The Fijian Government has allocated land in their capital city Suva, for Papua New Guinea to establish an embassy. In the same way, PNG PM James Marape also revealed that the PNG Government has in turn allocated land, for Fiji to establish their embassy at Waigani in Port Moresby. This was shared during media briefing today in Port Moresby following bilateral talks between the visiting Fijian Prime Minister and counterpart, the PNG Prime Minister James Marape. “We have indicated an outstanding support to Fiji since 2015, would be given to start up construction of the embassy, to consolidate our presence in both countries.” PM Marape said the Covid-19 pandemic had caused some Fijians working in PNG, to return home to their country but they are now back in PNG. “I would also like to announce to PNG and to Fiji, that we have appointed a High Commissioner Ambassador Designate.” Marape further stated that “Cabinet is in the process of releasing him from a Senior Public Servant capcity in Waigani and he will be notified soon to take up his post in Fiji. ” Bilateral talks between the two leaders also covered educational opportunities and ratifications for climate change, amongst other shared challenges in both countries

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister, James Marape, arrived ahead of time at the APEC Haus, Ela Beach in Port Moresby, ahead of meet with Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. This initial meet is in the lead up to the 3rd Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation later this week.  The Fijian Prime Minister arrived a few minutes to the top of the hour, along with his delegates, including the Fijian High Commissioner to PNG Niumaia Tabunakawai. Sitiveni's meet with Marape will be followed by an address to students at the University of Papua New Guinea.

Day two of the Fijian Prime Minister’s visit to Papua New Guinea (PNG) will begin with a meeting with his counterpart in the morning before proceeding to other businesses during the day. Prime Minister (PM) Sitiveni Rabuka will be having a bilateral meeting with PM James Marape at around 10am at the APEC Haus where important matters pertaining to trade and the relationship between the two Melanesian countries will be discussed. Following the bilateral, PM Rabuka will be paying a visit to the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) where he will be addressing the student body at the Forum Square at around 11:30am. However, his scheduled trip to Kokopo in the East New Britain province today has been cancelled.    PM Rabuka is first of 14 Pacific Island state leaders to arrive in the country to attend the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) from Sunday 21st May to Monday 22nd May.  PM Rabuka arrived yesterday, 18th May to Port Moresby where he was received by the Deputy PM and a full guard of honor at the Jackson International Airport.

The Jacksons International Terminal was locked down by police and security personnel due to the arrival of International dignitaries. All access roads leading into and out of the terminal have been blocked off and general traffic restricted to the main car park area only. Fijian Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, is  now in the country to attend the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation.. He was welcomed by Lae MP, John Rosso along with other members of Parliament, the Fiji High Commissioner to PNG Niumaia Tabunakawai, Major General Mark Goina & Police Commissioner David Manning. He will depart for the Governor General's Residence at Konedobu, once the welcoming ceremony is concluded.

Australia's Assistant Minister for Trade and Assistant Minister for Manufacturing Senator Tim Ayres visited PNG’s very own Queen Emma Chocolate factory owned by local food leader Paradise Foods Limited, to see firsthand how cocoa sourced from local farmers is turns it into chocolate products for domestic and export markets. He is in Port Moresby to attend the 38th Australia-Business Forum. “Australia is proud to support Papua New Guinean companies reach their potential by elevating the quality of production to meet international market standards and establish commercial links with Australia and New Zealand.” “Australia and New Zealand have supported Queen Emma Chocolate through the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Plus (PHAMA Plus) Program since 2016.” “This is to improve cocoa quality and productivity, increasing the access to new markets, and improving returns for smallholder cocoa farming households.” This support has enabled Queen Emma Chocolate to set up small-scale laboratory facility to develop smaller batches of different chocolate products for various markets. It has also established buyer linkages and conducted successful commercial trial shipments of over 10,550 kg of cocoa butter, 3,750 kg of cocoa powder, cocoa nibs, and cocoa mass to Australia and beyond. This PHAMA support has not only benefitted the factory in terms of production but has also provided staff with industry-specific knowledge of chocolate-making equipment. Queen Emma’s Managing Director, Karina Makori said they are proud to be PNG owned factory that processes PNG-grown cocoa. “Our collaboration with PHAMA Plus has created a faster system for testing cocoa beans, making it easier to provide timely and accurate feedback to smallholder suppliers, while also improving cocoa production in PNG”. Cocoa farming provides direct income to over 150 000 households in the country and Queen Emma sources its cocoa from over 3500 households in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Morobe, Madang and smaller supplies from East New Britain, Oro, Milne Bay, East Sepik and the Central Province.

Opposition Leader Joseph Lelang has responded to the news of the cancellation of the stop-over trip to PNG by U.S President Joe Biden with dismay and said many citizens who wanted to catch a glimpse of President would be disappointed. “We do understand that there are domestic issues back in the United States that needed his attention.” “However, the cancellation of this trip would give the opportunity for the Prime Minister to tell the country what this Defense Cooperation Treaty is all about.” Mr. Lelang said the information on the contents of the Defense Cooperation Treaty with the U.S are sketchy.   “This has created a lot of confusion and uneasiness around the country as to what this means for us.” The Opposition is now calling on the Prime Minister to come out and tell the nation the details of the Defense Cooperation Treaty. “We have a foreign policy of ‘Friends to All and Enemies to None’. We need to stand firm on this foreign policy position.” “We should not be coerced into signing deals that may be detrimental to us in the long run.” He added that this was a matter of national security and while the details are sketchy, there may be constitutional implications and Parliament must be allowed to be informed of the details of this Agreement and debated prior to signing of this military pact.

A sugar plantation and its operations, along with mill and processing will be established in Kairuku District in the Central Province. This after the singing of a Memorandum of Understanding at the Hilton Hotel in Port Moresby recently. The MoU was signed between development partners from Thailand, the Central Province Governor Rufina Peter and the Member for Kairuku Peter N. Isoaimo. In a brief provided on his social media platform, the Kairuku MP explained that along with the establishment, the sugar plantation will also sell 50 megawatts to PNG Power Limited as well as by-products for Agriculture purposes. The Kairuku MP further said this was “another milestone” for his district. Present to witness the signing was Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape, his Minister for Planning & Finance Renbo Paita, Hela Province Governor Philip Undialu and Morobe Governor Luther Wenge.

The Vice Chancellor Professor Frank K. Griffin of the University of Papua New Guinea has advised staff and students, of the passing of his colleague, friend and one of their longest serving staff members, Professor John Luluaki. In the notice, the Vice Chancellor stated that the Late Professor Luluaki was a much respected and loved academic, colleague, and friend of the University of Papua New Guinea. He said the details of the cause of Professor Luluaki’s death were not on hand, but it was suspected that the Professor death may have resulted from a cardiac related issue. VC Professor Griffin said the University would release more details concerning Professor Luluaki’s service and commitment to the institution. He also extended a word of comfort to all University students, staff and especially Professor Luluaki’s family, as they all come to terms with his unexpected and untimely passing. PNG HAUSBUNG also spoke to the Executive Dean of the School of Law, Mr. Samson Kaipu, who offered up a brief rundown of Professor Luluaki’s academic history at the UPNG. “Professor called himself a monogamous employer of the University since he has been educated here and remained here, until his untimely passing.” Mr. Kaipu revealed that Professor Luluaki is the most senior academic within the School of Law, with a doctorate and over 35 years in his profession. He was serving as the Acting Executive Dean of the School of Law, until a few weeks ago when Kaipu took up the role. “Many of today’s Papua New Guineans Lawyers are his students and his passing has now left a big gap in the Faculty.” Late Professor Luluaki from Yangoru in the East Sepik Province, was attending a conflict resolution workshop this past weekend, up in Sogeri, Central Province, when he felt suddenly ill on Sunday and was rushed to the Port Moresby General Hospital, where he sadly passed on.

“Papua New Guineans need to do away with the practice of having family members tag along on official travels overseas.” The Board President of PNG Leaders Network and staunch Human Rights Advocate, Ms. Ruth Kissam offered up a fair observation of the current uproar regarding the now stood down Foreign Minister and the delegation that attended King Charles III’s Coronation. This was official event that was also attended by the Foreign Minister’s daughter, who accompanied her father to this official event. “I would not have a problem with this, if Ms. Savannah attended this official event in her own capacity and represented herself.” “If her accompanying her father went against the general orders, procedures and processes in place, then this is not right, and it must be investigated immediately.” Ms. Kissam told PNG HAUSBUNG that there are proper processes and procedures in place which dictate how and when the family of a sitting member of Parliament can attend an official event. In saying this, Ms. Kissam further expressed disgust about the online hate directed towards Ms. Tkatchenko. “The personal attacks and naming calling on her, were uncalled for and all the memes that were created about her, may be criminal in intent.” She said, while she understood the backlash surrounding this incident, she maintains that two wrongs don’t make a right. “If you are a representing Papua New Guinea, you must portray yourself as a Papua New Guinean and not tag yourself as being from another country.” Ms. Ruth also condemned the words of used by Justin Tkatchenko’s comments in response to online critics of his daughter. “I understand that this would have been a highly emotional situation for the Foreign Minister to be in but his comments were uncalled for and unbecoming of a high standing Minister.” Ms Ruth said she had read Justin Tkatchenko’s statement of an apology and still found his explanation and behaviour unacceptable. “He did explain that his comments were directed towards online critics of his daughter, but he seems to have missed the fact that the people who were talking about this issue online, were all raising legitimate concerns. His comments were used as an umbrella term.” She said, irrespective of the circumstances, the Foreign Minister should have parked aside his emotions and practiced tact and diplomacy instead. “Such blanket terming of Papua New Guineans doesn’t have a place in the country.”

Australian Assistant Minister for Trade and Trade Assistant Minister for Manufacturing, Senator Tim Ayers will be travel to Papua New Guinea this week to attend the 38th Australia-Papua New Guinea Business Forum and Trade Expo. The Senator said Australia and Papua New Guinea are close neighbors, partners, and friends with shared ambition to boost business, trade and investment relationships. “Australia is proud to be Papua New Guinea’s largest economic, security and development partner, with two-way trade reaching $5 billion in 2021-22.” Senator Ayers explained that his trip is part of the work needed to strengthen both nation’s business links and to continue to work of the Australian Government in ensuring a mutually beneficial economic partnership. “I am looking forward to representing the Australian Government at the 38th Australia Papua New Guinea Business Forum and Trade Expo, where I will deliver a keynote address and chair a number of roundtables on manufacturing, agriculture and renewable industries.” The Senator will be accompanied by a delegation of Australian business leaders from major industries, including agribusiness, infrastructure as well as the National Rugby League. “Australian businesses are well placed to contribute to achieving Papua New Guinea’s economic ambitions and sustainable and inclusive growth.” He will also meet Ministerial counterparts across a range of portfolios and discuss key outcomes from the Australia-PNG Ministerial Forum held in Canberra earlier this year. “The Australian Government is investing in skills development in the Pacific both to meet PNG’s domestic needs and to support labour mobility.” “Australia and Papua New Guinea are working together to deepen economic and trade ties, and in the interests of a safe, peaceful, and prosperous region.

The collective Civil Society Organizations, Magna Carte PNG, has requested an update to outcomes from the side event to King Charles III Coronation. According to the Commonwealth News, this event, hosted by the Commonwealth Secretariat, was a gathering of spouses and partners as well as other invited guests at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Headquarters in London, to focus action needed to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer and tackle challenges impeding progress towards this goal and an opportunity to discuss a coordinated approach to eliminating the disease. The event was supposed to have been attended by PNG Prime Minister, James Marape’s wife, Rachel Marape. In her stead, the daughter of the now stood down Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko’s daughter, Ms. Savannah Tkatchenko attended. Speaking on behalf of the seven Civil Organizations that make up Magna Carta PNG, Ms. Shirley Kaupa said this event was very important to attend as cervical cancer is such a heavy concern in the country right now. “Cervical Cancer was a silent killer. It is now a very loud killer!.” “Every day, every week, we are seeing fundraising events being held, for a woman who has Stage 3 cervical cancer or for someone who needs to travel overseas, to receive cervical cancer treatment.” Ms Kaupa explained that it’s imperative that Ms. Tkatchenko shared the insights gained from her attendance to this very important meet of spouses and partners of the heads of Commonwealth Nations. “What were the discussions held? What are the outcomes from this meeting? Ms. Tkatchenko needs to share all these information in some kind of news release.” The spokeswoman for Magna Carta PNG said this event was very important but unfortunately, it was treated like a sightseeing holiday. “It would have been a real privilege for Mrs. Marape to attend this meeting, as she would have been given the opportunity to talk about this very pressing issue and bring awareness to the lack of help available to cervical cancer patients in the country.” Magna Carta PNG maintained that if Mrs. Marape was unable to attend, someone well versed on cervical cancer and serving in the Health Sector, would have been better suited to attend this meet. “We don’t have the proper medical facilities and equipment to treat cervical cancer in the country, not even a specialized cancer hospital or center.” “Since Ms. Tkatchenko attended, she now has the responsibility and duty to share the knowledge she gained from attending. Papua New Guineans need to know what the plans for action are and the kind of assistance that is expected.”

“Bigotry and racism have no place in any society, including Papua New Guinea (PNG).” These were the remarks of MAGNA CARTA PNG’s spokeswoman Shirley Kaupa speaking on behalf of seven other CSO’s, who are demanding several specific recommendations towards PNG’s Foreign Affairs Minister & Moresby South MP, Justin Tkatchenko, in the wake of his comments about social media critics towards his daughter. She said Members of Parliament, as elected officials and representatives of the people, have a duty to uphold and promote values of respect, equality and justice for all citizens, regardless of their race, ethnicity or other personal characteristics. “For Civil Society Organizations, accountability is one of our main pillars for a transparent government.” “Using derogatory or discriminatory language can contribute to division, prejudice and social injustice, which can harm the social fabric of a country and undermine its democratic institutions.” “Therefore, it is important for leaders to promote inclusivity and respect and to use their platform to foster understanding and cooperation among all members of society. Shirley Kaupa explained that it is common for Ministers to face criticism and scrutiny from the public and media and even though this is a challenging aspect of the job, it is also an essential part of ensuring transparency and accountability in governance. “If a Foreign Affairs Minister or any other government official uses derogatory or discriminatory language towards citizens of their own country, it can create division and harm social cohesion, as well as damage the reputation of the country on the world stage.” As a result, MAGNA CARTA PNG is demanding that the Prime Minister and other authorities take appropriate actions to address such behavior which may include disciplinary measures or other consequences, and they strong condemn the Foreign Minister’s statement. They outlined a number of calls for action including; 1. For the Marape-Rosso Government to immediately sack the Foreign Minister and replace him. 2. Put a mechanism in place to govern Papua New Guineans international representation. 3. Provide feedback of tax payers’ money used to fund the 31 people and their significance at the event. 4. An open apology from the Foreign Minister. 5. Recommend that mandates must be fully committed citizen's interest.