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Team Manager, Goasa Geita said the one men’s and two women’s teams have prepared well and ready to take on the challenge of going up against participating countries including Tonga, Fiji and hosts Vanautu.

“We have vast experience in the team in the likes of current men’s singles champion, Ikau Karo and Sandra Hekau and Rarua Henao who won gold for Team Central at the recent PNG Games in Kimbe.

“We’re ready to go and are confident we will bring back good results from Vanuatu.”

Last week, the PNG Supreme Court upheld the right of Manus detainees to seek damages for the breach of their constitutional rights including the deprivation of liberty.

The ruling followed the court's decision in April 2016 that their detention was unlawful.

In September, the Australian government agreed to pay $US50 million in compensation to Manus detainees, and it was suggested men receiving that payout would not qualify for further damages.

But the lawyer Ben Lomai said that was not so.

Speaking at the Ready China Workshop on Wednesday, Commercial Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy to PNG Liu Linlin, said PNG can offer Chinese Tourists new experiences from the rest of the world.

However, this can only be achievable if PNG improves its security issue.

Counsellor Linlin informed tourism stakeholders today that millions of Chinese tourists have travelled various parts of the world and are continually looking for new experiences.

He said PNG offers that however several key areas need to be addressed. The most important being security.

This is the consensus shared during a workshop hosted by Air Niugini and the Tourism Promotion Authority of PNG.

The 'China Ready Workshop' is a stepping stone for airlines, tour operators, hotels and other Tourism stakeholders to attain certification and accreditation as a trusted service provider for Chinese tourists.

Early this year Air Niugini announced that direct flights to China would begin in March ,2018.

Toa Samoa have made three changes for Friday night's match against Australia in Darwin, with captain Frank Pritchard and halfback Ben Roberts back for their clash with the defending champions, while lock Leeson Ah Mau also returns to the back row.

Pritchard and Roberts did not play in Saturday's 14-14 draw against Scotland, which earned Samoa a spot in the knockout rounds despite failing to win a game during the group stage.

World powerlifting icon, Linda Pulsan, led the way winning gold plus taking out the Best Female Lifter Trophy award.

Hitolo Kevau, Kalau Andrew and Livingstone Sikoli also won gold medals for PNG in their weight classes, while Henry Kelo, Martin Titus and Anderson Mangela picked up silver and bronze.

80 lifters from five countries competed at the Brisbane Open, hosted by Powerlifting Australia.

Countries represented included Australia, New Zealand, Nauru, Tuvalu, Fiji and Papua New Guinea. 

The minister highlighted the need for the sector to be exposed to these players especially countries under the European Union.

Maru said PNG fisheries sector is one of the core sectors that performs well in exporting – however it has only been exporting to a few countries including the Philippines.

He reiterated that there is a large scale of production, which can be distributed to other global markets with the appropriate approach towards the sector.

This was evident during the interview with James Qian, the agent at the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority office in Shanghai, China.

The office has been in existence for three years now.

Qian says initially, not many Chinese were aware of PNG. But this has changed now, with visitor numbers to PNG increasing yearly.

“China people love to travel. Most prefer spending their holidays overseas. So this provides a good opportunity for PNG,” he said.

Qian said 2018 will particularly be a good year for PNG.

“I’ll be honest, there were a few things I wasn’t doing right regarding execution in the three-day training camp we had recently,” said Banduru.

“I always tried to give my best effort though and I’m thankful to the selectors for noticing that. Now that I am picked, I’ll make sure I perform to the best of my ability for my country and our people.”

Banduru, who goes by ‘Junior’, will be making his senior international debut for when the FIBA Melanesia Basketball Cup tips off later this month.