Two security vehicles belonging to the Alpha Response (AR) security company were destroyed and two members of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) maritime element detained after a video of an altercation in front of the Tin Sui Tan shop at 4mile in Port Moresby, went viral on social media sparking an all-out brawl. According to Military Police Personnel on the ground, they have yet to determine what sparked the brawl and are looking into the incident to ascertain details. In the video, it can be seen that it was not only the members of the AR personnel that attacked the defence force men, but also the crowd of public onlookers that surrounded them. The two sailors that were attacked in the video were taken to Murray Barracks and will undergo questioning. It was also confirmed that both personnel are attached to HMSPNG Basilisk naval base in Port Moresby. The brawl had occurred when both men were taken back to the barracks and members of their unit, upon getting word that they were attacked, retaliated out of frustration and attacked the AR personnel leading to the total damage of both company vehicles.  

Solomon Islander, Lester Kisina aka “Bibao” has been amassing a huge following in recent months after topping the My Jams Music list with Waigho taking the Top streamed song on google last month. After dropping his recent collab with PNG’s very own YXNG KXNG (Yung King) from Kabbage Gang Entertainment “Namba Wan” on the 23rd of last month under his label 677 Gang Music, the artist is looking to take it up a notch. “I wanna take it to the next level but I wanna be different.” At the moment the single is trending in the region, some of our local artist have also jumped on board to collab on a Tiktok challenge set by Kisina to do a remix. Speaking from Honiara, Kisina told PNG Haus Bung that his inspiration for Namba Wan stems from his battles with his inner demons as he tries to navigate his way through life’s challenges. He says the song was written purposefully for self-encouragement to those that are going through tough times and feel like they have their backs against the wall. “I had been through some stuff where em I bin diskarajim mi along the way. So even though whatever you go through may take you down but you must remember that you are worth it, you Namba Wan.” When asked how he found himself collaborating with PNG’s Premier Comic, Kisina said it was a funny story. A shocker really, as it turns out Bibao is a huge fan turned mate of YXNG KXNG from Kabbage Gang. “In one of my videos I saw the dude react to the video. I was like what??? He sees my content!! I posted another one and he reacted to it.” It was through this that Kisina got to reach out and connect with the comic and the rest we can say is history. Nau yet, Kisina says he is focusing on producing good music and working on content for his socials as he also does street interviews with school kids to which he awards them with prizes. He says he’s hopeful about the future and has dreams of one day doing good enough internationally.  

Today marks International Women’s Day, recognized by many countries around the world with the message of women empowerment and rights to promote gender equality and equal opportunities for women and girls. In the spirit of commemorating IWD, we went around the departments of PNGFM, the parent company of the 3 commercial radio stations, NauFM YumiFM and LegendFm to find out their views of this special day for women. This years theme for IWD is DIgitALL: Innovation and Technology for gender equality. This captures the role of innovative technology in promoting gender equality and meeting health and development needs of women and girls. As for Papua New Guinea, not a lot has been done to celebrate the occasion but generally people around the city get the significance of what role women play in PNG Society. In line with the IWD 2023 theme, today we gave women and their male allies a chance to express their opinions on the commemoration of this important day. Most people expressed great happiness for the recognition given to women, reiterating the great strides that women have made to empower other women to achieve their goals and visions. Such can be said for PNGFM. Over three quarters of the PNGFM management team comprises of hard working, driven and competent women. From the content team to sales and administration, the company has gone great lengths to promote diversity and inclusivity with an emphasis on merit based performance. In saying this the company is proud that it has provided an avenue to promote this cause and is looking to do more to empower more women to reach out and work hard to achieve their dreams.

Six schools in the nation’s capital Port Moresby were privileged to have received computer laboratories built as part of the Digicel Foundations BeLit Program which aims to provide an avenue for computer literacy in schools. The official launch at the Jubilee Catholic Secondary School saw over a thousand students witness the unveiling of the computer lab constructed in 2022, at the cost of K400, 000. This is the first of six launches that the foundation has planned for all six schools. Digicel PNG Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Collin Stone said the company takes pride at being in the forefront of commitment to creating opportunities for sustainable development in the country. “Our ethos, our fundamental belief is that if Digicel grows, so must the communities that we serve,” Stone said. Department of Education Secretary, Dr. Uke Kombra thanked the Digicel Foundation for their continuous commitment and contribution to the country’s education system. Kombra stated that he was delighted with the ongoing partnership, stating that the program is a significant intervention by the Foundation. The Secretary reiterated that over the years the Foundation has invested so much into education, adding that this is the right thing to do and was grateful for their input because ICT Education is important for all students.

With many technological advancements in the modern age, the Office of Censorship is taking a huge step to regulate and counter content that may seem to be harmful and distasteful for public consumption. In recent times, it can be seen from the onset that with modern advances, many youths around the country have been caught up in what seems to be a grey area where culture and globalization collide. Chief Censor Jim Abani has said this can be demonstrated by a huge change in the sociocultural climate seen in many places around the country. “It clearly demonstrates in the area or pattern that can be seen in the society in terms of spending a lot of time on modern technology in terms of usage of mobile phones and other modern advances as can be seen in today’s time and age.” He said this trend is not only widespread in the urban centers, but also out in the rural areas as well, to which he attributes to a large shift in the way young people use such technology and the adaptation of western influences which is slowly being incorporated into our societies today. Abani said this is a raging concern. As a government agency, the Office of Censorship is calling on the people to be more responsible on what to consume and what not to consume online and to take responsibility of their actions.

The Remington Group, Don Bosco and the Port Moresby Technical College recently penned a Memorandum of Understanding to forge a partnership, which focusses on giving development opportunities for the future students of the two institutions. The Remington group, for some time now has also been conducting 3 annual programs, the Graduate, Apprenticeship and lastly the On-the-Job Training (OJT) Program. The signing of the MoU now creates a platform that allows the institutions to collaborate and focus on providing secondary student with OJT, and TVET students through the apprenticeship program. The Rector of the Don Bosco Technical Secondary School, Father Pedro, believes this is a positive step to a very fruitful relationship. “We are very grateful for the relationship between Remington Group and Don Bosco. Thank you for this opportunity, which will help the students gain valuable real-world experience today,” said the Rector. The Port Moresby Technical College Principal Mr. Henry Wamaingu and Board Chairman Mr. Kaime Kipi, were both thankful to the Remington Group management. Mr. Kipi expressed that the country depends on these young people that they are grooming and shaping today; therefore, they want to ensure that students get enough training and skills.

In what was quite a constructive and concise consultation of the draft National Media Policy, the Papua New Guinea Media Council have made their stance clear that members are not endorsing this draft policy in its current form, based on grounds of infringement of the expression of speech among others. Department of Information Communications & Technology, through Secretary Steven Matainaho says the government has no intention of regulating the media. He ardently promised that this draft policy is not at all targeted at regulating what News Media and Journalists, but "for the growth of the sector in the country". PNGMC President, Neville Choi argued that the country does not need to search far to find an example of what government intervention in the media can sometimes do to jeopardize the democracy of a nation due to undue influence. He referenced this to the experience faced by our media counterparts in Fiji when their government pushed to control and vet information to the public. “Our friends and colleagues in Fiji have had to operate under extreme intimidation and persecution." "Simply because of their Government’s push to control the national narrative, skew to government propaganda." Choi added that these are acknowledgements that are real and have placed the level of independence of the media within the region at drastic stages. He added, "The PNG media has always remained self-regulating and shared facts on why the media fraternity in the Country must remain that way." “Self-regulation is a pledge by quality conscious media professionals to maintain a dialogue with the public." "This maintains the free and uninterrupted flow of information to the public and for the public to engage with the media to establish complaint mechanisms." It’s true that every media house in the nation has complaints mechanism. He further stated that "If the Government and Department is serious about protecting the rights of Journalists, they must ensure that this policy, the right to self-regulate & be free from government influence, be prescribed in all foundations and eventually reach through an exhaustive consultation period."

The Secretary for the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Mr. Steven Matainaho highlighted the purpose of the National Media Development Policy workshop today, and its aim to develop the media landscape holistically, recognize the value of media professionals and promote a strong and vibrant democracy. Mr Matainaho said the policy will promote media diversity, responsible journalism, and access to information to support a more informed, engaged, and empowered citizenry in Papua New Guinea. The policy will be finalized with respect to the rights of media organizations and individuals to operate freely and without undue interference. Secretary Matainho appreciates all stakeholders participation on the consultation workshop and says it is a good start towards more collaborative work to improve the space.  

The National Capital District Metropolitan Superintendent, Silva Sika is appealing to the residents of the capital to foster respect and peace to stop ethnic clashes. Sika has made his appeal following the recent increase in ethnic confrontations within the city. In a recent clash on the 26th of February, quick response by the Gordon Police Station Commander (PSC), Gabriel Kini and his men intervened to de-escalate the situation. According to the PSC, the fight was between people from Eastern Highlands and Enga respectively. It was reported that 4 men from Enga, towards the end of their trip in a Taxi belonging to an Eastern Highlander, allegedly attacked the driver at Erima. To the driver’s luck, member of the public intervened and he managed to get away, seeking refuge at 5mile amongst his relatives. PSC Kini said the incident that occurred at Erima was related to an earlier incident which saw the same group of people involved in a clash. Police have yet to find a connection to both incidents. Both parties have been warned not to resort to violence but settle their disputes within the confines of the law.

National Fraud & Anti-Corruption Directorate confirmed a receipt of documents pertaining to the ongoing investigation into allegations of misappropriation of K27million by the Department of Petroleum and Energy Secretary, David Manau. Director of the Fraud Squad, Inspector John Gitua said that this morning a single binded document was dropped off by Manau. “The DPE Secretary has furnished to us some information, some documents in response to the search warrants. We have yet to go through the contents of the document, I just received it this morning.” Inspector Gitua stated that they will be going through the document to ascertain if there is anything out of the ordinary. Meanwhile, Gitua has also confirmed that they will be looking into the other members of the Expenditure Implementation Committee [EIC] as well, particularly the Chair of the Committee. “National Planning Secretary will be part of the investigation but we have not inquired into their office as yet.” He said for now they will focus on the document rendered by the DPE and as they unpack the information, will shift focus to other members of the EIC. He added that they intend look closely at the information at hand and will then move on to the next area of enquiry. Gitua said he is content with the cooperation of the DPE Secretary.

After the manhunt of the suspects involved in the alleged carjacking was pulled off Tuesday evening in Kimbe, two suspects were apprehended by West New Britain police and are now confined to the police station and undergoing questioning. West New Britain Provincial Police Commander, Superintendent Peter Barkie said based on the evidence collected from the scene of the crime, the police are now trying to piece together everything to ascertain the motive behind the crime. “So the crime that had occurred yesterday was not an actual carjacking as we had first thought.” “Based on the evidence we’ve received from the Criminal Investigation Division, the vehicle was not carjacked, rather it was travelling at high speed out of town when they got into an accident along the Highway.” When the police were called in to assess the situation, they discovered a body of an Able Computing Employee, presumably in his 30’s with stab wounds in the abdomen and chest with the murder weapon, indicating that he had been murdered prior to the accident. Two suspects were killed in the gunfight that had ensued while two others were apprehended. “This clearly indicates that he was murdered while the vehicle was travelling at high speed out of town.” “Our team of investigators are now out on scene to gather more intel.” There are many theories being formulated around the reason of the murder of the ACL employee and why the vehicle was stolen in the first place but the PPC says that they will have to sift through the evidence at hand first while gathering information from credible eyewitnesses. The PPC has also advised the people of the township that the suspects that escaped the scene are still at large and people must exercise caution when out and about

2023 looks to be an exciting year for the Correctional Services, with several activities set in place such as the remodelling of prisons and rehabilitation programs, that are primary objectives. CS Commissioner, Stephen Pokanis says they are now looking to devise new Infrastructure Modelling plans to ensure that prisons and rehabilitation facilities are up to standard and with less cost. “We are looking at designing facilities with low cost but addresses all the security, health and other criteria to ensure that the Prisons are conducive for our prisoners and remand detainees.” Pokanis said they will be mainly focusing on designing prison and will be seeking assistance from the Government to fund the rehabilitation. This will also compliment their plans in the upgrade and classification of facilities around the country to High Risk, Medium Risk and Low Risk. Low Risk facilities will basically Rehabilitation centers. Referencing Bomana, Pokanis stated that due to its size, they would be able to accommodate many prisoners. “For instance, Bomana because it’s big, they would have all those in place. It would have High, Medium and Low risk facilities.” “Specific facilities will cater for low risk prisoners who are classified will work on technical or agricultural rehabilitation programs and they can be able to go out for TVET studies.” Meanwhile, further down the line, Pokanis added that CS will be adding a new women’s dormitory in East Sepik to cater for women with children and women living with disabilities separately which will be self-contained. “This will be the first state of the Art facility in the country while a new men’s dormitory will be constructed in Milne Bay.” More upgrades and redevelopments are expected to follow.