The Acting Secretary for the Department of Higher Education Research Science and Technology Dr Francis Hualupmomi has strongly condemned a bullying incident at the PNG University of Technology that resulted in a student’s room being totally ransacked by fellow students. Dr Hualupmomi said his office is fully aware of the incident and he is hoping the University management can address this incident within their own capacity. “University of Technology is an academic institution and not a place for rogue students.” “I am confident that the University management will address this issue within their by-laws.” The Secretary further clarified that the Department has no power to intervene in such matters as universities are established by the Act Parliament, and therefore they operate within their by-laws to address matters of concern such as bullying. He said the Department addresses such matters through a quality assurance process whereby institutions are advised to establish policy and by-laws to protect the safety of students in accordance with the Higher Education General Provisions Act 2014 and quality assurance guidelines. “I encourage all institutions of higher learning to develop strong policies or by-laws to prevent bullying, including sexual harassment.” “In doing so, they protect the security of students and enhance the quality of learning.” Meanwhile the PNG University of Technology Administration has refused to comment on the incident nor advise on the actions they are taking to deal with the students involved. The family of the student who are based in Port Moresby have notified this Newsroom that they will be flying over to Lae to formally lodge a complaint with police and with the University Administration.

Members of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) met in the margins of the current parliamentary session to prepare for the second round public hearings which will be held by the Committee on Thursday 3 March and Friday 4 March 2022. Charles Abel, Chairman of the Committee, made clear that the Committee will use the hearing to encourage Government Ministers and officials to stay focused on addressing GBV, even in the lead up to the June 2022 national general election. On Thursday 24 February, when speaking in the House on a Bill that sought to criminalise sorcery accusation related violence (SARV), Chairman Abel used his speech as an opportunity to highlight the work of the Committee to address a range of critical issues, including and in addition to SARV. In his speech to Parliament, he stated: “Our Committee produced a report last year, which listed 71 recommendations. In our report, which has been endorsed by the Government, we highlighted 7 urgent reforms – including the establishment of a permanent GBV committee, to convert the current special committed into a permanent one. I have given the Leader of Government Business a draft motion to make that recommendation happen and trust the Leader to action that.” Hon Abel noted that other recommendations included the establishment of the National GBV Secretariat, counselling services, addressing SARV, providing more support for family planning and ensuring access to justice for GBV survivors. The importance of reserved seats for women was also highlighted as an urgent priority recommendation, but Hon Abel noted that the Government appears to be running late in tabling legislation to push through those reforms. The second round of public hearings by the GBV Committee will be held in Port Moresby from Thursday 3 March to Friday 4 March. They will be used to ask Ministries about how they have implemented the recommendations made by the Committee in their August 2021 Report. To enable the public to watch and participate, the public hearings will be broadcast on the Committee’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PNGParlCommGBV. At a meeting of Committee members discussing the next hearings, Governor Powes Parkop a member of the Committee stated: “At our hearings next week, we expect to be hearing from government officials working across the spectrum, from health officials who provide crisis support services, to the police, prosecution and courts services who are responsible for investigating and prosecuting GBV crimes. We want to know what they have done since our last hearings to fix the many gaps we identified in our August GBV repot in the national response to GBV.” He stressed: “I am particularly concerned that the Government needs to urgently approve the establishment of the National GBV Secretariat, which has been tasked with driving the national GBV response. Although the Government allocated 7.93 million Kina to the Department for Community Development and Religion in the 2022 National Budget, it wont be spent if there isn’t a National GBV Secretariat, with a properly qualified cohort of staff who can effectively manage that funding for the benefit of GBV survivors across the country. This must be done immediately.” The Special Parliamentary Committee on GBV was set up in 2020 by the National Parliament. It has six members, in addition to the Chair: Deputy Chairman Hon Allan Bird (Governor East Sepik), Hon Powes Parkop (Governor NCD), Hon Aiye Tambua (Goroka MP), Hon Michael Dua (Governor Chimbu), Hon Allan Marat (Rabaul MP) and Hon Ginson Saonu (Governor Morobe). For more information on the Committee, see Coalition of Parliamentarians to End GBV: https://www.unitedforequalitypng.com/. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is providing technical support to the Special Parliamentary Committee on GBV as part of its gender programming and the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative. This support aims to address Gender-Based Violence and support longer term efforts to promote women’s participation and leadership in the Parliament.

Kina Bank is proud to support Susu Mamas with a K30,000 donations. This donation will contribute to the organizations work providing free primary health care services to the children and women. Executive General Manager, Banking, Lesieli Taviri, says ‘’we at Kina Bank will continue to navigate through the uncertainties and challenges presented by COVID19 to provide much needed essential services and support to our customers and clients. We recognize the important work of Susu Mamas and we at Kina Bank feel that our assistance in this cause will continue to change, impact and save lives of women and children in the communities they live in. Our Staff access your services and it’s important we help you to help our people’’. We are happy to support the work. Chair of the fund raising committee of Susu Mamas, Lata Milner, is grateful that this assistance will go a long way for Susu Mamas. ‘’With the increase in number of people attending the clinics since the COVID-19 pandemic started, staff have had to be increased from 50 to 150. Now Susu Mamas desperately needs funding to be able to continue to provide these much needed services. Funding cuts and policy change has affected our operations as attention was shifted to covid19’’. On behalf of Susu Mamas, our mothers, young children and family, I’d really like to express our gratitude to Kina Bank for supporting us in a very enormous way. I can’t tell you how fabulous this is and how many lives will have changed and for Kina Bank to support us is fantastic and I’m very supportive as it means a lot to us,’’ says Lata Milner. Susu Mamas PNG has been providing free primary health care services to communities in seven provinces for the past 30 years. This includes adult and paediatric health care, HIV and Sexual reproductive health, family planning, maternal and child health (immunization, nutrition screening) and Covid vaccines.

Russian football clubs and national teams have been suspended from all competitions by Fifa and Uefa after the country's invasion of Ukraine. The world and European football governing bodies said they would be banned "until further notice". It means the Russian men's team will not play their World Cup play-off matches next month and the women's team have been banned from this summer's Euro 2022 competition. Spartak Moscow have also been kicked out of the Europa League and their last-16 opponents RB Leipzig will advance to the quarter-finals. Uefa has also ended its sponsorship with Russian energy giant Gazprom. "Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine," Fifa and Uefa said in a joint statement. "Both presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people." Fifa and Uefa decided to take action after Russia, supported by Belarus, launched a military invasion of neighbouring Ukraine last Thursday. The Russian men's team had been scheduled to face Poland in a World Cup play-off semi-final on 24 March. Russian football's governing body, the RFU, said it "categorically disagreed" with the decision and would challenge it "in accordance with international sports law". Fifa had previously ruled that Russia must complete their upcoming games in neutral territory, under the title Football Union of Russia, and without their flag and anthem. However, the announcement drew criticism - and Scotland and the Republic of Ireland joined several other nations, including England, Northern Ireland and Wales, as well as Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden, in refusing to play against Russia. Russia are in Northern Ireland's European Under-21 Championship qualifying group and their meeting in March will be cancelled. On Monday, Scottish FA president Rod Petrie wrote to his Ukrainian counterpart "to send a message of support, friendship and unity", with those two nations due to meet in their World Cup play-off semi-final on 24 March. The 2022 Champions League final, originally due to be played in St Petersburg on 28 May, has been moved to Paris while numerous clubs have taken their own steps to disassociate themselves from Russia. Manchester United has terminated its sponsorship deal with Russia's national airline Aeroflot while Bundesliga club Schalke has cancelled its partnership with main sponsor Gazprom, having last week removed the Russian energy company's logo from its shirts. "I can't understand why it took them 24 hours to make this decision," said Jim Boyce, former Fifa vice-president and honorary life president of the Irish FA, speaking to BBC Radio Ulster. "What is happening is absolutely deplorable. Quite honestly, every possible sanction that can be imposed on Russia at the minute has to be done. I applaud Fifa and I applaud Uefa for the decision that they have made today." Speaking on Monday, Tottenham manager Antonio Conte said: "The whole world has to be compact and show [it is] solid against the stupidity of the people." He added: "I think it's right to express our disappointment about the stupidity about some decisions. Football and Uefa has to be compact and to show to be strong."

The Papua New Guinea National Rugby League Competition (PNGNRLC), managers of the domestic semi-professional rugby league competition, the Digicel Cup, announces that there will be no new franchises for the 2022 Digicel Cup season. Due to the challenges and uncertainties of the Covid-19 pandemic, PNGNRLC Chairman Adrian Chow said the board decided that there would be no additional franchises joining the current 12 franchises this season. There will be a review of the Digicel Cup Strategic Plan and the expansion of the competition will depend on this and the quality of future bids. He acknowledged the funding from Australian DFAT which will enable this review and assist development of the sport in PNG. He thanked all the current franchises and their sponsors for their commitment and continued participation in the competition, especially as the pandemic had disrupted many businesses, sports and social activities. The Participation Agreements will be finalised with the 12 franchises and franchise fees must be paid before season kick-off. Season fixtures and draw will be announced as soon as conditions under which the competition may proceed are clarified with the Office of Pandemic Controller. Chow said preparations for the 2022 Digicel Cup season has started with all franchises well into preseason training. We have the Franchise Manager’s Meeting and the Annual General Meeting (AGM), dates to be confirmed later and advised.

The death toll from the south-east Queensland weather emergency has risen to seven as flooding continues across the region. Police said a man was swept away while trying to cross Cabbage Tree Creek Road at Fitzgibbon on Brisbane's northside late on Sunday. Two members of the public saw the 59-year-old and tried to rescue him, conducting CPR once he was out of the water. Paramedics also responded but the man died at the scene, according to police. [caption id="attachment_19377" align="aligncenter" width="658"] The Brisbane River was forecast to peak at about 4 metres on Monday morning.(ABC News: Brian Hurst)[/caption] South-east Queenslanders face a chaotic start to the week, with floods expected to worsen, more than 1,000 roads cut off, trains shut down, schools and many businesses closed and hundreds of residents sheltering in evacuation centres. The "rain bomb" responsible for the weekend's record-breaking inundation has moved slowly south today lashing both sides of the New South Wales-Queensland border. The wild weather has already left widespread damage and flooding in its wake and will continue to affect thousands of residents for days. More than 1,400 houses in Brisbane were affected by internal flooding yesterday, and Brisbane City Council estimates another 4,501 properties could be flooded today. "We had almost 1,000 SES calls just yesterday in the last 24 hours, and it's right across Brisbane because it wasn't just river flooding, it was creek flooding," Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner told ABC Radio Queensland this morning. [caption id="attachment_19378" align="aligncenter" width="618"] Severe damage to several boats and the ferry terminal at Hawthorne.(Supplied: Phil Hearne)[/caption] As of 2:15am this morning Wivenhoe Dam was sitting at more than 185 per cent capacity, but slowly dropped during the morning and as of 8am was siting at 183 per cent. More more than 100 millimetres of rain had been recorded in parts of the Gold Coast this morning. The state government said nearly 1,000 schools would be closed today and urged Queenslanders to work from home. Almost 1,000 people were sheltering in evacuation centres late yesterday, with more expected to join them, especially in the Maryborough region. Brisbane River hits 'major' flood levels [caption id="attachment_19379" align="aligncenter" width="644"] More than 1,400 Brisbane homes in riverside areas such as Rocklea are believed to have been flooded.(AAP: Jason O’Brien)[/caption] State Disaster Coordinator Steve Gollschewski declared Gympie and Brisbane disaster zones, saying conditions in the capital were extremely dangerous. He said Brisbane faced flash flooding, multiple road closures and landslides, while its rail network was down, and rivers and creeks were flooded. The Brisbane River peaked at 4m during high tide, about 8:30am. Authorities have already described it as a "major flood", though below the city's 2011 peak of 4.46m. Mr Gollschewski said people needed to be very aware of the high tides. "There are two [high tides] every day, so we are planning around those tides,'' he said. Threat to remain for days [caption id="attachment_19380" align="aligncenter" width="607"] A large amount of flooding underneath the Ipswich motorway in Goodna.(ABC News: Michael Rennie)[/caption] A major and historic flood also hit Maryborough this morning, about 220km north of Brisbane. The Mary River surpassed the major flood level of 9m, and was sitting at 9.5m at 7:30am. Fraser Coast regional Council Mayor George Seymour said the water was rising at a rate of 10cm an hour. Council expects the river to reach the 2013 flood level, which is marked on the historical Bond Store in town. "This is a major flood and there is a lot of water coming down river from Gympie floods. What we've seen at Miva, nobody has ever heard of it at that height," Mr Seymour said. [caption id="attachment_19381" align="aligncenter" width="618"] The Bremer River, near the Ipswich CBD, is also forecast to rise this morning.(ABC News: Tobias Jurss-Lewis)[/caption] Meanwhile, the Logan and Beaudesert regions were also likely to be under threat as the rain system drifted south. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) is predicting the river will pass the 2017 level of 20.5 metres this morning at the Maclean Bridge gauge, making it the largest flood recorded since 1974, when it reached 21.22 metres. In Ipswich, Goodna was the worst affected area with some residents in low-lying parts of Booval and Bundamba told to prepare to evacuate. As of 9am, more than 53,000 households across the state's south-east had lost power. Disaster payments for Gympie, North Burnett In Brisbane yesterday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Emergency Management Minister Bridget McKenzie said some affected residents in the Gympie and North Burnett regions would receive disaster-relief payments. The financial aid is likely to be expanded soon to other badly impacted areas. [caption id="attachment_19382" align="aligncenter" width="634"] Properties in Gympie are being inundated by floodwater.(ABC News: Janzey Pratt)[/caption] Senator McKenzie said the disaster payments would include $1,000 per person and $400 per child. Applications will open at 1pm today. Senator McKenzie said disaster victims could also claim an extra hardship grant of $180 per person, up to $900 per family. SOURCE: ABC NEWS

A statement on the Telegram messaging app said the two sides would meet at an unspecified location on the Belarusian border and did not give a precise time for the meeting. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he needed to use every opportunity to secure peace. "I do not really believe in the outcome of this meeting, but let them try so that later not a single citizen of Ukraine has any doubt that I, as President, tried to stop the war, when there was even a small, but still a chance." The announcement came hours after Russia confirmed its delegation had flown to Belarus to await talks. Ukrainian officials initially rejected the move, saying any talks should take place elsewhere than Belarus, where Russia has placed a large contingent of troops. Putin's nuclear threat President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian nuclear forces put on high alert in response to what he called "aggressive statements" by leading NATO powers. Speaking at a meeting with his top officials, Mr Putin directed the Russian defence minister and the chief of the military's General Staff to put the nuclear deterrent forces in a "special regime of combat duty". "Western countries aren't only taking unfriendly actions against our country in the economic sphere," he said in televised comments. "But top officials from leading NATO members made aggressive statements regarding our country." The US ambassador to the United Nations responded to the comments from Moscow. "President Putin is continuing to escalate this war in a manner that is totally unacceptable," ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said. "And we have to continue to condemn his actions in the most strong, strongest possible way." She added that it "remains to be seen" if Russia is acting in good faith regarding the talks. Anti-war protests continue across Russia From Moscow to Siberia, Russian anti-war activists have taken to the streets again to protest against the invasion, despite the arrests of hundreds of protesters each day. [caption id="attachment_19371" align="aligncenter" width="835"] A demonstrator is detained by police officers in St Petersburg[/caption] Demonstrators have been holding marches in city centres, chanting "No to war!". Protests against the invasion started on Thursday in Russia and have continued daily ever since, even as police have moved swiftly to crack down on the rallies and detain protesters. The protests on Sunday appeared smaller than the ones on Thursday, the first day of Russia's attack in Ukraine, when thousands of people rallied in Moscow and St Petersburg, but their true scale was hard to assess. In St Petersburg, where dozens gathered in the city centre, police in full riot gear were seen grabbing one protester after another and dragging some into police vans, even though the demonstration was peaceful and no violent incidents have occurred. According to the OVD-Info rights group that tracks political arrests, by Sunday afternoon, police had detained at least 356 Russians in 32 cities over anti-war demonstrations that day. SOURCE: SKY NEWS

We condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia's unprecedented military aggression against Ukraine. By its unprovoked and unjustified military actions, Russia is grossly violating international law and undermining European and global security and stability. We deplore the loss of life and the human suffering. We call on Russia to immediately cease the hostilities, withdraw its military from Ukraine and fully respect Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence. Such use of force and coercion has no place in the 21st century. The EU stands firmly by Ukraine and its people as they face this unparalleled crisis. The EU leaders will meet later today. President Michel of the European Council has urgently convened an extraordinary meeting of the European Council to discuss the crisis and further restrictive measures. These will impose massive and severe consequences on Russia for its actions. President von der Leyen and High Representative Borrell will outline a further sanctions package being finalised by the European Commission and the EEAS in close coordination with partners. The Council will adopt them swiftly. The EU will continue to provide strong political, financial and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and its people.

On Monday 14 February 2022, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Papua New Guinea in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs & International Trade (DFA&IT) and the Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) conducted the Country Consultative Meeting for the FAO 36th Session of the Asia Pacific Regional Conference in Port Moresby. The half-day high-level consultation meeting with relevant Government authorities is a lead up to the main event, which is the FAO 36th Session of the Asia Pacific Regional Conference. The FAO conference is scheduled to be held from 8th - 11th of March 2022, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The FAO APRC is convened every biennium and is an official forum where Ministers and Senior Officials of the Government of FAO Member States in the Asia and the Pacific region meet to elaborate, beyond the borders of the individual countries, on challenges and priority matters related to food and agriculture, with a view of promoting regional coherence on global policies. The APRC results in recommendations that guide FAO’s work in the vast Asia-Pacific region, and provides further guidance to FAO’s global conference in Rome in June of the following year. Government Ministers, Secretaries and Senior Officers from DAL, DFAIT, Department of Communication and Information Technology (DCIT), National Fisheries Authority (NFA), Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA), Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA), PNG Forest Authority (PNGFA), Department of National Planning and Monitoring (DNPM), Department of Health (NDoH), Department of Finance (DoF), Department of Commerce and Industry (DCI), Department of Community Development, Youth and Religion, were invited to attend the consultation. The high-level Country Consultation aimed to sensitize participants on the APRC, regional priorities and initiatives as well as identifying the country’s gaps and needs of which FAO can better support the Government in achieving its development goals and objectives. Discussions were based on the following regional priority areas; (i) the state of food and agriculture in the Asia and Pacific region, in light of Covid-19 pandemic; (ii) promote climate resilient agri-food systems in Asia and Pacific region (iii) scaling up inclusive digitalization in agriculture value chains; (iv) identifying One Health priorities in Asia and the Pacific region; (v) Conserving, restoring and sustainably using biodiversity for food security and nutrition in the Pacific islands. The meeting also enticed participatory discussions and provided the opportunity for Government stakeholders and agencies to engage amongst and with FAO on avenues for collaboration to benefit the people of PNG. FAO PNG Head of Office and Country Representative, Mr Bir Mandal, spoke of the importance of partners and communities, and following the triangle approach to partnerships, explaining that in each angle of the triangle there is an international community (such as FAO) or development partner(s), a technical organisation and the community. “If I’m working with a team, I must work with a key Department. And under the most important angle is the community – the farmers with whom you work with. So if we follow this approach we will be successful.” Mr. Mandal went on further to talk about the importance of farmer cooperatives or community farming to assist small farmers to access equipment and empower themselves. “Due to COVID-19, we have had a lot of problems in food supply, transportation, and such. It has also taught us to be independent to the extent possible in our own food production system. And it has opened our eyes and ears” said Mr Mandal in his closing remarks. DAL Keynote speaker, Mr Brown Konabe, Acting Deputy Secretary for PATS, advised that to be engaged with the APRC, the GoPNG needs to be guided by the relevant policies, i.e.; the PNG Vision 2050, PNG DSP 2010-2030, MTDPs, and AMTDP 2020-2022. The AMTDP is the current sector plan that will provide the basis for the GoPNG’s expectations, as it is well aligned with PNG Vision 2050, DSP, MTDP and the SDG 2030. He concluded that, “6 -7 million people depend on commodity crops for cash income, hence, agriculture, fisheries and forestry are important economic sectors that will contribute significantly to the growth of the economy. Though, there are many challenges, the GoPNG is committed to support the sector to protect and secure the wellbeing of 87% of the population in rural areas who depend on it for their livelihood.” Mr Timothy Masiu, Minister for Communication and Information Technology, noted the importance of agriculture in the economic development of the country and how his department (DCIT) must be seen as enablers and facilitators to play an active role in implementing the APRC fourth regional priority, “Scaling up inclusive digitalization in agricultural value chains” in PNG. The minister also emphasized on the importance of information dissemination, ‘’As Minister responsible for Communication, I am calling on all Government Departments to utilize our media platforms as our medium for sharing knowledge and information. Utilize the government radio and television because most of our people do not have access to development agendas such as presented today. The lack of information reaching the people is negatively affecting their interest to participate in development issues in the country.”

Final endorsements of Athletes and Officials to the 2022 Saipan Pacific Mini Games will be made when the Justification Committee (JC) meets on February 28th. The JC is the committee under the Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee (PNGOC), that deliberates and endorses sports and their top athletes to take part as Team PNG in Olympic, Commonwealth and Pacific Games. Targeted sports that will represent Papua New Guinea at the 2022 Pacific Mini Games in Saipan, Northern Mariana Island, which is scheduled for June 17th to 25th 2022 are Athletics, Beach Volleyball, Golf, Tennis, Va’a and Weightlifting. “We urge National Federations to provide all requirements for the Pacific Mini Games preparations and accreditation purposes”, PNGOC Secretary General Auvita Rapilla said. Whilst the endorsement of the final team is pending, the top management for Team PNG has been appointed. Secretary General announced the General Management Team (GMT) today, with other members to be added subject to the overall team size. The GMT, like other sports officials on the team are made up of volunteers and these were: · Kila Dick, Chef de Mission · Anzillah Miro, General Manager · Ivan Ravu, Chief Medical Officer · Hendriella Vilosi, Head Physiotherapist Mr. Kila Dick, Chef de Mission for Team PNG to the Pacific Mini Games is also the Male Vice President of the PNGOC Executive Board and also chairs the Justification Committee. Prior to his appointment as the Male Vice President, he served as the President for the PNG Volleyball Association. A former athlete himself, Mr Dick has been in the sporting fraternity for more than 40 years. He is currently employed as the Manager for Sports Recreation and also Social Service with the National Capital District Commission. Assisting the Chef de Mission in the capacity of General Manager for Team PNG is Anzillah Miro. Anzillah had previously served in the same role for Team PNG to the 2017 Pacific Mini Games and 2019 Pacific Games, and also employed as the Volunteer Manager for the 2015 Pacific Games. Her Games experience together with her professional career as the Executive Manager – Operations for Vanguard International is welcoming. Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ivan Ravu has worked with various sports such as the PNG Kumuls, PNG Hunters, Gulf Isou Rugby League and Team PNG to the Vanuatu 2017 Pacific Mini Games and Samoa 2019 Pacific Games. Hendriella Vilosi is no new comer to sports. Appointed as the Head Physiotherapist to the 2022 Pacific Mini Games, Hendriella was previously employed by High Performance Sport PNG as a Physiotherapist. She has been engaged with sports such as Cricket, Rugby, Netball, Football, Hockey and was part of Team PNG to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and Samoa 2019 Pacific Games.

Our Capital City will be celebrating the first anniversary of the founding father of our nation Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare. This will be part of the many celebrations in our nation to commemorate and celebrate his life. The people of NCD including school children will do an evening of candlelight virgil at the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium as the city comes together in remembrance and commemoration. This is a National event celebrating the life of the founding father so it’s equally a celebration of our country. The history of our country and our people has been shaped largely by the life of Grand Chief Somare. Without his vision, passion, dedication and commitment our nation and our people would not have traveled this far in the last 46 years. Though he has left us, his story and legacy remains. It is important that we embrace his guiding principles and values. Grand Chief Somare united our people of a thousand tribes, languages and cultures peacefully into independence. These are important values and lessons we must maintain and preserve. We must promote peace at all times as how he has taught us as we celebrate his life. Our program at Sir Hubert Murray Stadium will commence at 5pm on Saturday evening and will involve a virgil, speeches and a showing of videos and images of Sir Michael’s life including a documentary of his funeral program last year. Public is most welcome to attend. Mr. Sana Somare, a family representative will also give a speech and we are still waiting for confirmation our Prime Minister James Marape. Please come along in our PNG colours and let’s celebrate the life of this great man, our founding father, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare.

The Chief of Defence Force has commenced his unit visits this week, visiting the Air Transport Wing today after commencing with the 1st Battalion, Royal Pacific Islands Regiment on Tuesday. The Unit visits is to allow the CDF to understand the challenges currently faced and how best to assist the units as PNGDF is undergoing preparations to support the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary during the 2022 National Elections Security Operations. Major General Mark Goina when visiting ATW received the unit briefing from the Commanding Officer of the Unit, Lieutenant Colonel Nancy Wii, the Director Air Preparations, Lt Col Eddie Miro and the Qualified Flying Instructor from the Royal Australian Air Force Wing Commander Tim Shaw among others. The Air Transport Wing with the help of partner from the Royal Australian Air Force has put in place the Defence Aviation Air Safety Framework which is critical to implement the Flight of Excellence concept. Among the challenges raised include the need for perimeter fencing around PNGDF establishments and the need for maintenance of existing facilities. Similar sentiments were shared by the Commanding Officer for 1RPIR, Lieutenant Colonel Heta Nombe and the Commanding Officer of Taurama Military Hospital, Major David Iamo earlier this week, when the CDF visited Taurama Barracks in the National Capital District. Major General Mark Goina has given his assurance that he will address the issues in-line with his priorities which include duty of care to the men and women within PNGDF, organizational reform, operational proficiency, infrastructure and nation building. “I will prioritize areas of immediate concern and direct the Director Engineers to do scoping so these immediate concerns can be addressed,” Maj. Gen Mark Goina said after an area tour of the Hangar at the Air Transport Wing. While visiting 1RPIR earlier this week, Major General Mark Goina also had the opportunity to witness troops from Alpha and Bravo Company of 1RPIR, the Force Support Battalion and ATW undergoing pre-deployment training for deployment to Porgera in the Enga Province. He also cautioned serving members to do what is right during the 2022 National Elections when supporting the RPNGC in providing a free, fair and safe election period. “We don’t want to see our men and women interfering with the election process. Our people should exercise their democratic rights to vote freely,” Major General Goina said. The CDF’s visit to the units will see him visit all Port Moresby units before completing all the Northern units before elections.