As the largest Maritime province in the country, policing is a key aspect in maintaining law and order to further economic and activities in the in the Islands of Milne Bay. However with lack of Maritime logistical support, something that the Provincial Police Commander, Senior Inspector Ben Kua said will have an adverse effect in the years to come. PPC Kua says since he took office earlier this year, travel by sea to other centres in the province has become quite a challenge for the men in blue and continues to be so. For some time now they have been reliant on assistance from the stakeholders such as the Provincial Government. “At this point as I am speaking we literally have no Water Police off-shore, we’re literally handicapped with our policing in and around the islands.” Kua further added that the command is lacking the off-shore operational capabilities due to nil number of trained Boat-men to patrol the waters and maintain law and order on the islands. He stated that they struggle to move around but is thankful that the Provincial Government has been able to assist whenever the Command has requested of them. Meanwhile PPC Kua has also raised an alarming concern on the increase in consumption of illicit substances. "There are unconfirmed reports of trading drug trade in town but we are doing our very best to crackdown on it."

Minister for Higher Education and Sports, Don Polye has stated that from observations and reports being sent in to his office, the level of education especially higher education has dropped to a level that the department now needs to focus on. This is in reply to concerns raised about the quality of students that graduate out of the University of Goroka. He stated that generally he has done an assessment on the output and performance by looking at universities and the University of Goroka has been no exception. “Quality is very important and it starts in the following areas; first in Governance and leadership. On the campus of the UoG and for other institutions.” He further stated that the composition of Governance at the Vice chancellors level or at the council level down to management. Minister Polye added his belief there has been a lot of compromise where the best people suited to takes these positions have been overlooked. Polye stated that UoG is being addressed and he has confidence in the council and the vice chancellor and is working closely with the management of the institution to address areas of quality. “I have decided that under the Higher Education’s General Provisions Act, when it places the authority of appointment on the Minister, I would like to inform the people and the parliament that I will change that to not put the authority of appointing the council or the administration on the Minister." "Rather this will be done by a collective body and that body is the Higher Education Technical Council.” The Minister said it's hoped that this will free up politicization of these positions at the council level.

Although many provinces around the country have moved on to introduce the Standard Based Curriculum and gone through an in-service training for teachers to fully implement, Mendi Secondary in Southern Highlands are yet to do so. Mendi Secondary School Deputy Principal Administration Mr Eric Maukas said other provinces have advanced far ahead in terms of the implementation of SBC but Mendi Secondary and other schools in the province are waiting on the Southern Highlands Provincial Education Board to conduct training for teachers. “We have been verbally informed by the PEB that sometime towards the end of the first term we will be undergoing an in-service training to get us up to speed with the SBC and then we will start the implementing the SBC.” Classes for the Mendi Secondary and other schools in the Mendi-Munihu district resumed this year after fighting in the township late last year saw schools close down during mid-term 4 while businesses and public services also were at an all-time low. After classes were called off mid-term 4 last year for all schools in the Mendi-Munihu district due to post election violence, students in the district were directed to repeat the year. That was also the case for Mendi Secondary. Deputy Principal Eric Maukas added this was because students were not able to sit for exams and didn’t get a chance to complete the year.

Amidst old buildings and limited accommodation, the officers of the South Fly command still strive to provide service to the people of the Western province. Provincial Police Commander (PPC) of South Fly, Chief Inspector Gideon Kauke said that the poor facilities will not hinder them from doing their duties as law enforcers. However, in an effort change this PPC Kauke said that the plans to develop and upgrade facilities in the area is one of his key focus areas. His only concern rather, would be that of limited funding to cater for rehabilitation of these facilities. Right now, there are five other police stations scattered across the command but due to the run-down state of each station, it has directly influenced the performance of police officers. “Funding is the biggest issue. Without proper accommodation for our men and women and proper logistics, it’s hard for us to move around, but we still try our best to make sure to attend to situations.” He added that for a very long time since they were built, the buildings have been without refurbishment and this is an issue that the command has identified for the enhancement of policing in the province. Logistics is also an issue with only 1 vehicle attached to the command stationed on Daru Island. “Logistics is also a challenge. We have only one vehicle and it also needs repairs to keep running. We have a number of dinghies as well, but as I mentioned they have gone past their use by date.” As another maritime area, the command is also prone to sea piracy and without sea transport to make their presence known in the area, this put the command in a very difficult situation. Just last month, with the help of a Mobile Squad from Port Moresby, they were able to apprehend suspect involved in sea piracy activities. PPC Kauke said there is much work needed to be done to ensure that the South Fly command is able to perform to its full capacity. Caption: South Fly Command continues the good work despite challenges

The Penalty Submissions hearing for Suspended Labour and Immigration Minister and Member for Madang, Bryan Kramer, has once again been adjourned to next month because submissions for the case were not ready. Kramer’s lawyer, Mr. Miglish Giruakonda informed the tribunal this morning that he was not ready to proceed because his client’s Election Petition matter was dismissed, and he had 14 days to file an appeal at the Supreme Court. At the same time, he had other matters before the court that inconvenienced him at this stage. For the Leadership Tribunal on Bryan Kramer, Mr. Giruakonda ran the trial already, made submissions on guilty verdict to which the Tribunal found the leader guilty of 7 allegations out of the initial 14. The only issue left now is the submission on penalties for the 7 matters that the Tribunal found the leader guilty of. Mr. Giruakonda also revealed that after consulting with his client, he is willing to allow another lawyer to take over and make submissions on penalties because he is fully committed with the other matters and will not have time to prepare the submissions on penalties. The court was then adjourned to the 24th of April.

Australian Law Enforcement officers have successfully intercepted a Black Aircraft carrying 52 kilograms of methamphetamine worth AU$20 million and apprehended 5 men in connection to the aircraft. Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, Commissioner David Manning says this successful interception of a black flight aircraft and apprehension of five men in Queensland, Australia was a collaborative effort between PNG and Australian law enforcement agencies. As per the Commissioner, the black flight is a small aircraft used to fly undetected into certain areas to pick up and deliver illicit drugs. They mostly use remote unmonitored airstrips, which PNG and North Australia have. These black flights are conducted by criminal mega minds to transport narcotics in PNG and within Australia. Manning mentioned that it was part of an ongoing investigation between the RPNGC, the Australian Federal Police and other Law enforcement agencies since last year. He added that this has allowed for a wider net in place and now the fruits of their labour has paid off with the apprehension of transnational offenders. “With our partners we are committed to make our pacific region a hostile and disruptive environment for the transnational criminal element. We are also committed to strengthening our drug legislation to ensure that penalties reflect the severity of offending here in PNG.” A 42-year-old male Chinese national has also been detained in relation to the incident at the Lae airport and is currently detained for questioning by police. He said the recent arrest shows the commitment of PNG and Australian partners to keep PNG and the Pacific family free from the scourge of narcotics. A similar collaboration was previously attempted in 2020, which saw the pilot of a light aircraft (David Cutmore) sentenced to 18 years imprisonment. He said four people remain before the court in PNG and four more remain before the court in Australia.  

Hekari United Football Club General Manager, Vonnie Kapi-Natto says the Club is looking forward to the OFC Champions League and will not be taking anything for granted once they hit the ground in Port Villa for their first match. “We are looking forward to the Tournament. I believe we draw against quite tough teams but we will not take them lightly. I’m going to guide.” The GM said although they have yet to see the draw to determine who they will be facing, she believes they can be able to mount pressure on other contenders and make a statement with a young Hekari side and is looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead. Kapi-Natto says they have been training all throughout the past few months since before the National Soccer League Grand Final. “But mipla ready. We know we’re going to come against the top and the best of other countries but it all depends if we work hard and take things serious from now and onwards into the tournament.” Kapi-Natto was excited because most players that will be fielded in this year’s Champions League have yet to taste international football. It’s been five years since Hekari last played a Champions League match and they look as hungry as ever to get back into the regional arena. Head coach Eric Komeng said in a tournament like this, the team is well aware of the challenges that they will face going up against strong teams and will have to be prepared to play any team. “It’s going to be tough for our boys and we’re looking forward to play any team in our pool. We know it’s going to be hard, it’s been years since we played in the Champions league,” Komeng said. Their first game will be up against Ifira Black Bird FC of Vanuatu.

Minister for Information Communication & Technology, Timothy Masiu has raised concerns regarding a supposed “decline of Journalism” within the media space. He said that current research and recent consultations have led the department to consolidations of a number of issues that he believes exist within the media sector. “Firstly is the concerns of quality of Journalism that we have today. By concerns we observe the decline of quality investigative journalism, the impact of sub-standard reporting on the development agenda and the concerns of ethics and accountability of Journalists,” Masiu said. He added that the second issue they are looking at was to secure the safety of journalists, by collating both qualitative and quantitative data in verification of Journalist safety. He said at the moment, there is a lack of safety mechanisms for Journalists. This was after being quizzed by Kokopo MP, Ereman ToBaining Jnr who asked about how the ministry through the draft policy will protect media freedom and enhance freedom of speech, a right guaranteed under the constitution. MP ToBaining agreed that the media policy was a plus for the country, but noted at the same time, that concerns have being raised by members of public that the government is attempting to suppress media freedom and freedom of speech.

The interim Chairman of the Independent Commission against Corruption (ICAC), Mr. Thomas Eluh when clarifying the reporting process of the Commission, said that although it may be a lengthy process, it is necessary to ensure that the cases handled will be thoroughly screened to determine whether they are legitimate cases. He stated that the Complaints Handling process has 4 stages and reporting will be done at one central point. “Unlike the Ombudsmen Commission (OC), the ICAC will function similarly to the Police in terms of making arrests and pressing charges and should citizens wish to report a matter, they will be ready to assist.” He added that complaints can be registered at only one central location and can come in forms of emails, letters or made in person. The first step in the process would be to register a complaint with the Registry Clerk and they will be given an identification number. This is to ensure that these ID Numbers are organized, and cases are not registered twice. “Sometimes with the law, people tend to register cases once or twice. This is to ensure we don’t have cases registered twice.” Once this is done, the next step would be the assessment of the severity of the case to find out and determine whether the case is legitimate, making sure that there is no conflict of interest. Then it will proceed to preliminary investigation to find reasonable basis to continue, such as relevant evidence and when everything is finally done, then the proper investigation commences. Once a case is completed, it then goes through a Pre-Trial Assessment Panel to ensure complete transparency in the processes. If a case fails however, then it goes to the Fail Prosecution Panel to identify what had gone wrong. Eluh said it’s quite tough the process, but this is to ensure 100% transparency in the Commission.  

With the Independent Commission against Corruption soon to take its steps as a statutory body, some have questioned the Role of the Ombudsmen Commission in relation to its duties along that of the Independent Commission against Corruption citing concerns of oversight. In his response to the question raised by Moresby North-East Member John Kaupa, Prime Minister James Marape sternly advised that ICAC will not be taking over the role of the Ombudsmen Commission. “I would like to make it clear that ICAC will not be assuming the Role of the Ombudsmen Commission. The Ombudsmen Commission only looks at those that are under the leadership code.” PMJM mentioned also that as they have now set up ICAC, they will be taking a holistic approach to reviewing the Role of the OC to clarify its position so they can work alongside other statutory bodies, especially those that report to the OC. Marape said they will have to ensure that the distinction between both bodies will have to be made so that there will be no confusion or complications with regard to their mandated responsibilities. “The Ombudsmen Commissions role will not be diluted, but clarified and augmented.” The Member for Moresby North-East, John Kaupa on the floor of parliament this week raised concerns regarding the roles of the both the Ombudsmen Commission and the Independent Commission against Corruption and what distinction both statutory bodies will play regarding the government’s plan in combatting corruption in the country.

Prime Minister (PM) James Marape has sternly advised the parliament and the general public to not take to social media accuse leaders of corruption without evidence to back up those accusations. The Prime Minister made this statement in line with his response to the questions raised by the member for Moresby North-East, John Kaupa. “Let me encourage our society out there, not all leaders in Parliament are involved in corrupt activities. If you have evidence file them, ICAC (Independent Commission against Corruption) is up and running. Facebook is not a police station, Facebook is not the Ombudsmen Commission, Facebook is not ICAC.” He said that this body of leaders in this parliament and the last, are conscious of their duty to their nation. Marape referenced this to the efforts that leaders on both side of the house, put towards the establishment of the ICAC and the government is ready to fund ICAC in its effort to fight corruption. He also said that it is the collective responsibility of the people to report any corrupt activities to ICAC. “If there is anybody to be found acting improperly and to have engaged in corruption, the laws that we are setting up will catch up with him or her.” He further went on to assure the country that this generation of leaders have set up ICAC and they are ready to operationalize it this year. So far, all three ICAC commissioners have already been appointed and Marape hopes that before the Independence Day celebrations in September, ICAC will be fully operational.

If you’ve been experiencing issues with the internet for the past 1week this is due to power outages affecting operations. This is the word from the PNG Dataco Chief Executive Officer, Paul Komboi. It could have been worse but for the last week, the Gerehu Earth Station has been operating on back up gen-set power after a major power outage last week caused huge disruptions in internet services. Since then, internet speed in the nation’s capital has been slow but Mr. Komboi is positive everything will soon be back to normal. “We have no major issues in the Port Moresby, however we have been experiencing issues with the internet due to power outages.” He mentioned that they are currently working with PNG Power to ensure services are maintained and are looking and to find ways to sort out this issue. Mr. Komboi advised that for all parts of the country there has been no outage of internet services, except for the highlands region, which has been down for some time due to sabotage by disgruntled citizens. He explained that ongoing issues between PNG Power and locals in Simbu Province has caused quite a fuss with locals turning to sabotaging the pylon at the main outlet in Chuave. The CEO says they are now working to start awareness programs for the people to ensure that they understand the repercussions of their actions.