. Passengers are also reminded that the Green Card PNG Vaccination Certificate is not valid for international travel, as it does not include the persons Date of Birth or Passport Number, The PNG International Certificate of Covid Vaccination is available from NDoH at email: martzpogo@gmail.com or nonwovienna@gmail.com . Travel to Australia Passengers are required to complete a new “document” being the Australian Travel Declaration/ATD including as part of this an attestation (confirmation) that the passenger is fully vaccinated and the certificate is valid. The ATD is a mobile phone App and available for download at the Apple iPhone Store for iPhone, and Google Store for Android phones. Initial one off entry of set-up information takes about 15 minutes, so it is recommended this is downloaded and updated prior to coming to the airport. Manual paper forms will be available at check-in if required. Passenger do not need to complete the “Queensland International Arrivals Registration” All passengers departing internationally on Air Niugini flights, including to Australia, will still need to complete a negative PCR test at Port Moresby airport at time of check-in. Access to testing opens four hours before departure (for flights to Australia) or five hours before departure for all other destinations, and closes two hours prior to scheduled departure time. Travel to Papua New Guinea Passengers travelling to PNG are reminded they still need to get Pandemic Controller’s approval prior to check-in. This process normally takes between 7-21 days, and applications can be emailed to nocapproval@airniugini.com.pg Whilst quarantine is only required for passengers arriving from India and Philippines, all passengers still need to include an approved place of quarantine on the I-APTF just in case they test positive on arrival. Additionally passengers need to be fully vaccinated and undertake a negative PCR test within 72 hours of scheduled departure. This may be as a SMS message. For passengers departing Brisbane and Sydney Airports, Histopath provide tests on the day of departure and these can be booked and paid for online in advance. Passengers also need to complete the PNG Health Declaration form at https://www.pnghdf.info/ It is recommended that passengers bring three hard copies of all documentation to the airport with them. Passenger are required to complete a negative Rapid test on arrival at Port Moresby airport. Wearing of face masks in the airport terminals and on board the aircraft is mandatory, hand sanitisers are provided for your protection, and social distancing is followed wherever practical in order to ensure your international travel remains as safe as possible.

Following the detection of the first Omicron variant case in PNG the Commissioner of Police & Controller of the Papua New Guinea National Pandemic Response David Manning has banned public gatherings of more than 100. All events or public gatherings of more than 100 people will not be allowed until March 1, 2022. The ban which has become effective as of Friday, 14 January, 2022, means that spectators will not be allowed if a sport requires 100 team members. Big gatherings have proven to be avenues through which large numbers of people become infected with infectious diseases such as COVID-19. “March is when we will see increasing numbers in COVID-19 cases as per the modeling from our Epidemiological (EPI) team. We are attempting to control the rate of infections before we go to the election period. We cannot take this lightly. We have so many sad examples from around the globe to learn from. For instance, when the Delta Variant emerged last year, India was in its election campaign period. A total of 400,000 people died during this period in India alone. We only have to refer to India to see what happens when we ignore it,” Mr Manning said The first case of Omicron in PNG is a 45-year-old expatriate man, who traveled from South Africa. He was diagnosed in Goroka, Eastern Highlands, on 26th of December, 2021, nine days after he left Johannesburg, so it is believed he contracted the virus outside of South Africa because the incubation period of Omicron is less than five days. Mr Manning said all requests for events of more than 100 persons will not be approved from the 14th of January, 2022, until 28th of February, 2022. Approvals given prior to this new direction are now revoked. Mr Manning said, “The gatherings include social events such as clubbing/bar activities, dances, diners, parties, sporting competitions and religious activities such as church and fellowships. “Those affected must now liaise with the Niupela Pasin team at the National Control Centre for rescheduling of events." The Controller said those who want to hold gatherings or events with participants numbering from 20 to 100 must seek approval from the NCC. Under the same direction, Mr Manning has urged all organisations whether private or public, to liaise with the Niupela Pasin team to formulate standard operating procedures for COVID-19 workplace safety and operations within their organisations. He said while the severity of Omicron variant is lower than Delta, it spreads faster and therefore there are more people getting sick with Omicron than with the original COVID-19 and other variants, putting a lot of stress on health resources in affected countries such as Australia. “We have to do everything we can to ensure this variant does not spread like wildfire in this country because PNG does not have the capacity in the health system to respond favorably,” Mr Manning said. The Controller also urged the public to be responsible and adhere to the COVID-19 protocols to protect themselves, their loved ones and others from this disease. “Prevention is better than cure, and one way is to get yourself vaccinated. Our statistics currently show that we have 229,459 people in this country who are fully vaccinated and those that have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine is 290,946. This shows that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe. “There is a high probability that Omicron is in the country and transmitting, but due to mild presentation of the variant it may be going undetected,” Mr Manning said. The first case of Omicron was detected in South Africa on 24 November, 2021, and was declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a Variant of Concern on 27 November, 2021. It is now detected in close to 30 countries including Australia.

Afghanistan defeated PNG in their first game of the World Cup. After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Afghanistan scored 200 all out and in response PNG were all out for 65. Coach Rodney Maha was pleased that the PIH Under 19 Cricket PNG side restricted Afghanistan to an achievable target “Katenalaki Singi had a great debut match with figures of 4/18 and Rasan Kevau continued to take regular wickets with 3/23. Our innings started disastrously with Peter Karoho bowled off the first ball of the innings. Unfortunately, we were never able to get in the game with regular wickets falling to the quality bowling of the Afghanistan team.” Captain Barnabas Maha added “I was really happy about the bowling and fielding where we put a lot of pressure on Afghanistan. Special mention goes to Katenalaki for taking 4 wickets today. The Afghanistan team has the best bowling attack we have faced, with faster bowlers who can move the ball both ways. It was a good experience for us to learn from. I believe we are on the right track to improve and learn from this tour.” For PNG the player of the day was undoubtably Katenalaki Singi, who started with nerves and finished with wickets. “I was very nervous and bowled 4 wides to start. I settled down with support from the team, and that support gave me the drive to settle down and take 4 wickets. I want to thank Amoiha Cricket club in Alotau, my family and people of Milne Bay and all of PNG for their support.” The PIH Under 19 Cricket PNG team next take on one of the favourites for the tournament, Pakistan, which will be an exciting opportunity for our team.

Two high-achieving Australia Awards scholars from PNG have been awarded the Allison Sudradjat Prize for 2021 for their leadership skills and determination to contribute to the country’s development. Deputy Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea His Excellency Paul Lehmann presented the prestigious prize to Benishar Kombut, a scientist working in community health, and Posangat Ilius, a public sector human resource expert, at a ceremony at the Grand Papua Hotel, Port Moresby on 18 January. The Allison Sudradjat Prize is awarded annually to two Australia Awards scholars from PNG and four from Indonesia. It honours the late Australian official for her enduring contributions to education, development, and the Papua New Guinea-Australia Partnership. “Allison Sudradjat was passionate about the transformative power of education and made a lasting contribution to the PNGAus Partnership while serving in PNG,” Deputy High Commissioner Lehmann said. “I congratulate Ms Kombut and Mr Ilius on being awarded the Allison Sudradjat Prize for their leadership skills and drive to support PNG’s development. I wish them every success as they continue the proud tradition of previous Allison Sudradjat Prize winners by contributing to PNG’s development and the deep links between our two countries.” Ms Kombut works at the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research and has been selected to study a Master of Biomedical Science at The University of Melbourne. “To receive a prize that commemorates the legacy of a pioneering woman and close friend of Papua New Guinea is a great honour. I look forward to making the most of this opportunity to contribute to healthy communities and support Papua New Guinea’s development,” Ms Kombut said. Mr Ilius, an officer of the Department of Personnel Management, has been selected to study a Master of Business Administration in Human Resource Management at the University of South Australia. “It’s a privilege to be awarded the Allison Sudradjat Prize. I plan to use the prize to develop my leadership skills and support organisational change management in Papua New Guinea’s public sector,” Mr Ilius said. The Allison Sudradjat Prize has been awarded to 26 Australia Awards scholars from PNG since 2008. The Prize includes up to AUD25,000.00 to undertake additional learning and professional development activities related to the recipients’ course of study. Allison Sudradjat was an exceptional representative of Australia in our region who died tragically in 2007. Allison was deeply passionate about education as one of the pillars of development. She made a major contribution at both the Australian missions in Indonesia from the early to mid-1990s and from 2005-2007, and in Papua New Guinea from 1996-2001. Previous Allison Sudradjat Prize winners from PNG have undertaken projects in diverse fields, including finance policy development, public health, disaster risk reduction and wildlife conservation in Papua New Guinea.

Police Commissioner David Manning issued instructions for police to find and arrest a woman who took a video of herself sexually abusing an infant. The shocking and disturbing video which was posted on the internet shows an adult female sexually assaulting an infant. The 2-minute 24 seconds video show the woman undressing herself before abusing the child. “This is a sick person who must be found, arrested and locked up. No child is safe around this person,” Mr Manning said. Anyone with any information of the identity of the woman are urged to contact Sergeant Job Eremungo of the Family and Sexual Violence Unit on telephone 76526156.

Parliament today (January 19 2022) passed the Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC) Ltd Authorisation (Amendment) Bill 2021, after it was introduced by Prime Minister James Marape. The Bill allows for governance procedures relating to appointment of directors on the MRDC board, and the election of directors for the MRDC company boards, to commence as mandated by its respective company constitution. It rectifies the unintended consequences of the current provision in the Principal Act, in that it prevents the refreshing of representational mandate for directors on the MRDC board as well as project area representative directors on their respective MRDC Company boards, by subjecting it to the respective MRDC company constitution and the Companies Act 1997. “The refreshing of representational mandate is critical for validity and community support for the MRDC Group,” PM Marape said when introducing the Bill. “It instills a culture of accountability on the Board members, who are project area landowner representatives, and is also an important aspect of good governance and transparency, “The Principal Act relating to the ownership of MRDC, as well as its roles and responsibilities as a corporate trustee manager, remain unaffected. “It is only the administrative arrangements governing the appointment of directors on the MRDC board, and MRDC company boards, that are proposed to be changed in this bill to align with the Companies Act 1997. “This Bill is necessary as it will allow for Governance procedures relating to the MRDC Board, and the election of directors for the MRDC Company Boards, to commence as mandated by its respective Company constitution.”

Prime Minister James Marape has reiterated that no new round log export licenses have been granted to foreign companies as of 2020. He told Parliament today that by 2025 there must be no more round log exports. PM Marape said this when answering questions from Ambunti-Drekikier MP, Johnson Wapunai, about round log exports by foreign companies. “My Government has a clear policy view (on round log exports),” he said. “There must be a time when we stop round log exports. “We must process our logs in-country. “That commitment still stands. “When we came in, we said that from 2020 onwards, there will be more more issuance of licenses to new companies to export round logs. “The only exception will be local companies, national companies, landowner companies, provincial government companies. “That is the thinking of my Pangu Pati Government.” PM Marape said all present license holders must work with Government to migrate into the downstream processing space. He said he would give a full scorecard on the progress of this policy before the end of this Parliament in April.

The proposed eviction by National Airports Corporation on tenants living around the fringes of Jacksons International Airport area will be put on hold. Prime Minister James Marape made these remarks in Parliament yesterday in response to a series of questions by Moresby North East MP John Kaupa during question time. Mr Kaupa asked the question in relation to the eviction notice issued to tenants on portion 2965, a declared aerodrome land near Jackson International Airport in Port Moresby. Kaupa asked the Prime Minister to have discussions with the Lands Minister and Civil Aviation Minister to review that declaration gazetted under G71 of April 2010, saying the land outside of the airport fences and away from the flying path shouldn’t be considered an aerodrome. Prime Minister Marape in response said he had asked the National Airports Corporation to hold up the eviction for now until the matter is resolved. “At the moment, I assure the people of Moresby North East electorate that there will not be any eviction carried out, NAC has been asked to put on hold its proposed eviction exercise until we find a permanent solution to the issue. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister further advised displaced settlers at Gardens Hills that their resettlement matter is now before the NCD Governor and the respective NCD electorates MPs who are working on to find a resolution.

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape says counting of people for the 2022 General Election will continue at the council level as well as through the Common Roll update being conducted by the Electoral Commission. He said the 2020 National Census was not held as scheduled due to COVID-19 and the politics at that time. PM Marape said this in response to questions from Rabaul MP, Hon. Dr Allan Marat, relating to the Papua New Guinea population, and population update in view of the elections. He said the Electoral Commission would give an update this week on updating of the Common Roll. “Let me assure our citizens that the Common Roll update, and knowing the population we have, are very important,” PM Marape said. “Whilst the latest population update (census) may not have taken place, let me point one important fact: Population growth rate of our country of our country is known at an average rate of 3 to 3.1 per cent.” The Prime Minister said using data from the 2011 Census, there should not be an “abnormal explosion” in population, in all electorates. He said the Common Roll could be updated using the data already on hand, from the 2012 and 2017 elections as well as the 2011 Census, for any one electorate. PM Marape said he did not know the actual population of Papua New Guinea as asked by Dr Marat, however, assured the country that every person had the right to be included on the Common Roll. “There should not be any extraordinary (population) blowout in one polling place, one village, one LLG or one district,” he said. “Let me assure everyone in this Parliament, and throughout the country, that we are very-conscious of the need to have good data and roll update to ensure the integrity of the election. “This is something that we will be ticking off." “I encourage all leaders here to assist the process and to use 2012 and 2017 (common rolls) as benchmarks to eliminate those who have died, or bring into the Common Roll those who have moved from childhood to above 18. “We’re conscious of the need to have a high integrity population database to facilitate the 2022 elections.”

The taxpayers of National Capital District, under the leadership of NCD Governor Powes Parkop, this week recognized and supported the contribution of United Church in NCD and Central Province with a donation of new 15-seater bus. Presenting the bus key to representatives of the United Church's Urban Region wing in front of the City Hall on Monday, Governor Parkop encouraged the church to keep spreading the gospel in the two provinces. Noting the importance of Gospel in communities, Governor Parkop said it taught the people good values and moral principles which are critical for nation building. Governor Parkop stated that the challenges in the city were not so much about the economy, resources, infrastructure, or services. “The biggest challenge is the low values and principles guiding us, both in leadership and in our people,” a concerned Parkop said. The city and entire country has potential to be a great if the people respect and appreciate each other, he said. "We have to also understand the privilege we have on earth. We have moral and ethical values and virtues so that we overcome this biggest challenge we have here in the city and our country as a whole," he said. Governor Parkop stated the he would continue to support the churches in NCD and Central Province to allow them to continue reaching out to the people in spreading the Gospel and providing other essential services. Thanking Governor Parkop, Reverend Jacob Harry; "It is an honor receiving this gift that will allow us to reach out to all our people in the city and into Central province spreading the gospel." "Spreading the gospel will install our people with high values, right guiding principles that will make our country great." Deputy Governor and MKA Chairman, Hon. Dadi Toka Jnr was present as well to witness the occasion.

When the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted in Tonga on Saturday, it sent a huge plume 30 kilometres into the sky and a literal shockwave around the world. Every week there are around 20 volcanoes "showing some signs of unrest" across the globe, but most are fairly mild, says Scott Bryan, a volcano researcher at the Queensland University of Technology. So what made this volcano so explosive, was the eruption predicted, will it erupt again soon, and are there other volcanoes we should be watching out for? Why was it so explosive? [caption id="attachment_18451" align="aligncenter" width="829"] A graphic showing volcanic activity and Earth's tectonic plates.(Encyclopaedia Britannica/UIG via Getty Images)[/caption] The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano is what is known as a subduction volcano. Subduction zone volcanoes occur along tectonic plate boundaries where one plate is being forced down under another. Subduction volcanoes tend to have dual personalities, according to Professor Bryan. On the one hand, they have slow, passive eruptions that build the classic conical shape of volcanoes like Mt Fuji, and on the other they're violently explosive, as we've seen in Tonga. There are two factors that can lead to a highly explosive eruption, and although it's still too early to say definitively, it appears both factors may have been at play on Saturday. The first is a high concentration of pressurised water vapour and gases in the magma. When that magma hits the surface from deep underground, there's a sudden release of pressure "like opening a champagne bottle", which causes the gases to explosively expand, blasting apart the magma or lava in the process. In the case of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, researchers had previously looked at the chemical composition of the volcano's lava sediment from an eruption in 2009. They found the lava had ingredients for a powerful explosion, according to Heather Handley, a volcanologist from Monash University who was involved with that research. "We could see from the chemistry of the rocks that the magma of that eruption was moving to the surface quickly and keeping hold of its gas as well," Dr Handley said. The second factor that made the Tongan volcano so explosive was that it was a sub-surface volcano — its lava vent was under the ocean. When magma hits water, it causes an explosive interaction between the two as the water rapidly flashes to steam, Professor Bryan said. "It's the external addition of the water and the heat of the magma coming into contact with it," he said. The volcano's vent was above water before disappearing below sea level just a few days (or hours) prior to Saturday's catastrophic eruption, according to Dr Handley. [caption id="attachment_18452" align="aligncenter" width="834"] The volcano is seen smoking on January 7. Sometime after this an eruption or collapse caused it to go sub-surface.(Planet Labs PBC via AP)[/caption] "The satellite images, if you compare from the 6th of January to two hours before the eruption, somewhere in that time frame the middle cone had gone," she said. A smaller eruption may have blown apart the cone, allowing the incursion of seawater into the vent, which then catalysed the larger eruption. But Professor Bryan suspects an underwater slip or collapse may have magnified the eruption and caused the tsunami that went with it. "You need to displace ocean water to make tsunamis," he said. "It's more than just the eruption. Something else has happened underwater that's triggered this explosion." Was the eruption predicted? The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano was on a roughly 1,000-year eruption cycle, according to high-temperature geochemist Oliver Nebel of Monash University. But that doesn't mean we could have pinpointed with any real accuracy when it was going to erupt. "We know … it's due [to erupt], but that could mean yesterday or it could be in 100 years," Dr Nebel said. But there were some signs Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai was becoming more active, he said. [caption id="attachment_18453" align="aligncenter" width="839"] The eruption on Saturday was made larger after the volcano became sub-surface.(AFP: Tonga Geological Services/Eyepress)[/caption] Dr Handley said the volcano entered a phase of increased activity sometime around December 19-20. "In the past few weeks, you've been seeing what we call phreatomagmatic eruptions, where water and magma are coming into contact," she said. "You get these dark feathered plumes that come out." According to the database of the Global Volcanism Program, gas steam and ash plumes had risen at least 12.2 kilometres into the air by late December, but activity had "significantly decreased" by early January. The difficulty in evacuating people when volcanoes enter more active phases is that often they may settle down again without a catastrophic eruption, Dr Nebel said. Evacuating people any time a volcano showed signs of activity would not only be costly, but it would lead to an erosion of public trust in scientists, he added. Will it erupt again soon? When a volcano like this erupts, it often happens as a series of eruptions, rather than a one-off. Records from the Global Volcanism Program show that the last period of activity at Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, which began in December 2014, lasted just over a year. During that period a new island was formed, about 120 metres high and about 2 kilometres long. Dr Nebel said he suspected there would likely be more eruptions in the near future. "It's really hard, slash impossible, to predict whether it will be the same severity." [caption id="attachment_18454" align="aligncenter" width="873"] A combination of satellite images taken by Himawari-8, a Japanese weather satellite operated by Japan Meteorological Agency shows the eruption.(NICT via AP)[/caption] A huge eruption like this one may mean that any following eruptions will be less intense; however, again, there are no guarantees. The problem is that the magma chamber can be tens of kilometres deep, and there's no way of knowing how much more magma is still in the chamber. "The only thing we can say is that it has erupted now, so the likelihood of there being much more underneath is low, but we have seen [multiple large eruptions] before in the past," Dr Nebel said. Similarly, Dr Handley said it was "impossible to tell" at this point whether we had seen the biggest eruption, or if there were more to come. Professor Bryan said if there was an underwater landslide that precipitated the eruption, that may actually be good news in terms of future eruptions. "Hopefully if there was a landslide or whatever happened on Saturday, it's stabilised the slopes to some extent," he said. "[In that case] we may have some explosions or tall columns, but we're not going to get the tsunamis." Though the fallout and potential death toll is still unknown, Professor Bryan said the earlier eruptions at least gave the people of Tonga some forewarning of what may have been coming. He also said the fact it happened in daylight was a small positive. "By the sounds of it, most people saw the early signs. Obviously there was a sonic boom and they'd seen the columns from the weeks before. "If this happened like three hours later in the middle of the night [when] people are asleep, it could have been a lot worse." Are there other volcanoes like this to watch out for? Volcanoes like Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire — a roughly 40,000km line around the Pacific Ocean tracing the edge of tectonic plates, where a large share of the world's volcanoes are found.  However, these have what is referred to as an "independent magmatic plumbing system", Dr Nebel said. What that means is that their magma chambers and any conduits and vents are in no way connected to other volcanoes, and the eruption of one doesn't precipitate the eruption of any others. Across the world there are more than 1,300 active volcanoes, but active doesn't mean erupting now, according to Dr Handley. "To be active, we say they erupted in the last 10,000 years," she said. In any week there are around 20 volcanoes showing signs of activity, according to Professor Bryan. The Global Volcanism Program listed 46 volcanoes as "in continuing eruptions status" as of December 9, 2021. A number of these are in Australia's Pacific neighbours, including Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tonga. As we've seen, predicting which volcanoes may be an imminent threat to life can prove extremely difficult, but volcano experts say more monitoring and tsunami early warning systems can help. "All of these volcanoes need monitoring, because our ability to predict these eruptions sometimes is in the order of hours," Dr Nebel said. SOURCE: ABC NEWS