Peter O'Neill

Polye raised the question after the Post-Courier ran a story on its front page on Monday about a 94-year-old man evicted from his premises and left to camp out on the streets in the nation’s capital.

“The Prime Minister last month told Parliament that he had ordered the stop to the sale of all NHC owned houses, how come officers of NHC are continuing to sell properties?” Polye asked.

“This is an indication that PM and his housing minister have lost control of the NHC matters thus allowing corrupt officers to sell NHC owned houses at will,” he said.

O’Neill who was represented by Minister for Sports and National Events Justin Tkatchenko made those remarks at the official hand-over ceremony of the International Convention Centre by the government of the People’s Republic of China to PNG recently in Port Moresby.

O’Neill said soon we expect to announce the first regular commercial flights between Papua New Guinea and China.

“We will be inviting Chinese tourists to come to Papua New Guinea, and we will see more of our students travel to China.”

FATF is an inter-governmental body that sets standards and monitors threats to the integrity of the international financial system.

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill when welcoming the decision said “Papua New Guinea is committed to laying our part in preventing the misuse of financial systems by criminal elements.”

“When the FATF assessed the country's financial system in 2010, a series of serious deficiencies were identified in our Government’s Anti-Money Laundering and Combat the Financing of Terrorism regime.

Prime Minister when making an announcement recently in Madang Province said the Government is doing this with private sector investment and partnership.

“We will further have an expansion in the supply of power in Madang, and we are doing this with private sector investment and partnership.”

“The Government cannot do this alone, we must work in partnership with the private sector.

“Together we will build the infrastructure, build the resorts and we will bring in the overseas flights.

Director of Medical Services of Laloki Psychiatric Hospital, Dr Ludwig Nanawar said the registration of foreign doctors is the function of the Medical Board of PNG, governed by the Medical Registrations Act and not politicians and their bureaucrats.    

Dr Nanawar said Cuban doctors must be fully registered before they can come and practice in the country’s health system.

“They can come in later when they have been duly registered.

O’Neill told Loop PNG that claims by Opposition leader Don Polye and Concerned Professionals spokesperson Captain James Makop on the sacking of eight Air Niugini pilots lacked evidence.

“Again their claims are absolutely false claims without any evidence, the state owned companies are managed independently.

“Politicians and intending candidates should stop using professionals and students for their political games,” O’Neill told Loop PNG.

Makop told Loop PNG that the decision was presumptuous and was against certain regulations and principles.

He described the scenario as a sad day for PNG that professional pilots who have contributed greatly to the country's development should be terminated based purely on political speculations.

He added that it will be a subject for the Labour and Industry Department and the judiciary to adjudicate.

Makop claimed that the decision was taken by the Air Niugini management to satisfy their political masters’ need for punitive measures.

Senior Committal Court magistrate Cosmas Bidar found insufficient evidence against Michael Ambros of Yungili village, Pangia, Southern Highlands Province, dismissing the case against him and the information charging him.

In dismissing the case, Magistrate Bidar said the Prime Minister is the leader of the country and is subject to public scrutiny, adding people have the right to freedom of speech and expressing their views.

Speaking as the outgoing chairman of the Pacific Island Forum at the 47^th PIF summit in the Federated States of Micronesia, O’Neill also addressed the leaders on the progress the group had made in the past year since the 2015 forum in Port Moresby.

He also spoke of the impact climate change may have on the Pacific Islands and called on global leaders to come together in combating the challenge.

“Climate change is more than an environmental issue – it is an economic and political issue as well.

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, who arrived in FSM today said another significant sectors to be discussed also is the issue of climate change and extreme weather.

O’Neill said he expects the economic returns from the fisheries sector to improve through the work undertaken by the Pacific Islands Forum.

“Excellent work is being undertaken by the Fisheries Task Force through cooperation at a regional level,” O’Neill said from Pohnpei in a statement.