Central Province

Central Provincial Police Commander Acting Superintendent Laimo Asi was invited to and asked to conduct police patrols in the village and arrest offenders.

PPC Asi responded to the invite and visited the village on Monday where an open dialogue was established, allowing the villagers to voice their concerns.

Police were told that the main crime committed in this community was the vandalism of school properties in the village.

This is a time for progress for the Kuriva people when a new 42KW solar mini power grid was commissioned for the St John Bosco Kuriva Primary School and the hand-over of the ambulance to the Kuriva Health Centre.

Onboard with the partnership is TotalEnergies, USAID, St John, Ambulance, ExxonMobil, Santos Papua JV Partners, and Member for Hiri-Koiari, Keith Iduhu.

Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Timothy Masiu, unveiled the facility yesterday (30^th September 2023), marking a significant step towards bridging the digital divide in rural areas of PNG.

This inaugural project is part of the Smart Village project, a global initiative, now introduced to PNG through the government. It was made possible through the Department of Information and Communication Technology and Gabaspot, a local entrepreneur.

Over the weekend, Governor Rufina Peter visited Boteka in Ward 3 and Siraka in the Vanapa Brown Local Level Government, Hiri Koiari District. She was accompanied by LLG Council President Wayne Iorive along with councillors from the respective wards.

Boteka is located on the outskirts of Port Moresby, past the Catholic Church-owned Nazareth at the turn-off before Laloki Bridge. Established in the late 1950’s this area is home to now three hundred families who have slowly migrated out of the area due to lack of the most basic services.

The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary reported that independence police operation in Central Province ended on a high note with no major incidents.

Central Provincial Police Commander Chief Inspector Laimo Asi confirmed from situation reports provided to him, that all was quiet during the long weekend.

Operations started on the 14th of September, ensuring that schools and villages conducted their own independence activities without disturbance.

Central Province Governor, Rufina Peter when delivering her independence message last week, says the Central Provincial Government has allocated funding in this year’s budget to renovate police housing at Tapini and Bereina stations.

She said the Central Provincial Government is looking to embark on a training program for reserve police personnel.

This, the Governor believes will cut down on the cost of maintaining and building housing.

While delivering her Independence address this morning, Governor Peter said the program will commence in the Guari Local Level Government (LLG) from Sept 18-21; Woitape LLG from Sept 23 – 26; and Tapini LLG from Sept 28 – 30.

“The PEC has resolved to see the peace and reconciliation program rolled out to the remaining LLGs in the Golilala District and be completed before Sept 12, 2025. I believe in doing so, we prepare our people to participate meaningfully and as responsible and valued citizens of this country to the development of their local communities,” said the governor.

A father of six and teacher from Chimbu Province who has been living, working and serving in the Central Province for the past eight years has thanked Central Province Governor Rufina Peter for the initiative.

Anton Waruo began teaching in 1996 after leaving Holy Trinity Teachers College in Mount Hagen. He began his career in Chimbu where he taught for 19 years. In 2016, he was assigned to the Central Province to Vanapa along the Hiritano Highway. Waruo has been teaching in various schools throughout the province since then.  

Villagers of Veifa, Afa’ai, Apiana, Rarai, Inauoni, Ivivu and the Goilala Village of Mariboi have struggled to travel this road due to continuous law and order issues and torrential rain during the wet weather making travel unsafe and hazardous.

The eight villages will now benefit from the new Veifa-Afai'a access road, a 25km highway that will cut a course all the way into the hinterlands of West Mekeo District, an initiative of Central Province Governor Rufina Peter who launched the project over a month ago.

The Government of India through its embassy in Port Moresby supports this endeavor.

In a joint press conference at the Central Provincial headquarters in Port Moresby, Central Province Governor Rufina Peter highlighted that education is a key priority in her plans for the province.