NEW DAWN ON BOUGAINVILLE

Peace Ministry spells out reconciliation plans

The newly created Peace, Reconciliation and Weapons Disposal Ministry has presented plans to carry out its work throughout Bougainville.

Minister Robert Hamal Sawa presented its program to UNDP, ABG officers, women and church organisations and the media.

Mr Hamal said that the work of creating peace and harmony was the responsibility of the whole community and not just a few individuals.

CEO Dennis Kuiai highlighted the work that must be carried out before the end of the year.

In his closing remarks, Acting ABG President Patrick Nisira warned that reconciliation must not just concentrate in Central and South Bougainville.

He also said there was a need for more awareness of the need to destroy remaining weapons.

Urban and rural electorates should be split

By Aloysius Laukai

Local businessman Henry Onsa has called on the Bougainville Electoral Commissioner to declare the towns of Hutjena, Buka, Sohano and Kokopau as one urban electorate in preparation of the 2010 ABG general election.

Mr Onsa told New Dawn FM that urban populations should not be allowed to vote in the Tsitalato Constituency which covers villages like Hangan, Ieta, Malasang and Lonahan.

He said the needs of town dwellers were totally different and must be separated.

Mr Onsa said the Urban Constituency should deal with areas like street lighting, rezoning, water and sewerage.

He said for too long town dwellers had been left with no Council of Elders support.

South Engineeering delivers 3 years dividends

By Aloysius Laukai

A company owned by seven Councils of Elders in the Buin area has paid dividend payments totalling K25,000 for 2005.

South Bougainville Engineering will later be paying two more dividends for 2006 and 2007.

According to managing director, Albert Kinani, the company made a profit of K500,000 in 2005.

He said the dividend for 2006 is K3,000 while the dividend for 2007 has been increased to K4,000.

Mr Kinani said that the return to shareholders was small but a sign of good management.

The chairman, Paul Aisa, thanked the management for removing misconceptions people had about the company not paying dividends.

He said this was a sign of good management and vowed to continue with more developments in the Buin District.

Previous leaders were negligent, says Magoi

The mining and selling of World War II weapons in Torokina is happening due to the negligence of previous leaders according to Albert Magoi, chairman of the Torokina War Relics Association.

Mr Magoi told New Dawn FM that if past leaders had done their work properly his people would not be mining the weapons today.

He said when the war ended 64 years ago no one asked the allied forces to return and remove the weapons.

It was only because of his Association that an American military team recently visited the sites, promising to return and remove everything.

He said the American soldiers should return to Bougainville next month.

Forget mining, agriculture the key says Paupau

A local farmer Leo Paupau has called on Bougainville leaders to leave mining and develop the agriculture sector to speed up the economic recovery of the Province.

Mr Paupau told New Dawn FM that the ABG has wasted five years and cannot continue to follow false stars at the expense of the people of Bougainville.

He asked how many more years ordinary village farmers had to wait to hear some good news from their leaders.

Mr Paupau said he can introduce cattle into now abandoned plantations and that even old coconut trees can be cut down and exported for timber at good prices.

He called on the Minister for Primary Industry to negotiate for mills to be set up in Buin, Kieta and Buka so that coconuts can be milled and exported.

He said he would like to see the ABG pump more funds into cocoa and coconuts instead of putting money into piggery and chicken projects.

He said cocoa and copra are already in place and can be rehabilitated very quickly.

He said he supports chicken and piggery projects but, without an abattoir, there will be no market for these projects.

New Dawn women get regional recognition

Hard on the heels of New Dawn FM winning the University of Queensland’s important Communication and Social Change Award, the station has been given further international recognition.

Isis International, an organisation committed to promoting the place of women in communication, has invited New Dawn to nominate two female staff for a conference in Manila in October.

Women Making Airwaves for Peace is a five-day seminar for 30 women community radio broadcasters from the Asia Pacific region.

“We have heard news of the wonderful things you are doing in PNG,” said Isis organiser Erika Rosario, “and we would like to invite New Dawn FM women broadcasters to the seminar.”

New Dawn FM has nominated Joyce Tohui and Marchella Tamusio to share their experiences of using radio for peace building and disaster management.

Relics association works to clear deadly weapons

By Aloysius Laukai

The Chairman of the Torokina War Relics Association, Albert Magoi, has thanked the United Nations Development Program for recognising what his group is doing to free Torokina from the deadly relics of World War II.

Accepting a computer system donated by UNDP, Mr Magoi said since his group started last year it has intercepted many weapons being 'mined' in Torokina that were being sold to criminals in Bougainville and other provinces.

He said his group has helped contain the situation.

The Association is now hoping to send people to the Philippines to train to defuse the bombs still lying around in Torokina.

UNDP team leader, Howard Wilson, said his organisation was happy to assist the Torokina group because it is contributing to the Bougainville weapons disposal program.

He said the World War II relics in the Torokina area are a big concern to the Autonomous Bougainville Government and its development partners.

Mr Wilson said UNDP has been monitoring developments in Torokina including sending a team to verify reports of youths retrieving wartime weapons.

UNDP is interested in peace consolidation and is concerned that the situation in Torokina has become acute in recent times.

He thanked small arms expert, Emmanuel, for assisting the Torokina War Relics Association formally register so it can share information with other partners.

He said he would like the Association to use the computer to further assist free the Torokina people caught up in this situation.

New Dawn FM wins international media award

New Dawn FM, the pioneering Bougainville community radio station, has won this year’s Communication and Social Change Award offered by the University of Queensland’s School of Journalism and Communication.

Head of School, Prof Michael Bromley, said 19 entries were received for the Award, which recognises and honours outstanding contributions to the theory and practice of communication and social change.

“On behalf of the Jury and all of us here at the university, I wish to congratulate New Dawn FM on winning this prestigious Award,” Prof Bromley told New Dawn chairman and manager, Aloysius Laukai.

The jury for the Award included ABC Foreign Editor Peter Cave, AusAID Deputy Director General Annmaree O'Keeffe and former Secretary-General of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union Hugh Leonard. They were joined by chair Prof Ken Wiltshire AO and three senior Queensland University academics.

Award nominations came from 14 countries - Bangladesh, Burundi, Canada, Congo, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Fiji, India, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda and the USA as well as Papua New Guinea.

The Award constitutes a commemorative plaque and a cash prize of $2,500. Mr Laukai will be flown to Brisbane next month to receive the award at a special ceremony at Queensland University.

New Dawn FM was established with the assistance of a group of Australians who had worked in broadcasting in PNG, including Keith Jackson AM, Phil Charley OAM and Prof Martin Hadlow.

Miss Asitavi crowning leads to school shoot-out

By Aloysius Laukai

An Asitavi Girls High School fund raiser at Wakunai this weekend ended in drama with gunshots and a near riot.

I was there when the incident occurred.

After the crowning of Miss Asitavi, the crowd wanted to dance with students but the school management refused, leading to rowdy drunks abusing staff and students.

In the ensuing commotion, several shots were fired from high powered rifles. The incident continued until five in the morning.

It has tarnished the good name of the community and several traumatised parents said they will transfer their children to other schools.

The fundraising event got off to a bad start when parents and citizens failed to assist students build pr staff the stalls at the bazaar.

Even the community around the school did not participate in fundraising activities organised during the three-day event.

Photo: Before trouble broke out, Imelda Kanasu, a Grade 10 student, was crowned Miss Asitavi. She is seen here with headmistress, Eleine Baris. New Dawn FM sponsored two mobile phones as prizes for the Miss Asitavi Quest - Miss Traditional and the Miss Photogenic.

Anti-guns roadblock goes as people seek peace

By Aloysius Laukai

Ex combatants in the Wakunai district this morning removed a roadblock [above] set up last week following the death of a youth from the area.

In removing the roadblock the Wakunai leaders petitioned ABG President James Tanis to speed up weapons destruction which they said is long overdue.

Ex-combatant leader Paul Akoitai told the President that his people destroyed their weapons during United Nations supervised destruction days and questioned why other regions are still holding on to guns and continue killing innocent citizens.

A woman leader, Esther Wade, told the President that women were happy the youths set up the roadblock with no guns. She said the youths wanted to show the government and people of Bougainville that the killing of innocent people should stop immediately. They gave away their guns and did not want to return to the dark past.

The Wakunai chiefs and ex-combatants said they want the ABG to immediately act upon three resolutions.

[1] That the Siwai people and their leaders pay compensation of 200,000 kina to the family of the deceased in three days.

[2] That the ABG leadership talk with Siwai leaders to apprehend the killer and hand him over to Bougainville Police to face the full force of the law.

[3] That the ABG immediately secure funding to reactivate the weapons disposal program under the supervision of the United Nations.

Mr Tanis commended the chiefs for supporting his move to rid Bougainville of weapons.

He said since his election he had pushed forward the process of reconciliation and weapons destruction. He wished to speed up the process of weapons destruction which has not moved in the past three years.

But he said since his election he had not received enough support from the people for weapons destruction.

Mr Tanis said that the call by the people of Wakunai was what he wanted to hear. He said the first weapons destruction occurred at Poramato in the Bana district last week and he called on communities to hold their own destruction ceremonies.

Lower photo: The petition is handed to Mr Tanis [Aloysius Laukai]