Hekari United women's team finishes second in OFC women's tournament

The Hekari United women's team have settled for second place in the inaugural OFC tournament.

It was an end to a 10-day regional sporting extravaganza in Port Moresby.

NBC reports Hekari defeated Labasa FC from Fiji, two goals to nil on Saturday evening 9th June at the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium. 

Captain Marie Kaipu secured two goals for the home side in the first half. 

Despite having much possession, Hekari didn't find the net in the second half to extend  their margin. 

Earlier on, AS Academy Féminine from New Caledonia held off Koloale FC, four goals to one, to secure the game, and an undefeated run to claim the inaugural cup in  the OFC  tournament.

Divine Word University student publishes book on Amazon Kindle

 A final year PNG Studies and International Relations student at the Divine Word University has published short stories in a book and available on Amazon.

Duncan Gabi from the Central Province says the 80 pages book is a collection of 20 short stories written between 2018 and 2022.

Amazon says Gabi is a versatile writer who began his journey during his early years in Primary School. 

With a diverse background as a blogger, early childhood educator, environmental activist, and media officer, Gabi brings a wealth of experiences and perspectives to his storytelling.

 

A captivating storyteller, he weaves his own tales that enrapture readers. With a rich tapestry of personal experiences and a boundless imagination, Gabi's narratives transport readers to enchanting world of fiction and provoke thought-provoking contemplation. 

His passion for literature and commitment to the written word shine through his compelling narratives.

The book Papua Vagabound 

I just published a collection of short stories on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and is now on the market on Amazon. 

Traditional publishers will now be a thing of the past with writers independently publishing on self-publishing platforms like Amazon's Kindle.

Good thing about self-publishing is that you own copyrights to your books and also receive royalties from Amazon for every purchase of your book.

My book comprises of 20 short stories that were written between the years 2018 and 2022.

It's going for $32.54 Australian dollars, about K70 in our currency.

Amazon does print on demand, so once readers purchase the paper back edition, Amazon will automatically print and ship to their location.

As the author, You can also print dozens of copies and then resell in PNG. For authors copies, you only pay for printing. Printing cost depends on the number of pages of your book.

My book has 80 pages so that is less than AU $5, about K11. 

I chose Australia as the primary market place for the book, unfortunately, Amazon Australia does not ship to PNG leaving PNG readers to purchase in Amazon Germany where the book will be printed in  Germany and shipped to PNG.

This doubles the price of the book, because of the printing and shipping cost.

So my advice, don't purchase from Germany. Purchase from Australia and ask your friends, (if you have any in Australia) to pick it up and ship to PNG for you.

To buy the book online click this link https://amzn.asia/d/9UHizvC

Telikom Limited signs exclusive reseller agreement with SkyTel

 Telikom Limited Signs Exclusive Reseller Agreement With SkyTel.

 

Telikom Limited, PNG’s 100% nationally owned telecommunications company, signed an Exclusive Reseller Agreement with SkyTel, a leading provider of telecommunications solutions on the 30th of May, at the Hilton Hotel, Port Moresby.

 

Telikom Limited’s CEO, Mr. Amos Tepi, said the company has decided to partner with SkyTel to complement its existing satellite services. Mr. Tepi highlighted the main reason for choosing SkyTel was because of the connectivity gaps faced by off-grid customers living in the remotest part of the country. Additionally, Telikom wanted to provide reliable and wider broadband coverage in connecting remote branch offices and institutions back to main offices therefore to access share infrastructure such as payroll and other online applications at central offices.

 

“The issues we faced with the satellite front has been on-going for quite a long time so we are looking forward to this partnership with SkyTel to provide customers and business houses (alike) with the best possible telecommunications experience.”

 

SkyTel CEO Mr. Michael Cratt revealed during the signing that the agreement penned today was a company milestone as it was executed during the 27th Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association (PITA) AGM.

 

“It’s a great example of Australia and PNG working together to bridge the gap in some of the telecommunications.”

Telecommunications is a critical enabler to so many other industries; it forms the base of the digital economy.

 

SkyTel’s Exclusive Reseller agreement with Telikom Limited is a significant milestone for both companies and is expected to provide customers with reliable internet, Virtual Private Network (VPN), Voice over Internet (VOIP), IPTV and host online services.

The agreement is for a period of 24 months but is subject to review and renewal going forward.🇵🇬

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Insert from left to right: a/General Manager for Commercial (Telikom Limited), Bill Wartovo, CEO for Telikom Ltd (Amos Tepi), MD for SkyTel, Michael Cratt & Lead Commercial Officer for SkyTel, Declan Jones.

Telikom Limited signs cloud PABX agreement with Amboya (Isreali company)

Telikom Limited, PNG’s 100% nationally owned telecommunications company, signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement with Amboya Investment  on 01/06/20230, at the Hilton hotel, Port Moresby, to be the exclusive provider of Cloud PABX system  in PNG and the Solomon Islands. 

The agreement will see Telikom Limited leveraging its telecommunications network and infrastructure to deliver Cloud PABX (Private Automatic Branch Exchange) or hosted PABX which enable customers to communicate with anyone anywhere on any network at the comfort of your mobile phones. 

Amos Goldman (left) Managing Director for Amboya Investments (Israel) & Amos Tepi (right) CEO for Telikom Ltd

Traditional PABXs and Business Systems are capital intensive and incur high on-going operational cost. 

Mr. Tepi says “Telikom’s new Partnership with Amboya will  eliminate Capital cost such as equipment, cabling and the ongoing maintenance and support cost”.

This partnership marks an important event for Telikom Limited and Amboya considering the signing took place at the 27th Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association (PITA) AGM, Business Forum and Expo. 

With this agreement, Amboya’s support gives a new lease of life for Telikom’s fixed (voice) business which is globally declining due to mobile evolution. 

Both Amboya and Telikom are committed to delivering high-quality services to their customers and are excited about the opportunities this partnership will bring. 

Amboya’s managing director Mr. Amos Goldman said “Ämboya has worked with former Telikom PNG to now Telikom Limited under the new merged entity and have come a long way to understanding the challenges long enough to develop a product that can address the declining trend of the fixed line business’’.

One of the product managers explained how simple the product works. He demonstrated that  apps (application) of the Cloud phone will be installed instantly bearing an office land line number - either existing or new number. 

He further explained that the office/s will have IP (internet protocol) Phones installed on existing infrastructure without the need to build new. 

He said “with the Hosted PABX in Telikom’s multi-cloud infrastructure, our customers will be able to call or receive calls from anywhere around the world.

Telikom’s call Centre is running on Cloud PABX and the company is at advance stage of signing up major customers.

Mr. Tepi validated the demonstration show saying “what’s more rewarding is that our customers will save big since calls to their offices will be at local call cost (10 toea) and Telikom also will not incur interconnection cost”.

This exclusive partnership is extended to Solomon Island through its subsidiary company in Bemobile Limited.

Teachers Savings and Loans Society pays bonus dividend

 

Commemorating 50 years of operations from 1972 to 2022, the 63,000 Teachers Savings and Loans Society members will be paid an additional two percent one-off bonus today Thursday.

TISA Group Chairman Gabriel Tai said today.

The society has paid around K30 million as dividends to members and this is the biggest additional interest paid to members.

The two percent payment totals around K6 million and should be available in their Yumi Card accounts by tomorrow Friday.

Tai attributed the financial results and improvements in TISA 2022 financial performance to consistent and focused decision making for its members. 

The total interest paid to members  for the 2022 financial year is nine percent.

Two urban clinics open in Lae

Deputy PM and Lae Open MP John Rosso makes his remarks 

It gives me great pleasure to join Health Minister Dr Lino Tom, Housing Minister Dr Kobby Bomareo, Health Secretary Dr Osborne Liko, Deputy Australian Head of Mission to PNG Dr Joanne Loundes and the Morobe Provincial Health Authority to officially opened the Tent City and West Taraka Urban Clinics yesterday.

For Tent City, the brand new Level 3 clinic will provide post natal care, labour delivery, dental service, x-ray, surgery and general outpatient services.

It comes with six brand new staff houses and will managed and staffed by the Lutheran Health Services. For the first time in PNG, about 90% of church health workers are now be paid by National government's Alesco payroll system.

A big thankyou to the Australian Government for funding this vital infrastructures, the Marape PANGU-led government, National Department of Health and also our partners the MoPHA, Lae City Authority and the ELCPNG for providing the land on which the facility is being built on.

Partnership is the way forward for development in PNG and we are grateful to have our local stakeholders and international partners working hand in hand to deliver high quality and much needed service delivery infrastructure to our people.

This facility will now ease up the backlog of patients that go all the way to ANGAU Hospital for treatment. It will greatly help our people of Tent City, Bumayong and the surrounding areas in accessing quality health care.

At West Taraka, a similar facility was opened. The West Taraka urban clinic will serve more than ten thousand people in the Taraka area.

The Lae City Authority also bought and presented a brand new 15-seater bus to be used in transporting staff at both Tent City and West Taraka clinics.

According to Huon Gulf MP and Minister for Community Development, Youth & Religion Hon. Jason Peter, this is by far the biggest project in West Taraka for almost forty-years and the people are grateful for this gift from the people and government of Australian.

Bikpla thankyou to the government and taxpayers of Australia for being our biggest development partner. They have invested not only in the health sector, but also in other vital sectors in our nation's development.

The onus is now on the people to look after the facility and staff for the benefit of everyone including our children. Anyone who vandalise the property and harass nursing staff will be dealt severely by police.

If we cry for better government services, we must also take ownership and look after these very important facilities. Not just the health facilities, but schools, classrooms, roads, street lights etc.

Plans are in place to make Tent City urban clinic become our district hospital for Lae where we will have a resident doctor and medical specialists serving our people.

I would like to commend the MoPHA Board Chairman David Wissink, CEO Dr Kipas Binga and his team of good board and management who are working tirelessly to ensure health services reach the ten districts of Morobe.

We need more medical doctors and nursing officers to manned the new health facilities. With only fifty doctors graduating at the UPNG medical school every year, there's a great demand for specialist medical professionals across the country.

The Marape-Rosso government is equally concerned about this and the appointment of Dr Lino is no mistake as he is working tirelessly to ensure this very important sector gets the full backing of this government.

Many people would say Tent City, Bumayong, Igam and West Taraka are in the Nawaeb and Huon Gulf districts respectively, but we all belong to Lae City.

It's not about the land boundary, we are all part of a greater Lae and the LCA is committed to ensure we deliver state of the art and long lasting infrastructures to our people of Lae.

We will also have a brand new urban clinic for Butibam and Milfordhaven which will be fully funded by the taxpayers of Lae through LCA. That is because of transperancy in managing our funds and revenues under LCA.

LCA is also investing in St Johns Ambulance service so that our people are given the best pre-hospital services on their way to get medical treatment.

These services have been deprived for our people for many years until now we have good leadership in our city.

The Tent City barracks to Bumayong road concrete sealing will commence soon once the designs are complete. Tent City street roads will be sealed after Kaisa.

The LCA is partnering with the Huon Gulf DDA to build a brand new police station for West Taraka, fixing their street roads and also assisting long term residence obtain their land titles.

It's not going to happen overnight, but we are committed in ensuring that we deliver these projects on time for the betterment of our communities.

Thank you everyone and we look forward to continue develop Lae City in partnership with good prudent management by ensuring that we continue to lay foundation of good management, governance and transperancy to lure more development partners.

Once again, thankyou Australian Government for your generosity in funding this vital projects. The Marape-Rosso PANGU government for the foresight and vision and all our stakeholders and development partners in ensuring these projects are delivered on time with no variations.

10 ways to keep your laptop hard disk from crash

Your IT safety tip from ComTech PNG 

A laptop Photo ComTech Facebook 

To help prevent a laptop hard disk crash and ensure the longevity of your data, you can follow these practices:

1. Regularly back up your data: Create backups of your important files and documents on a separate storage device or cloud storage. This way, even if your hard disk crashes, you can still retrieve your data.

2. Install reliable antivirus software: Use reputable antivirus software and keep it up to date. This will protect your laptop from malware and viruses that could potentially damage your hard disk.

3. Keep your operating system and software updated: Regularly update your operating system and software applications to benefit from bug fixes, security patches, and performance improvements. These updates can help prevent system crashes and maintain the stability of your hard disk.

4. Avoid physical shocks and vibrations: Treat your laptop with care and avoid subjecting it to physical shocks or vibrations. Dropping or mishandling your laptop can cause damage to the internal components, including the hard disk.

5. Provide proper ventilation: Ensure that your laptop has sufficient airflow to prevent overheating. Excessive heat can lead to hardware failures, including hard disk crashes. Use your laptop on a flat surface and consider using a cooling pad if necessary.

6. Handle your laptop with clean hands: Before using your laptop or handling its hard disk, make sure your hands are clean. Dirt, oils, and moisture from your hands can potentially damage the hard disk or affect its performance.

7. Avoid sudden power loss: Abrupt power loss can be detrimental to the hard disk. To prevent this, use a reliable battery backup or uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to provide backup power during unexpected power outages.

8. Manage storage space: Avoid filling up your hard disk to its maximum capacity. Leaving some free space on the drive allows for better performance and reduces the risk of data corruption. Regularly clean up unnecessary files and consider using external storage or cloud services for long-term storage of large files.

9. Perform regular disk maintenance: Use the built-in disk maintenance tools provided by your operating system to check and repair disk errors. On Windows, you can use the Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter utilities. On macOS, you can use Disk Utility to verify and repair disk permissions.

10. Handle your laptop carefully: When carrying your laptop, use a protective case or sleeve to minimize the risk of physical damage. Avoid placing heavy objects on top of your laptop, as this can exert pressure on the hard disk and other internal components.

Remember that while these practices can help reduce the risk of a hard disk crash, it's important to have backups of your important data in case of any unforeseen failures.

Note: At COMTECH PNG, we provide Cloud Storage Solutions. 

Click here for more information and costing: 

 https://comtechpng.com/index.php/cloud-storage-solution/

Papua New Guinea female MP complains about cyber bullying

Papua New Guinea can be a daunting place to express yourself on social media Facebook, the platform thats become so popular and influencial in the recent decade. 

And particularly for females, one can be more prone to cyber bullying with none or delayed justice is administered to assist victims.

First time female Member of Parliament Kessy Sawang decried cyber bullying and has spoken out that a male citizen active on social media Facebook 'is a cyber bully who harreses alot of women online, including me'.

Hon Kessy Sawang Photo Facebook

Sawang, who represents the people of Rai Coast District in Madang said the male person has confirmed to her that he was sarcastic and wanted his friends and  followers to harass, defame and bully her.

"He has on many occasions harrased me so I blocked him," she said. 

"I have no idea who this person (name withheld) is."

" I am mandated by the great people of Rai Coast to carry their voices and aspirations.  

"Not a subject for (name withheld) to harass, bully me and get his followers to harass and ridicule me.   

How have I wrong you (surname withheld)?"

Sawang who is also the vice minister for International Trade and Investment  in the PNG Parliament said the cyber bullying person needed professional counselling as the country's young generation are badly influenced by him.

The MP for Rai Coast says she is filing an official police complaint against her harasser soon.

Papua New Guinea has cyber crime laws but it's ability to arrest and prosecute are usually delayed and the administration of justice takes a fair bit of time.

The local telecommunications authority NICTA has been very proactive promoting education about internet safety, focusing quite strong on young children to be safe from cyber bullying and paedophilia. 

PNG wants the relationship with Indonesia to expand into trade and economic relations

Following the  visit by Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape to Jakarta, Indonesia in March 2022, Indonesia will reciprocate that with the official visit by President Joko Widodo.

The one day visit slated for July 6, 2023 has been finalised with the Indonesian Ambassador to PNG Andriana Supandi confirming the date.

PNG Prime Minister James Marape (l) and Indonesia President Joko Widodo 

Papua New Guinea and Indonesia forged bilateral ties since 1976 and Indonesia is the only country PNG shares a land and sea border with.

During the last 47 years the bilateral discussions were mostly centered around border relations.

There are existing issues of illegal border crossings, illegal trade of arms and drugs, illegal export of commodities like cocoa and spices. 

The political aspirations by Melanesian West Papuans  who occupy the western end of New Guinea has been a legacy issue.

Since 1969 they continue to press for political independence from Indonesia and successful PNG governments have maintained that the political struggle there is Indonesia's internal matter.

Prime Minister James Marape says the relations between the two countries must now move from talks on border issues to more on trade and economic relations, business-to-business relations and people-to-people relations.

Indonesia has in the last 20 years developed its Batas shopping centre near Wutung in West Sepik to a magnificent modern establishment and Papua New Guineans frequently visit to shop, access medical services, buy electronic appliance, eat at a restaurant or forge business relations with Indonesians-to list a few.

"We will go out of our way to welcome the leader of our closest neighbour, Indonesia, a growing economic powerhouse in the world. Papua New Guinea sees Indonesia as a huge market right at our doorsteps - which we must tap into," Marape said in a statement.

He acknowledged Indonesia as a nation that stood with PNG in many fronts, including being responsible for PNGs admission to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

“They have always been there for us in some difficult times, including the recent COVID-19 crisis, " Marape said. 

‘’I look forward to meeting President Widodo in Port Moresby next month.”

President Widodo’s visit to PNG follows other world leaders recent visits that included Indian Prime Minister Hon. Narendra Modi, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, New Zealand Prime Minister Hon. Chris Hipkins and all Pacific Islands leaders last month.

Book about fish festival in Lumi

 The Melanesian Institute based in Goroka has announced publication of its first Point Series books. 

It says the book is a description and interpretation of a Fish Festival held at Teloute Village, Lumi in  the West Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea with the discussion of problems met in bringing Christianity to these people.

If you're interested to grab a copy, it is going for K20 only.

Rai Coast district aiming to reach the unreached by road

 

Less than 12 months into politics as a Member of Parliament representing the people of Rai Coast and female MP Hon Kessy Sawang is not resting.

Being active on social media providing briefs about her meetings, engagements, strategies, and promoting cheap organic local food enjoyed on the run.

Sometimes she gets criticised for the food posts but the MP remains steadfast, focusing on making Rai Coast cheaply accessible to its provincial capital Madang and agriculture must triumph enabling money to land in people's pockets right at their villages.

Hon Sawang has some background in Economics and once worked with the Internal Revenue Commission.

She has announced the launch of the Saidor-Gali road Construction at Sei village at the field near Warup River, ward 5, Rai Coast LLG. The event is slated for June 12, 2023.

"Nearby communities are welcome to witness the launching as we start the small steps in linking the missing link along the Madang-Morobe coastal corridor, " Sawang said.

"The strategy is to start at the furthest and most remote places and work towards Saidor  and Madang."

Children from Nima/Gali.  The background point is Gali, Rai Coast border with Tewae-Siassi.  Unknown and most beautiful well-kept secrets. Photo by Hon Kessy Sawang 

Camera field traps in West Sepik capture various animal species

 The Tenkile Conservation Alliance operating out from Lumi in West Sepik had been actively working with the local people to preserve and conserve the endangered Scotts Tree Kangaroo-commonly known as the Tenkile.

Their program had been run since the early 2000s.

Statistics in 1999 has it that only about 100 Tenkiles live along the Torricelli Mountains-Lumi.

A Weimang Tree Kangaroo captured by camera traps Photo TCA

Various programs were introduced and alternate protein like rabbits were introduced so locals do not hunt the endangered Tenkile-its fresh meat is a delicacy for locals.

The TCA has expanded its program to the east along the Torricelli range from Lumi.

This time they are in Sibilanga near the border of the Sepik Provinces.

They are presently collecting camera traps photos  from sites in the area. 

At Asier village Project Manager Caleb Bulu showed the the results to people at an evening show.

Villagers being shown the camera trap pictures Photo TCA

TCA says a number of significant species have been recorded, confirming a number of Weimang tree kangaroos, Grizzled, Dwarf and Northern Cassowary, New Guinea Quoll and Bronzewing.

Photo Tenkile Conservation Alliance 

The Weimang tree kangaroo, a cousin to the Tenkile is found around the Sibilanaga area-Torriceli range.

PNG seasonal worker to earn K59 per hour picking tomatoes

A young woman from Imbonggu, Southern Highlands has been successful to pick tomatoes at a farm in Australia.

This comes under the seasonal workers program and Stephanie Kereme from the Imbonggu Youth Foundation is elated about this  successful facilitation.

Kereme said Dianna Philip ,25, from Iombi village in Imbonggu has received her contract and signed it on June 01, 2023.

Dianna Philip (l) Photo Stephanie Kereme 

Philip did years 10 and 12 but did not further her education in colleges. She now has this nine months employment contract with MADEC Australia.

Contract facilitator Kereme said Philip would be working at a Tomato farm in Victoria, Australia earning AU$26.73 per hour.

That is about K59.89 per hour in PNG currency. 

The minimum wage in PNG is less than K5 per hour.

Philip from the Wanep Tribe applied with the batch one group when data recruitment started in September 2022 and she is the second successful applicant assisted by the Imbonggu Youth Foundation.

Kereme who says she is using her own resources to facilitate the seasonal worker program is excited about this success by the Imbonggu Youth Foundation program.

"Slowly and surely Imbonggu is flying," she said.