Hela

Tondop: Hela will change for the better

Provincial Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Joseph Tondop says Hela will change for the better. He said this confidently after capturing and arresting four criminals wanted for a string of serious crimes in the province. 

The suspects were arrested by the joint security forces in Hides and Tari with the assistance of communities within Hela. Tondop stated that they were arrested between the months of March and April, 2023. 

IOM Partners For Peace In Hela, SHP

Guala, Kikita and Tigibi in Hela Province, and Munihu, Pambal, Megi and Yame in Southern Highlands Province, have been involved in these peace efforts.

Through financial assistance from United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (UN PBF), IOM's support to these communities includes training for gender-inclusive community facilitation teams and local authorities, technical assistance in developing and operationalising community action plans, and material assistance to execute selected community-led priority projects.

Highlands Learning Disaster Risk Management

The representatives are from the Hoiyabia, Puju and Yambraka communities in Hela, and Ekari in Southern Highlands.

The CBDRM training is being delivered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Mendi town and it is co-funded by the Hela Provincial Government and USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.

The CBDRM training is empowering the participants with knowledge and strategies for strengthening community resilience to natural hazards.

Peace training for Hela, SHP

This will be made possible after they took part in a training run by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and funded by UN’s Peacebuilding Fund.

IOM delivered the 5-day training on Community Peace and Development Planning (CPDP) to Community Facilitation Teams (CFTs) from Guala, Kikita and Tigibi in Hela Province, and Munihu, Pambel, Magi and Yame in Southern Highlands Province.

The Training for Transformation methodology is part of the UN’s broader Highlands Joint Program that is contributing towards creating conditions for peace in the Highlands. 

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Hela to host new PNGDF battalion

The signing took place today at the PNGDF Headquarters at Murray Barracks, Commander Brigadier General Albert Toropo signed on behalf of the force, whilst PNGDF Secretary Hari John Akipe signed on behalf of the Government and the Hela Provincial Administrator William Bando signed representing the Hela Provincial Government. Hela Governor Philip Undialu and Minister for Defence Saki Soloma witnessed the signing.

PM vows justice for victims

The news of the massacre on Monday morning went viral on social media, which the Prime Minister descried as the saddest day of his life, that many children and mothers were innocently murdered in Munima and Karida villages in his electorate in Tari.

Twenty-three bodies were chopped into pieces and were later collected by health workers in Karida village, Tari, and put in mosquito nets following a revenge attack by gunmen from Haguai, Liwi and Okiru.

Finance Minister urges LOs to return home

He said individuals are claiming to be genuine landowners when they are not.

Speaking this morning as a local MP from Tari in Hela Province, Finance Minister Marape called on all landowners to go home and identify their land.

He said many ‘paper landowners’ are roaming the streets of Port Moresby without any purpose in life.

“Can we have all those so-called landowner leaders living in Port Moresby go home and help with the LOBID exercise?

“Go sanap lo baret kaukau blo yu, or diwai blo yu or maunten blo yu na tokim mipla olsem yu tru tru papa graun”.

New Deputy Governor for Hela

Panguma took over from Thomas Potabe.

Announcing the appointment on Tuesday in Hela during the Provincial Executive Council meeting, Governor Philip Undialu said the appointment of Panguma was in the interest of the Hela people.

He said the PEC is confident that Panguma will assist the leaders and deliver to the people of Hela.

Incumbent Deputy Governor, Thomas Potabe, who was also present at first Hela Assembly meeting for 2019, accepted the decision and congratulated the new Deputy.

Hamiya’s Hela petition dismissed

Justice Ellenas Batari was of the view the grounds presented by Dr Hamiya had no merits.

Dr Hewali Hamiya raised issues in the petition regarding conduct of the election and the lack of scrutiny provided by the Electoral Commission.

He alleged other irregularities of the conduct of the election, like hijacking of ballot boxes, use of excess ballot papers’ errors and omissions; and that the Electoral Commission provided poor scrutiny on the conduct of the election.

Rebuilding health infrastructure in Hela

Member for Koroba-Lake Kopiago and Minister for Immigration & Border Security, Petrus Thomas, presented a cheque of K200,000 of district funding to support rehabilitation works at the Koroba District Hospital.

This was at an event on Friday 7 September in Port Moresby, also attended by Australian High Commissioner Bruce Davis and Oil Search Foundation Executive Director Stephanie Copus-Campbell.