Ferry disaster survivors return home
Alexander Nara
A mom who just could not hold on any more dropped down on the car park at Hoskins airport as each survivor of the fatal Rabaul Queen disaster disembarked from the Q400 air niugini plane that touched down at Hoskins at around 3: 20 pm yesterday afternoon. Beating the tar with her bare hands and calling out her daughter’s name in a chocking, tireless and almost worn out …voice knowing really well that she is not on the plane but lie somehwere deep within the seabed somewhere in the bismark seas..
On a red dyna parked on one side of the car park, a 4 year old boy and 2 year old girl also stared in confusion at their crying aunty, not knowing that their mom, Gorethy Laupu whose body is still missing somewhere out in the Finchafen waters would never see them again.
Around the fences, relatives of the only body, Agnes Konang from Waloka village in the Hoskins area who came with the 22 survivors broke into uncontrolled tears as the casket was removed from the plane and carried by six young boys to the awaiting ambulance.
The WNB Provincial Administrator, members of the Provincial Executive Council and senior government officers within the WNB Administration wept openly with the public as they formed a guide of honor as part of this teary and heart breaking welcome. Many came to welcome and received their love ones who survived while many others painfully and helplessly weeping for they have nothing to see or properly bury as these love ones have become part of one of the worst sea disaster ever experience in Papua New Guinea.
The procession took almost an hour as relatives, friends and immediate families of the survivors embraced each other amidst tears before being asked to board almost 10 buses which were hired by the WNB provincial government to meet and transport the survivors and their relatives to their various locations.
However all survivors were transported to Hoskins Girls Technical High School where an official welcome was made by the Provincial Administrator Steven Raphael after two survivors, Alphonse Liato and Livingston Mundawi gave insights to the last immediate minutes of the disaster.
Agnes Konang body was taken direct to Waloka for burial accompanied by the Deputy Provincial Administrator – Corporate Services Williamson Hosea and Provincial Chairman of Economic Services Victor Narere.
Rooting out evil in Papua New Guinea
Gary Juffa
Recently this week a terrible visitor to Papua New Guinea was deported. This evil creature preyed on our children. Drugging and raping many innocent women, mainly under age girls.
Years of hard work put in by Customs Intelligence and Police Asian Organized Crime Unit continued to be plagued by lack of concern from our leaders and those in power. Volumes of data, witness statements, photo evidence, video tapes and the like were ignored by the courts who granted bail on numerous occasion from crimes that would have seen this creature behind bars for life in any other nation.
He was allowed to continue running his business, threatening witnesses and bribing officials in all levels of government. Even to the extent of obtaining stays on deportation and conviction.
A judicial system that instead of protecting the citizens of this nation, especially the most vulnerable, the women and children, was never taken into consideration. A prosecutor with Police who worked tirelessly was sacked for his efforts. A police man who worked hard on this case, refusing bribes and all manner of intimidation was sidelined and his 20 year career almost destroyed.
This creature walked free and did as he pleased. His charges of illegal possession of firearms, pornography of the most hideous kind, child porn and such was never taken seriously even by Ministers who were in charge of the Community Affairs Ministry.
Finally, after relentless hard work by dedicated Police, Customs and Migration officers paid off and he has now been escorted out of Papua New Guinea to Sri Lanka and handed over to authorities there.
His business is still running, carting cargo for expatriate clients and funding his perversions. His fraudulent acts that cost PNG substantial amounts of lost revenue are now being recouped by the Customs Border Security and Customs Intelligence. It took almost 5 years to rid this nation of this parasite of the worst order…
The officers are en route back to Papua New Guinea after delivering their disgusting cargo. Perhaps a nation with laws far more stringent and a judicial system more concerned about their people and the most vulnerable citizens, our children will ensure he pays for his evil ways….
Welcome Back Sergeant Kuno, Director Sine and Migration Officer Bria…true sons of Papua New Guinea..you have done this nation proud…many more such evil creatures lurk in our midst, preying on our innocent children and women, know where your child is at all times…
Godbless Papua New Guinea..
IFJ Concerned by Threats to Free Speech in PNG
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) are gravely concerned by the Government of Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s announcement of a new ‘monitoring’ committee, tasked with identifying those expressing views it considers ‘subversive’.
On Wednesday February 22, the O’Neill/Namah government’s Chief of Staff, Ben Micah, emailed a press release announcing details of the new committee to local journalists, as well as posting the release on a PNG media page on social networking website Facebook.
The release states that any person found using their mobile phone, email or Facebook to spread information considered ‘malicious and misleading’ will be considered to have committed a serious crime and will be ‘dealt with’.
The statement raises strong concerns for free speech and individual privacy rights, as it appears to criminalise the personal use of phones, email and social networking websites without a clear legal mandate. The statement also threatens unspecified punishment for those found to be using personal communications technology in a manner deemed “illegal and detrimental”.
“Freedom of speech is a key requirement of good governance”, IFJ Asia-Pacific Office said.
“Policies and laws which attempt to censor or punish those expressing themselves online, or via other communications technologies, violate this core principle of democracy.
The IFJ believes that PNG’s existing laws are sufficient to allow authorities to investigate legitimate acts of subversion, and urges the Government of PNG to reconsider any plans it may have for the monitoring and criminalisation of personal communications.
The press and public should be able to express themselves freely without fear of intimidation or criminal prosecution”
PNG has seen a recent rise in threats of violence against journalists, including a recent incident where soldiers at the Murray Barracks in the country’s capital of Port Moresby threatened to shoot PNGFM reporter Tauna George.
PNG experts to help Australia with political standoff
A team of Papua New Guinean EXPERTS drawn from PNG consultancy firms will be sent to advise the Australian government on how to deal with their political problems.
Through an aid program called “Helpim Wantok” the experts will offer up advice on how to help solve the Rudd-Gillard dispute. They will use PNG experiences, to assist in groundbreaking legislative changes that will allow for power sharing down under.
Only PNG firms have been invited to bid for the contracts. As well as a tax free salary (over and above that of Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill) You will get four return trips to PNG and other benefits. This is being done to forge better relations between the two countries
Kimbe Queen ordered off the water
By LESLIE OMARO and ELLEN TIAMU
THE passenger ferry mv Kimbe Queen has been ordered into dry dock for inspection by National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA) officers after it ran aground on Wednesday.
The inter-island vessel will be allowed to resume operation once the inspectors say it is safe to do, NMSA chief executive officer Chris Rupen said.
“A stop order has been put on the vessel not to operate until inspections are completed and NMSA is satisfied that the vessel is safe to resume operations,” Rupen said.
The vessel ran aground on a reef in Bialla waters off West New Britain on Wednesday morning while sailing from Rabaul to Lae. It had 34 passengers on board. It was refloated during that same day and then sent to Rabaul with just the crew on board for the NMSA inspection.
Rabaul Shipping legal officer Jaclyn Maribu confirmed in a telephone interview that shipowner Peter Sharp was disappointed with the latest incident. Sharp had flown to the scene in a helicopter on Wednesday.
The vessel’s grounding came just 20 days after sister ferry mv Rabaul Queen sank in bad weather off the coast of Finschhafen, Morobe, with the loss of about 200 lives. More than 180 passengers are still missing.
It led to three of the company vessels being held at Buka wharf, Bougainville, by relatives of the survivors and victims of the mv Rabaul Queen disaster days later. The three vessels are the Solomon Queen, Kopra and Kopra Four.
Maribu said the vessels were still at Buka and the locals wanted K350,000 before they could release them.
With the company’s fleet reduced in number by five, it raises questions over its ability to provide a vital service that thousands of Papua New Guineans depend on daily.
Rupen said the mv Kimbe Queen would be out of commission until his officers completed their inspection. He said the vessel was allowed to proceed to Rabaul after an initial inspection and confirmed that it did not sustain any serious damage from its grounding, and was not taking in water.
“NMSA allowed Kimbe Queen to sail to Rabaul on the condition she did not carry any passengers which the owners complied with,” he said.
Security concerns also prompted the decision.
“There were concerns by police in Bialla and Kimbe, as well as the owners, that there was not enough police personnel on the ground to provide safety and security for the vessel (in either location for the inspection) as tension and emotions are still running high after the Rabaul Queen tragedy.”
NMSA inspectors are expected to take two weeks to complete their inspection at the company’s docks. They will submit their report to the authority headquarters in Port Moresby.
Rupen clarified that there was no pressure from the NMSA on the vessel to suspend operations in the wake of the mv Rabaul Queen sinking.
“NMSA can only stop a vessel if it deems the vessel unsafe for operation,” Rupen said.
Meanwhile a memorial service for the victims of the mv Rabaul Queen will be held at St Mary’s Catholic church in Eriku on Sunday in Lae. There will also be a boat trip to the site of the ferry sinking the same day.
Administrator Tubal blasts Rabaul Shipping owner
East New Britain provincial administrator Akuila Tubal is unhappy with the Rabaul Shipping for resuming shipping operations right after the ill-fated incident of mv Rabaul Queen along the coast of Morobe last month.
He was addressing seven survivors, relatives of late three-year-old Isimel Burua who perished in the incident, and a crowd at Vunapope diocesan hall yesterday, during the survivor’s ecumenical service.
He had heard of the company’s sister ship mv Kimbe Queen’s mishap in Bialla waters on Wednesday.
“Two weeks ago when owner Peter Sharp wrote to me for the ship to start sailing, I appealed to him not to for some time.
“That is to let survivors and their relatives including those still missing heal from the incident in Morobe,” he said.
He said government authorities through the NMSA must inform the public and appropriate authorities if these ferries were in good condition to give services to people. Tubal urged the NMSA to clearly state its functions in the country.
“These are questions we are asking and we want answers,” he said.
About 56 people from ENB are still missing and their names were also announced during the service.
The body of Burua was taken to Tinganalom village for burial. After the service the crowd proceeded to Vunapope wharf to witness the laying of wreaths and flowers on a raft. Candles on the raft were lit and it was sent out to sea with the support of a boat.
Sharp manages to get ship off reef
By Alexander Nara
THE MV Kimbe Queen, the sister ship of the ill-fated MV Rabaul Queen ran aground on a coral reef off the coast of Bialla in West New Britain Province early yesterday morning with 34 passengers onboard.
The ship sailed out of Lae late on Sunday without the knowledge of the National Maritime Safety Authority and the National Disaster authorities. The boat and its owners has been pressure to suspend its operations until investigations into the MV Rabaul Queen disaster, where more than 200 passengers are still unaccounted for, have been completed.
Bialla Police Station Commander Inspector Thomas Reu who was on board the ship at around three o’clock yesterday confirmed that the ship sailed into Bialla at around 11 O’clock on Tuesday night but did not berth until early yesterday morning.
A total of 23 passengers of the 31 travelling from Lae disembarked at Bialla wharf with only eight people travelling onto Rabaul from Lae.
Senior Inspector Reu said 26 passengers boarded the ship at Bialla to join the eight from Rabaul and left Bialla wharf at around 7.20 am. Soon after, it ran aground at Pilagolo Reef just outside Bialla.
The Hargy Oil Palm Limited sprang to immediate action by sending boats to the ship in distress to transport all passengers including parents and kids with their cargo back to the shore.
Inspector Reu said the people of the little quiet town of Bialla went into a rampage at the wharf threatening to attack the captain and the crew as well as trying to cause damage to the ship but police stopped them.
Mr Reu confirmed that the managing director of the shipping company that owned MV Kimbe Queen flew into the Bialla township by helicopter at around 1pm and was escorted under heavy police presence to board the ship.
He said Peter Sharp who managed to get the ship off the reef late in the afternoon on the same day after a long day of continuous effort was seen trying to convince the NMSA to allow him to take the boat back to Rabaul on the same day.
Disaster Officers in Kimbe, who left for Bialla early this morning to assess the situation, expressed extreme frustrations at the management of the shipping company, which they claimed was making a mockery out of the survivors, missing people and relatives of those who perished in the MV Rabaul Queen tragedy.
Rabaul Shipping ferry runs aground
By Elizabeth Vuvu and Leslie Omaru
Ferry operators Rabaul Shipping have hit the headlines again after its ferry, mv Kimbe Queen, ran aground on a reef in Bialla waters, West New Britain province, yesterday morning.
The incident comes just 20 days after its sister ship the mv Rabaul Queen sank in heavy seas off Finschhafen, Morobe province, claiming at least 180 lives.
The mv Kimbe Queen, which departed Lae on Sunday, took on passengers in Bialla on its way to Rabaul when it ran aground. The number of passengers on the vessel is yet to be confirmed.
Police said all the passengers were safely evacuated with the assistance of boats provided by the Hargy Oil Palm Industry Company. No injuries were reported. The ship was refloated later in the day during high tide and returned to the Bialla wharf.
West New Britain police and National Maritime Safety Authority officials plus WNB disaster officials were at the scene with Rabaul Shipping managing director Peter Sharp.
New Guinea Islands divisional police commander Supt Anton Billie confirmed the incident and said he was waiting for a report from provincial police commander Thomas Reu who was in Bialla.
The vessel departed Lae on Sunday with 30 passengers bound for Kimbe. It berthed at Bialla wharf until yesterday morning. At around 6am, it began its journey to Rabaul after taking on 26 passengers.
National Maritime Safety Authority chief executive Chris Rupen said Rabaul Shipping vessels were by-passing Kimbe, the normal stopping point between Lae and Rabaul, for Bialla. He did not give any reason.
An NMSA inspector based in Kimbe had gone to Bialla, which is a three-hour drive from Kimbe, to investigate and report back, Rupen said in an email.
Three weeks ago, the Kimbe Queen, with about 170 passengers on board, was forced to abandon its journey to Port Moresby from Alotau, because of bad weather.
Govt to investigate private hospitals over-charging patients
THE government will seriously look at laws to address the extravagant fees charged by private hospitals.
Health Minister Jamie Maxtone-Graham gave the undertaking when responding to questions from Komo-Margarima MP Francis Potape who said he was charged K5,000 by a private hospital to treat a boil on a small boy.
Potape said doctors working in the public hospitals were also running their private practices. He accused the doctors of “moonlighting” when they forced patients to go to private hospitals because of a lack of medicine and equipment in public hospitals.
He asked whether there were government policies on health care in so far as regulating private health care and fees. He took a small boy for the treatment of a boil and was charged K5,000 which he refused to pay. He then took the boy to the public hospital where he paid less than K200 for the treatment.
“Where do private hospitals procure medicines and can we regulate fees?” Potape said.
Maxtone-Graham said the issue was long overdue and a serious concern to health care.
“The government does have a policy encouraging private health care and our concern is the standard of services being provided.”
He said the public health care system had been allowed to worsen in the past 36 years forcing the government to encourage private practices.
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