After the declaration done by the tribes to foster peace in Enga province, following the massacre of 11 men & women, Provincial Police Commander George Kakas explained that he was surprised but happy that for the first time in his experience in the region, the tribes have come to a peace agreement to let the law take its course. “It was surprising to see the people opt out of violence. Usually in the Highlands, there is the culture that suggests that if you kill one of mine I will do the same to you but in this case it is good to see that people are now embracing the law and its processes.” Over the past week, Kakas said the 11 persons that were brutally massacred in the altercation from last week were not from the same tribe but from 3 different tribes who lost their lives as a result of a dispute that turned rowdy. He also advised that there were no demands for compensation as well which astounded the PPC. “There were no demands at all for compensation. That stand alone is very unique and mostly unheard of in the highlands.” He explained that most of the time people in the Highlands region call for payback and compensation and if they don’t they resort to retaliation and the use of violence. He said based on the information that they came across through their investigations, the 11 people that were killed were innocent and were not involved in the fighting. Police are aware of the identities of those who instigated the fighting and are currently working with the communities to apprehend those involved.

It seems as though East New Britain is slowly becoming victim to armed bandits as yet again Police in the province today took to the streets of Kokopo to tackle another group of armed robbers. Provincial Police Commander, Chief Inspector Janarius Vosivai confirmed that police are now on the hunt for a group of armed men who allegedly robbed a shop in Kokopo. Vosivai said this time the bandits involved were deemed to be locals of ENB as the previous group apprehended a week ago that were involved in a string of other minor robberies, including the theft of firearms from a security firm in the province, were men from outside of the province. “The weapons were stolen from a private security firm last year during the election and were used in a number of armed robberies last year.” The 3 suspects that were arrested were from East Sepik Province while the other man involved is from West New Britain. All are settlers that reside in around the Tokua Area. It is sad to see that a beautiful and serene province not known for violent activity such as this turn into a den of thieves. Vosivai says at this point in time nothing is for certain as they are doing their very best to apprehend those involved in today’s incident.

Sad news out of Morata in the city of Port Moresby this week with reports of the discovery of the body of a young man found at the huge swamp area. According to Waigani Police Station Commander, Inspector Bill Werake, the deceased was a 20 year old from East Sepik province. The inspector said the death was not reported at the station, and the family was advised to report to Homicide at Boroko. During the heavy downpour two days ago, the youth went missing and the family of the young man have been on the look-out for him. Werake went on to add that after the discovery, pictures of the body were then posted on social media and after it was spotted, the family members immediately went to the scene and confirmed the identity of the deceased. The body is now being held at the Funeral Home at Erima.

The Bougainville Policing Service is looking to continue to implement its 5 year strategic development plan this year, after getting the go ahead from the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary. The BPS Commander in Chief, DCP Francis Tokura has advised that based on the strategic plan that was put forward last year for implementation, one of the key focus areas will be to focus on building the capacity of the BPS. “This is one of the major shortfall they are currently working towards and will be partly addressed by the recruitment exercise being conducted by the RPNGC.” He highlighted that there is a lack of manpower in the region, seeing 200 regular officers policing the population of Bougainville, which ranges between 400, 000 to 500, 000 people. Tokura adds that another issue they would be looking to address would be accommodation for members of the BPS. “We are trying to get more support from the ABG. When we start to recruit, you need to have accommodation as well for the members that are coming in and for those that are currently in the force.” He says much help is needed for them the ABG Govt. to enhance their logistical capabilities and that also covers transportation for all police stations in Buka, Arawa and Buin whilst also strengthening their capabilities along the border with Solomon Islands, South, Central and North Bougainville. Building capacity in communications is also another issue that was noted. With that, Chief Tokura has given thanks to the Australian Govt. for their assistance in the purchase of HFR Radios which are now being put to use in the Autonomous Region. He says since the purchase of these instruments have greatly increased the coverage of the BPS in the region and even to parts of Bougainville that in previous years have been a challenge to the BPS. They are now able to cover the coast of north and south Bougainville all the way to the border and the other outer lying atolls. Tokura says they have not planned a lot this year as he predicts that there could be potential shortfalls in funding but he is optimistic all will turn out good this year.

The message that upcoming dancehall artist, Brigante is looking to share with the world after his breakout single “Dutty Stop” took to the air last year, is fast becoming an earworm. David Jnr Wardman Bernard also known as Brigante is an upcoming Reggae, Dancehall artist whose style resonates with that of his Idols, Sean Paul, Vybez cartel and many others. David says this form of music is all about pushing love and the importance of not losing self and being true to one’s self. “It’s all about sharing the love, being themselves and not forgetting who they truly are.” Unlike other songs heard on mainstream that are in English, Tok Pisin or a mixture of both, Dutty Stop is sung in Jamaican Patois, which is an English creole mix language, much like Tok Pisin itself. When asked how long it took to completely translate the lyrics, David explained that it took quite some time. “It actually took 2 years for me to actually get the lyrics translated. I had to make sure that I wouldn’t make a mistake or use any offensive language.” He explained that his way of composing music is slightly different, as he tries his best to incorporate powerful positive messages into his lyrics.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in the Nation’s capital observed the Feast St. Francis De Sales, the Patron Saint of writers and Journalists in a small but significant meeting this morning. The Feast of St. Francis De Sales, which falls every year before Pentecost, was a celebration of Francis De Sales, a very important man in the world of Catholicism, who was an ardent Journalist, emphasizing most of his writings on impartiality and value to help guide people spiritually. Host of the event, Fr. Ambrose Pereira, Secretary of the CBC Commission on Social Communications [SOCOM] stated that he was delighted that they could host a little interaction between themselves and the media personnel that were present, to observe such a revered event. “St. Francis was a very important man who did his best to impart different views in faith and theology and was an ardent journalist,” Fr. Ambrose said. He explained that the Feast of St. Francis De Sales, which falls every year before Pentecost, was a celebration of a very important man in the world of Catholicism, who emphasized most of his writings on impartiality and value to help guide people spiritually. Sister Daisy Lisania, in her speech gave a brief background on the history of Francis De Sales, stating that the saint was known for his patience and meekness, earning him the nickname; “The Gentleman Saint” and encouraged media personnel that were there to mimic these characteristics. “Patience and gentleness are not usually characteristic traits of hard-nosed journalists. We are more known for our tireless investigating and probing questions, but maybe we can work harder to ensure our stories mean something.” Sr. Lisania said a good journalist writes a story that makes the reader think; a great journalist writes a story that makes the reader feel.

One of the biggest challenge being faced with schools today is the shortage of resource material that is needed in Classrooms. Principle of the Gerehu Secondary School, Besoko Aguna has brought to light the struggle faced by many teachers around the country. “The Curriculum has changed, the school structure has changed but the information is still being sourced from the OBE Curriculum.” He says with the current Standard Based Education Curriculum, they have only received the syllabus but without the Resource Material for students with most of the information still being extracted from the Outcome Based Education curriculum. “With the current curriculum, there are no text books that have been derived as yet.” Aguna says thanks to the teachers, who have been very resourceful over the recent years since its implementation, stating that all they have done is collate the information from OBE textbooks to teach in class.

The Gerehu Secondary School in the nation's capital has advised that for this year, thanks to the Government Tuition Fee Subsidy (GTFS), they will not be charging any project fees for parents. School principal, Mr. Besoko Aguna stated that the Ministry of Education has already made it clear that all public schools will be paid the GTFS, and adds that this may differ from school to school whether or not they would like to charge project fees. Aguna said for Gerehu though, they will not be imposing any form of project fees. “For our students, they are just waiting for the day for them to register and then they can come to school and do so.” He said although the schools can be able to charge project fees, this can only be vetoed by the parents and the school board at annual Parent & Teacher conferences, but they cannot charge more than K220. “It depends on the P&C, how they meet and agree to the amount. If parents agree to an amount then it can be vetoed by the school. Unless they don’t attend P&C meetings, then you see this doubt.” Meanwhile, as the 1-6-6 school structure is slowly but surely being introduced into the Public Schooling System, Gerehu Secondary School is no exception to it. With 1 class of Grade 7 being added to the school last year, the school is looking to add another two more classes after their initial success with the first one last year. Aguna said that it was quite exciting and he is looking forward to seeing the school expand. He added that the structure is reminiscent of the school structure in the early days post-independence. “It’s almost like the old system their trying to bring back but under a new system.” This will see the number of students in the school to increase twofold from last year. At the moment, Gerehu Secondary is one of the largest schools in the country, alongside Badiagwa Technical Secondary and Kilakila Secondary School.

Although she missed out on the 2022 Women’s Rugby League World Cup last year, Papua New Guinea's female rugby league star, 25 year old Gemma Schnaubelt, is gearing up for a thriller 2023 BMD Premiership Season. Regardless of her busy schedule, she was kind enough to have a chat and discuss about her playing career in recent years. Currently signed with the Norths Devils Women’s Team, Gemma is juggling her work as a full time Recruitment Consultant with studying, while at the same time, making time available for training which can sometimes be a hassle, but she maintains that she has a great support system that helps her get through. “It’s really tricky if I’m being completely honest. For me, being in an office for an entire day sometimes it’s hard to train after work due to being mentally fatigued, but you get yourself in a routine and it all falls in to place," she said. "I’m pretty lucky to have a supportive partner, family and friends who I get to train with or motivate me when I’m having those tough days.” This year, Schnaubelt will be starting out her first year with the Devils after a 1 year stint with the Souths Logan Magpies, a move that she is very comfortable with because its closer to home and work. Gemma has also expressed excitement about signing with the Devils and is looking forward to the season with the amount of talent that they have and the great coaching staff behind them. “Norths is a really great club, the success they’ve had with their men’s in the Host plus Competition, which my younger cousin Liam Horne has been a part of and I’m really excited to see how our BMD women’s team will go this season.” The recent seasons have been pretty rough for the footballer, with having kept her on the sidelines for quite some time, Schnaubelt went through a tough period during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, with a lot lined up for her that did not work out the way she planned. She shared that because of the women’s seasons being shorter to that of the men’s, there was nothing much she could do but watch from the sidelines. But with the never say die attitude she has, she returned mid-year to the rugby union season to which they made the grand final. During that time, Schnaubelt said she made it her goal to return the next season to play the finals. In the same year, after coming off the success of being in the 15’s season finals, she took part in the Kokomo’s League team in a 9’s tournament. Gemma was again struck by another injury, one that could have almost ended her career when she dislocated her hip during a big tackle. Once again, she had a stint on the sidelines at the back end of 2021. “Around then was pre-season & I was lucky enough that I had an awesome rehab team as well as the specialists who took care of me.” “At that point it was in the talks I needed surgery. But with the World Cup postponed, my specialist looked at alternatives to help me get back to footy without surgery. I trained super hard right through Christmas and I made it back in time for our 2022 league season earlier than expected.” With that said, Schnaubelt explained that she still found it hard to get back to the fitness level she was at in the beginning of the 2021 season. “It was still tough, I wasn’t the fittest or strongest that I wanted to be, I had gained a lot of weight after my hip injury as I was basically not allowed to do anything. I wasn’t even able to have a shower on my own, or walk up-stairs, I was basically a couch potato” It was at that point that she said that she contemplated on giving up her footy career. Her injuries coupled with off-field personal issues really took a toll on her mental health during the injury period. Thankfully, she had a strong support system with the right people around her that encouraged her to keep on pushing through those tough times. Returning in 2022, determined to go one more time, Schnaubelt had to train extra hard because stints on the sidelines saw her fitness level drop. Therefore, she said she had to play catch up footy. “I played a lot of my catch up footy & trained a lot more than I usually would. Doing extras with my partner. Then unfortunately in November last year during a Premier 7s competition playing for Sunny Bank, my current union club, I tore my Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) Grade 2 scoring a try.” She said she was lucky enough to avoid surgery again, but since then has been in a Knee Brace and back at rehab. “It’s been a difficult road of injuries for myself, a lot of self-doubts but when you have the right people around you it motivates you to keep going so hopefully 2023 no more injuries and I guess just listen to the body when it’s struggling.” Gemma added that she learnt a lot these past few months and now that she has overcome her self-doubt and she’s on the road to recovery, she’s looking to give it her all and play the best footy for the club, and for that Gemma is also featured as the Legend FM’s Legend of the Month. “My big goal definitely is just too play consistent footy & enjoy it. Sometimes we go through these hurdles that makes us not love the game as much so my big one is definitely just to enjoy it again. I know myself when I enjoy my footy I achieve so much more & play some of my best footy.” As for representing PNG, Gemma has high hopes on donning the colors. She said she’ll always put her hand up to represent the country, in any sport. For the Orchids, she is well aware that the 9’s World Cup and the Pacific Games (9’s) are ahead and she’s hoping to put her best foot forward, get back to killing it on the pitch and hopefully those representative honours come as rewards.

A Senior Officer in the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary has spoken out on many internal command & control and disciplinary issues and external law & order issues within the constabulary. The officer has called for like-minded officials to rethink and re-engineer intervention strategies to address law & order issues. “At the outset, all law & order issues must have a holistic approach; meaning the entrenched ill-discipline problems at all levels within the Commissioner of Police’s command & control value chain are manifesting in the public domain.” After deep analysis of Engan Governor, Peter Ipatas’s statements in parliament last week on how the Negative Culture has totally eroded the recruitment process, he said the Governor’s questions on the floor of Parliament touched on some of the very core issues affecting both performance problems within the Force, to which he believes should have been addressed before the commencement of the recruitment. Nepotism, Bribery, Incompetence, Police Brutality, Conflict of interest in certain cases and many other negative behaviour has made inroads into the structure of the Constabulary and for a very long time has tarnished the good name of the Force for many years and this has somewhat also affected recruitment in recent times. Last week on the floor of parliament, Governor Ipatas put forward a question to the Internal Security Minister Peter Tsiamalili Jnr, asking him to give their plan on minimizing or limiting the problematic culture that surrounds recruitment into the Force and also Mentorship of newly sworn police officers. The Governor implied through his statement that recruiting more men into the police force does not change the cultural problems faced in the force. Ipatas called for the ministry to come up with an effective strategy to combat this culture. In response, Minister Tsiamalili Jnr said for this recruitment, because of the challenges faced with the culture, the first step they have taken is distance the recruitment process. Without denying that fact, they have independently outsourced it making sure that it is an arms-length away from those who wish to compromise the system and also minimizing nepotism. The minister advised that the only way the culture that Governor Ipatas was referring to, was for members of the force to respect the process. In saying this he called on the members to lead by example if they wanted to see a complete turnaround. Despite the Governors calls for change, recruitment is set to go ahead. Over 26,000 citizens from all over the country already expressing interest in enlisting, with regular recruitment training to commence in April while Cadets commence training in May. This move according to the officer creates more problems than solving them. He adds that they need to create an enabling and conducive incubation hub for maturing the cultural values of the Constabulary before recruiting. “What good will it make if you have not created that enabling environment only to find that the 500 recruits you have recruited are sent out into the same operating environment; you conveniently created more problems than solving them.” He adds that Effective Supervision is key in making a complete turn away from this trend in the force. The officer implies that rather than turning a blind eye to the problem they need to walk the talk. “These are current problems affecting performance in the force today and if nothing is done about it, irrespective of how much money is allocated through funding that the Government allocates to fighting crime, the problems will still remain the obstacles to come in the future.” He believes more should be done to change the culture within the constabulary so that when the new recruits enter the force, they will be entering into a conducive environment for them to conduct their service with the interests of the people at heart.

The National Capital District Boxing Association in partnership with Raka Boxing will be hosting the NCD Boxing Trials which will commence on 28th and 29th of this month. This is for selections for team NCD to take part in the 2023 PNG Games. Head Coach for Team NCD Boxing and PNG champion of the Light weight division in the 61.5kg, Kauko Raka Junior said currently there are 9 clubs set to take part in the event. “We are expecting more clubs to join in the next couple of days. We are hoping it will be a big event and we want to see people come out to showcase what they have to offer.” These teams are; Team Raka Boxing, HOP Boxing Club, Iron Chief of Hohola, IMMA PNG, Maikuna, Legend Boxing Club, Hill Top of 5mile, Gimambo of Gereka, Gimambo of 9mile and Defence Boxing Club.

Police Recruitment is set to close at the end of the week, over 26, 000 people have applied for a spot in the 500 regular spaces, along with the 60 Cadet spaces that are currently being advertised by the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary; however, many are inquisitive as to how the Police Force will screen and shortlist the mammoth number of applications. President of the National Doctors Association, Dr. James Naipao is one of those inquisitive ones and has given his take on what he believes should be done when approaching this. “My commentary as a citizen however, revitalization in Police Training is needed seriously now than ever before.” He believes Police Recruits coming in for training should have a good character reference, good community reference, a behaviour assessment record and no police records. “Training should be for 2 years. Pass outs should receive a diploma that covers all areas of policing.” The Doctor, when speaking of the Cadet Recruit Training, stated that applicants should also have all references mentioned and should either include University qualified candidates, top diploma candidates from the non-cadet training first to fourth years, who opted out of study and those whom that have completed studies. He believes that the Cadet Program should be a degree program, where two years is General Policing Studies, for the 3rd, Administrative, Corporate and Police Policy Studies and finally the 4th year should be designed for the candidate to specialize in a field in policing.