Kerebi DAVID

There are conflicting reports of the official death toll from a massive earthquake in Vanuatu as rescue teams continue to scour the rubble for survivors. On 17 December, the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office reported 14 deaths. It said four people had been confirmed dead by the hospital, six others were killed in a landslide and four others died in a collapsed building. But on Wednesday, the disaster management office reported only nine people had been confirmed dead by the hospital and made no mention of the deaths it had earlier attributed to the landslides and collapsed buildings. On Thursday evening, Vanuatu President Nike Vurobatavu said the number of people dead was "around 16". One consistent figure is the more than 200 people injured, with the hospital saying many patients were being treated for broken bones. Meanwhile, Vanuatu police were urging people to come forward and report missing persons. A landslide near the main wharf of Port Vila. Photo: Development Mode / Facebook via ABC News Damage and destruction According to the Vanuatu government's disaster assessment team most of the damage from the earthquake had been to the Port Vila CBD on the main island of Efate. This area has been closed to the public and search and rescue operations were ongoing. Any buildings still standing had sustained significant structural damage. The Port Vila main wharf remained closed due to a major landslide. The two main water reservoirs supplying Port Vila had been totally destroyed and would require reconstruction; an assessment of the rest of the water network was ongoing. A boil water notice is in place for all of Vila. Power and telecommunications The utility company Unelco is working to restore power and water supply. Vodafone Vanuatu informed its customers that instant messaging on Messenger, Viber and WhatsApp had been restored on its mobile network. Audio and video calling via these platforms, however, was still unavailable by Thursday. Vodafone said its team was working hard to resolve these issues and fully restore its internet services. State of emergency A one-week state of emergency was declared on Tuesday by the president of the republic Nikenike Vurobaravu for the worst affected areas. Police had been urging people to adhere to the nightly curfew of 6pm to 6am local time. They had also warned of a greater chance of opportunistic crimes being committed after the disaster and urged everyone to look out for each other. Military evacuation Close to 100 New Zealanders are being evacuated on a military flight. The Boeing 757, with 93 passengers on board - almost all of them New Zealanders - left Port Vila shortly before 8pm Thursday and was due to arrive in Auckland about 11pm. Foreign affairs staff were planning to meet them on arrival and help with accommodation needs. The ministry said its emergency call centre would work throughout the night to contact New Zealanders who remained in Vanuatu and had not ruled out further evacuations. Commercial flights There were no commercial flights operating into or out of Vanuatu. Local authorities said on Tuesday they were closing the Bauerfield International Airport to commercial flights for 72 hours to repair damages and prioritise disaster relief flights. Passengers booked to fly Fiji Airways to Vila on Thursday had their flights moved to 21 December. Solomon Airlines had also indicated it would resume flying to Vanuatu from Saturday. Virgin Airlines has cancelled flights until Sunday and a spokesperson for the Qantas Group told the ABC they were monitoring the situation closely. International aid International defence and medical personnel, search and rescue teams and disaster response experts from New Zealand, Australia and France were now on the ground in Port Vila. They were helping local emergency response teams, which had been working around the clock since Tuesday's 7.3 magnitude quake alongside locally based staff at UN agencies and non-government organisations in Vila. Time is of the essence for the teams scouring the rubble for any sign of survivors. Evacuations from Vanuatu The first evacuation flight from Vanuatu to New Zealand was due to leave about 7pm (NZ time) on Thursday. NZDF said there were about 86 evacuees onboard the 757 plane, which has a 200-seat capacity, and includes New Zealanders and ''approved foreign nationals'". The plane is due to land in about three hours' time at either Auckland Airport or Whenuapai military base. Source: rnz.co.nz

Following a video that went viral on social on Wednesday of an innocent five-year-old male child mercilessly killed and dumped in a drain along Vadavada in the Nation’s Capital, the acting Director for National Office for Child and Family Services, the office responsible for child protection, has strongly condemned the heinous killing of that innocent little child on all levels. Acting Director, Mr. Jerry Wap is now calling for an immediate thorough investigation to bring the perpetrator to face the full force of the law. “I strongly denounce in the strongest terms this heinous act that show a ruthless and senseless killing of a helpless child.” “Such crimes against children are uncalled for in Papua New Guinea.” Mr. Wap added that the senseless killing of a child, who has the fundamental right to be safe and protected from violence is unacceptable under any circumstances. Mr. Wap who is deeply concerned about the way the crime was committed on an innocent and helpless child, is now calling on police and other law enforcing agencies to carry out a swift investigation to bring the perpetrator to justice. He also called on all community leaders and members of the community to support the police investigation team to ensure prompt and effective investigation so that the perpetrator and be identified quickly to be brought to face justice for the unjustifiable crime committed. Expressing shock at the indiscriminate killing of the innocent and helpless child, Mr, Wap said the National Office for Child and Family Services has the responsibility to uphold respect for the rule of law and to protect every child in Papua New Guinea. “The Lukautim Piknini Act provides the legal protection for all children who are the most vulnerable members of our societies.” “The vicious attack on this innocent child indicates that there are members of our societies who have no respect for rule of law and right to life for others.” Mr. Wap called on all parents and guardians throughout the country for care and close supervision of children who are vulnerable members of our families. Mr. Wap, who as the appointed officer responsible for child protection offers his sincere condolence to the parents of the child, members of the family and relatives who are in mourning for a loss of an innocent child at the hands of cruel and sick people.

Rescuers in Vanuatu will be under pressure to reach trapped people quickly, but there will be tough decisions if buildings aren't safe to enter, a structural engineer says. Buildings have collapsed in the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Port Vila on Tuesday, killing 14 and injuring hundreds more. Locals have been working to pull people from the rubble, with New Zealand's specialist Urban Search and Rescue team due to arrive on Wednesday to help. Structural Engineering Society president NicholasBrooke expected the death toll to rise, and said it was likely his colleagues supporting the rescue effort would have to make some tough decisions. He said experienced structural engineers would have to make rapid appraisals of damaged buildings - essentially eyeballing them - and judging whether rescuers were safe to enter. "Rescuers will inherently want to go in and rescue, and there will be situations where the engineer has to say, 'Well this building's not safe enough, and there's nothing we can do to make safe enough' and put it to the team leader that they shouldn't be entering that building. "Which will obviously be a pretty tough thing to be doing if you know that there could well be people trapped within it." Brooke said it was a pressured role to be in - analysis was necessary to keep rescuers safe, but it had to be done incredibly quickly, because getting to trapped or injured people was time critical. He said the current information suggested Tuesday's earthquake was similar in intensity to the 2011 Christchurch quake that collapsed the CTV building, killing more than a hundred inside. Based on the footage he had seen in Port Vila, he feared the worst. "It's likely to be quite a significant tragedy, the expectation may well be that the death toll would increase. Brooke said Vanuatu's building code was modelled on Australia and New Zealand standards, however he could not comment on implentation. He said buildings in Port Vila that looked like "they'd sat down" suggested some had "soft stories" - an out-dated practice where the bottom floors were weaker than the upper levels, and therefore collapsed more easily in an earthquake, while the top stories remained intact. New Zealand had undertaken signficant work - and expense - to strengthen such buildings Brooke said, but it was possible Vanuatu did not have the resources to do so. "The process of recovery and rebuilding is one that will require quite significant time and resources and needs to be made sure that it's done right."

The death toll in Vanuatu has risen to fourteen following the 7.3 magnitude earthquake yesterday. Reports say more than 200 people have been treated for injuries Port Vila resident Michael Thompson says rescue crews were seen pulling three people alive, though injured, from a collapsed building and this has offered hope to search and rescue volunteers.

To address the fuel supply crises that was experienced by the country early this year, KPHL’s contractor, China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering, a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Company has begun construction of a Jet A1 fuel import and storage facility at a site adjacent to the Motukea wharf. Kumul Petroleum Managing Director, Wapu Sonk highlighted that this facility is part of the commitment KPHL made to the Government and people of PNG earlier this year. Apart from facilitating short term imports of fuel, KPHL would ensure that they would organise medium and longer terms solutions so that such fuel supply crises would not occur again in the future. “At Motukea, KPHL is constructing infrastructure for the import and storage of Jet A1 fuel, including four 3,000 cubic metre fuel tanks, associated ship offloading and truck loading equipment and the necessary safety and environmental control facilities.” Mr Sonk explained that KPHL had been busy dealing with other stakeholders in this important project, thus this included having the necessary geotechnical studies carried out, liaison with PNG Ports Corporation, CEPA, NMSA, other utilities, services providers and regulatory agencies who have to approve various aspects of the project. “KPHL has engaged China Petroleum and Pipeline Engineering Company Limited and China Petroleum and Pipeline International Limited to carry out the construction and commissioning of these facilities.” “This construction is Phase 1 of the project, and it is a significant activity and investment for Kumul Petroleum.” “Once it is complete and operating, we will consider a second phase which will involve constructing additional storage tanks, pipeline and support facilities for diesel and petrol imports and storage.” “KPHL is happy to assist the Government put in place critical infrastructure to ensure that Port Moresby and other parts of the country is never again faced with an energy crisis, which is so important for our economy and development as a country.” Sonk further thanked the Marape-Rosso Govt, especially Minister Duma, and the management of KCH and PNG Ports for their support in making sure the project becomes a reality.

An earthquake of magnitude 7.3 struck Vanuatu's capital Port Vila at a depth of 10km today, Tuesday 17th December 2024, this is according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). According to the earthquake caused bridges to collapse, triggered landslides and severely damaged buildings, plus communication lines were also cut off. ABC News reported a local journalist had confirmed with police at least one person is dead because of the earthquake. The ground floor of a building housing the US, French, UK and New Zealand embassies had been crushed under higher floors; resident Michael Thompson told AFP by satellite phone after posting images of the destruction on social media. Footage posted on social media showed the building had buckled windows and collapsed concrete pillars. The earthquake was described as a “violent, high frequency shake” by local journalist Dan Mc Garry, who also stated that sirens were heard all around the capital. Following the earthquake, the US Tsunami Warning System issued a warning, which it later cancelled. There was no tsunami threats reported in New Zealand and Australia as well. Director of the NZ National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) John Price said if there are aftershocks, the tsunami threat would be re-assessed. "We also have our dart buoy network that will trigger if there is any activity at sea, which would indicate a possible tsunami wave.” “There is no indication that there will be any land threat, that means any threat of tsunami hitting New Zealand land." He also added that marine and beach areas were still being assessed for unusual currents. At this moment also, the Red Cross deputy head of delegation for the Pacific, Finau Leveni, said that there were between 20 and 30 staff on the ground in Vanuatu, as well as volunteers, thus re-establishing of communications was essential to know the scale of damage. Sadly, it has reported that in addition to all damages caused by the earthquake, Vanuatu will also face an economic loss between 1 and 10 percent of GDP.

Authorities say tsunami waves have been observed after a magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck Vanuatu. The quake struck 37km from the capital, Port Vila at 12:53pm AEDT. It struck at a depth of 10km, the United States Geological Survey said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami waves had been observed, and predicted waves of up to 1 metre along some parts of Vanuatu's coastline. Tsunami waves of less than 30 centimetres above the tidal level were predicted for Pacific island nations including Fiji, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. The Bureau of Meteorology said there was no tsunami threat to Australia. Authorities are monitoring for any sign of a tsunami. Dan McGarry, a local journalist in Port Vila, said it was a "violent, high-frequency shake" that lasted for about 30 seconds. He said there were sirens being heard around the capital. Witnesses have reported major landslides near the capital.

With The official Green Diplomacy Week ending today, this week was aimed at promoting dialogue and corporation on the issues of climate change, protection of the environment, forest biodiversity as well as Film screening of 6 documentaries and movies that focused on protection of the environment. NCD Governor Powes Parkop who was a guest at the Green Diplomacy week assured the European Union Delegations and youths who attended the Green Diplomacy week that PNG is serious about protecting its forest and sea and all its environment. Parkop highlighted that he has recommended to Prime Minister James Marape that before the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 30) in November 2025 in Brazil, Papua New Guinea must host a “Rain Forest Nation” summit, whereby all Rainforest Nation must come together and have a dialogue before proceeding to COP 30. Rain Forest Nation Coalitions is made of countries with large Rain forests in the world and these are countries like, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and more about 50 countries make up the Rain Forest Coalition. “Rain Forest Nations must have a dialogue, and that must translate to action on how we can partner and present our ideas to the Industrial countries at the COP.” “PNG should host it here so that all Rain Forest Nations can come together, have a common question so that we can meet our Industrial partners halfway at the COP so we can work together towards a solution.” Tropical rainforests are essential to saving biodiversity and slowing down the climate emergency, thus is time is very critical. Rain forest Nations mission is to slow, stop, and reverse global deforestation under the Paris Agreement, thus if the recommendation for a “Rain Forest Nation” summit to be held here in PNG in June 2025 is approved, it will greatly help boost the dialogue and corporation on climate issues, protection of environment and the fight to reducing carbon emissions.

The European Union (EU) Delegation to Papua New Guinea was please to launch its Green Diplomacy Week 2024, a three-day event dedicated to fostering local partnerships for sustainability, environmental protection and climate action on Wednesday 11th December 2024 at the Moresby Arts Theatre. The EU Green Diplomacy Week is aimed to promote dialogue and cooperation on the issue of climate change, protection of the environment, forest and biodiversity, highlighting success stories. It is a world-wide campaign that encourages conversations around climate. During the officially opening of the European Union Green Diplomacy Week 2024, Guest Speaker NCD Governor Powes Parkop gave an incredible speech that highlights the importance of having a balanced economic development as well as having a sustainable environment. Parkop highlighted that leadership is a global challenge when responding to climate change, thus the most important thing is to act when it comes to climate change. “European Union has set a target to be carbon neutral come 2050 and that is something we should welcome and work towards because it is not only for Europe but for the rest of the world.” “When dealing with effects of pollution, reducing impacts of climate change and reducing global temperature and rising sea level, it needs dedicated commitment in all aspects.” “Commitment not only in terms of narrative, policy and law, but more importantly is to put the money where the mouth is in terms of addressing climate change.” Parkop further highlighted that PNG should not be only concerned about the effects of climate change but the way of life for all Papua New Guineans and the Pacific Islanders are all at stake. “It is about our way of life, heritage, our value because we are the ocean, the trees, the weather, the air because we have so much tight to nature, we respect this natural biodiversity because for generations all these has sustained our ancestors until today.” Parkop added that over time PNG is transitioning from our ancestorial way of life into something else, with foreigners promising to offer better life in exchange of the natural environment and resources. “But we must look at European countries, China and other Western developed countries and question ourselves if we want to live in pollution or see the clear sky and breath fresh air?” He also highlighted that extreme weather and plastic pollution are both becoming some major challenges in Port Moresby City and with plastic pollution, it has to stop, or it will affect the food chain soon. “People now or down the generation will eat plastic because it will destroy the environment, when it gets into our water and seas.” Governor Parkop added that there is nothing wrong with development; however, there must be a balance outcome in terms of economic development as well as sustainable environment.

Fish Farming is booming in the Highlands Region with more and more farmers shifting from poultry and livestock to farming fish. This is because local farmers have seen the benefits of fish farming both economy and food security wise. This year alone about 50 plus farmers have turned their land into fishponds in Western Highlands Province and in the Southern Highlands Province. This was revealed by Mr. Jacob Towa, Fish Technical Advisor and owner of Towa Fish Hatchery. “I am helping new farmers to start their ponds, and I provide technical support to them, and my job has taken me as far as Hela Province to help set up new fish farms.” “I am more focused on fish farmers in Western Highlands Province and Southern Highlands Province which are closer to me, so at the moment the fish farmers in Tari are in need of a technical officer who can direct and guide them in their fish farming projects.” Towa also highlighted that Southern Highlands Province needs Trout Hatchery to boost their trout farm projects which are now developing in Southern Highlands. Currently there is only one Trout Hatchery in the Highlands Region and that Hatchery is in Simbu Province at the Betty Lodge in Mt Wilhelm. “We want to build a Trout Hatchery in SHP, to make it easier for the transfer of trout fingerlings to small trout farms because often times the transferring of trout fingerlings are very risky because if not handled well, the fingerlings die and sometimes it's just security precautions for long distance drive.” Building a Trout Hatchery in SHP will make it easy for Trout farmers in SHP, Upper Western Highlanders and those in Hela Province, that is in the plan and hopefully we can archive that in 2025, said Mr. Towa. Mr. Towa added that currently there are about 6 major suppliers of Fingerlings to all fish farms in all districts here in Jiwaka Province, and this goes to show how fish farming is taking over the Highlands Region. “Right now, I am ready to supply about 20,000 fish fingerlings to a Farm in Kagamuga which was recently certified by National Fisheries Authority as a Commercial Fresh Water Fish Farm.” “Another 50,000 fingerlings will be sent to Togoba Secondary school, which will also benefit the local fish farmers living around the school vicinity.” Towa said he is happy to see schools digging up fishponds for their agriculture classes and he is very much excited as well because more youths have now taken up fish farming. “The Marape Rosso Government’s policy on Take back PNG and the focus on the Agricultural Sector as the way to reviving the country’s economy is an important call; therefore, our government should allocate some funding for freshwater fish farming which is a booming business.” Mr. Towa is urging all members of the parliament to assist their people back at home with funds to start fish farming businesses. “MPs must buy, fingerlings and feedlings and give to their people and hire technical officers to go and teach and set up fishponds, this in return will help all those in the village struggling financially.”

A total sum of USD $65,000 investment was made in a significant step toward enhancing regional collaboration and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the Arafura and Timor Seas ecosystem. Jelta Wong, Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources, highlights the importance of the Arafura and Timor Seas Ecosystem Action (ATSEA) Sydney Declaration in Strengthening Regional Cooperation. The ATSEA Sydney Ministerial Declaration represents a bold and unified commitment to the long-term health of the Arafura and Timor Seas, thus the USD$65,000 investment is a crucial step in ensuring the success of this important regional initiative during the bridging phase. The declaration marks the commitment of Papua New Guinea, Australia, Indonesia, and Timor Leste to work together towards the management of shared marine resources. Speaking at the event, Minister Wong emphasized the critical importance of this partnership in safeguarding the health of the Arafura and Timor Seas, which is vital not only for the environment but also for the livelihoods of millions of people across the region. “The Arafura and Timor Seas ecosystem is central to the economic well-being and cultural heritage of our nations,” Minister Wong said. “It provides sustenance, employment, and opportunities for millions of people, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that these resources are managed sustainably for generations to come.” The signing ceremony, which took place this morning, saw the official commitment of a USD$65,000 funding package to support the implementation of joint initiatives under the ATSEA program. This funding will be used during the bridging phase for programs that focus on marine conservation, fisheries management, biodiversity protection, and climate resilience in the Arafura and Timor Seas region. Minister Wong further acknowledged the significant partnership between Papua New Guinea, Australia, Indonesia, and Timor Leste, calling it a demonstration of the shared commitment to protecting the natural resources of the region. “This partnership is a testament to the strength of our collective will to tackle the challenges that threaten our marine ecosystems, from overfishing to pollution and climate change. It shows what can be achieved when nations come together to achieve common goals.” He also recognized Australia’s continued support in providing resources and technical assistance to the ATSEA program. “Australia’s longstanding commitment to the sustainable management of our shared marine environment has been instrumental in fostering regional cooperation, and we look forward to deepening our collaboration in the years to come.” The ATSEA program aims to enhance the collective management of the marine and coastal resources of the Arafura and Timor Seas, focusing on improving the health of the ecosystems, addressing environmental threats, and supporting the livelihoods of the people who depend on these resources. In addition, Minister Wong called for continued cooperation and engagement to ensure that the Arafura and Timor Seas remain vibrant, resilient, and productive for future generations. “The signing of this declaration is only the beginning of our journey. We must remain committed to action, not just words, and together, we can create a more sustainable and prosperous future for our nations and for our shared marine environment.”

Eliseo Group of Stores launched their first ever Christmas promotions, which will run from the 7th of December 2024 to the 3rd of January 2025, this morning at the Eliseo Rainbow Plaza in Port Moresby city. Miss Jessy, Branch Manager for Eliseo Rainbow urged all valued customers to shop at all Eliseo Branches in Port Moresby for a chance to win awesome prices this festive season. This Christmas promotion is for registered Eliseo Loyalty Program members only, so customers can register for the Loyalty Program with a K10 to be eligible to take part in this festive promotion. “Only registered Eliseo Loyalty Program members who spend K68 or more in a single purchase at any Eliseo Supermarket will get into a 2 lucky draw promotion this festive season.” “There will be 3 major winners who will drive away this festive season 3 brand new GWM Poer Utility worth K129,000 from Boroko Motors.” “These 3 lucky grand winners will also get a chance to win other special lucky draw prices too,” said Ms. Jessy. Human Resource Director for Eliseo Group, Mr. Shu has also highlighted that this festive season will be the biggest ever giveaway Eliseo will be giving to all its valued customers, thus there will be 3 major draws happening this festive season. “First promotion will run from the 7th -13 December, with the draws happening on the 13th of December at all Eliseo branches, and on the 14th will be the Grand draw for the first vehicle, this will be at Rainbow Branch.” “2nd promotion will run from the 14th -20th of December with the draws happening on the 20th of December at all branches and the Grand draw for the 2nd vehicle on the 21st of December at Rainbow Branch.” “The 3rd promotion will run from the 21st of December 2024 until 3rd January 2025, with the final draws schedule for 3rd January 2025 at all Eliseo branches and the major winner for the final vehicle to be done on the 4th of January 2025 at the Rainbow branch.” Major prices to win this festive season at all Elise stores will be 20 X K1, 000 Vouchers, White Goods packages worth around K6, 000, 90 X lucky winners for Vivo V40 Lite Phones and the last price pack will be 300 lucky winners to win a Bluetooth Speaker. All customers are urged to get into the Eliseo Loyalty Program so they can have a very merry Christmas when they shop at all Eliseo branches in Port Moresby this festive season.