Most beautiful and mysterious place in Kerema

The Bluff Point is one of Kerema's most beautiful and mysterious places. 

Jack Frost Kivare writes it's depth is seemingly forever and its sheer size can be breath taking when you marvel at it.

But it's not just the physical beauty of the point that makes it so mysterious and attractive.

 It holds secrets of their history that are yet to be uncovered. 

Turns out the point might have been home to ancient secrets and monsters the size of a ship. 

It has been seen by fisherman but because of its fishing beliefs villagers speak only about it when they are home. 

Come along and the fishermen will take you on a journey  to discover the hidden truth of this beautiful place- the Bluff Point.

Total Energies to provide scholarship for Gulf students

 

BY DR FRANCIS HUALOPMOMI

The Department of Higher Education Research Science and Technology and the Port Moresby Technical College signed an MoA with the Total Energy yesterday (Friday 10 March, 2023) to train and educate Gulf students. 

The MoA allows for Total Energy to provide full scholarship to Gulf students to undertake TVET programmes at the Port Moresby Technical College. 

This arrangement will extend to other institutions as part of Total Energy's contribution to Gulf and PNG in preparation for the up coming second Gulf Papua LNG.

This MoA is also part of the MoU DHERST signed with Total Energy in 2021 under my leadership.

The  construction for the Papua LNG with Total as the major developer is expected to commence in 2024.

Gulf Province set for transformation as government announces key infrastructure projects

 Good news for the people of Kerema and Gulf Province.

The government led by Prime Minister James Marape is serious about turning the province into a hub of business, trade and host of major oil and gas projects.

Marape spent two the weekend in Gulf Province launching the Ihu Special Economic Zone project (ISEZ) at Ihu and spent a day in Kerema where he announced several important infrastructure projects.

The ISEZ is a K100 million project that is aimed at creating thousands of jobs and generating billions of monies to the government coffers.

The National Executive Council has approved monies for this project to be managed by a private company.

Project director Peter KenGemar has been promoting this project internationally-they are hoping that reduced taxes and other business incentives will lure potential investors who will transform Ihu and Gulf a lot.

After about 20 years the Ihu airstrip was also launched during James Marape's visit and Transport Minister William Samb who is the Goilala MP was also there.

In Kerema, Marape urged the people who are in Port Moresby or anywhere else to return to Kerema.

He said the government was allocating K100 million for the upgrade and resealing of the Hiritano Highway.

From this K100 million, K70 million will be loaned from the World Bank and K30 million would be from the government.

Marape said Gulf hosts some mega project in oil and gas like the Papua LNG, Pasca offshore gas and now the proposed ISEZ project.

The road would certainly help develop these projects and he has urged the people to return and venture into fishery, farming and get into SME businesses.

He said the Kerema rugby league field now turned into a market for betel nut vendors would be developed with a K100,000 from the National Gaming Control Board (NGCB).

Marape said a K20,000 would go to support the basketball competition.

The bare roads in Kerema town would be sealed with a K 5 million funding.

 

Prime Minister Marape told hundreds of people who gathered in Kerema that the Hiritano Highway was a major road that connected Gulf and Central with NCD.

 

“The National Government will support many of the upcoming resource projects like Papua LNG and Pasca, and others like the Ihu Special Economic Zone in the Gulf province,” he said.

 

 

 “By this time next year, the contractors will be working on upgrading and reconstructing work on upgrading the last stretch of the highway that has deteriorated and not sealed into Kerema,’’ he said.

“You are lucky people as some of you live along the corridors of the major Hiritano Highway linking Kerema to Malalaua, and into the vast Central Province,” Marape said.

 

“Both provinces have valuable resources like land and fisheries and marine resources.

 

“I appeal to you people to allow any road programmes and projects to flow through, as when there is a road, money will flow and other services will trickle down to the people.

 

“We appeal to you (Gulf people living in other provinces) to return home as the National Government will work and partner with your provincial government to create opportunities for you when the Hiritano Highway and Kerema Town roads are fixed.”

 

 Gulf Province is set to be transformed.

 

United States mission in PNG to recover fallen soldiers

From Washington in United States of America to the remote Kovu village along the Lakekamu River of Gulf Province a senior US Department of Defence personnel Patrick Murphy delights with the locals.

Patrick Murphy delights with the locals of Kovu for a photo

He is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Easter Asia Pacific Affairs based in Washington.

He visits the little known village because a group of US soldiers have spent a month there working to recover missing personnel who are listed as prisoners of war (POW) or missing in action (MIA) from past wars and conflicts the US was engaged in.

They are currently carrying out a recovery mission at Kovu village, Gulf Province.

“In the United Sates we have a very important mission and that is to account for our missing personnel from past conflicts,” Mr Murphy said.

“Where ever and whenever that might have taken place.”

And at Kovu village and less than 30 metres from the bank of the Lakekamu River is a wreckage of a plane buried less than 20 metres.

Patrick Murphy takes a photo with the US soldiers in their make shift
common area

Excavation work which involves US military personnel in collaboration with PNG Defence Force personnel, police and locals is being carried out.

“It’s very important to the American people and especially to the families that went missing,” he said.

“I was fully happy to see the contributions and hopefully we get good results,” he added.

Murphy described the meet with the remote villagers at Kovu as heartwarming and he praised the partnership  they are forging with the locals as they share food and moments of watching the Game of Thrones and other American movies on evenings.

His visit on the weekend to the excavation site was also meaningful and timely.

This week was also  had a  Memorial Day on Monday across the United States where they remember the fallen who defended freedom for America and it was significant for him visiting the site at Kovu.

Mr Murphy said the recovery actions is an ongoing process where they have historians and archeologists among other professions who do their work in laboratories to gather information and conclude findings.

Some of the wars the Americans took part were the Korean war, the Vietnam war and the World War II.