For the first time in five years, both the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII Men’s and Women’s teams both touched down at the Jackson’s International Terminal yesterday to a warm welcome as mad Rugby League fans flocked to the Airport to catch a glimpse of their NRL heroes. Australian Prime Minister’s XIII Coach Mal Meninga following their arrival in Port Moresby stated that they were glad to be back in the country to participate in the invitational match since 2018. Starting of their journey in Marlburgh, he said they were lucky enough to get together and come up with all other teams that will take the field on the weekend against the Papua New Guinea (PNG) side. Meanwhile, recently appointed Kumuls and PNG PM’s XIII coach, Justin Holbrooke in his first engagement for the PNG side, stated that it is the first opportunity for himself to coach a national side and that it has been a really good week in training for the side. “As Mal mentioned, our boys would want to play here since 2018. It’s a great occasion and one that we look forward to.” Coach Holbrooke mentioned that the home team will be fielding a mixture of players from various levels of competition and with the Pacific test coming up, this will be an opportunity for the younger guys to perform. Kyle Laybutt will also be making his first appearance as the skipper for the PNG side. He said it was a huge honor, one that he was not expecting and was really proud of being appointed.

Following the suspension of the Commander of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force by the National Executive Council (NEC), Transparency International has expressed grave concern over inconsistency in the Government’s handling of investigations of breaches and apparent wrong doings by public office holders. The suspension of CDF Major General Mark Goina over delays in conducting investigations into those that were harmed in the deadly exercise at Kupiano, which left 3 PNGDF personnel killed. TIPNG Board Chair, Peter Aitsi stated that the country has a right to know the reasons as to why the Government has suspended other holders of public officers while others do not. “Citizens are right to wonder how the Government of the day has not seen fit to suspend or indeed remove other public office holders and even some cabinet ministers over allegations of corrupt conduct, and breaches of public service codes,” said Mr. Aitsi. He added that in TIPNG’s 2021 National Integrity System Assessment of 14 sectoral pillars of national integrity, the main finding was that across the board the legislation to promote integrity was adequate and in place, however the implementation and enforcement of those laws by office holders, including the NEC was grossly inadequate. “Public confidence in national integrity institutions is reliant on the effective enforcement of the law and consistency of decisions such as the suspension of office holders, so as to not prejudice internal investigations. Also concerning to the public is the use of processes such as Leadership tribunals to attack political opponents or those who do not side with the Government of the day.” The National Integrity System Assessment was funded by the European Union through TIPNG’s Promoting Anti-Corruption and Integrity Strategies (PAIS) Project. The PAIS project was developed to assess and bridge gaps in PNG’s national integrity system.

Nine suspects are on the run and in hiding following reports of a pack rape that had occurred in Kavieng, New Ireland province during the independence weekend. Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Superintendent Albert Beli, when speaking to PNG Hausbung stated that police are now working to apprehend all suspects and he is calling on the wider communities in the area to assist in their capture. The PPC stated that the men, all under the influence of alcohol, committed the offence. “The woman was taken to the police station and then to the hospital to be treated. She is under medication,” said the PPC. He said according to preliminary reports, this is the result of consuming homemade alcoholic drinks. PPC Beli is calling on villagers in the surrounding areas to assist police to hunt down the suspects. “I would like to make a call out to all the communities and wards to help out in apprehending the culprits in this case. We are yet to identify the suspects.” Meanwhile, he also reported that the Kavieng Village Resort experienced a break in during the same period. A few armed youths stormed into the resort, leaving everything and taking only alcoholic beverages on the shelves. At the moment police are working to establish how much was taken during the robbery.

A first for many public servants the advanced training on whistle blower protection for the public sector, took place on 4-6 September 2023 and was a continuation of a basic training that UNDP and Department of Justice and Attorney General had organized in October 2022. The second training, a training of the trainers on whistleblower protection, was held on 7-8 September 2023 which saw participants facilitate trainings on whistleblower protection by themselves in their respective departments and agencies. The capacity building workshops are a part of UNDP’s ongoing efforts to build the capacity of public officials to implement the Whistleblower Act 2020, which the Government of Papua New Guinea adopted in 2020 to help protect the rights and safety of persons reporting corruption and other misuses of power within public institutions. The training included interactive sessions hosted by UNDP experts, the trainings equipped the participants with the necessary knowledge and skills for implementing the legislative provisions of the act. In addition, the participants received guidance on establishing and maintaining a secure whistleblowing management system in public institutions, processing reports, and dealing with retaliation complaints. UNDP Chief Technical Advisor, Dr. Alma Sedlar, stated at the end of the training stated that whistleblowing is essential not only for detecting fraud, corruption and misconduct, but also for promoting a culture of accountability and integrity that protects the interests of the public. “We look forward to continuing our joint efforts with the Government of Papua New Guinea to create an enabling environment, where whistleblowers feel safe to report corruption and other forms of wrongdoing without fear of retaliation.” She further added that corruption continues to hinder the efforts of Papua New Guinea to achieve its development goals. Meanwhile the Deputy Secretary of DJAG, Josephine Pitmur in her closing remarks stated that they are grateful to UNDP for its commitment to building integrity across all Government agencies, not just at the national level, but also at provincial and district levels.

Jiwaka Provincial Police Commander, Chief Inspector Albert Korin has commended the people of Jiwaka for their quiet observance of the country’s 48th independence over the weekend. PPC Korin stated that this all kick started on the 14th when they launched the police emergency toll free numbers and urged people to refrain from illegal activity. “Prior to independence we launched our police toll free numbers.” “This was witnessed by most stakeholders in the province where we urged the people to stay out of trouble.” Korin added that although there were no official independence celebrations, he was happy that the people were able to keep order of themselves. He stated that he would like this to remain the same and expressed that this is a good sign for positive things to come as the command works to set themselves up administratively. “Right now, we are trying to introduce a strong police structure to ensure that we have accountability and that our men are committed to their duties.” He added that police are looking to ensure that this is done before implementing their plans to transform the command.

A major challenge in the development of customary land in the Country is that commercial banks are hesitant to accept customary land leases as security to extend loans because of the risk associated with loan default. The National Research Institute’s (NRI) recently released Issues Paper No. 45 titled: A credit guarantee facility is needed for sustainable development of customary land in Papua New Guinea: Prospects and challenges by Research Fellow Logea Nao proposes a credit guarantee facility for customary land development in PNG.  According to the Paper, major challenges associated with the credit guarantee facility and some ways that can be used to enhance the effectiveness of the facility are highlighted. A credit guarantee facility is an intervention by a third party, in the form of funding to the interest groups such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), farmers and women groups. The proposed credit guarantee facility for customary land could be like the current Government-funded SME credit guarantee facility and the concept (customary land credit guarantee facility) would allow for leases on customary land to be accepted as collateral by banks by guaranteeing loans in the event of a default. Some of the challenges associated with a credit guarantee facility are the following: • Risk and liability around ownership of customary land. • Competing objectives of the three agents (guarantor, borrower, lender). • Identifying the most appropriate host of the facility. • Sustainability of the facility; and • Lack of or limited knowledge and skills. • Effectiveness of the credit facility can be enhanced by the following: • Determine ownership of customary land. • Develop appropriate legal and regulatory framework. • Promote sound corporate governance. • Develop an appropriate risk-sharing arrangement; and • Provide training and assistance to bank officers and participating landowners.

While most parts of the country marked the 48 Independence of the nation, for police in Northern Province this year’s Independence Celebrations have been nothing short of eventful. Northern Provincial Police Commander, Ewai Segi said that it had all kicked started at 5pm on the eve of Thursday when a gang of men attempted to hold up a shop in town, which led to a confrontation with Police, seeing 3 gang members injured and one police officer shot. “The 3 gang members are on the run at the moment and we’ve been working all throughout the weekend to establish leads, but we will find them.” The PPC said in the attempt to apprehend the suspects, the officer was shot and was medevacked to Port Moresby to receive treatment. Fortunately, the officer is in stable condition and will soon be taken back to Popondetta. One incident following the music festival saw 3 others injured when a driver under the influence of alcohol crashed inflicting serious injury to two others and himself. He is now being held in police custody and will receive charges shortly. Meanwhile, while giving a roundup of the Independence weekend, PPC Segi stated that they did experience other major issues relating to alcohol consumption.

The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, through Commissioner David Manning, announced that major legislative reforms taking place and reviews are being made to the Police Act to ensure the police are kept up to date in combatting crime in the modern era. He said the RPNGC is looking at modernizing the Criminal Code to ensure that their goals confront challenges that are being faced in the modern criminal environment. “We want to ensure that our police act ensures that our force is agile and have the power to protect. We are also looking at bringing in a piece of legislation called the Police Powers and Obligations Act [Bill].” “This will ensure that the police will have the power to enforce the rule of law and our community can hold our police accountable to the highest standards of police conduct.” This will also see the introduction of the Domestic Terrorism Bill. He also hinted at certain developments of the purported Domestic Terrorism “It was announced a couple of weeks back that we are now in the process of recruiting for our tier 1 Counter-Terrorism Unit. That will take some time.” He said at the earliest, they may be able to assemble an effective unit within two to three months and will be a long-term solution to emerging threats. Manning said it was timely that the formation of the counter-terrorism unit and the Domestic Terrorism bill both be coupled together to ensure that the RPNGC continues to do their best in identifying, assessing, and eliminating threats. Although they may still be in the works, the commissioner said they are stepping up in the absence of these two major capabilities and that continuous upskilling of police personnel is slowing reaping benefits for the constabulary.

Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Commissioner, David Manning has raised concerns regarding the selfish use of Christianity on people alleged to be practicing sorcery following an incident that was reported in media recently. Speaking about Sorcery Accusations and Related Violence [SARV], the Commissioner stated that it is concerning that the use of mainstream Christianity or beliefs are now being put or muddled into Sorcery Related Violence. “I think the last case that was of National significance was of a purported prayer warrior who was responsible for identifying a woman and alleging that she was responsible for sorcery related violence.” “This in turn led to the unfortunate demise of the victim.” Commissioner Manning stated that due to this, he has sent word to the PNG Council of Churches to acknowledge that this not only a new trend but to also work closely with the RPNGC to ensure that the Christian faith is not dragged into this environment and tarnished. Manning further advised that they will continue to work to minimize these crimes and provide protection to those wrongfully accused.

Fiji made a huge statement at the World Cup with their first win over Australia for 69 years, a thoroughly deserved 22-15 victory that blew Pool C wide open and left the twice world champion Wallabies shellshocked. Denied a likely victory over Wales in their opener by a dropped pass, Fiji overpowered the Australians with direct running, explosive tackling and 11 turnovers to ease into second place in the pool. Look back at how the match unfolded with RNZ Pacific's live blog Barring those in green and gold, a packed house at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard cheered each Fiji attack and every single one of the 18 penalties awarded against the Australians. A converted try from centre Josua Tuisova and five penalty kicks did the damage on the scoreboard and the Fijians backed their steely defence to keep the desperate Wallabies out in a dramatic last 10 minutes. "I thought the boys were outstanding today," said Fiji coach Simon Raiwalui. "Set piece was good, the carries were good. It was a good win against a very good Australia team." Australia scored an opportunistic try through Mark Nawaqanitawase in the first half and had another from replacement Suliasi Vunivalu that made it a seven-point game 12 minutes from time. They were second best at the breakdown, however, and coach Eddie Jones took demoralised flyhalf Carter Gordon off midway through the second half as the Wallabies struggled to break down the Fijian defence. "Obviously disappointed that we lost the game," said Jones, who has led Australia to one win in seven tests this year. "Congratulations to Fiji, they played really well, a deserved victory for them. I'm really pleased for them as a team." It was clear to Australia early on that this would be a proper test match with Fiji piling huge pressure on them by alternating big runners up the middle with long balls out wide. The Wallabies defence just about held but they conceded four penalties which Simione Kuruvoli, brought in for Frank Lomani as starting scrumhalf, banged over to give the Fijians a 12-8 lead at halftime. Australia had opened the scoring through an early penalty and grabbed the first try of the match in the 24th minute when scrumhalf Nic White kicked a 50-22 from turnover ball. Nawaqanitawase snapped up the ball for a quick throw to centre Samu Kerevi, who charged towards the line before offloading for the winger to stroll over and touch down. Fiji hit back straight after the break when Gordon and Nawaqanitawase left a box kick for each other and Tuisova simply took it on the bounce and raced 40 metres to score. "It's history for us, I just want to thank the boys," said Tuisova, who was named Man of the Match. "We treated this match as a final, it's just incredible to win." Kuruvoli converted to give Fiji a 19-8 lead before making way for Lomani, who added his team's final penalty in the 66th minute. Australia looked better after fullback Ben Donaldson moved up to take over at flyhalf but Vunivalu's late score was not enough and the Wallabies must now beat Wales next week to avoid a first pool stage exit at the World Cup. "It's my fault. I take full responsibility for (the loss)," Jones added. "We've got some work to do, we've got Wales next week and we need to kick some stones tonight." [caption id="attachment_45338" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] Eddie Jones has a lot to ponder. Photo: PHOTOSPORT[/caption] Another injury scare for Boks South Africa had a fine day at the office, thumping Romania 76-0, but there is concern about another possible injury in their squad as Vincent Koch missed out after hurting himself in the pre-match warm-up. Coach Jacques Nienaber said the prop hurt his knee but the extent of the injury was not yet clear. "There is a bit of injury worry within the side so we will look and assess and make a decision," Nienaber told reporters. For the Springbok coach there were many boxes ticked as South Africa turned out an eccentric line-up, including four scrumhalves in the match day 23, three of them on the pitch together at one stage. "Internally we have massive respect for Romania, we gave them a lot of attention during the week, but we also wanted to get something out of the game for ourselves, giving guys opportunities." South Africa had Faf de Klerk at flyhalf and Grant Williams on the wing, where he scored two tries, and in the second half used flankers Deon Fourie and Marco van Staden at hooker. "I'm especially happy with a couple of things we tried," Nienaber added. "The three different hookers that we used, I thought that paid off. "Then Faf got some exposure at flyhalf so I thought a lot of things that we wanted to get out of the game, we got. "We're happy from a defensive point of view, the fact it went to 76 points to zero conceded. Sometimes the scoreboard goes for you but the effort was there and that's what mattered.Gǥ South Africa have a much tougher proposition against top ranked Ireland next Saturday at the Stade de France in Paris in a match likely to settle the top two in Pool B and decide who plays France or New Zealand in the quarter-final, barring any major upsets. "We've got a short turnaround, so we'll enjoy tonight but in a controlled manner and we'll start making plans for Ireland tomorrow. It will be a big game in terms of who finishes one or two in the pool ... maybe not, we still have Tonga, we are only halfway, I don't want to get too far ahead. "It's going to be a tough quarter-final no matter who we play. We can't control that, destiny will decide," Nienaber said. Source:rnz.com

As the first light tore through the morning sky this morning, people in large numbers along with family members and friends flocked to Independence Hill in the city of Port Moresby to witness the raising of the Red, Black and Gold with pride. As the flag was slowly being raised, you could hear a pin drop from afar as the crowd stood in reverence. Standing in unison, the moment showcased unity in diversity, a sight our founding fathers would be proud to witness. Apart from the city residents who attended the solemn event, diplomats and representatives of Papua New Guinea’s allies, members of the United States Armed forces and others. On behalf of Prime Minister (PM) James Marape, who was not present due to “Religious Commitments,” and the absence of his Deputy John Rosso, who is away on duty travel, Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey addressed those in attendance, thanking them for their faith and hope in the country. “There is so much to be proud of as a young nation. Despite those that doubted whether we would survive as a nation, we have. Despite being the most diverse nation on earth, we are still a united country under one flag.” The Treasurer through his address, highlighted that as a young nation the country has been through trying times and continues to go through challenges, but urged that through the diverse culture that the country has, it is prerogative that working towards taking back the country through economic independence is key to securing the country’s future from a developing nation to a developed one, in the wider international community. He stated that the country has grown significantly since independence. Noting that prior to independence the population was just under 4 million to what is now estimated to be over 12 million this year. Comparing the economy to yesteryears, the treasurer also stated that with strong growth policies and a particular focus on a rural agricultural economy, it is expected to grow exponentially by 2030. “We also acknowledge that there is still much more work to be done. For many, the hopes and dreams have not been fully realized. We know that so many of our households are struggling with the cost-of-living pressures.” “We know that the law-and-order situation needs tremendous improvements for our people to feel safe and secure. We know there is a long way to go.” He explained that development is a very long process, one that must be pursued tirelessly. He believes that the current government is putting in place policies to better meet the people’s aspirations. Ling Stuckey went on to state that countless state projects continue to unlock and access rural communities and continues to be a great enabler for the country’s future.

“Abide by the Laws and Regulations.” The appeal of NCD/Central Division Commander, ACP Anthony Wagambie Jnr as NCD police announced the commencement of their Special Operations for the Independence festive period. The ACP when delivering his message stated that respect is an integral part of human society and called on all resident of both NCD and Central to observe laws that are in place. “Respect em bikpla samting [Respect is important]!! You must have respect for each other. “We are now on the verge of our country’s 48th anniversary and this is a huge achievement.” “Every citizen must respect each other.” He stated that there will be a lot of activities taking place not only in the city but in central province and around the country and people must respect each other when out and about during the celebrations. Wagambie Jnr further urged people to reflect on to the reason as to why the 16th of September is significant and be proud of the country’s history.