NEW DAWN ON BOUGAINVILLE

Trauma help for Bougainville ex-combatants

By Aloysius Laukai

The member for Peit Constituency in the Autonomous Bougainville Government, Lawrence Bele, says all ex combatants must be rehabilitated and reconciled if Bougainville is to see lasting peace and normalcy.

Mr Bele made the remarks at a ceremony to announce that 41 ex-combatants from the Peits constituency will attend a trauma counselling workshop at the Nazareth Rehabilitation Centre at Chabai.

He said he has been trying to find ways to rehabilitate ex combatants to fit into the community as good citizens after the ten year conflict.

He said another batch of ex- combatants will attend a similar course towards the end of August.

Mr Bele said after these courses, further training will be held in the constituency to include mothers and the rest of the community.

The one week training is funded by the United Nations Development Program.

The ceremony was witnessed by the Minister for Reconciliation and Weapons Disposal, Robert Hamal, Acting Chief Administrator, Patrick Koles, and representatives of UNDP and AusAID.

Representatives of AusAID program on Bougainville, Edwina and Roslyn Kenneth told the ceremony that AusAID will continue to support the work of building peace in the province.

They congratulated the member for Peit, Lawrence Belleh, Sister Lorraine from the Nazareth Rehabilitation Centre and UNDP for developing counselling training for the Peit ex-Combatants.

They also thanked the ex-combatants for agreeing to attend the one-week program.

They said that in any post conflict situation, prior to carrying out development projects, rehabilitation, healing and counselling must be undertaken first.

They said that they were confident that the counselling organised by Sister Lorraine will help re-integrate the former combatants into their communities.

UNDP supports three programs in its efforts after the Bougainville conflict.

At the same ceremony, the UNDP Program Officer on Bougainville, Wesly Kenneth, also announced UNDP support for three programs to assist the ABG to establish lasting peace and normalcy: Good Governance, Peace & Reconciliation, and Economic Revival.

Mr Kenneth said UNDP sees trauma as one of the impediments that, if not addressed, will prolong the peace process.

He said UNDP has completed some trauma workshops in Arawa and is piloting a program geared towards ex-combatants throughout the entire region.

He said trauma cases were similar throughout Central, South and North Bougainville and must be tackled head on.

Communities must do more to control AIDS

By Aloysius Laukai

Bougainville needs to coordinate its health activities if it is to reduce the spread of HIV AIDS says the man in charge of disease control in the province, Alois Pukuenei.

He was speaking at the close of a week-long AIDS Competence Process workshop in Buka last Friday.

Mr Pukuenei told participants that HIV AIDS has been on Bougainville for many years yet communities are doing nothing to control its spread.

He said that combining the work of AIDS awareness and establishing Health Centres to combat tuberculosis in rural areas could go a long way in combating HIV AIDS.

These diseases need to be addressed by creating specialist facilities at District Health Centres.

The workshop was attended by volunteers and people in charge of health centres in the six Council of Elders areas of Buka Island.

The workshop was run by facilitators from the World Health Organisation and the Constellation for Aids Competence in Port Moresby.

Participants will now establish small awareness groups within their individual Council of Elders areas.

If the program is successful, similar courses would be run on mainland Bougainville.

Rural focussed development plan launched

By Aloysius Laukai

The Autonomous Bougainville Government has launched a corporate plan with a strong emphasis on making sure that service delivery reaches the people in the rural areas.

Launching the plan, ABG Vice President Ezekiel Massat praised the Bougainville Administration for coming up with a workable corporate plan to guide development programs on  Bougainville.

He said that the plan was prepared by the Planning Office with support from UNDP and AusAID and was built on a strategic action plan approved by the BEC some years back.

Mr Massat said it was not easy developing such a plan given the limited capacity the Bougainvilleadministration has been working under over the years.

Kolan warns of B/ville construction problems

By Aloysius Laukai

The Chief Executive Officer for the Division of Technical Services, John Kolan, has warned Bougainville construction and building companies to make sure they do quality jobs and complete projects on time.

Mr Kolan said that due to the ABG Constitution which allows only Bougainville companies to bid for contracts, many companies have been awarded contracts but a lot of projects have been left uncompleted.

He warned sooner or later they would not be looking at companies that have not completed projects in the past meaning Bougainvillean companies would be losing a lot of contracts if this happens.

Mr Kolan also said that shortages of materials was slowing the reconstruction program.

He said his division had awarded contracts to local companies to construct new buildings but the program was very slow due to shortage of building materials on Bougainville.

He said most of the building materials are imported from overseas which takes two to three months to get to Bougainville.

Major Bougainville meeting held in Moresby

ABG officials have arrived in Port Moresby for this week’s joint supervisory body meeting.

A report from New Dawn FM’s Aloysius Laukai, who is now in Port Moresby, said the official opening session was held yesterday and that ABG President, Hon James Tanis, is attending the meeting today.

It is hoped that the outstanding appointment of the Chief Administrator for Bougainville will be finalised at the meeting.

Since the death of the former Chief Administrator Peter Tsiamalili in 2006, Bougainville has had many acting chief administrators.

Photo: Regional MP Semoso at the opening of the roadside market he funded in Buka

President thanks UNDP for peace effort

By Aloysius Laukai

ABG President Hon James Tanis last week thanked the United Nations Development Program for its continued support for the Bougainville peace process and the weapons disposal and reconciliation program.

Mr Tanis was speaking at a farewell ceremony in Buka for UNDP Country Representative, Ms Jacky Badcock.

The President said the ABG acknowledges UNDP’s continued support for the final phase of peace and reconciliation on the island.

He said that, since his election as President, he has committed all his efforts to the peace process and that this would need more support from the UNDP.

The ABG President said on behalf of the people of Bougainville he sincerely wished Ms Badcock well in her future endeavours.

Bougainville’s Acting Chief Administrator, Patrick Koles, also paid tribute to Ms Badcock.

He said that the Administration had being working very well with the UNDP and said Bougainville had come a long way under her leadership in establishing peace and reconciliations throughout the island.

He said Bougainville will continue to need the assistance of UNDP.

Official looks at the security industry on B'ville

By Aloysius Laukai

An officer from the Security Industries Authority which looks after enforcement and Licensing of Security Companies in PNG is in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville running meetings on security and development of the industry in the region.

Alphones Krau, from the Securities Industries Authority in Port Moresby, told New Dawn FM that his trip was to observe the work of security companies in the Region and to recommend ways of strengthening their activities.

A meeting with security companies and any other interested people will be held at the Kuri Village Resort conference room this Friday at 10 am.

Mr Krau said that he would like Police, Council and other interested people to attend the meeting.

Dispute over safety gear, salaries at Buka council

By Aloysius Laukai

Buka Urban Council manager, Brenda Tohiana, says all new employees are supplied with hand gloves, masks, overalls and footwear when engaged to do their work.

She was responding to calls by Urban Council workers who told New Dawn FM they were not using protective gear when doing their duties.

John Thomas told the radio station that the Urban Council was not supplying safety gear to its employees, who were prone to contacting diseases due to the nature of their work.

He said their calls for improved working conditions, including salaries, have fallen on deaf ears.

Ms Tohiana told New Dawn FM that workers are paid good salaries, however they misused them by getting alcohol which result in them running out of food before the next pay day.

Stop playing politics with water, says Minister

By Aloysius Laukai

The ABG Minister for Works and Member for Halia, Patrick Nisira, says he plans to complete putting water tanks in every home in his electorate in ten year’s time.

The Minister for Works was responding to criticism by some people that the first 140 tanks had gone to the Minister’s supporters.

James Sahoto yesterday called on the Minister to explain why the tanks were only given to the supporters.

He said this was contradicting the Member who publicly announced that these tanks would be evenly distributed to the people.

Mr Nisira said that his instruction was to supply these tanks to already identified areas in his electorate.

He said that, because of the difficulty in fetching good clean drinking water in his electorate, he has made a commitment to supply water tanks as a basic need.

The Minister said the Halia electorate was on high cliffs, making it difficult for children and mothers to fetch clean drinking water.

He the only way of getting drinking water is to provide water tanks to collect rain water.

The Minister called on people to stop playing politics and utilize these donated tanks for the good of the people.

John Momis in Bougainville after 4 year absence

By Aloysius Laukai

Former Bougainville Governor and now PNG Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, John Momis, was happy to set foot again on Bougainville after four years out of the Region.

Mr Momis, who is based in Beijing, said that you can travel the world but there is nothing better then home.

He was speaking at the ceremony to welcome him and his family and three Chinese businessmen at Buka Airport on Friday.

Mr Momis said Bougainville had a bright future and that the people must forget their differences and unite to move Bougainville forward.

He said as Ambassador for China he had learned a lot that Bougainville can benefit from if it can establish links with the business community in China.

Mr Momis is on six weeks recreation leave but will meet the ABG President, Hon James Tanis, to discuss issues that the two countries can deliberate on.

Mr Momis was surprised at the warm welcome performed at the Buka airport.

He said he wanted to come home quietly but was happy at the warm reception.

Mr Momis was the Member for Bougainville in the PNG House of Assembly for 27 years. In 2005 he lost the Bougainville presidential election to the late Joseph Kabui.

Photo: John Momis [left] welcomed at Buka airport by Acting ABG Vice President Robert Hamal Sawa