Bougainville's Attorney-General, Ezekiel Massat, has expressed dismay at the announced appointment for the Deputy Chief of Bougainville Police Service by Papua New Guinea's Police Commissioner. In a statement released on Thursday, March 7th Massat criticized Police Commissioner David Manning and Internal Security Minister Peter Tsiamalili Junior for what he termed as a breach of the Constitution and the Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA). Massat emphasized that the Organic Law and the BPA stipulate that consultation with the Bougainville Government is mandatory for such appointments, highlighting his disappointment at the lack of adherence to the law. “Commissioner Manning, the National Minister for Police and the National Government are in breach of the Constitution and the BPA.” “Section 26 of the Organic Law and section 237 of the BPA cannot be any clearer (in that) appointing the Head of the Bougainville Police Service, the Commissioner MUST consult with the Bougainville Government and it is the Nominee from the Bougainville Government that is to be appointed.” He called upon Minister Tsiamalili to ensure that the Commissioner acts in the best interest of Bougainville and demanded that consultations be initiated to appoint the Head of the Bougainville Police Service, stressing the importance of respecting Bougainville's wishes and nominees as required by law and the BPA. “I am disappointed in the lack of consultations and blatant breach of the Laws, particularly when you are supposed to be the first to portray respect and compliance with the Rule of Law.” “The actions of Commissioner Manning adds to the public perception that there are different sets of Laws.” “Worse still is the perception that the Commissioner can decide which Laws to adhere to and those he can ignore and breach.” “I call on the Minister for Police (Internal Security Minister) to pull his Commissioner into line.” “Bougainville is not an ignorant fool.” “I call on Minister Tsiamalili to direct his Commissioner to open up consultations on the appointment of the Head of the Bougainville Police Service.” “Bougainville’s wishes and nominee (if any) must be respected as required by law and the BPA.” Attorney-General Massat further expressed concern about the National Government's frequent actions without consulting Bougainville, highlighting a lack of progress in Bougainville's path to independence from PNG. He voiced disappointment in the National Government’s alleged disregard for Bougainville's people, peace agreements, and legal frameworks, citing specific instances such as the postponement of parliamentary sessions without Bougainville's input. For instance, the Era Kone Covenant required Parliament to ratify referendum results in 2023, yet sessions were adjourned to 2024 without Bougainville's consultation, indicating a continuous breach of trust. “When we expected the National Government to deal with the Bougainville issue in February, the Parliament adjourns to May 28th.” “It disappoints me that the National Government continues to treat the Bougainville people, the Bougainville Peace Agreement, Part IVX of the Organic Law, the Constitution, and various Agreements with careless disregard and disdain.” “Bougainville will not be appeased and hoodwinked by the number of new Police vehicles brought in through the Security Treaty.” “We are very clear on the National Governments' devious and devilish intentions and strategies.”

The women folk in Papua New Guinea (PNG) ought to be acknowledged and recognized more for their efforts and hard work put into development and nation building. This was the message from the Australian High Commission, Deputy Head of Mission to Papua New Guinea, Dr. Joanne Loundes in commemorating International Women’s Day today and also marking the first time that this day is commemorated in PNG. With the global theme “Inspire Inclusion”, the nation’s theme for International and National Women’s Day 2024 is “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.” She mentioned that progress only happens when women and girls are involved in community development programs and other initiatives. “Including women is the smart thing to do.” “Women help to make everything greater, secure and equal.” In saying that, she announced that Australia will be launching their International Gender Equality program later this year and assured Australia’s support in helping the country’s gender equality goals. “Gender equality underpins Aus-PNG relationship. You can count on Australia when it comes to supporting PNG’s gender equality goals. UN Resident Coordinator, Richard Howard Jnr highlighted in his speech that the challenges faced after Jan 10th was very real and that it was felt by everyone in the country. Additionally, he compared PNG’s development rate to that of other third world countries and said that PNG does not bear well compared to other poor countries. “On international women’s day, we recognize our women’s resilience in helping to shape and mold this country in their individual ways.” Furthermore, he stated that PNG had the lowest rate of women in parliament and mentioned that there were special measures in place that help enable woman to be allocated seats in parliament for a temporary period of time. “We must implement special contemporary measures.” “When women hold positions of power, they have an eye for fixing the needs of the people in the education and health sectors of a nation.” “We want to see a greater participation of women in the government and on all levels in the work force.” He then went on to give assurance that the United Nations (UN) Women was ready to support PNG as a nation as they aim to increase participation of the women in the communities. Meanwhile, to further commemorate International Women’s Day, the Department for Community Development and Religion has encouraged the general public to come and be a part of the morning walk on Sunday 10th March, which will start at 5am in the morning from the Hubert Murray Stadium to Ela Beach.

Provincial Police Commanders (PPCs) in Enga and Central Provinces have been reassigned to roles within the Police Station Commands (PSC), while a new Metropolitan Superintendent is expected to be in office in April for the National Capital District (NCD). Police Commissioner, David Manning, announced these changes along with several other promotions and transfers in command positions, which were disclosed on Wednesday March 6th. Enga PPC George Kakas is slated to take on the role of Wabag Police Station Commander (PSC), while Central Provincial Police Commander Laimo Asi will transition to the position of Banz Police Station Commander. Meanwhile, the current Western Highlands Provincial Police Commander, John Sagom, and the Metropolitan Superintendent of the National Capital District (NCD), Silva Sika, will exchange their respective commands. Commissioner Manning stated that the transfers aim to enhance the Constabulary's ability to address evolving security challenges, considering the expertise and skills of senior police officers. These changes are scheduled to be implemented by April 5th, 2024. Other changes include the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Rigga Neggi moving from Divisional Commander Highlands Eastern to ACP Policy & Planning, while ACP Anthony Wagambi Jnr to move from ACP NCD & Central to become Deputy Chief, Bougainville Police Service. He is to replace Naua Vanuawaru who is appointed to ACP Traffic. Concerning the Deputy Chief Bougainville Police Service appointments, it has received criticism from Bougainville’s Attorney-General Ezikel Massat (see separate story). Meantime, Chief Superintendent (CSP) Benjamin Turi, currently unattached, is appointed to take on the role of Southern Highlands PPC, and SUPT Christopher Tamari is relocating from his role as PPC of East Sepik Province to serve as the PPC for Hela Province; current PPC Hela CSP Joseph Tondop moves to Acting Divisional Commander, Highlands West. Other promotions and transfers include ACP Samson Kua from Divisional Commander Highlands West to Assistant Commissioner assisting the Officer of the Commissioner; acting ACP Julius Tassion is promoted to ACP, Operations; and Commander Steven Francis moves from Acting ACP Policy & Planning to Acting ACP Human Resources. CSP Clement Dalla, currently unattached, has been appointed as Acting Divisional Commander, Highlands East, while CSP Samson Siguyaru moves from Acting ACP Human Resources to Deputy Commander Northern. All transfers will be completed no later than April 5th, 2024. Meanwhile, Commissioner Manning further revealed that another round of additional promotions is anticipated in the coming year. “Alongside increased recruitment into the RPNGC and the termination of personnel that do not meet the ethical and disciplinary requirements of the modern RPNGC, additional promotions are planned this year based on performance.” “Two promotion rounds are scheduled for June and December in 2024 for personnel who demonstrate leadership capabilities, professionalism, and commitment to our (police) code of ethics.” “Criteria for promotion will be tough, fair, and thorough and will further strengthen leadership in the RPNGC.”  

The new West New Britain (WNB) Police Beat Patrol Unit orchestrated the biggest drug bust in the history of the province, confiscating almost 17 tons of marijuana. The new police unit intercepted and busted the drug smuggling operation on the 27th of February. The police unit confiscated one homemade firearm, 7 tons of unopened plastic bags of marijuana worth K 2.1 million, 9 tons of medium plastic bags worth K270, 000 and 1 ton of an opened plastic bag that police officers believe were slowly consumed by the smugglers whilst travelling to the province. 8 male suspects ranging from the ages of 20 to 30 years old were apprehended by the police and faced their court charges yesterday and remained in police custody. According the WNB Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Peter Barkie, the drugs were smuggled to be distributed to the New Guinea Islands region and the street value of the of drugs confiscated is almost equivalent to K3 million. PPC Barkie believes these suspects were just runners and further investigations will be conducted to hopefully apprehend the masterminds behind this drug smuggling operation. The Police Beat Patrol unit was recently established in late February 2024 and was to commenced operations on March 1,st but it took action before its commencement date to make the drug bust. The new police unit was purposely tasked to engage with the community to promote and strengthen the relationship between police and local communities to respond accordingly to community issues, and crime reports in the rural areas, and that big drug bust was a result of that community partnership. Meanwhile, the new police unit is also well supplied with resources to carry out its duties. It has a four- wheel drive off road vehicle (Toyota Land cruiser) for land operations, a dinghy with a 60-horsepower motor for patrolling the waters, and a surveillance drone able to cover wide distances.

The stage is set for one of the biggest Rugby Union 7s competitions here in Papua New Guinea, the Niu Pawa Sports Tok 7s is set to take place over the Easter weekend in Port Moresby. Since its establishment in 2018, the competition has always had a wide range of teams come from around the nation to participate in this extravagant sports competition. In an interview with the competition facilitator, Mr. Joe Kautu, he announced that the tournament dates are confirmed for the 29th-31st March and will be played in two locations- the first two days at Bava Park and finals will be played at the Sir John Guise Stadium. There will be a total of 56 teams taking part in the tournament with 32 men’s, 12 women’s and 12 Under 20 teams. Additionally, there are a total of 12 teams that will be flying in from Kimbe, Rabaul, Buka, Madang, Lae, Kavieng and Daru to take part in the Niu Pawa Sports Tok 7s 2024. The competition has always only awarded the winners for the cup in both the men’s and the women’s division with K20, 000 cash prize for the Open Men's Cup Winners and K15, 000 cash for the women's Cup Winners of the tournament. Kautu highlighted that serious action will be taken against teams that instigate or cause violence against match officials and organizers during the competition. “There is no place for violence in our tournament. In the past, teams have been suspended and banned for such incidents in the tournament. “ “We do not tolerate violence in any form,” he said. Furthermore, Mr. Kautu confirmed that there will be a judiciary in place to deal with on-field calls and plays that raise complaints from team players, coaches and managers. Mr. Kautu also spoke appreciatively of the tournament sponsor for its continued support and its partnership. “We are grateful and want to thank Niu Power Energy for backing us again this year and we look forward to continuing on the partnership, hopefully in the coming year as well.” Meanwhile, he mentioned that this year's event will be bigger than the previous years with the increased number of teams taking part in the Open Men’s category of the competition. “We have a total of 32 teams registered in the Open Men's division. We normally have around 20 to 24 teams.” “It's going to be exciting so we encourage everyone to come and support their teams.”

Police Commissioner David Manning announced several transfers in the police commands to confront emerging criminal challenges, including special policing zone. He said demands on police resources are evolving as security threats are facing the nation, including organized crime on the borders of PNG, and the security environment in both Enga and Hela. “Demands on police resources are evolving as the security threats facing the Nation and the RPNGC continue to adapt to confront these challenges,” the Commissioner said. “In particular a combination of organized crime infiltration through the borders of Papua New Guinea and other countries has changed the criminal landscape and the law-and-order response. “The infiltration of international criminal networks, the misuse of communications technologies, and the rise of a gun culture in the country are key challenges that require us to adapt how we do business.” “In terms of direct policing, this has included dealing with the interrelated smuggling of weapons and ammunition, the movement of illicit drugs, money laundering and people trafficking for prostitution.” This means getting the right personnel with capacity and experience into the roles to deal with them, and the update in command positions in the police force will further strengthen the delivery of security services as the Royal PNG Constabulary (RPNGC) continues to rebuild. Commissioner Manning revealed in a statement that one of the most notable changes is the creation of the role of Commander for the Special Policing Zone (SPZ) that is being established to rebuild law and order in Enga, Southern Highlands and Hela Provinces. “The security environment across Enga, Hela and Southern Highlands Provinces has shifted considerably over the past fifteen years. Police and Provincial administrations working with a new generation of community and their leaders and refocusing efforts to bring back law and order to our communities.” “This is yielding results as we saw last weekend with the arrest of a prominent business leader from Enga and his cronies, and with the SPZ Commander in place this action will be stepped up.” “A/Divisional Commander Joseph Tondop has been appointed as SPZ Commander in a role that will be concurrent as Divisional Commander for Highlands Western Command.” The statement further reveals that in addition to the new position of SPZ Commander, the position of ACP for Internal Affairs has been created to support the ongoing governance evolution of the RPNGC into the modern world. “Superintendent Emil Alpha has been promoted to the position of ACP for Internal Affairs tasked with strengthening and enforcing internal RPNGC governance and ethics, and the removal of unethical or undisciplined police.” “The immediate task of ACP Alpha is to lead a fearless review of the Internal Affairs Department. This is to determine what administrative and legislative reforms are required to improve the effectiveness of Internal Affairs, and to clear all backlogged matters within 12 months.” “The establishment of ACP Internal Affairs paves the way for an empowered Directorate, to be supported by an Executive Director through our international recruitment strategy.” “The role of Executive Director will bring a wealth of independence and policing experience to support ACP IAD in his task of professionalizing our Police Force.”

The Rabaul District Administration in the East New Britain province presented their acquittals for the District Services Improvement Program (DSIP) and the District Support Grants (DSG) for the years 2022 and 2023 to the Department of Rural Implementation and Rural Development (DIRD) recently. Led by the Acting District Administrator Freddy Lemeki with the support of the District Acquittal team the presentation took place at the DIRD Office in Port Moresby. When presenting the documents, the Acting District Administrator in his remarks highlighted the importance of acquittals and said that by conducting acquittals they ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public funds. “This process helps evaluate the effectiveness and impact of government programs and projects and promotes good governance.” District Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Abel Sokon, when giving an overview of the acquittal presentation; pointed out that there were challenges faced regarding expenditures during 2022 and 2023. “In 2022 when the National General Election was conducted, Ombudsman Commission froze all the government accounts and we could not access our funds.” “We were only accessing one account which was the Covid Trust Account.” “The Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) was also offline making it difficult to fully expend on funds. “ Additionally, the Covid Trust Account was the custodian account for several other funding parked under it for accessibility during the Election period. In 2023 the district administration was faced with uncertain political circumstances which saw the member for Rabaul Open, Dr Allan Marat and former MP going to court, regarding the election petition. “Though there were several issues such as bulking of funds and IMFS being offline, we still managed to monitor and maintain the movement of funds and have managed to transfer funds back to their respective funding sources and had it acquitted for.” Meanwhile, also speaking during the presentation was DIRD Assistant Secretary for NGI Nick Manes who commended the Rabaul team and said that acquittal also serves as a monitoring tool. “These are public funds and by reviewing acquittal reports, we ensure that taxpayers’ money is being used responsibly and effectively.”

An Australian child sex criminal has been refused entry into the country. The criminal has been repatriated to Australia; Police Commissioner David Manning confirmed in a statement. Commissioner Manning said the convicted Australian criminal, who tried to illegally enter PNG on February 27th on a sailboat into Daru, was intercepted at the border by diligent detectives, highlighting the collaborative efforts between the two countries' authorities. “In addition to attempting to enter PNG illegally, the sex offender had also violated reporting conditions in Australia, further warranting legal action against him in his home country,” the statement read. Commissioner Manning said measures are in place to prevent child sex offenders from entering PNG, with police and relevant agencies, including the Immigration and Citizenship Authority, actively monitoring for such individuals. The police commissioner also emphasized the importance of information sharing, facilitated by the Bilateral Security Agreement with Australia, which enables PNG investigators to access crucial criminal intelligence for effective policing operations. He further underscored the zero-tolerance approach towards predatory offenders, stressing the commitment to protecting communities through swift and comprehensive legal action. “Regardless of their origin, child sex offenders would be vigorously pursued and brought to justice in accordance with the law,” the statement read.

Over 2, 300 ward members received their first paid salary today. These 2, 319 elected community leaders are from all LLG wards in Hela, Enga, Gulf, West Sepik, Manus, East New Britain, and New Ireland, some are from a few LLG wards in Central, Oro, Jiwaka, West New Britain, and Milne Bay provinces. Minister for Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs (PLLGA), Soroi Eoe said the rest of the ward members will soon be added to the Government’s Ascender Pay System. PNG has a total of 7, 277 ward members. This figure comprises 6, 375 ward councilors (members) and 902 Community Government members of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARoB). This is the government pay 5 period, and it is anticipated that all will be receiving their salaries between pay 6 and 7 – ward members are getting K300 while LLG deputy presidents get K350. Minister Eoe said they will also be backdated from the pay 1 in January 2024, adding that all will receive a daily K50 sitting allowance for any official LLG meetings they attend. Both he and Public Service Minister Joseph Sungi attributed this significant milestone event to ongoing efforts from various government agencies and the government’s commitment to enhance Progress for this groundbreaking initiative followed a National Executive Council (NEC) decision No. 322 of 2021 directed the Department of Personnel Management and the Department of Provincial and Local Level Government to ensure ward members are put on the Ascender Pay Integrated HR Payroll system. The other agencies involved in this exercise as directed by the NEC decision were; National Planning and the Department of Finance and Treasury. Towards the end of 2023, the Department of Personnel Management and Department of Provincial & Local Level Government commenced preparatory work through a framework to transfer 6,375 Ward Councilor positions onto the Ascender Pay. Work commenced with the initial loading of 7 pilot sites which include; Hela, Enga, Gulf, Sandaun, Manus, East New Britain and New Ireland however, 5 more provinces (Central, Oro, Jiwaka, West New Britain and Milne Bay (a few LLG’s) have been loaded onto the Integrated Human Resource Ascender Pay bringing the total number of Ward Councilors to be paid on Pay 5 this week to 2,319. DPM Payroll staff took on this tedious task and have been working late hours during the 2023 Shutdown period to meet the target of putting the ward councilors from the pilot sites on the payroll. Work on completing the rest of the wards is ongoing and is expected to be completed in the next two pay periods - Pay 6 and 7. Ministers Eoe and Sungi emphasized the Marape/Rosso government’s commitment to making sure the country ‘honors hardworking Papua New Guineans right down to the Ward level.” “For their commitment to ensuring services are delivered at the ward level, Ward Councilors will now be on the payroll.” Minister Sungi added that the next step is to add the Ward Recorders to the Government Payroll. "In that way, we will not be waiting for the Census.”  

The Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee (PNGOC) has acknowledged the tremendous support given by the PNG Government and its partners towards Team PNG’s participation in the recent Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands, but now it’s seeking the remaining part of the funding yet to be paid to them. During the 2023 Games Review Workshop held on Saturday March 2nd in Port Moresby city, the PNGOC advised National Federations that K4 million out of the K8.24 million support package announced by the government for the Pacific Games had been received to date. In addition, the National Gaming Control Board also committed K1 million towards Team PNG, whilst a direct payment to Air Niugini of K1.965 million for the team charter flights was made. This leaves a balance of approximately K3.24 million yet to be paid to the PNGOC. “On 19th February, we submitted to the PNG Sports Foundation a detailed acquittal on the funds received, and we acknowledge our responsibility to ensure that these public funds are properly accounted for," said the PNGOC President, Sir John Dawanicura. PNGOC also advised National Federations that it is actively pursuing the remaining K3.24 million. “Preparing our team for the Games is crucially important and due to the delays in the release of funding committed by Government, PNGOC dipped into its reserves in order to support our athletes in their preparations,” the president stressed. “The fact remains that these funds were committed to Team PNG and should be forward to us in order to replenish our reserves and enable PNGOC and our Member Federations to prepare for the Pacific Mini Games next year in Palau.” “We do not wish to be in the same position next year chasing funding right up to the departure of the team and therefore, call on the PNG Sports Foundation to immediately forward the balance of K3.24 million.” Meanwhile, Sir Dawanincura also acknowledged the other sponsors, which include PNG Sports Foundation, Kumul Mineral Holdings and National Gaming Control Board for their support towards Team PNG.  

In a historic move, a total of 7, 277 local-level government ward members (councilors) are set to join the government's Ascenda payroll platform for the first time since Independence. This includes 6, 375 ward councilors and 902 community government members from the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB). This move, directed by Prime Minister (PM) James Marape through Cabinet Decision 322/2021, aims to ensure proper remuneration for elected leaders, transitioning them from the previous Alesco payroll system to Ascenda. Implementing this decision will inject K2, 546, 950.00 into the sub-national economy and create over 7, 000 fully paid jobs. Starting today, Wednesday March 6th 2024, Deputy Presidents, Deputy Mayors, and Ward Councilors will receive K350 and K300 respectively. Provincial and Local Level Government (LLG) Affairs Minister, Soroi Eoe explained that these LLG leaders' salaries will be paid in batches, with all payments backdated to January 2024. Minister Eoe said this yesterday when officially launching the LLG Leaders transition onto the Government Ascenda payroll, with the first batch of ward members from 7 pilot sites: Hela, Enga, Gulf, West Sepik, Manus, East New Britain, and West New Britain provinces set to get paid today. By or before Pay 8, all ward members in the country and those in AROB will be fully paid, with their backdated salaries. The event was attended also by Secretaries for the Department of Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs (DPLGA) and Personnel Management, including Public Service Minister, Joseph Sungi who praised the initiative but strongly urged everyone at the community level to elect reliable ward members. He also urged district and LLG administrators and managers to perform well. He said the capacity and quality of these leaders at the helm of the community decision-making level must be on par with any other elected official in office. Minister Sungi further said that this has been a long-anticipated wait to be remunerated, and he was pleased to see it happen now, acknowledging himself and other leaders for ensuring allowances for their ward members over the years through whatever discretionary funds they could access to help LLG leaders. He noted that the next lot of hard-working community officials to follow suit are ward recorders, who play a very important role in collecting and compiling vital populace data statistics at the village and ward level. Minister Eoe shared the same sentiments in his keynote address. “LLG Councilors going on the payroll now connect a missing link between the third tier government and the Department of Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs.” “That relationship over the years has been one of unstained and superficial with no commitments.” Minister Eoe emphasized that this transition strengthens accountability mechanisms and increases the roles and responsibilities of LLG Councilors in overseeing community development. “In 2021 the Marape-Rosso Government recognized the important role LLG plays, and their leadership is often under difficult conditions, and therefore it is only proper and fair that they be given due recognition and be rewarded.” “The Marape-Rosso Government understands that LLG leaders have an important role to play in taking ownership and addressing social issues affecting the country, hence when there is strong and effective leadership at the community level, there will be peace and order.” He said this will be strengthened by DPLGA who “will keep an eye on just about everything that goes at the Ward, LLG and District Level”, adding that DPLGA will work with the LLG leadership to mobilize youth to be skilled and deployed. “Having this group of leaders on the payroll will improve service delivery across all sectors in the community,” Minister Eoe reiterated.

Tour operators in East New Britain (ENB) province recently underwent a post-mortem meeting last week at the Rabaul Hotel to improve tourism activities in the province. The meeting was organized by the Rabaul Historical Society, PNG Tour Guide and Rabaul Discovery Tours with the support of the East New Britain Tourism Authority and the Rabaul District Administration. The purpose of the meeting was to identify challenges and issues faced in the recent Cruise Ship visit on February 19th 2024 and come up with ways forward on how to improve tour operations. PNG Tour Guide Owner, Dominic Tulo, who spoke at the meeting, commended the tour operators and everyone who took part in ensuring the recent P&O Cruise ship visit was a success. He highlighted that the recent visit outcome was going to determine whether Rabaul port will still be on the cruise ships’ itinerary due to the frequent law and order issues faced in the previous year. “Even though the overall outcome was great there are still some grey areas that must be improved on.” “These include non-compliance of ground or traffic rules by some tour operators, uncontrolled traffic jam on several sites and private tours or individuals charging site fees when it’s already included in the tour package.” Rabaul Hotel Owner, Susie McGrade also suggested that they involve the youths and training them to be certified tour guides, to be well versed with local product knowledge and history and can carry out tours confidently. She said that the youths would need proper trainings and asked if the ENB Tourism Authority and Rabaul District Administration could help with subsidizing fees. Meanwhile, Rabaul Deputy District Administrator Mr. John Matava also attended the post-mortem meeting and said the administration, through its Community Development sector, is preparing to carry out a series of life skills training. “Tour guide courses can also be taught by certified trainers and interested individuals can apply and be assisted for them to be qualified tour guides.” Matava further commended the tour operators, police, business houses, youths and the general public for ensuring an enjoyable and safe visit for tourists visiting Rabaul. “The next cruise ship visit will be on 17th March 2024.”