Port Moresby

It was a wet Christmas for last minute shoppers and it was unfortunate for those who planned an outing with family and friends.

The weather office has reported that it will be partly cloudy with light southwest winds, 10-15 knots and morning showers.

Weather man Jimmy Gomoga confirmed earlier that the weather during the festive period 24-26 Dec and 30 Dec 2015 - 02 Jan 2016 would mostly be fine.

So those planning a Christmas outdoor event tonight can rest assure that there won’t be heavy rains and thunderstorms.

Stop N Shop Rainbow is one of the shops that has been fill by people in the remaining hours before Christmas.

Loop PNG visited the shop this afternoon to get a glimpse of what is happening.

Parents and children rushing to buy goods for their loved ones.

The shop is the only store apart from other supermarkets the people favour most in the Gerehu suburb regardless of the cost or quality counts.

The feast of food and sweets included roasted chicken, hot dogs, bread and items like twisties, cakes, lollies and drinks.

The feast was organised by the Royal Papua Yacht Club and the National Gaming and Control Board and supported by business houses in the city to the  tune of K60,000 in cash and kind.

The Prime Minister Peter Neill Foundation also chipped in K10,000 towards the feast.

Before the meal, the kids had fun together playing ball games and dance competitions that kept them busy.

Sisi Namari who hails from Berebei Village in the Sirinumu area of the Koiari LLG said there is no need to panic as yet.

Namari said the water level had dropped because of the long drought but the water level is not bad like in 1997.

Noonex Ano, another local made the same remarks.

The dam water catchment area is the only source of drinking water for Port Moresby residents.

Also it is used by the owner, PNG Power, to generate hydro-electricity for its consumers also.  

Eda Ranu announced in a statement today that the rationing will start on December 7…next Monday.

In a statement, Eda Ranu said due to the prolonged dry weather period being experienced in the country, they will be rationing as of that day.

The water at the dam has depleted at  a faster reduction rate “due to precipitation and associated factors’’.

“The rationing exercise is necessary to preserve the remaining 35% of water at the Sirinumu Dam to last till mid 2016 or until such time we get sufficient rainfall,’’ The statement said.

NCD Metro Command Officer, Ben Isakuma says city police have resumed normal duties while the top echelon of the two Forces work through details of an investigation and possible arrests.

Police are on the lookout for opportunists also.

A statement from the Defence Force is expected today.

Picture shows deserted Borok after the fights yesterday.

Christafari is currently in Moresby after performing in Rabaul and Lae as part of its Melanesian tour.

Papua New Guinea is now the 60th country the band has visited.

Christafari, formed in 1990 is centred on the personality of ordained Minister Mark "Tansoback" Mohr an American, born-again Christian.

Until the age of 17, Mohr was a Rastafarian and the essential goal of Christafari is to promote Christianity to all people including Rastafarians.

About 10 soldiers in civilian clothes arrived in a Toyota Land Cruiser ute, bearing the registration plate BER 058 and stormed into the Waigani police station and assaulted two duty policemen.

DCP (operations chief) Andrews said the policemen sustained serious injuries on their head and limbs, were treated and released from the Port Moresby General Hospital last night.

He said the soldiers, apparently frustrated over delays by police to settle a feud between members of the two forces, had decided to take matters into their own hands.

PSC Yosman tells PNG Loop that the ten soldiers who went to the station and bashed his three unarmed men behaved badly for men in  uniform.

He says that it is also bad form as they should have allowed police to gather and sort out the compensation payments that they were trying to get.

The soldiers were supposed to have picked up the payments as part of an outside settlement of an incident involving a policeman bashing one of their comrades last week during a crowd control clash.

Currently police are all on alert following the confrontation that left one of their men in hospital with head injuries while two received treatment and were discharged.

Police station commander Micha Yosman says that he has met with the Superintendent Operations Philip Kulwaum who will be speaking with military officials first thing today.

For now Waigani residents have been advised that should they have any police matter, to go to either Gordons or Hohola stations until this matter is dealt with by the police and army commands.