PM: Safe to invest

Posted on The National

PRIME Minister James Marape, pictured, has assured investors that the Government is pro-investment and pro-business and will protect the nation’s reputation as a safe investment destination.
He was responding to his predecessor and Ialibu-Pangia MP Peter O’Neill who said last week that the shutting down of the Ramu nickel and cobalt mine in Madang was “bad for investment”.
“It is greatly irresponsible of the former prime minister to paint a negative image with smear motive, when responsible agencies of State are doing their job to ensure that the mine operation is assessed for its safety compliance after the spill,” Marape said.
“I will be the last prime minister to compromise the safety of our people and environment. It is prudent that reviews are undertaken so that the mine is safe from structural and systematic defects.”
Marape said negotiations teams led by resource ministers had been set up for key resources projects such as in Pogera, Wafi Golpu and the Pynyang LNG.
He expects that in December, “the form and shape of those discussions should emerge”.
He said the Papua LNG that O’Neill oversaw “is now progressing with Parliament amending laws congruent to the Gas Agreement.”
“And I am informed that Total is mobilising,” Marape said.
“This all happened after Petroleum Minister (Kerenga) Kua was able to pick additional winners which the agreement (engineered by O’Neill) overlooked.
“We have been engaged with the industries as well as landowners and provincial governments. The country must know that we have not been doing nothing.”
He said investment partners must know the laws and comply with them.
“We are restoring a broken down system of government which the former PM weakened in the eight years he led the country. No prime minister must become the lead project negotiator as it was the case on Papua LNG.
“The country is bigger than the PM and I believe in the power of the system of government filtering project proposals. Many heads discuss our national interest instead of one person in a bar or a private boardroom somewhere.
“And we want to progress the projects at the earliest but on terms that respect our laws and the future we want to take our country into as far as project agreements and resource harvesting are concerned,” Marape said.


Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/pm-safe-to-invest/

Mine ‘not completely shut’

Posted on The National

THE management of a mine forced to close last week by the Government for not complying with rules has assured stakeholders it is not completely shut down.
Ramu NiCo Management (MCC) Ltd, the multi-million kina nickel and cobalt developer in Madang, said in a statement it was “closed indefinitely to comply with safety matters” but not completely shut down and should be back in operation soon.
The company confirmed that the Mine’s Inspectorate with the Mineral Resources Authority had issued two orders for remedial measures following a slurry spillage on August 24, 2019 and safety issues concerning a contractor.
“On Friday October 18, 2019, MRA issued an instruction for an indefinite shutdown of E143 Neutralisation Tank at Basamuk Refinery, which causes all operation to stop because of its critical importance,” the company statement said.
“Most remedial works have been completed successfully from the remedial measures but MRA is not satisfied with the remedial work done on the critical part of the Basamuk Refinery Operation, E143 Neutralisation Tank.
“The slurry that comes from Kurumbukari mine must go through this tank. And once shut down for remedial work, it inevitably affects our operation. This is the critical area.”
The company said it would work with the MRA and other statutory bodies to ensure all requirements were met to avoid the recurrence of similar safety issues.
“We have committed our time, efforts and resources in ensuring that we comply with all the remedies within the given time. It is normal that we may not have met all MRA’s requirements so we will work closely with MRA to get these done,” Ramu NiCo said. Operation at the Kurumbukari Mine is unaffected and other plants at Basamuk are in operation except for the E143 Neutralisation Tank.


Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/mine-not-completely-shut/

Betel nut vendors allegedly shot, injured in police pursuit

Posted on The National

POLICE allegedly shot and injured three betel nut businessmen in a car at the 9 Mile Puma service station on Friday.
Thirteen policemen from Central allegedly drove into the station to arrest the four men inside a 10-seater vehicle at 10pm.
Lawrence Tengen told The National: “I quickly drove off because we feared the police will harass us and seize our money without any good explanation.
“They chased and started shooting at us.
“We managed to escape but bullet pellets hit my head while I was driving and my brother, Joshua Pius was injured in his right hand.”
Provincial police commander Chief Supt Johnenes Yapi said he was not informed of the incident and “I will ask my officers about it”.
“I will give a full detail of the case when the investigation report is ready,” he added.
Tenge said it was their usual routine to be in the area waiting for PMV from Gulf to be escorted to the 8-Mile Gerehu betel nut wholesale market.
“Betelnut sellers and producers have this business relationship on selling betel nuts in Port Moresby,” he added.
Both the injured were admitted to the Port Moresby General Hospital. Another victim of alleged police abuse, Thomas Pape, said he was also beaten up by the same officers when he drove into the service station.

Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/betel-nut-vendors-allegedly-shot-injured-in-police-pursuit/

O’Neill’s stay order extended

By TREVOR WAHUNE - The National

A STAY order on a warrant of arrest for former prime minister Peter O’Neill, pictured, has been extended because the State is yet to file affidavits in support of its submission to have the warrant executed.
The stay order was granted on Monday on Tuesday Oct 15 and the case adjourned to last Friday.
Justice Nicholas Miviri on Friday extended the order after Solicitor-General Tauvasa Tanuvasa failed to provide evidence to support his submission that O’Neill’s application to stay the arrest was an abuse of process.
Tanuvasa told Justice Miviri that O’Neill did not apply to the district court to stay the warrant because “before leave for judicial review was granted there was no interim injunctions to be granted before this court”.
He also submitted that the application for interim injunctions on O’Neill’s arrest was prematurely brought to court because it was filed as a civil proceeding although the matter was criminal in nature.
Tanuvasa also argued that the interim stay orders were not sought in O’Neill’s statement.
“There were only restraining orders. The plaintiff must plea the remedy they seek. Their orders were not pleaded in the first place,” he said.
But Tanuvasa did not cite relevant laws as evidence to his submissions when questioned by the court.
Justice Miviri said “the matter holds the liberty of a person on the line, and I need to be properly assisted”.
He told Tanuvasa that if the court was to lift the stay order, there should be laws before him to support that.
Meanwhile lawyer Greg Sheppard who appeared for O’Neill said his client was not given notice of the submissions raised by the state, and that the solicitor-general by having no evidence, might have no basis.
“The state had time to file evidence since the last sitting (Oct 21).”
Justice Miviri adjourned the matters to Oct 31.


Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/oneills-stay-order-extended/

Widow gets life insurance

Posted on The National

THE widow of the late Sgt David Hale who was gunned down in Hela while on duty has been assured her eight children will be looked after by an insurance scheme called Police Legacy.
The message was relayed to her by Assist Comm of Police (human resource division) Sylvester Kalaut.
Kalaut, who looks after the welfare and general well-being of police officers, visited Cellina David and her family in Tari last weekend.
He was accompanied by Hela police commander Chief Inspector Ignas Augwi and deputy provincial administrator Eddy Yuwi.
He passed the police force’s gratitude to Sgt Hale for “serving the police force and the country, working under very difficult and treacherous circumstances” for 23 years.
He also gave the widow life insurance entitlements and haus krai contributions from the insurer and the late Hale’s comrades.
Kalaut started the insurance scheme in 2016 which covers more than 7,000 police officers in the constabulary.
He said they acted quickly in Hale’s case because of the “circumstances surrounding his death”.
“The constabulary has a scheme called the Police Legacy, which will cater for the school-aged children of the deceased police officer,” he said.
Kalaut hailed Hale as a “true hero killed in the line of duty”.
Sgt Hale is survived by his widow and eight children.

Go to this link for more: https://www.thenational.com.pg/widow-gets-life-insurance/